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Essential Avengers vol. 3 2001 (SC TPB) 508 pages

Written by Roy Thomas. Pencils by John Buscema with Gene Colan, Barry Smith (and George Tuska, Don Heck, Werner Roth, Sal Buscema). Inks by various.
Colour: B&W. Letters: various. Editor: Stan Lee.

Reprinting: The Avengers (1st series) #47-68, Annual #2 (1967-1968)

Additional notes: covers; a text piece detailing the history of the Avengers (though obviously reprinted from an earlier source, as it's not up-to-date)

Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1 (some more)

Marvel's Essential books are a handy way to collect huge chunks of old comics that, otherwise, would be hard to track down and pretty pricey to boot. The only downside is that, in order to make then so darn economical (500 pages for the same price as a regular TPB of less than 200 pages), they're in black and white.

The third Avengers book collects almost two years of Avengers issues in their entirety (these issues had previously been reprinted in the late 1970s/early 1980s in reprint comics like Marvel Super Action and Marvel Triple Action, but usually edited to fit a smaller page count). This run of Avengers is O.K. with some noteworthy tales, but it's not exactly an unbroken stream of riveting escapades.

The art can't be faulted, with John Buscema delivering most of the pages with his mix of elegance and robustness, realism and idealism, while other artists -- including Gene Colan and Barry Windsor Smith -- contribute here and there. Admittedly, though, this is the first of these books where I really felt the absence of colour hurt it. Maybe Buscema's art takes to colour better, or maybe, with a team book featuring various colourfully garbed characters, the absence of colour is more obvious.

Despite coming on the heels of Avengers #46, which I had a reprint of from my youth (in the above mentioned Marvel Triple Action) -- a tale that seemed ripe with the kinnd of character angst and human drama that defined the Marvel Age -- too many of these tales are pretty light weight, as the Avengers simply go from one knock-down/drag-out battle to another. Nor is there a lot in the way of sub-plots -- something that can make these Essential books really fun, as you can follow an unfolding story to its end. Writer Roy Thomas throws in the odd character bit, or plot thread, but doesn't always seem to follow through on it. The Wasp's chauffeur, for example, is secretly the villain Whirlwind in disguise, which we are reminded of in a few issues...then that sub-plot disappears about half way through. I don't know if Thomas eventually did something with it, or whether he forgot about it entirely.

The stand out tale is Avengers Annual #2, ironically, not drawn by Buscema but the more modest talents of Don Heck and Werner Roth. They tell the tale competently enough -- and what a tale! Following on the heels of the previous issue (though only indirectly connected) the current Avengers find themselves in an alternate timeline where the original Avengers have set themselves up as (well intentioned) dictators. Eerie, moody, with the flavour of DC's alternate reality Elseworlds stories, and anticipating such moral debates as raised by Squadron Supreme, it's off-beat amd quite gripping for the most part.

Other solid stories include a two-part battle with the Masters of Evil (#54-55), given a dramatic kick in the pants by the Avengers seeming being betrayed by Jarvis, their butler (and Thomas doesn't use a cop out solution). As well there's the introduction of the Vision in a couple of effective, and oft reprinted, stories (#57 and 58 -- each self-contained, but inter-connected). There's the encounter with the villainous Yellowjack (#59-60) that poses intriguing questions as it unfolds (which, admittedly, are less so if you know your Avengers history). Because so many issues are reprinted, the book features not just the first appearance of arch foe, Ultron, but a couple of later appearances that flesh out his background and abilities.

The book closes with two above average trilogies. The first (#63-65), giving background to Hawkeye, and throwing in a touch of pathos, is good as a story, but it really scores because of Gene Colan's art. His beautifully fluid, unique style might at first seem like an unusual choice for the iconic Avengers, but there's a visual panache that even Buscema's issues don't match. The closing saga is drawn by a young Barry Smith in a style that goes for a Jack Kirby-esque blockiness that is surprisingly effective (and unrecognizable compared to his later style), with Sal Buscema (John's brother) furnishing the finale issue. It sees the return of Ultron in a big way, cranking up the angst and character conflict within the team as they are betrayed by the Vision. The ending is a bit simple, but it's pretty exciting and apocalyptic, evoking the kind of earth shattering threats the Avengers, overall, are known for.

As noted though, there are a lot of undistinguished stories here, though that doesn't make them bad. Just...undistinguished, reflecting too much the simplicity of the times. Though, looking at my above mentioned favs, clearly things get better as they go along.

In addition to introducing the Vision and Ultron, this features the first appearance of the hero, Black Knight, and the villain, the Grim Reaper, plus the Black Panther joins the team, and Hawkeye becomes Goliath II and other keystone events. The membership roster shifts here and there. The team is mainly comprised of Hawkeye, The Wasp, Hank Pym (under various guises), the Black Panther, and the Vision, with other stalwarts like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Hercules, and the Black Knight sticking around for a few adventures here and there. As well as occasional guest stars...although a guest appearance by the X-Men is problematic as it continues from a story in their own comic (at least it isn't continued into the X-Men!). Later "Essential" volumes would tend to include such crossover issues, but I guess when this was first printed they hadn't thought of that (possibly later printings did include the X-Men issue).

In the end, this third volume of Avengers stories should satisfy Avengers collectors, and there are enough decent reads to make it reasonably enjoyable. In fact, re-considering it after re-reading a few stories, I find myself asking a question I've asked a few times about collections: should my final rating be based on the average...or on the best tales? I mean, if I'm saying that there are indeed a handful of above average stories here...dosen't that justify the purchase, even if they're sandwiched inbetween more modest tales? So in that spirit, I'm boosting my rating from 3 stars to 3 and 1/2.

So "essential" reading? Maybe not quite, but with some enjoyable episodes.

Cover price: $21.95 CDN./ $14.95 USA. 

Essential Avengers vol. 7 2010 (SC TPB) 500+ pages

Written by Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Jim Shooter, with Tony Isabella, others. Pencils by George Perez, with John Buscema, Sal Buscema, Don Heck, others. Inks by Vince Colletta, Pablo Marcos, others.
black & white. Letters: various.

Reprinting: The Avengers (1st series) #141-163, Annual #6, Super-Villain Team-Up #9 (1975-1977)

Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Reviewed: March 27, 2010

Essential Avengers 7 collects a big consecutive run of Avengers comics (including a crossover issue of Super-Villain Team-Up) from the mid-1970s, reprinted in black & white to keep the price down. These Essential volumes (and DC's comparable Showcase Presents collections) offer a lot of bang for your buck, though I do quibble about the name. "Essential" sounds like something that collects selected issues. Better to call it "The Complete" Avengers.

Anyway.

This run of issues features the last of writer Steve Englehart's well-regarded run on the series, sees the reins handed over to Gerry Conway for a few issues, then Jim Shooter takes over. Shooter had already made a name for himself at DC on another team series -- the Legion of Super-Heroes -- and would quickly rise through the ranks of Marvel to become Editor in Chief for a long spell. And though Shooter has acquired his share of detractors over the years, even his critics tend to regard his initial run on The Avengers (he would return to the team) as a high point of the series.

This also sees artist George Perez first assuming pencilling chores on the series (though with a few pinch hitters here and there). Perez, too, enjoys a hallowed place in the hearts of Avengers fans (and he would return to the team decades later, as well). Making this run of comics representing a fairly well regarded period overall. So much so that the early issues reprinted here have also been collected in a colour TPB -- The Serpent Crown. For a more detailed review of that story arc, you can read my review here.

Strangely, though I've picked up a few Essential volumes featuring various characters over the years, and enjoyed most of them quite a bit, the previous Essential Avengers volume I read was perfectly enjoyable...but didn't quite muscle to the top of my list. And strangely...this volume too, though easily justifying its purchase price, isn't an unimpeachable representation of comics excellence...despite my having a pre-existing appreciation for this era of the Avengers. The colourfully garbbed Avengers may take less well to the black & white representation than do other series.

But there's still a lot to enjoy. The opening Serpent Crown epic is a twisty, fast paced, enjoyable page turner.

In the middle of it -- presumably because of deadline problems -- Tony Isabella and one-time Avengers' artist, Don Heck, pinch hit an out-of-continuity two-parter. And it's quite an effective tale, even if Heck's art pales beside the other gentlemen represented here -- though he tells the tale well enough. But the story, about an assassin -- called, oh-so imaginatively enough, "The Assassin"! -- targeting the team maybe works precisely because there's something a little low-key about it. The Avengers generally deal with villains who can topple sky scrapers. But this is a slow percolating suspense thriller, the villains' advantage being cunning, not power, as the Avengers are initially oblivious that someone is targeting them. Isabella even wraps it up with a twist ending. In a way, you almost wonder if this was intended for a one-shot annual, then broken up into two regular issues -- it being both self-contained, and suitably "special" in feel.

This collection also features one of those obligatory membership reviews the Avengers under goes periodically, even incorporating a flash back/edited reprint of an old Lee/Kirby Avengers issue.

The very size and fluidity of The Avengers' roster means the tales can stay fresh simply by the changing personnel -- unlike most team books where the line up will remain fairly consistent for long periods. So over these 25 issues, no matter who your favourite Avenger is from that era, chances are they'll make an appearance sooner or later -- everyone from Moondragon to the Black Panther. Even when a character quits the team, he might return as a guest star a few issues later. Heck, one time Avengers Hercules and the Black Widow crop up...guest starring as part of their 1970s team, The Champions.

Another good arc runs through two regular issues, then the annual, with John Buscema drawing the first two chapters, before Perez returns for the climax. As much as I enjoy Perez, and his astounding detail, and recognize his art is definitely a major plus to this collection -- I also like "Big" John Buscema, and there is a power, a drama to his issues, his sense of composition, that maybe even Perez lacks. The story, by Gerry Conway, is off-beat for an Avengers tale which, like with the Isabella story, is maybe its strength, involving the Avengers investigating voodoo mysticism in New Orleans.

The next big arc is a convoluted tale involving Dr. Doom, the Sub-Mariner, and a renegade Atlantean warlord that runs through a number of issues and crossovers into the Super-Villain Team Up issue. It's fun just as a recklessly paced serial, rocketing about, crisscrossing the globe, the team splitting up. But Dr. Doom and the Sub-Mariner had been sharing co-starring credit in Super-Villain Team-Up, so aspects of the story had started before the Avengers became involved. Still, if not neatly self-contained, it's okay as an action romp.

Part of the strength of the Avengers was the Marvel-style angst that arguably separated them from DC's Justice League of America. So even when the focus is just on action, there's still time out for introspection. The biggest catalyst for some of this is Wonder Man who had only appeared once, years before, as a villain-with-a-hero's-heart. In this run of issues we see his resurrection and informally joining the team, providing not only an on going mystery surrounding his return, but unsettling the android Vision, whose brain patterns were modelled after the believed-dead Wonder Man, causing the Vision to question his own identity. Unfortunately, though these threads are carried along, they can seem a bit erratically developed -- perhaps a mark of changing writers back and forth between Conway and Shooter. In fact, the mystery behind Wonder Man's resurrection is teased out so long, that even by the point the characters seem to feel it has been solved...I was still a bit vague on the details (and, indeed, the final issue contains a teaser line promising more revelation's regarding Wonder Man to come).

Still, the very volume of material collected can make such sub-plots more satisfying. Thinner, colour, collections focus on specific story arcs...but sub-plots stretch over months, even years. So these Essential collections better allow them to be followed, and read, in their entirety.

In amongst the multi-part stories, are the occasional one-shot -- most decent enough.

Once Jim Shooter takes over full time, he kicks things off with a two parter that evinces a good sense of characterization...but suffers a bit from a generic action plot -- a problem with a lot of Avengers stories over the years. Though the story could be seen as a rough draft for the similar, but much, much superior "Super Count Nefaria" story (that would be reprinted in vol. 8) -- the villain even has a beard like Count Nefaria!

But Shooter really seems to come into his own with a two-parter from #161-162, in which the menace of Ultron returns. Now, I can't be certain of my objectivity, since I had read part of this years ago, when I was a kid. So nostalgia may play a part. But I think it does hold up as a strong story, one of the best in this collection. Shooter nicely handles the characters, their inner selves and turmoil, presents a story that provides mystery as the Avengers seek to fathom Ultron's goal, and manages to deftly mix action with suspense and thrills.

Art-wise, Perez provides the majority of the art, with occasional breaks filled by artists I'm fond of (John Buscema) to others I can be more mixed on (Sal Buscema and Don Heck). George Tuska pinch hits an issue and Shooter himself draws one, a rare example of art from a man known as a writer. Pablo Marcos assumes the inking towards the end of this collection, and though Marcos' distinctive style can have pluses and minuses, his style tends to round out and add shadow to pencillers' lines, so that Sal Buscema and Don Heck both, I think, benefit from his embellishment.

Ultimately, though I'm not perhaps bursting at the seams with enthusiasm, that shouldn't detract from the fact this is a perfectly solid collection, representing a key -- even seminal -- period in Avengers lore (in addition to the re-introduction of Wonder Woman, we have the introduction of Hellcat, and the first appearance of Jocasta -- sort of; plus guest appearances by the Sub-Mariner, the Whizzer, and the 1970s team, the Champions, and more). Maybe it's the very use of overlapping sub-plots that means it's hard to necessarily pull out individual stories as stand outs, because even when they end, there can be a sense of a tale not fully told. At the same time, as mentioned, that's the advantage to a big collection of consecutive issues...little, dangling questions will be answered just a few issues down the line.

Cover price: __ CDN./ $19.99 USA. 

The Avengers: Celestial Madonna 2002 (SC TPB) 224 pages.

Written by Steve Englehart, Roy Thomas. Pencils by Sal Buscema, Dave Cockrum, with Don Heck, George Tuska. Inks by Joe Staton, others.
Colours: various: Letters: Tom Orzechowski, others. Editor: Roy Thomas, Len Wein.

Reprinting: The Avengers (1st series) #129-135, Giant-Size Avengers #2-4 (1974-1975); with covers.

Rating: * * * * (our of 5)

Number of readings: 2

The Avengers learn one of their members, the Vietnamese-born Mantis, is destined to become some cosmically significant mother to a super being. The time travelling villan, Kang the Conqueror, is aware of the prophecy and determined to kidnap Mantis, so that he may take charge of any progeny -- and tries and tries again in this collection. In between, the Avengers and Mantis seek to unravel the contradictions inherent in Mantis' origin as they learn some of her previous memories aren't wholly accurate. The truth takes them, as ethereal observers, to the beginning of time and the origin of the never ending war between the two alien races, the Kree and the Skrull. In a sub-plot, the Scarlet Witch has been practising her sorcerous powers...and seems to be taking a turn toward the dark side. And the Vision travels through time to unravel the mysteries of his own origin. As well, an Avenger dies -- in a surprisingly effective scene -- the Vision and the Scarlet Witch get married, and a few other things crop up along the way (like a one issue tussle with the Crimson Dynamo and a few of his East Bloc buddies, plus appearances by Rama Tut, Immortus and Captain America in his early '70s alter ego of Nomad).

Whew! Best of all, the disparate threads all come to a head by the end of this collection.

Celestial Madonna is one of those old school epics that are fun precisely because it's comprised of smaller two or three issue story arcs. It forms one saga, but there's enough new things happening to keep it fresh and unexpected, not unlike the Avengers: The Kree/Skrull War and The Life of Captain Marvel. Celestial Madonna isn't quite on the same level as those, lacking the socio-political edge of the former and the cosmic awe of the latter -- though it tries. In fact, it's odd that it doesn't "feel" quite as epic in scope, despite dealing with grand concepts and is steeped in a kind of ineffable cosmic mysticism. Though maybe that's the problem, the stories tend to be extremely personal to the characters (Mantis, the Vision) while the "cosmic" aspects are maybe just a little too wooly headed and vague in their mysticism.

Regardless, it's still highly enjoyable, doing the usual mixing of comicbooky action and adventure, with soap opera-y character stuff, cosmic plot threads, witty wisecracks and highfalutin' philosophizing.

Collected some thirty years after it first saw print, and tied as it is into so much of past Marvel Universe history, I couldn't help thinking an introductory essay -- "for those who came in late" -- would've been in order, particularly as the saga begins with the action already starting. After all, modern readers might be asking: "Who's Mantis? What's going on?" But, to be fair, most of the initial confusion is dispelled as the story progresses, filling in the blanks as we go (helped by the fact that Hawkeye rejoins the group and conveniently acts as the reader's surrogate by demanding explanations).

The early stuff is high octane entertainment, mixing, as noted, grandiose ideas with fisticuffs, anchored by a nice feel for these characters. Despite their super powers and their earth shattering conflicts, the Avengers work best because the characters are very human (even when they're a Norse god or an android), and the scenes are filtered through their emotions, their doubts, their passions. The whole "feet of clay" that represented the Marvel Age. Iron Man can take time in the middle of a scene to briefly lament his former career as an arms making industrialist. The Swordsman is a bit of a loser, woefully out of his element playing on this A-team. While Mantis herself starts out as a surprisingly cold hearted, selfish character who breaks the Swordsman's heart while making a play for the Vision, even knowing the Vision is committed to the Scarlet Witch. Of course, having Mantis refer to herself in the third person ("this one") seems a bit odd and one can't decide if writer Englehart learned all he knows of the Far East from watching Charlie Chan movies or, to be fair, whether her speech patterns owe more to her upbringing in a mystic temple than her nationality.

I often like comics stories that blatantly reflect their period, such as the use here of Vietnam (even if it raises technical questions about how come super heroes like these haven't aged in thirty years). Though a scene where the Swordsman, in an Avengers jet, gets into a shoot-out with the Egyptian air force after violating Egyptian air space smacks of an unfortunate imperialism on the part of the creators (I mean, would a hero shoot down American jets over a misunderstanding?)

Regarding the action-adventure stuff: the first battle with Kang takes them from New York to an Egyptian pyramid and beyond; while another epic conflict has them in a timeless limbo battling resurrected dead foes (in a story that reminded me of the much later The Avengers #352-354 -- and it's a mark of the good ol' story telling at work here that the similarity didn't diminish this original's effectiveness one bit). It's all fast-paced, exciting stuff yet, thanks to the attention to character (to which I alluded), the action rarely seems like just boring fisticuffs.

The saga becomes a bit problematic as we get into the actually unravelling of the origin stories, as it require the characters to simply be observers. That part of the saga has its own appeal though, particularly when the Avengers witness the beginnings of the Kree race, and this super hero comic takes on a science fiction feel (and there's the intriguing, more realistic idea that the perennially evil Skrulls were, once upon a time, not such a bad lot).

Although the climax of the Celestial Madonna aspect seems a bit of a let down, and unfortunately the grand finale issue (Giant-Size Avengers #4), where everything comes together, is actually the least compelling of the issues. I think mayhap it's because it's trying to do too much and is a bit too top heavy with verbiage and exposition...something which is true of the saga overall in the later issues. It also features the least effective art of the entire collection.

The art on the epic is a mixed bag. The lion's share is done by Sal Buscema, with Joe Staton on inks, with Dave Cockrum doing a couple of the Giant-Size issues (the regular Avengers and the Giant-Size Avengers were treated as one series, so story arcs begun in the regular comic usually climaxed in a Giant-Size issue). Don Heck provides the saga's conclusion in Giant-Size #4, and Heck is probably not regarded as an A-list artist at the best of times, and the art here seems particularly slapdash occasionally, with inker John Tartag providing a rather crude and thick lined coating. Going into this, probably my favourite artist of the group was George Tuska, who only does one issue, and even his work seems a bit rushed, not helped by the inking job (but still good). The point is, there's nothing exactly breathtaking about the art...at the same time, there is a kind of clean, efficient, tell-the-story approach to the style that is appealing. It keeps the focus where it should be: on the story and the characters. And the Buscema-Staton combo emerges as perhaps the best.

Of course there's so much about this saga that's evocative, having been used before and since, such as tying it into the Kree-Skrull conflict, or the old "character must sift through the contradictory origin stories they've been told in past issues" (such as in the later Yesterday's Quest). But that's kind of what makes this such a quintessentially Avengers-esque epic. And so many of the villains, heroes, and cameos are all drawn from past adventures -- but at least they are properly annotated. A novice reader might find the reliance on flashbacks and references a bit daunting, but I think this saga does better than many in explaining things as you go for the uninitiated. I knew some of this stuff, true, but there was plenty of stuff I didn't (including everything surrounding Mantis, a character I'd barely glimpsed previously) but I found it easy enough to follow and become involved in.

As I said earlier, as classic early 1970s Marvel sagas go, Celestial Madonna maybe isn't in the absolute top -- but it's still an exciting, intriguing, and thoroughly entertaining epic. Decades later, Steve Englehart returned to the team and penned a sequel of sorts collected as The Avengers: The Celestial Quest.

Cover price: $__ CDN./ $19.95 USA.

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