Manic Monday Triple Overtime--The Orignal Acts Of Vengeance!!

Hey remember that Marvel crossover event, Acts of Vengeance, from 25 years ago?

25 years ago?!?! Geez, I'm old...

Anyway, Loki tricked a bunch of major villains into sending lesser villains against heroes that weren't their usual foes. See, the unfamiliarity would make the villains more effective against the heroes!! (Hey, Loki, why wouldn't that work both ways?? Shh...)

Anyway, like most of Loki's plans, it was a stinker, no one got hurt, nothing really changed, yada yada.

But the most amazing thing was, Stan and Jack had already done that story, 25 years earlier. And instead of an overstuffed, over-sprawling, "company-wide" crossover that spanned 70 some issues, they did it in one issue.

See, Dr. Doom used his "emotion charger" to influence basically every bad guy to go bust up Reed and Sue's wedding! But there were plenty of super-powered guests who pitched in to help repel the gate-crashers, so we had plenty of foes who had never met before facing off!!

For example, S.H.I.E.L.D. took down the Puppet Master's plan:

The Mole Man and his hoards were taken down by the X-Men!

Red Ghost and his Super Apes?

Doctor Strange took care of them!

Thor fought the Super-Skrull!

Daredevil took on HYDRA!

Captain America took on Cobra and the Executioner and the Enchantress!

Mr Hyde? Hawkeye was all over that!

Iron Man faced off against the Mad Thinker's Awesome Android!

Quicksilver battled the Human Top!!

And, well, everybody fought everybody!!

And it only took one issue.

So let that be a lesson to all you over-padded, "decompressed," "wide-screen," multi-month money-sucks: One issue. That's all you really need.

Plus, Kirby was never late, so we never had to delay an entire line so you could finish your "epic."

I'm. Just. Sayin'.

From Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965)