In the early 1960s, Stan Lee and his creative array of artists shifted the Silver Age into the Marvel Age. After the success of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, the next step in the Marvel Age was to form an all-star super-group. 1963 saw the start of the Avengers. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the King of Comics, ensured that the Avengers remained a lasting team to the comics-reading public. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 1 collects Kirby’s run as penciller with Don Heck taking over in issue nine.
Such awesome talents are on display here: the initial team of Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man/Giant-Man, the Wasp, and the Incredible Hulk. This and some later rosters present in Masterworks are not completely BFFs. It’s well-known comics lore that the Hulk leaves in the 2nd issue but he’s not completely written out. He figures into a few more plots while we get familiar with the stable presence of Captain America and the brave, bold group of Rick Jones & his friends. Issue ten has the Avengers overcoming perceived dissension. Lee eagerly left no detail behind and wrote denser dialogue than many mainstream comics today. These 10 issues are good, well-paced adventures. Continue reading “Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Volume 1 Review”
