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Avengers (1963) #270-271, 273-277
Avengers: Under Siege
The Avengers have always been Marvel's premiere super hero team, made up of all of the heavy hitters that the House of Ideas has to offer. But what happens when a team of this stature is squarely defeated -- and on their home turf to boot?Avengers: Under Siege collects the classic storyline in which the Avengers are finally bested by their villainous archenemies, the Masters of Evil. Even worse, their base of operations -- the Avengers Mansion -- is intentionally destroyed in the process. Can even the Earth's Mightiest Heroes rebound from this debilitating defeat?
Collects Avengers (1963-1996 1st Series) #270-271 and 273-277
Collects Avengers (1963-1996 1st Series) #270-271 and 273-277
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1987
250 people want to read
About the author
Roger Stern
1,552 books111 followersRoger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 10, 2017
My good pal Anne: (to me) How could you recommend a book to me without posting a review? Get on it. Now!!
Me: Lower the shot gun and be reasonable, buddy.
Anne (aims shotgun at my head, trigger clicks): Let’s go!! I have to pick up my kids at school.
Me (after peeing myself): Sure thing.
At one point in my life, I took a long break from comics (I know, I’m going to hell for that.), to pursue other things, like, girls. Scouring the bargain bins at a comic book convention (this was back in the day when they had, you know, comics and not celebrities pimping stuff), I came across a few random issues of this story. I read them and became intrigued enough to shell out more money for the complete story. Upon further reading I discovered that this particular Avengers story arc was near or at the top of the greatest Avengers comics of all-time.
Damn, Jeff! I’m really intrigued. What this about?
Well, Random Goodreader, first, my compliments for getting past the restraining order, the 20 foot electrical fence and the rabid guard dogs. How’d you do it?
Anne gave me a lift.
*sigh*
Baron Zemo, seeking revenge on the Avengers for kicking his ass countless times before, has put the comic book logic aside that says if you want to take out your heroes don’t send your evil buddies in one at a time (e.g. see every Silver Age Spider-Man and the Sinister Six story) to get their butts handed to them.
New Zemo-rrific plan: Gather as many mooks as possible and dogpile the crap out of the good guys.
Also, brainwashing a powerful, yet weak-minded, dude that can control the uber-awesome Darkforce is a real bad-guy bonus.
The successful dogpile gambit renders Hercules unconscious…
…and Jarvis beaten within an inch of his life and the Avengers reeling.
Let the gloating begin.
Boys, break out Mad Dog 20/20.
The shrinky-dink heroes, Wasp and Ant-Man (pre-punch line Scott Lang) are forced to defend a hospitalized Hercules from the Absorbing Man and his girl-friend (and my evil girl friend of choice) Titania.
She’s a whole lotta woman.
Meanwhile, back at Avengers mansion, bloody but not beaten, Cap’s had enough.
Call me a sentimental fool, but I love it when he makes those little speeches.
Enter Thor for a little God-time.
Wah Wah Wah!
Yet, Zemo made Cap cry.
Son of a Nazi bastard!!
Uh, that was an accident. Honest.
Bottom Line: If you have any interest in the Avengers, this is a must read. That said, your mileage may vary depending upon whether you think all comics published before the year2000 1990 were infantile pap. It’s an old school tale that still packs some punch.
Me: Lower the shot gun and be reasonable, buddy.
Anne (aims shotgun at my head, trigger clicks): Let’s go!! I have to pick up my kids at school.
Me (after peeing myself): Sure thing.
At one point in my life, I took a long break from comics (I know, I’m going to hell for that.), to pursue other things, like, girls. Scouring the bargain bins at a comic book convention (this was back in the day when they had, you know, comics and not celebrities pimping stuff), I came across a few random issues of this story. I read them and became intrigued enough to shell out more money for the complete story. Upon further reading I discovered that this particular Avengers story arc was near or at the top of the greatest Avengers comics of all-time.
Damn, Jeff! I’m really intrigued. What this about?
Well, Random Goodreader, first, my compliments for getting past the restraining order, the 20 foot electrical fence and the rabid guard dogs. How’d you do it?
Anne gave me a lift.
*sigh*
Baron Zemo, seeking revenge on the Avengers for kicking his ass countless times before, has put the comic book logic aside that says if you want to take out your heroes don’t send your evil buddies in one at a time (e.g. see every Silver Age Spider-Man and the Sinister Six story) to get their butts handed to them.
New Zemo-rrific plan: Gather as many mooks as possible and dogpile the crap out of the good guys.
Also, brainwashing a powerful, yet weak-minded, dude that can control the uber-awesome Darkforce is a real bad-guy bonus.
The successful dogpile gambit renders Hercules unconscious…
…and Jarvis beaten within an inch of his life and the Avengers reeling.
Let the gloating begin.
Boys, break out Mad Dog 20/20.
The shrinky-dink heroes, Wasp and Ant-Man (pre-punch line Scott Lang) are forced to defend a hospitalized Hercules from the Absorbing Man and his girl-friend (and my evil girl friend of choice) Titania.
She’s a whole lotta woman.
Meanwhile, back at Avengers mansion, bloody but not beaten, Cap’s had enough.
Call me a sentimental fool, but I love it when he makes those little speeches.
Enter Thor for a little God-time.
Wah Wah Wah!
Yet, Zemo made Cap cry.
Son of a Nazi bastard!!
Uh, that was an accident. Honest.
Bottom Line: If you have any interest in the Avengers, this is a must read. That said, your mileage may vary depending upon whether you think all comics published before the year
April 24, 2015
Avengers: Under Siege was the last great Avengers story of the ‘80s. As the action opened, the team was beset by tension, with many members off doing their own thing. Baron Zemo assembled an army of super-villains into a new Masters of Evil. The Masters invaded the team’s mansion, seizing control and taking faithful butler Jarvis hostage. They ambushed Black Knight and Captain Marvel. Hercules’s rash invasion of the mansion led to a severe beating at the hands of the villains and of the Masters taking Cap hostage. Wasp and the new Ant-Man faced off against the formidable Absorbing Man and Titania, then coordinated a counterstrike that included a returning Thor and Doctor Druid. Zemo forced Cap to watch Mister Hyde beat and torture Jarvis nearly to death. Fierce fighting damaged the building heavily, until the climactic confrontation between Cap and Zemo.
Under Siege was possibly Roger Stern’s best arc on the book. It took a lot of chances with the narrative, such as allowing serious injury to Hercules. The very concept of the Masters of Evil changed in this story. Instead of a roughly equivalent force of villains, it grew into a large organization centered around Zemo, a concept that’s evolved even further in modern comics, where the villains inhabit their own country. While the mansion had been a battle site for the Avengers before, they’d never had their building hijacked by enemies. The psychological drama between Zemo and Cap was fairly spellbinding. Perhaps most disturbing was the treatment of Jarvis. God knows the faithful butler had been taken hostage plenty of times in the past, but he usually emerged with little more than a crease in his morning coat. Seeing the character beaten near death while a helpless Cap watched was the most disturbing sequence. The story also charted how far Wasp had come in a few short years. She took down heavy hitters Absorbing Man and Titania almost single-handed and rallied the troops at the darkest moment. Avengers: Under Siege is an amazing volume that any fan of the series should have.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
Under Siege was possibly Roger Stern’s best arc on the book. It took a lot of chances with the narrative, such as allowing serious injury to Hercules. The very concept of the Masters of Evil changed in this story. Instead of a roughly equivalent force of villains, it grew into a large organization centered around Zemo, a concept that’s evolved even further in modern comics, where the villains inhabit their own country. While the mansion had been a battle site for the Avengers before, they’d never had their building hijacked by enemies. The psychological drama between Zemo and Cap was fairly spellbinding. Perhaps most disturbing was the treatment of Jarvis. God knows the faithful butler had been taken hostage plenty of times in the past, but he usually emerged with little more than a crease in his morning coat. Seeing the character beaten near death while a helpless Cap watched was the most disturbing sequence. The story also charted how far Wasp had come in a few short years. She took down heavy hitters Absorbing Man and Titania almost single-handed and rallied the troops at the darkest moment. Avengers: Under Siege is an amazing volume that any fan of the series should have.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
January 31, 2010
Remember when the Avengers were a bunch of C-list characters and they fought a bunch of C-list villains? This is kind of fun, though I'm not sure what it was about these particular issues that merited collecting. It was interesting to see characters like Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel (that was a good idea, they should have stuck with her!), and Janet van Dyne (Wasp) as leader of the Avengers (though it's kind of grating that most of the story is about how her teammates won't take orders from her because they don't respect women -- Hercules -- or because they're in love with her -- Black Knight). Also, Karla Sofen as Moonstone fills basically the same role on the Masters of Evil that she has, recently, on Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers -- ie, being smarter than the person who is in charge; though here, she also gets to do science-y things. Captain America does show up in the last couple issues, mostly to be tied up by Baron Zemo and fume at him. These are, of course, my favorite parts.
February 6, 2020
An Enjoyable read that starts a bit ugly with some useless sexist remarks to both Moonstone and Wasp (the main antagonists of the plot, if you read between the lines) but redeems itself with an interesting picture of the latter as a kick-ass, intelligent capable leader and some classic Captain America scenes. Three and half stars.
August 3, 2015
A decent if dated Jim Shooter era Avengers story, but nothing transcendent. No carry-on consequences or truly memorable moments.
November 9, 2024
Hace muchos años, en una de las primeras revistas Wizard que compré venía una lista de los mejores tp's publicados hasta ese momento. Entre ellos venía precisamente esta historia. Tiempo después, una persona cuyos gustos me parecían similares a los míos me comentó que esta era una de sus historias favoritas de Marvel, así que, ya con dos recomendaciones, la busqué . La leí y debo decir que no me gusto. Pasó el tiempo (unos diez años) y le volví a dar otra oportunidad. Debo decir que a mi parecer aún no le llega al trabajo de Kurt Busiek, pero ahora me gustó mucho mas que en aquella ocasión.
La historia es relativamente sencilla, pero no por eso menos emocionante. Después de algunos intentos de vencer a los Avengers, en especifico a Captain America, Baron Zemo decide crear un plan diferente con el cual piensa derrotarlos. Ahora, en vez de atacarlos al aire libre ha decidido hacerlo en su propia casa, la mansión Avenger, buscando enfrentarse a ellos poco a poco, pero aliado con un grupo muy numeroso y poderoso de villanos, como la Wrecking Crew o Goliath. En total los Masters of Evil estarían constituidos por dieciséis villanos* que tal vez por su cuenta no hubiesen podido derrotar a los Avengers, pero unidos serían una amenaza muy grande.
El problema que le encuentro a la historia (y supongo que fue una de las razones por la cual no me gustó originalmente) es que Marvel no la supo vender al momento de editarla en un compilado. Y es que esta aventura, seguramente no planeada para ser recopilada (en la época en que fue publicada por primera vez los compilados no eran tan comunes) basa gran parte de su éxito en las sorpresas. Si uno lee los primeros números jamás se imagina lo que va a suceder… A menos que uno vea la portada de el compilado y lea la contraportada de este. Al saber de antemano algunas de las sorpresas se pierde gran parte de el chiste de esta. Es como si en vez de llamar a una película "Rain Man" le pusieran "Cuando los Hermanos se Encuentran" o en vez de "Thelma & Louise" la llamaran no, se, "Un Final Inesperado".
Pero no estamos aquí para hablar si la nombraron mal o si Marvel intento arruinarnos la experiencia antes de vivirla/leerla (estrictamente hablando, yo aquí estoy haciendo lo mismo). No, estamos aquí para hablar de el porque este enfrentamiento de los Avengers con los Masters of Evil es tan bueno. Como comenté arriba, algunos de los detalles mas importantes son las sorpresas, empezando con la aparición de Baron Zemo. Tal vez para los lectores de ahora esto parece un dato menor, pero para los de esa época no lo fue, ya que pues, Zemo estaba muerto. Como digo, tal vez para los de ahora esto suena curioso, estamos acostumbrados a que los personajes revivan todos los días, sin embargo en ese momento esto no era lo común, así que el ver a Zemo de vuelta y liderando un equipo de villanos fue toda una revelación. Pero las sorpresas no acaban ahí. Otra de ellas es el momento en que Blackout cubre con una especie de campo de fuerza negro toda la Mansion Avenger. Estoy seguro que muchos de los lectores pensaron en ese momento que ya no había esperanza para los héroes mas importantes de la tierra, más si tomamos en cuenta que la única Avenger activa que quedaba fuera de la Mansión era Wasp.
Este último punto me lleva a lo que hace mas interesante a esta aventura, las caracterizaciones que hace Roger Stern de los diferentes personajes. Tomemos por ejemplo a la ya mencionada Wasp. Cuando uno habla de ella normalmente piensa en una frívola mujer que solo piensa en la moda (hubo un tiempo en que cambiaba su uniforme con cada nuevo número de los Avengers) que solo estaba aquí porque al momento de la formación de el equipo era pareja de Hank Pym. En que error estábamos. Janet es igual de hábil como líder de los Avengers como digamos Captain America. El mejor número de toda el compilado es el 275, donde ella, junto a Scott Lang que ya para ese entonces era Ant-Man, se enfrentan (y vencen) a Absorbing Man y a Titania, en apariencia un par de villanos mucho mas poderosos que ellos dos. Pero no crean que Wasp es la única, ahora tomemos el ejemplo de Hercules, otro de los personajes mitológicos que es miembro de este equipo. Roger Stern lo retrata como una persona completamente misógina y fanático de la bebida (lo cual casi le cuesta la vida), siempre listo para la acción pero que no soporta que Wasp le de ordenes. Si esta historia la hubieran intentado hacer en esta época las redes sociales lo hubieran cancelado casi inmediatamente. Y así podríamos seguir con todos.
Ahora hablemos un poco de los villanos. Una de las cosas que le gustaban a Roger Stern era enfrentar a los héroes con rivales que no eran a los que siempre lo hacían. La pelea entre Spider-man y Juggernaut, un villano que hasta ese momento había atacado casi en exclusiva a los X-Men es un clásico de este escritor. Lo mismo sucede aquí. Como comenté anteriormente, Baron Zemo reunió a un grupo muy nutrido de villanos, varios de ellos físicamente muy poderosos como la Wrecking Crew o Goliath, pero lo que los hacía mas peligrosos ante los Avengers era que, con contadas excepciones, jamas se habían enfrentado con ellos. Es mas, varios de los que terminarían conformando este grupo tenían pocas apariciones (por ejemplo Rita DeMara, la segunda Yellowjacket solo tenía una aparición previa), lo cual logro sacar de balance a los héroes, porque no sabían a que se estaban enfrentando.
Sin embargo mis lectores se preguntarán, si Zemo tenía un plan tan infalible, ¿porque no logro su cometido? Primero porque Zemo estaba obsesionado con Captain America y, en vez de ir matando a todos y cada uno de los héroes decidió hacerlo con todos juntos, lo cual le dio tiempo a Wasp (a la cual el tomó como una amenaza menor) de organizar su ataque (además de que, pues, el matar a un importante número de héroes en una historia no era algo recurrente por aquellos días). La escena donde Captain America le muestra a Captain Marvel la única foto de su madre rota a manos de Zemo es, además de una imagen muy triste e impresionante, un reflejo de esto que estoy comentando. Segundo, porque la verdad Roger Stern hace un poco de trampa y se saca de la manga a un par de personajes que no habían aparecido, uno de ellos que ni siquiera era Avenger y gracias a ellos es que logran la victoria. Quizás este sea el punto mas flojo de la historia (y otro de las cosas por lo cual originalmente no me gusto).
Pero un momento, ¿lo que estoy reseñando es un libro o un cómic? Porque si, hasta el momento no me había dado cuenta que no había hablado nada de el arte en este, lo estaba dando por sentado. Yo soy de los que piensa que no necesariamente necesitas a un artista de alto calibre para que la historia sea buena, pero si de casualidad tienes a uno muy bueno si se logra que la disfrutes mas. Este es el caso. Para mi, el mejor dibujante de los Avengers es George Perez, sin embargo, en un muy cercano segundo lugar tenemos justamente al artista de esta aventura, el magnífico John Buscema. Al igual que Pérez, John consigue dotar de un detalle impresionante a todos y cada uno de los personajes a los que ilustra, además de que, seamos sinceros, dibuja a la Wasp mas guapa que he visto. El que John haya estado a cargo de las trazos en los ocho números que componen este compilado es un extra que vale mucho la pena.
En fin, si ya has leído las historias de Kurt Busiek y estas en búsqueda de algo mas que leer, esta es la historia para ti, tiene acción, drama, un poco de romance, y nos demuestra el porque los Avengers son el equipo estelar de Marvel, los héroes mas poderosos de la Tierra.
*Diecisiete si tomamos en cuenta el cameo de Black Mamba. Dieciocho si contamos la fotografía de Whirlwind.
La historia es relativamente sencilla, pero no por eso menos emocionante. Después de algunos intentos de vencer a los Avengers, en especifico a Captain America, Baron Zemo decide crear un plan diferente con el cual piensa derrotarlos. Ahora, en vez de atacarlos al aire libre ha decidido hacerlo en su propia casa, la mansión Avenger, buscando enfrentarse a ellos poco a poco, pero aliado con un grupo muy numeroso y poderoso de villanos, como la Wrecking Crew o Goliath. En total los Masters of Evil estarían constituidos por dieciséis villanos* que tal vez por su cuenta no hubiesen podido derrotar a los Avengers, pero unidos serían una amenaza muy grande.
El problema que le encuentro a la historia (y supongo que fue una de las razones por la cual no me gustó originalmente) es que Marvel no la supo vender al momento de editarla en un compilado. Y es que esta aventura, seguramente no planeada para ser recopilada (en la época en que fue publicada por primera vez los compilados no eran tan comunes) basa gran parte de su éxito en las sorpresas. Si uno lee los primeros números jamás se imagina lo que va a suceder… A menos que uno vea la portada de el compilado y lea la contraportada de este. Al saber de antemano algunas de las sorpresas se pierde gran parte de el chiste de esta. Es como si en vez de llamar a una película "Rain Man" le pusieran "Cuando los Hermanos se Encuentran" o en vez de "Thelma & Louise" la llamaran no, se, "Un Final Inesperado".
Pero no estamos aquí para hablar si la nombraron mal o si Marvel intento arruinarnos la experiencia antes de vivirla/leerla (estrictamente hablando, yo aquí estoy haciendo lo mismo). No, estamos aquí para hablar de el porque este enfrentamiento de los Avengers con los Masters of Evil es tan bueno. Como comenté arriba, algunos de los detalles mas importantes son las sorpresas, empezando con la aparición de Baron Zemo. Tal vez para los lectores de ahora esto parece un dato menor, pero para los de esa época no lo fue, ya que pues, Zemo estaba muerto. Como digo, tal vez para los de ahora esto suena curioso, estamos acostumbrados a que los personajes revivan todos los días, sin embargo en ese momento esto no era lo común, así que el ver a Zemo de vuelta y liderando un equipo de villanos fue toda una revelación. Pero las sorpresas no acaban ahí. Otra de ellas es el momento en que Blackout cubre con una especie de campo de fuerza negro toda la Mansion Avenger. Estoy seguro que muchos de los lectores pensaron en ese momento que ya no había esperanza para los héroes mas importantes de la tierra, más si tomamos en cuenta que la única Avenger activa que quedaba fuera de la Mansión era Wasp.
Este último punto me lleva a lo que hace mas interesante a esta aventura, las caracterizaciones que hace Roger Stern de los diferentes personajes. Tomemos por ejemplo a la ya mencionada Wasp. Cuando uno habla de ella normalmente piensa en una frívola mujer que solo piensa en la moda (hubo un tiempo en que cambiaba su uniforme con cada nuevo número de los Avengers) que solo estaba aquí porque al momento de la formación de el equipo era pareja de Hank Pym. En que error estábamos. Janet es igual de hábil como líder de los Avengers como digamos Captain America. El mejor número de toda el compilado es el 275, donde ella, junto a Scott Lang que ya para ese entonces era Ant-Man, se enfrentan (y vencen) a Absorbing Man y a Titania, en apariencia un par de villanos mucho mas poderosos que ellos dos. Pero no crean que Wasp es la única, ahora tomemos el ejemplo de Hercules, otro de los personajes mitológicos que es miembro de este equipo. Roger Stern lo retrata como una persona completamente misógina y fanático de la bebida (lo cual casi le cuesta la vida), siempre listo para la acción pero que no soporta que Wasp le de ordenes. Si esta historia la hubieran intentado hacer en esta época las redes sociales lo hubieran cancelado casi inmediatamente. Y así podríamos seguir con todos.
Ahora hablemos un poco de los villanos. Una de las cosas que le gustaban a Roger Stern era enfrentar a los héroes con rivales que no eran a los que siempre lo hacían. La pelea entre Spider-man y Juggernaut, un villano que hasta ese momento había atacado casi en exclusiva a los X-Men es un clásico de este escritor. Lo mismo sucede aquí. Como comenté anteriormente, Baron Zemo reunió a un grupo muy nutrido de villanos, varios de ellos físicamente muy poderosos como la Wrecking Crew o Goliath, pero lo que los hacía mas peligrosos ante los Avengers era que, con contadas excepciones, jamas se habían enfrentado con ellos. Es mas, varios de los que terminarían conformando este grupo tenían pocas apariciones (por ejemplo Rita DeMara, la segunda Yellowjacket solo tenía una aparición previa), lo cual logro sacar de balance a los héroes, porque no sabían a que se estaban enfrentando.
Sin embargo mis lectores se preguntarán, si Zemo tenía un plan tan infalible, ¿porque no logro su cometido? Primero porque Zemo estaba obsesionado con Captain America y, en vez de ir matando a todos y cada uno de los héroes decidió hacerlo con todos juntos, lo cual le dio tiempo a Wasp (a la cual el tomó como una amenaza menor) de organizar su ataque (además de que, pues, el matar a un importante número de héroes en una historia no era algo recurrente por aquellos días). La escena donde Captain America le muestra a Captain Marvel la única foto de su madre rota a manos de Zemo es, además de una imagen muy triste e impresionante, un reflejo de esto que estoy comentando. Segundo, porque la verdad Roger Stern hace un poco de trampa y se saca de la manga a un par de personajes que no habían aparecido, uno de ellos que ni siquiera era Avenger y gracias a ellos es que logran la victoria. Quizás este sea el punto mas flojo de la historia (y otro de las cosas por lo cual originalmente no me gusto).
Pero un momento, ¿lo que estoy reseñando es un libro o un cómic? Porque si, hasta el momento no me había dado cuenta que no había hablado nada de el arte en este, lo estaba dando por sentado. Yo soy de los que piensa que no necesariamente necesitas a un artista de alto calibre para que la historia sea buena, pero si de casualidad tienes a uno muy bueno si se logra que la disfrutes mas. Este es el caso. Para mi, el mejor dibujante de los Avengers es George Perez, sin embargo, en un muy cercano segundo lugar tenemos justamente al artista de esta aventura, el magnífico John Buscema. Al igual que Pérez, John consigue dotar de un detalle impresionante a todos y cada uno de los personajes a los que ilustra, además de que, seamos sinceros, dibuja a la Wasp mas guapa que he visto. El que John haya estado a cargo de las trazos en los ocho números que componen este compilado es un extra que vale mucho la pena.
En fin, si ya has leído las historias de Kurt Busiek y estas en búsqueda de algo mas que leer, esta es la historia para ti, tiene acción, drama, un poco de romance, y nos demuestra el porque los Avengers son el equipo estelar de Marvel, los héroes mas poderosos de la Tierra.
*Diecisiete si tomamos en cuenta el cameo de Black Mamba. Dieciocho si contamos la fotografía de Whirlwind.
May 22, 2022
Una de las aventuras más emblemáticas de Los Vengadores, guionizada por Roger Stern. Aquí los héroes son derrotados por Los Amos del Mal, gracias a un plan trazado por el malvado Barón Zemo, que consigue asaltar la mansión de Los Vengadores. Uno de sus fuertes es el gran trabajo de desarrollo de los personajes, en los que brilla La Avispa, quien es líder del grupo (con el consecuente enfado por machismo de Hércules).
October 11, 2017
I’d probably say it’s actually 3 and 1/2, because it was an enjoyable read. Love Captain America’s never failing resolve and utter sweetness. Except for the deus ex machina of Doctor Druid, the bad guys were actually doing pretty well and working how you should if you want to defeat good guys.
May 19, 2020
There was some good characterisation of lesser known Avengers such as Captain Marvel (ii) and Black Knight and Zemo's plan and back story was clear too.
The edit on this collection feels rather abrupt and leaves the reader with a few questions though (as I'm unfamiliar with this era of Avengers).
The edit on this collection feels rather abrupt and leaves the reader with a few questions though (as I'm unfamiliar with this era of Avengers).
March 24, 2025
This is taken from the classic Stern/Buscema/Palmer era. Hercules's rash actions cause him to be beat nearly to death by a reformed Masters of Evil that is far more competent than their predecessors. This is very good stuff.
August 17, 2018
While this isn't a perfect storyline, its awfully close, and its the story that really cemented me as an Avengers fan.
December 9, 2018
This comic is very fantastic.
March 26, 2020
Excelente, una historia clásica, donde la Avispa demuestra su potencial.
January 8, 2024
Fa troppo pariare vedere tutti questi personaggi che si intommano di mazzate.
February 9, 2024
One of the best Avengers stories, period.
Wonderful, suspenseful story from Roger Stern, glorious art from John Buscema.
Wonderful, suspenseful story from Roger Stern, glorious art from John Buscema.
September 18, 2013
Way back when these were originally published (1986-1987) I read the original printing of these issues Avengers #270-277-- written by Roger Stern and illustrated by John Buscema and Tom Palmer.
I had been reading the Avengers for about six months when this storyline came up and I thought it was one of the best comic book stories I have ever read. I guess Marvel Comics did too and published this storyline in this trade paperback.
Led by Baron Zemo, the newly formed Masters of Evil formulated a plan to not only defeat the Avengers, but completely decimate them.
The Avengers line-up at the time of the siege was:
Captain America
Captain Marvel
Black Knight
Hercules
Wasp
Joining later was:
Thor
Doctor Druid
The Masters of Evil were:
Baron Helmut Zemo
Absorbing Man
Blackout
Black Mamba
Fixer
Goliath
Grey Gargoyle
Mister Hyde
Moonstone
Screaming Mimi
Tiger Shark
Titania
Whirlwind
Yellowjacket
*The Wrecking Crew
Bulldozer
Piledriver
Thunderball
Wrecker
As you can see the numbers were stacked against the Avengers and The Masters of Evil took on the Avengers piece by piece. Just when you thought there was no way the Avengers could survive…well you have to read the book, but everything in the end was not a happy ending.
Ultimately though it was a great storyline filled with action and plot twists and as Oliver Sava, A.V.Club.com put it "Roger Stern and John Buscema's 1986 story arc 'Under Siege' finds Avengers Mansion under attack by a new Masters of Evil, leading to one of the purest superhero-vs.-supervillain team fights ever put on the page.”
FILMMAKERS OPINION
As stated this was one of the greatest superhero/supervillain battles ever and of course given the success of the Avengers movie (2012) this would make a great follow-up…but it’s just too expensive to ever make into a live action film.
The fights in the book were awesome and bombastic and possibly could be filmed, but the amount of characters, heroes and villains would just be too much.
I think for an ANIMATED film I think it could be a great adaptation.
I had been reading the Avengers for about six months when this storyline came up and I thought it was one of the best comic book stories I have ever read. I guess Marvel Comics did too and published this storyline in this trade paperback.
Led by Baron Zemo, the newly formed Masters of Evil formulated a plan to not only defeat the Avengers, but completely decimate them.
The Avengers line-up at the time of the siege was:
Captain America
Captain Marvel
Black Knight
Hercules
Wasp
Joining later was:
Thor
Doctor Druid
The Masters of Evil were:
Baron Helmut Zemo
Absorbing Man
Blackout
Black Mamba
Fixer
Goliath
Grey Gargoyle
Mister Hyde
Moonstone
Screaming Mimi
Tiger Shark
Titania
Whirlwind
Yellowjacket
*The Wrecking Crew
Bulldozer
Piledriver
Thunderball
Wrecker
As you can see the numbers were stacked against the Avengers and The Masters of Evil took on the Avengers piece by piece. Just when you thought there was no way the Avengers could survive…well you have to read the book, but everything in the end was not a happy ending.
Ultimately though it was a great storyline filled with action and plot twists and as Oliver Sava, A.V.Club.com put it "Roger Stern and John Buscema's 1986 story arc 'Under Siege' finds Avengers Mansion under attack by a new Masters of Evil, leading to one of the purest superhero-vs.-supervillain team fights ever put on the page.”
FILMMAKERS OPINION
As stated this was one of the greatest superhero/supervillain battles ever and of course given the success of the Avengers movie (2012) this would make a great follow-up…but it’s just too expensive to ever make into a live action film.
The fights in the book were awesome and bombastic and possibly could be filmed, but the amount of characters, heroes and villains would just be too much.
I think for an ANIMATED film I think it could be a great adaptation.
Read
July 28, 2011Baron Helmut Zemo picks up where his father left off, forming a new incarnation of the Masters of Evil. Exploiting the interpersonal stress existing between the Avengers team (Captain America, Black Knight, Hercules, Captain Marvel, and team leader Wasp) and taking advantage of some members being gone, Zemo leads a devestating attack on the Avengers' mansion. Joining him are such foes as Moonstone, the Wrecking Crew, Mr. Hyde, the Fixer, and the Absorbing Man Zemo draws the line when it comes to inflicting the Avengers and hated enemy Captain America pain. While not my favorite line-up of Avengers, it was interesting to see how they interacted with each other, whether Hercules' brash and somewhat misogynistic attitude, to the Black Knight's jealousy, and the public's outcry when Namor joins the team. Baron Zemo truly proves himself as a big league villain worthy of his father's legacy and setting the framework for future acts of villainy (like founding the orginal Thunderbolts). An Avengers' tale for the ages when Earth's Mightiest Heroes are taken down in a big way.
December 8, 2021
A good culmination of Roger Stern's run--who is one of the best Avengers writers (I'd also hold Engleheart pretty high, and Roy Thomas' Kree-Skrull War) from the "Classic Age".
I never cared much for Bendis' tenure. But Hickman's was fire, and Jason Aaron's is big dumb fun.
But this arc feels like the best closing for a writer. Apparently Stern refused to make Monica Rambeau mess us so that Captain America HAD to return. So this is a feels like a more poignant and natural ending, with that in mind.
But basically the Masters of Evil destroy the Avengers Mansion and much of Captain America's memorabilia (journals, baseballs, family photos, etc.) is destroyed. It wasn't the fight--it was Zemo intentionally destroying it in front of Cap's eyes. His past was being destroyed in front of his eyes.
Captain America talking with Monica, is taught that "We have to help each other salvage what we can from the past, and rebuild for the future". That feels like a powerful statement regarding the character!
I never cared much for Bendis' tenure. But Hickman's was fire, and Jason Aaron's is big dumb fun.
But this arc feels like the best closing for a writer. Apparently Stern refused to make Monica Rambeau mess us so that Captain America HAD to return. So this is a feels like a more poignant and natural ending, with that in mind.
But basically the Masters of Evil destroy the Avengers Mansion and much of Captain America's memorabilia (journals, baseballs, family photos, etc.) is destroyed. It wasn't the fight--it was Zemo intentionally destroying it in front of Cap's eyes. His past was being destroyed in front of his eyes.
Captain America talking with Monica, is taught that "We have to help each other salvage what we can from the past, and rebuild for the future". That feels like a powerful statement regarding the character!
August 26, 2013
It's strange, the lifelong Marvel Zombie I am, how few old-school Avengers comics I've read. I knew this arc had an excellent reputation and Roger Stern's work tends to hold up well, so I picked up the back issues. After a bit of a slow start, it turned out to be pretty excellent. I knew the basic "why has nobody done this before!?" plot about the Masters of Evil just walking in the front door of the very public Avengers Mansion. What surprised me was the depth of characterization. The Wasp shines, proving herself a capable leader on every page. Hercules blusters, incapable of taking orders from a woman. The Black Knight frets about being kind of worthless as a hero and undesirable to Janet. And Cap proves his mettle yet again as the never-say-die backbone of the team. 80s work is always dated, but there were some outstanding lines and more than a few moments that still felt as thrilling as anything on the shelves today.
March 28, 2014
L'altra saga, vetta di eccellenza, del Periodo Stern-Buscema su Avengers.
Il Barone Zemo jr sta assemblando la squadra dei Signori del Male più potente e pericolosa di sempre, il cui nucleo centrale formerà, anni dopo, i Thunderbolts. Questa è la stria di come andarono molto vicini ad annichilire i Vendicatori, distrussero la loro base, mandarono Ercole in coma, piegarono ma non spezzarono Cap e il Cavaliere Nero e il povero Jarvis. È anche la storia di come Wasp si guadagnò la stima dei suoi compagni guidando la riscossa, di come Monica Rambeau, Capitan Marvel II, vinse le sue paure e del Dr. Druido che ripaga un vecchio debito.
È una grande storia magistralmente scritta da Roger Stern, ottimamente disegnata da John Buscema e Tom Palmer.
Il Barone Zemo jr sta assemblando la squadra dei Signori del Male più potente e pericolosa di sempre, il cui nucleo centrale formerà, anni dopo, i Thunderbolts. Questa è la stria di come andarono molto vicini ad annichilire i Vendicatori, distrussero la loro base, mandarono Ercole in coma, piegarono ma non spezzarono Cap e il Cavaliere Nero e il povero Jarvis. È anche la storia di come Wasp si guadagnò la stima dei suoi compagni guidando la riscossa, di come Monica Rambeau, Capitan Marvel II, vinse le sue paure e del Dr. Druido che ripaga un vecchio debito.
È una grande storia magistralmente scritta da Roger Stern, ottimamente disegnata da John Buscema e Tom Palmer.
September 21, 2014
Good story. The heroes here are much more dimensional than the villains. Nevertheless, it all works. Prince Namor's sub-plot works well within itself and as part of the main story. Wasp makes a very credible and challenged leader. The heroines Wasp and Captain Marvel and the female villains Moonstone and Yellow Jacket are the most developed and interesting characters in the story. Their actions are the main drivers. The one hero who is the most one-dimensional is Hercules. But he's funny. And his misogyny is integral to the plot. The art is OK. Nothing special by graphic novel standards. Just pretty good comic book art.
October 8, 2014
Published in 1998, this TPB collects the first Avengers comics I ever read as a kid in the mid-80's(vol. 1 #'s 270-277, sans 272). This story line was compelling enough to make me a long time reader and fan of the Avengers, and picking this up and reading them again was a terrific experience. The writer's commentary on the story arc in the introduction was a fantastic addition.
Any fan of the Avengers, or any person who wishes to read a good example of some of the better writing in the heyday of the title, is encouraged to read this collection.
Any fan of the Avengers, or any person who wishes to read a good example of some of the better writing in the heyday of the title, is encouraged to read this collection.
July 24, 2011
This has 2 main storylines, Atlantis has been taken over, the Avengers try to get it back and the mansion is overrun by the Masters of Evil. Lots of action and some decent character moments. Nice bits with Captain America and the Black Knight.
September 28, 2013
One of the all-time great Avengers stories -- nice and dramatic, highly emotional, and it ultimately led to some major repercussions for the team.
December 2, 2013
This is one of the classic Avengers stories and boy was it brutal! I typically have a hard time going back and reading old stories, but this one holds up well.
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