Avengers Assemble

Rating:
Summary: Avengers Assemble (Hardcover)
Review: Hmmm... Where to begin? I'm not an Avengers fan and do not have a history of reading that title. However, I have read many issues of Iron Man and several of Captain America, and I generally like both of those characters. I read The Ultimates and loved it, and decided to pick up this TPB to read and learn more about the Avengers from the mainstream Marvel continuity. I figured this book was a good place to begin, as it featured a massive collection of Avengers material and was written and illustrated by fan-favorites Kurk Busiek and George Perez, respectively. Overall, I was a little disappointed with the book. Not so much with the writing, which seemed fine, and certainly not with the artwork, which was very good. I was most disappointed with the overall Avengers team and the way they interacted. I suppose the dialogue could have been batter, and this would have helped overcome some of the "cheeziness" of the book. I don't know, though. This was definitely not a book I started reading and could not put down. This book did not draw me in or excite me at all. It did do what I set out to do, however, which was to familiarize myself with more of the Marvel universe's wealth of characters. I suppose that, if you're an Avengers fan, you'd like this book more than me and rate it higher. For me, though, this book was simply above average. If I would have paid full cover price for this book rather than the greatly discounted Amazon.com price, I would have been very disappointed in my purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Superheroism With Depth and Style.
Review: Take Kurt Busiek, one of the foremost writers of the past
15 years, a champion of deep characterization, mutiple
plotlines, and crisp language. With illustrator Alex Ross,
Busiek broke the bank with the Sequential classic
MARVELS, then proceeded to raid the game with his
signature series of costumed drama, ASTRO CITY. His
captivating UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN can be seen
as a direct precedent for J. Michael Straczynski's
smash success on the regular title
over the last 3 years.

Does Busiek keep himself busy? Check his inspired take on
CONAN, his penetrating, heart-warming SUPERMAN: SECRET
IDENTITY, or the matchless yarnspinning of ARROWSMITH,
among other pinnacles.

Consider George Perez, perhaps the most diversified
master of Sequential Art in the past 30 years.
Group dynamics, cinematic poise, facial diversity,
individual body language, crunching action, intensely
quiet interludes are but a few of the qualities by
which this highly original illustrator has influenced
an entire generation of storytellers. With writer
Marv Wolfman, Perez helped forge DC's TITANS -Teen
and otherwise- into a worldwide phenomenon, split
the thematic cosmos with CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS,
then helped call the folktales home with HISTORY
OF THE DC UNIVERSE, and hooked up with acerbic
wordsmith Peter David to conceive two of the
hallamrks of David's groundbraking run on THE
INCREDIBLE HULK: FUTURE IMPERFECT and the
illustrated prose novel WHAT SAVAGE BEAST.

Perez established himself as a definite Sequential
power with his masterful realignment of WONDER
WOMAN in the mid-1980s. Overcoming decades of
mediocre Comics and a dead-poor late-1970s TV
show, Perez delivered the legendary Amazon as
the major power, personality and icon that she's
supposed to be.

Two master storytellers, chomping at the bit
for something fresh. What to do?

Try this handsome hardcover from Marvel on for size.
Rarely has enthusiasm for a project communicated
with such permeating fire as Busiek and Perez have
done with AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, covering the beginning
of their 3 year run of glory on the series.

Busiek's respect for the best storylines of Avengers
past (particularly from Roy Thomas in the 1960s, Steve
Englehart in the 1970s, and Roger Stern in the 1980s)
shows in his unique takes on key supporting characters
such as The Vision, The Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and The
Wasp, along with fresh perspectives on big guns such
as Captain America and Iron Man.
From other Marvel superteams, Justice and Firestar each
offer fresh enthusiasm and envigorating tales all their
own, while new creations Silverclaw and -particularly-
Triathlon would take the entire series in whole new
directions altogether. Even a fleeting look at founding
member Hank Pym (Ant-Man, Giant-Man, and Yellowjacket
up the middle) offers a possible insight into the larger
role played by the size-shifting scientist in later
issues of this run.
All play extremely major roles in compelling storylines
which run the gamut from grand and epic to up close
and personal.
Perez, whose particpation in the Englehart run helped
begin his amazing career, is dynamite in capturing
every nuance of drama that visuals can communicate.
Having drawn the breadth of the company's characters
over the span of nearly 30 years is invaluable in Perez's
ability to capture the signature look and perspective
of each and every character.
Arthurian nightmare, lost love, intergalactic conspiracy,
or the clinging danger of alcoholism: All this and more
are conveyed with precise dimension, an astoundingly
balanced flair for contrast, and an eye for emotional
impact which is second to none.

Together, they wrote a whole new chapter in Sequential
Fiction; producing a whole new continuity, and resolving
old storylines with sharp twists bearing interesting
turns for the future. Even as prime a player as THE
MIGHTY THOR was rendered far more dynamically by Busiek
and Perez than the disappointing Lee-Kirby knockoffs
then being churned out by Dan Jurgens in the Asgardian's
own series!
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE is a must have volume for anyone
wishing a solid read of well-wrought material,
superheroism as a refreshingly entertaining literary
source to enjoy, time and again.

Kurt Busiek. George Perez. Say, what have they done
since this?

Stay tuned...

Rating:
Summary: AVENGERS STILL MY FAVORITE TEAM
Review: The Avengers have always been my favorite Superhero team going back to the early 1970's. They've had consistently good stories without the never ending sub-plots and sub-sub-plots of the various X-men titles. This hardcover graphic novel collects the first 12 issues of the Avengers Volume 3, the current series. With stories by Kurt Busiek and art by legendary George Perez, these are some fantastic stories.

The Stories in this set are: The Morgan Conquest from Avengers # 1 -4, "Supreme Justice" from avengers # 5 - 7, and "Clear and Present Danger" from Avengers # 8 - 12.

There's just nothing better than George Perez on the Avengers!