Issue(s): Power Pack #53
Cover Date: Jan 90
Title: "Chinks in the armor!"
Credits:
Terry Austin - Writer
Ernie Colon - Penciler
Ernie Colon - Inker
Sara Tuchinsky - Managing Editor
D.G. Chichester - Editor

Review/plot:
Jon Bogdanove's run is over. This issue is by Terry Austin, who did two (Goo-Gam related) guest spots in the past. This story does not feature Goo-Gams, and is instead Power Pack's Acts of Vengeance issue. And their villain is Typhoid Mary.

Now, Mary, you know this is a children's book, right? You're a far cry from the Goo-Gams.

It seems crazy for the Acts of Vengeance arch-villains to want vengeance on Power Pack, so the story here is that Dr. Doom wants the secrets of their Kymellian technology. Interestingly, Doom is aware of the Powers thanks to a file from the Kingpin, which even includes information on their secret identities.

The story is told in flashback, with Mary in what feels like a therapy session with Dr. Doom as she relates her attempts at infiltrating the Powers.

Mary first meets Power Pack in her "Mary" persona while they are hanging out at the park with their apartment-mate, Dagger.

They are all invited back to Dagger's apartment. And for those of you who think you dodged the bullet by skipping Terry Austin's Cloak & Dagger run, i've got bad news for you. Austin manages to work in plenty of info on how blind people get by.

Mary's plan is to cause strife amongst the Powers by flirting with Alex and then shifting her attentions to Alex's father, causing jealousy. I'm not sure how old Mary is supposed to be, but no one finds it weird that she's going around with Alex, and then Alex's dad calls her an adult later.

In the end, the love between the Powers is too much for Typhoid Mary, and she fails.

What's that, Dr. Doom? You have something to say?

Yeah, me too, dude. I don't know what the fuck is going on here. I'd tell you to just disintegrate Mary now, but she's apparently managed to get you all mixed up too.

Ugh. I sure hope we can say that Typhoid Mary's powers work on Doombots.

Ernie Colon is a little dialed back here compared to his Damage Control work, but it's still very stylized and cartoonish and not at all to my liking.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: I'm pushing this back in publication time a bit due to the appearance of Dagger, who must appear here during the gap at the end of Cloak & Dagger #8 and therefore before Cloak & Dagger #9 which is their own Acts of Vengeance issue (and which takes place after Avengers #311). Dr. Doom and Typhoid Mary have received intel on the Power Pack kids from the Kingpin, placing this after the Kingpin joined the Acts of Vengeance cabal in Spectacular Spider-Man #158.

References:

• A footnote points us to "current issues of Cloak and Dagger" regarding Dagger's blindness, so i'll link you to Cloak and Dagger #6-8 where you can sample the amount of detail Austin goes into on the "learning to be blind" front.
  
• Dr. Doom's father's history comes from Fantastic Four annual #2 (no footnote).

Crossover: Acts of Vengeance

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Wow. Never read this but it seems like the worst Dr Doom I've ever seen. I'm a bit of a Doom purist, and I do think a lot of writers get him wrong. My idea of Doom is the guy I grew up reading in Byrne's FF and the original Secret Wars, who is pathologically incapable of admitting weakness, and has enough willpower to steal the powers of a god in his dying breath. So I didn't like how Doom was portrayed in a lot of Acts Of Vengeance. (though the Punisher appearance seemed guaranteed to be awful but worked out better than expected.) But this is a whole level of worse. He can resist the Purple Man but can't resist Typhoid Mary, then falls apart? Can anyone think of a worse use of Doom?