Marvel Masterworks: Avengers, Vol. 2

Rating:
Summary: "The Avengers" line-up changes in issues #11-20
Review: "Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Volume 2" brings together issues #11-20, which means we begin with the Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp lineup and end with Captain America, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In other words, instead of a group made up of characters sharing space in second tier Marvel comics books (e.g., "Tales of Suspense") the Avengers end up being comprised of various supporting characters. Except, of course, for Captain America, who has always been the group's best leader. So the history here is a bit more important than most of the stories, some of which are sub-par, and only a true fan of the series is going to want to go to the expense of picking up this volume.

The stories collected here and reprinted in color, unlike those in "The Essential Avengers" trade paperbacks, are written by Stan Lee and drawn by Don Heck: #11 "Spider-Man" has Kang constructing a robot of the web-head to join the Avengers, which requires the real Spider-Man to save the day; #12 "This Hostage Earth" has the Avengers tangling with the Mole Man; #13 "The Castle of Count Nefaria" involves an evil plan sending electro-images of the Avengers to threaten the U.N. and have the Avengers declare war on the world; #14 "Even Avengers Can Die" starts with the Wasp wounded by a bullet and it seems the doctor they need to do the operation has been replaced by an alien (my vote for the stupidest "Avengers" story of all time); #15 "Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain" has the Avengers up against a team of bad guys consisting of Baron Zemo, the Executioner, the Enchantress, the Black Night, and the Melter.

With #16 "The Old Order Changeth" we have the aforementioned change in the Avengers lineup takes place and the group is no longer as muscle-bound as before; now it is clearly speed over strength; #17 "Four Against the Minotaur" deals with this change, asking the immortal question "With the raw power of Iron Man, Thor, or Giant-Man, how can the valiant Avengers hope to stop the Minotaur?" Well, they do; #18 "When the Commissar Commands" has the group against a giant Communist Chinese tyrant; #19 "The Coming of ...the Swordsman" has one guy with a sword taking on the Avengers. He does pretty well; #20 "Vengeance Is Ours" has the fight between the Swordsman and the Avengers complicated by the appearance of the Mandarin.

The last two-part story is actually the best of the bunch, which is rather surprising, but overall these 10 "Avengers" stories are average at best. When you have a group of superheroes it is really difficult to come up with some decent villains, and so Lee and Heck jettison most of the original group, where you hand Thor and Cap at the high end of the nobility scale, and replaced them with two of the angriest Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye and Quicksilver. The idea of reforming Pietro and Wanda was interesting, but why not do that in "The X-Men"? Still, the dynamics of this group are just strange enough, what with flying shields, shooting arrows, throwing spells, and running real fast. But for me "The Avengers" never really hit stride until the Vision joined their ranks and gave them a character they could truly call their own.

Rating:
Summary: "The Avengers" line-up changes in issues #11-20
Review: "Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Volume 2" brings together issues #11-20, which means we begin with the Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp lineup and end with Captain America, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In other words, instead of a group made up of characters sharing space in second tier Marvel comics books (e.g., "Tales of Suspense") the Avengers end up being comprised of various supporting characters. Except, of course, for Captain America, who has always been the group's best leader. So the history here is a bit more important than most of the stories, some of which are sub-par, and only a true fan of the series is going to want to go to the expense of picking up this volume.

The stories collected here and reprinted in color, unlike those in "The Essential Avengers" trade paperbacks, are written by Stan Lee and drawn by Don Heck: #11 "Spider-Man" has Kang constructing a robot of the web-head to join the Avengers, which requires the real Spider-Man to save the day; #12 "This Hostage Earth" has the Avengers tangling with the Mole Man; #13 "The Castle of Count Nefaria" involves an evil plan sending electro-images of the Avengers to threaten the U.N. and have the Avengers declare war on the world; #14 "Even Avengers Can Die" starts with the Wasp wounded by a bullet and it seems the doctor they need to do the operation has been replaced by an alien (my vote for the stupidest "Avengers" story of all time); #15 "Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain" has the Avengers up against a team of bad guys consisting of Baron Zemo, the Executioner, the Enchantress, the Black Night, and the Melter.

With #16 "The Old Order Changeth" we have the aforementioned change in the Avengers lineup takes place and the group is no longer as muscle-bound as before; now it is clearly speed over strength; #17 "Four Against the Minotaur" deals with this change, asking the immortal question "With the raw power of Iron Man, Thor, or Giant-Man, how can the valiant Avengers hope to stop the Minotaur?" Well, they do; #18 "When the Commissar Commands" has the group against a giant Communist Chinese tyrant; #19 "The Coming of ...the Swordsman" has one guy with a sword taking on the Avengers. He does pretty well; #20 "Vengeance Is Ours" has the fight between the Swordsman and the Avengers complicated by the appearance of the Mandarin.

The last two-part story is actually the best of the bunch, which is rather surprising, but overall these 10 "Avengers" stories are average at best. When you have a group of superheroes it is really difficult to come up with some decent villains, and so Lee and Heck jettison most of the original group, where you hand Thor and Cap at the high end of the nobility scale, and replaced them with two of the angriest Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye and Quicksilver. The idea of reforming Pietro and Wanda was interesting, but why not do that in "The X-Men"? Still, the dynamics of this group are just strange enough, what with flying shields, shooting arrows, throwing spells, and running real fast. But for me "The Avengers" never really hit stride until the Vision joined their ranks and gave them a character they could truly call their own.