This issue’s recap explains all the previous one’s ending questions, which is nice. Even nicer is Casey doesn’t repeat the awkwardly uninformative ending this issue. Instead, he’s gotten Vengeance to a point where he can tease coming events and the reader is anticipating he and Dragotta’s take on them.

Casey’s exaggerated in his realism, dropping in catch phrases like “in the cloud.” They do their job, making Vengeance feel grown-up even though it’s about a bunch of kids (the scariest part in the issue is the bad kids excitedly planning to murder people). It’s a nice disconnect with Dragotta’s sixties-style artwork. I think there’s even an homage to Ditko JJJ here.

And Casey continues to earn his T+ rating–Lady Bullseye has a necrophiliac crush on regular Bullseye. Not to mention slimy dead bodies. Or the disposable cast members.

Vengeance is an engaging trip through the Marvel Universe.

Once I figured out I wasn’t supposed to understand Vengeance, the issue went down a lot smoother.

The comic starts off with weird happenings in the Marvel Universe. There’s a Red Skull flashback (in Nazi Germany), there’s a new teenage superhero finding some guy locked in a missile silo. Joe Casey’s able to embrace the Marvel Universe and its continuity and come up with an interesting side plot. Vengeance isn’t going to be big news or a crossover event, it’s just a limited series. I didn’t even realize Marvel still published this type of book.

Pretty soon Casey’s earning the mature audiences rating (Magneto breaks up a threesome). Even after Magneto’s long appearance, it’s unclear what’s going on. In the last few pages, things start coming together.

Then Casey reveals a bunch of other confusing threads.

The Nick Dragotta art gives it a traditional Marvel feel.

It’s a compelling read.