Avengers: Acts Of Vengeance - various writers

Avengers: Acts of Vengeance - various

A mysterious figure enlists together some very unlikely villainous bedfellows — Red Skull, Magneto, Kingpin, Dr. Doom, Wizard, and Mandarin — while casting himself, the real mastermind, as each one's lackey, letting each one believe he is the brains behind it all.  Brushing aside how this would possibly work ("Hey, why are you calling my lackey 'Lackey'?  That's my lackey!"), this collection very helpfully put Loki on the back cover, blowing any chance, however small, of the mystery puppeteer's identity.  I didn't think much of the premise that somehow switching opponents with someone would ensure victory, but anyway.  As with all long story arcs that involve multiple titles, the quality varies, but there's a lot of great superhero combat, and some soap opera-like dramatics of the time, plus some terrific Byrne artwork.  [3.5]

Sleeper - Ed Brubaker

Sleeper - Ed Brubaker

1. Book One - This 420-page volume contains the original miniseries that introduced Holden Carver, the deep undercover sleeper agent in Tao's criminal network, plus issues #1-12 of Sleeper proper.  The original miniseries, Point Blank, is told from Grifter's point of view, and Carver is only seen sporadically.  I had never read that before; it fills in one of the missing pieces of the puzzle, namely who shot John Lynch and put his in a coma, but it also showcases Brubaker's super-noir to great effect.  When the real series starts, it gets less street level and more super-powered, which only further shows Brubaker's skill at makes claustrophobic, suspenseful pressure cookers for even invulnerable characters.  Is Carver keeping one steps ahead of the crafty Tao, or does Tao know all about Carver and is he playing a long game?  At the end of this volume, Lynch wakes up — but is it too late for Carver, whose only home remaining is with Tao?  [5]