Avengers: Nights of Wundagore

Rating:
Summary: Avengers Assembled!
Review: Give credit to Marvel Comics for their aggressive and wide-ranging program of re-printing classic comics: in formats for all ages and budgets, Marvel has released reissues of their groundbreaking comic books in hardcover (Marvel Masterworks), softcover (graphic novel reprints and the b/w "Essentials" collections), comic book format, and now the new "Backpack Marvels": digest-sized collection of 7-9 comic book classics. This book reprints Avengers 181-189, with scripting by David Michelinie and artwork by John Byrne: one of the powerhouse story/art combinations of the late 1970s.

While the strongest Avengers stories of this period were still to come with the artwork of George Perez, there are still classics in this book: the much-debated "Wundagore" serial that sought to solve the family mysteries of Avengers Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (although an even more startling twist to their story would come much later than the stories in this book), and one of my all-time favorite Avengers tales is included: government agent Henry Gyrich (a long-standing Marvel Universe character, not so much a villain as a pain-in-the-rear) levies membership restrictions and affirmative action on the team. It's the care with the characters Michelinie takes that makes his run on Avengers stand out: the friendship of Wonder Man and the Beast, the anger of loose cannon Hawkeye, the romance of Wasp and Yellowjacket: it's all classic Avengers characterization and moments. Byrne's artwork is energetic and crisp, even at the slightly smaller size and in black and white format, it's gorgeous to look at as well as clean, dynamic storytelling.

Only one complaint, the same I had with the X-Men Backpack Marvels--I would have liked to see a "story so far" introduction: a summary of what had gone on before and a brief introduction to the Avengers would have been useful to the first-time reader. Even most long-time fans might hesitate to identify all the characters on page seven!

That said, I'm hoping there *are* plenty of new readers for this book and this format: one of Marvel's challenges in the 21st century is to find a wider and new audience for comic books as a whole. This attractive package, affordable price, and classic collection of stories may be what the industry needs to sell comics outside the traditional comic book store market. I can easily see this attractive little volume being sold at newsstands, airport gift shops, bookstores, and more.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Stories From The Good Old Days!!
Review: Nights of Wundagore is part of a noble, but failed, experiment called "Backpack Marvels": Low-priced reprints in a digest-sized format, geared towards impulse purchasers. I don't know why this didn't succeed, but it's a shame, because the few that Marvel did publish contained some of their best stuff.

This volume contains classic stories by David Michelinie and John Byrne, aided and abetted by a host of collaborators. The story mainly focuses on siblings Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch as they attempt to solve the mystery of who exactly their parents were. That mystery is not really resolved here; Astute readers will pick up on the cryptic clues; Others will learn the truth from the brief text features after the main story. There's a few fun side trips along the way, with The Avengers battling the likes of The Absorbing Man and The Elements of Doom. As with any good Avengers tale, the main attraction is seeing the characters interact, and Michelinie does a great job of keeping the large cast in character. The main story is a mind-bendingly complex trip through Marvel history, though; I consider myself well-versed in Marvel lore, but I must admit that even I had trouble making some of the events in the flashbacks fit together at a few points. John Byrne was at the height of his artistic prowess at the time these stories originally appeared, and the black-and-white doesn't do a thing to diminish it's beauty. I had a blast reading this book, and i think any fan of The Avengers would feel the same.