Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #26
Published December 1989
Cover Price 1.00 USD; 1.25 CAD; 0.60 GBP
Pages 36
Editing Mark Gruenwald; Gregory Wright (managing editor); Evan Skolnick (assistant editor); Tom DeFalco (editor-in-chief)
Notes Acts of Vengeance begins in this issue and is one of the few major Marvel crossovers not anchored by one-shots or a limited series. The concept is that the major villains of the Marvel Universe (Red Skull, Dr. Doom, Magneto, Mandarin, Kingpin, Wizard and Loki) arrange to have bad guys who normally fight a particular hero switch up and battle a different foe, presumably for a better result. The crossover officially ran through the following books: Alpha Flight #79, 80; The Amazing Spider-Man #326-329; The Avengers #311-313; Avengers Spotlight #26-29; Avengers West Coast #53-55; Captain America #365-367; Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger #9; Damage Control (1989 series) #1-4; Daredevil #275, 276; Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #11-13; Fantastic Four #334-336; The Incredible Hulk #363; Iron Man #250-252; Marc Spector: Moon Knight #8-10; New Mutants #84-86; Power Pack #53; Punisher (1987 series) #28, 29; Punisher War Journal #12; Quasar #5, 6; Spectacular Spider-Man #158-160; Thor #411, 412; The Uncanny X-Men #256-258; Web of Spider-Man #59-61; Wolverine (1989 series) #19, 20; X-Factor #50.

Cover Details

Characters Hawkeye; Iron Man [Tony Stark]
Genre superhero
Pencils Keith Pollard (signed)
Inks Keith Pollard (signed)
Letters typeset
Reprinted in Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (Marvel, 2010 series) #[nn]

11 page Acts of Vengeance story "Tales from the Vault; (Acts of Vengeance Prologue)"

Characters Angar; Armadillo; Damage Control; Elektro; Griffin; Guardsmen; Hydro-Man; Klaw; Mr. Hyde; Peggy Carter; Scarecrow; Titania; the Wizard
Synopsis The Wizard is brought to the Vault to be jailed for his crimes. A strange figure in his cell offers to help him out and gives him his costume back. Wizard starts a breakout and the Guardsmen call for help.
Genre superhero
Script Dwayne McDuffie
Pencils Dwayne Turner
Inks Chris Ivy
Colors Paul Becton
Letters Richard Starkings
Notes Continues in the next story.
Reprinted in Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (Marvel, 2010 series) #[nn]

1 page Kid Remote; Acclaim Remote Controller advertisement "The Power to Move!"

Characters Kid Remote
Genre children
Notes Comics ad for the Acclaim Remote Controller.

1 page letters page "Single File"

Script various
Letters typeset

11 page Hawkeye and Iron Man story "Tales from the Vault Part 2"

Characters Hawkeye; Iron Man [Tony Stark]; Guardsmen; Orka; Scarecrow; Whirlwind; Yetrigar
Synopsis Iron Man arrives to help control the breakout at the Vault. His reception is less than welcome as Tony in the Iron Man armor was responsible for the last prison break during the Armor Wars. Hawkeye shows up as well and, once he's convinced that Iron Man wasn't responsible, helps him rescue the fallen Guardsmen.
Genre superhero
Script Dwayne McDuffie
Pencils Dwayne Turner
Inks Chris Ivy
Colors Paul Becton
Letters Jack Morelli
Notes It appears as though Tony Stark is in the Iron Man suit, but that he pretends to be James Rhodes in this story. Originally indexed as having James Rhodes in the Iron Man suit, but evidence from issue 29 (that continues this story) shows Captain America talking to Iron Man in such a way that he appears to know that Stark is in the suit. Iron Man appears to confirm it when he thinks "I must work on my cover story." (Thanks to Charlie Major and Dave Reeder)
Reprinted in Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (Marvel, 2010 series) #[nn]