Another great classic collection. Between this and Vol 1, we are introduced to the Avengers. Simple, basic stories for sure. But stories that led later to more thrilling plotlines, better art, and classic heroes and villains.Looking back, the first group of Avengers really did not last long, breaking up in issue #16. But we all have to start somewhere. In these early stories, the Avengers lived in a mansion that was broken into almost every other issue, and the heroes did not the secret identiti...

Ah.. I can excuse so much stuff because it was the 60s and well, we have to factor in lots of stuff, but.. it's so.. stupid and cringe-worthy at times, that I can't say anything positive about most of the stories back then other than "it was written for kids" and "it was the 60s" and pretty much stuff like that.Oh well, the artwork was and still is one of my favourite things ever. Don Heck or Kirby, both of them were amazing artists!

This volume is notable for including issue #16, the big roster shake-up, and issues #19-20 which feature the debute of the Swordsman. Of these, I think #16 is the only issue I'd recommend on its own merit. That's one issue out of ten, not good. Some dated racial stereotypes, sexism, and anti-communist politics. There are some good art sequences, and some isolated great bits of characterization on Stan Lee's part, but overall it's one of the more bland and pointless Silver Age titles.One of the g...

I enjoyed this one a lot less than the first one, to be honest.The original Avengers line up only lasted about 14 issues before all the founding members left? It's a bit jarring.The treatment of Jan is worse. She's referred to as "girl" and "the female" quite a bit. Even in the issue where she was in surgery because of a serious injury, the doctor refers to her as "the girl". It's gross and Hank's treatment of her is so annoying. I wanted to duck tape his mouth several times. Jan deserves so muc...

The Avengers start their long tradition of changing membership in this volume, starting in issue 16 with the rest of the founding members (Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, and Wasp) leaving the team and former villains Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye joining Captain America. Notable returning villains include Kang, the Mandarin, Mole Man (taking a break from causing the Fantastic Four problems), Zemo and the Masters of Evil, and new ones include the Swordsman, Count Nefaria, and the Maggia, Ma...

There's definite improvement in this volume, especially after the more rambunctious and physically weaker team of Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch come on the scene. There are some lame attempts to "correct" some misread dialogue in the reconstruction. There's nothing too great here, but it's gradually getting up to the standard set by Spider-Man, FF, X-Men, and Daredevil. Lee and Heck were still riding on the thrill of seeing the popular Marvel superheroes together, and

This collection contains issues 11-20 of the Avengers, published from 1964 to 1965. Overall this was another solid Stan Lee collection, featuring crazy plots, aliens, kooky supervillains, and everything else you’d expect from 1960’s Marvel. One thing I did not realize – in issue #16, the entire roster (minus Captain America) turns over. Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man & Wasp are gone, replaced by Hawkeye and the siblings Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch (of X-Men fame). This surprised me, although the qual...

After a few adventures fighting Kang, Mole Man, and Count Nefaria, the Avengers face off again with Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil. Following which, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man, and the Wasp for some reason decide it's a perfect time for extended vacations. They hold auditions for replacements and choose former criminals Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. When Captain America returns from South America where he and Rick Jones have been fighting Zemo by themselves, Iron Man hands Cap

The first portion of this collection has us hanging out with the old guard of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Giant Man/Ant Man, and the horniest Avenger of all, Wasp. But then Marvel decided to shake things up by dumping these tried and true heroes (with the exception of Cap) to bring in a new line up of Avengers who aren't all that interesting or heroic. The worst one is Hawkeye. All he does is argue with the guys and belittles Scarlet Witch. (Stop calling her 'doll'! How would you like it if...

Perhaps if I were strictly neutral and completely unbiased I might go with a four star rating here as there are a couple of issues in this compilation that might be considered a little weaker than the earliest issues of the Avengers...perhaps. But I'm not neutral or unbiased. When I open this book, I'm 12 years old again. I fade back in time as completely as if Harry and his friends hadn't broken all the Time Turners..as thoroughly as if Doc Brown had loaned me his DeLorean or H.G. had stopped b...

The first four issues of The Avengers V2 are relatively mundane. There's only so much you can do with this same group of heroes showing off the same series of personality quirks. Still, there's some nice variety. Some of the issues continue to integrate with the larger Marvel universe: when Kang returns, Spider-man makes a guest appearance (#11), then the Avengers fight two FF foes, the Mole Man and the Red Ghost (#12). Other issues continue to expand the Avengers' own mythology: besides the ret...

So much so silly and so sexist, and yet glimmers of brilliance. The original team as some pretty nonsensical bouts with the likes of Kang, Mole Man, the Red Ghost and, in his debut appearance, Count Nefaria, master of the international crime syndicate the Maggia, before a final showdown with the Masters of Evil sort of, but not really, precipitates their departure from the team. There are a lot of assertions that "We're not disbanding, merely taking a leave of absence!" and pains are taken to ma...

The transition from the original team to the new team leaves some good stories on the table. But the new team adds lots more drama and personalizes the heroes. The arrival of Hawkeye is the start of a great addition to the team.

I'm not sure which FF issues are concurrent with these avengers stories, but Stan Lee was more on his game here than over there, at least in the early issues. A lot of standard Stan Lee plots, but it's fairly fast paced and interesting. Plus, there's the first major membership shakeup, which was rather novel in the days of the stable JLA roster. One similarity with FF is that the characters all have personalities, evern though it seems with the new team, they spend more time yelling at each othe...

Kirby’s out, Heck is in, and Stan Lee keeps on churning ‘em out as the Avengers hit a very important milestone and otherwise battle some truly dubious villains and also (sort-of) Spider-Man!This is a definite improvement over the first ten issues of The Avengers and it’s not just because of what happens midway through. I think my favourite story is actually the first one, where the Avengers tackle a Spider-Man robot that Kang creates to lure them into a trap.This one story is every goofy ass 60’...

Less impressive than book one. The stories and adversaries are weaker overall. The good includes first appearances of The Swordsman and Count Nefaria, Cap's Kooky Quartet, the finale to Baron Zemo I, and much better work with The Scarlet Witch than with Wasp. The bad includes two pretty awful Mole Man stories, the entire plot about saving Wasp's life, the terrible Commisar character and story, the whiny whiny Rick Jones, and the bitchiness and just plain nastiness of Cap towards anyone and every...

I like this second volume a bit more than the first. Stan Lee's writing is smoother, and the artwork is cleaner and more dynamic; through these volumes I have gained a great appreciation for Don Heck's style. Wally Wood, one of my all-time favorite comics artists, inks an issue, so that's cool. There's a new lineup for the super-team, which I like quite a bit, innovative and imaginative ideas, cool villains, and more oddly perspectived action panels. Good stuff.

More early Avengers fun. About a third into this run we get a new lineup as Iron Man, Giant Man, and Wasp go on temporary leave. They are replaced by Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. Baron Zemo returns. We get the debut of The Swordsman. Lots more fun adventures, but I honestly miss Iron Man. Not Giant Man or Wasp, though. Stan Lee writing is good and Don Heck’s art is GREAT.

Love the history of the Avengers.

Nostalgic slice of Silver Age comics that missed a dash of the Jack Kirby artwork that made the first volume of this series so enjoyable. Also the dated and shallow characterizations of the female characters, particularly the continual swooning The Wasp demonstrates over seemingly every male character she encounters, was a bit cringe worthy. Entertaining enough for me that I have queued up the third volume in this series to read over the coming weeks.