Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Vol. 2

Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers #2

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Don Heck (Illustrator)

1998 saw a return to greatness for the Avengers. The excitement surrounding their new #1 issue catapulted the Earth's Mightiest Heroes to the pinnacle of the comics industry. In thanks, we've given readers the opportunity to catch up on the stories that made them legends in The Essential Avengers, with over two years worth of some of the greatest comic stories ever told -- at one of the best values ever! Experience the magic as, for the first time, the Avengers assemble and are joined by Captain America, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch to take on such classic foes as Loki, Kang the Conqueror, and the Masters of Evil! Each Essential volume provides a hefty 500 page-plus page count at an affordable price!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1989

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This contains Avengers #11-20. Stan Lee supplies the script and the art is primarily Don Heck and Dick Ayers. Story-wise, the book is a mixed bag. The Avengers take on Kang and Baron Zemo but the highlights for me were the introduction of Cap's Kooky Quartet and the two-parter with the Swordsman.

Seriously, the original Avengers were seriously overpowered but the Kooky Quartet is almost underpowered with Cap, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch as the only members. The dynamic really shifts when they are introduced.

Four out of five stars.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps if I were strictly neutral and completely unbiased I might go with a four star rating here as there are a couple of issues in this compilation that might be considered a little weaker than the earliest issues of the Avengers...perhaps. But I'm not neutral or unbiased. When I open this book, I'm 12 years old again. I fade back in time as completely as if Harry and his friends hadn't broken all the Time Turners..as thoroughly as if Doc Brown had loaned me his DeLorean or H.G. had stopped by and given me a lift. Frankly, I love these books. Captain America was my favorite comic character, the one I ran down in any and every publication I could find...and hey let's face it. I was a 12 year old male. Scarlett Witch is hot. I have the next in this series of books and am watching and hoping for the release of a few more of my favorites (in this wonderful paperback format as I can't afford the hard covers LOL).

This is the second in the Marvel Masterworks Avengers series. It includes what was the first Avengers comic I bought...before I went on a quest for back issues. We get to see the Avengers who possess more physical power, who carry the biggest KA-BOOM factor as it were retire (or at least take a leave) and Cap faced with forming a NEW team with 3 ex-criminals (misunderstood and reformed of course). They face a pretty wide range of villains...argue, banter, fall for fairly obvious traps, all in all fun is had by...well all.

Yes the stories are a bit dated (you're reading a series of comic books from the '60s what did you expect?). No they don't look like comics do today nor are they written as comics are today...in my opinion that's actually a good thing.

So threats to all life on Earth...the Earth itself, invaders from other worlds, the future and elsewhere; Super villains of every shape, size and description; fun, action, a bit of snappy dialogue, a wise guy rebellious new member of the Avengers (Hawkeye) a rival for (the aforementioned) Hawkeye with a chip on his shoulder about the size of a Sequoia Redwood, my hero and roll model Captain America and of course...Scarlett Witch.

What more could you want? Enjoy.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot less than the first one, to be honest.

The original Avengers line up only lasted about 14 issues before all the founding members left? It's a bit jarring.

The treatment of Jan is worse. She's referred to as "girl" and "the female" quite a bit. Even in the issue where she was in surgery because of a serious injury, the doctor refers to her as "the girl". It's gross and Hank's treatment of her is so annoying. I wanted to duck tape his mouth several times. Jan deserves so much better.

Now, Wanda has arrived and it doesn't look as though her treatment will be much better.

I loved that she and Pietro were fans of Tony Stark and Iron Man at first. Yet another aspect the MCU ruined for me. Tony's legacy as a founding Avenger should mean a lot more than it does in the films. Here, he leaves the team (although I'm not entirely sure why) and gives this great line about how the line up of the team should always be changing but he'll never forget the words "Avengers Assemble" and what they stood for and, my god, if the films had actually given me a real team, I would kill to have RDJ recite that speech.

But I digress, the OG Avengers leave and Hawkeye, Pietro and Wanda take their place. I must admit, the friction between Cap and Hawkeye was entertaining to see. I like that this is a lineup pretty much based on characters trying to earn redemption in the public eye.

I'm hoping the next volume is better but I'm taking a Tales of Suspense break.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Avengers start their long tradition of changing membership in this volume, starting in issue 16 with the rest of the founding members (Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, and Wasp) leaving the team and former villains Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye joining Captain America. Notable returning villains include Kang, the Mandarin, Mole Man (taking a break from causing the Fantastic Four problems), Zemo and the Masters of Evil, and new ones include the Swordsman, Count Nefaria, and the Maggia, Marvel's version of the Mafia.

After Zemo dies in South America in issue 15, Captain America makes his way back home with Rick Jones (ugh) as the rest of the Avengers fight the Masters of Evil in NYC. By the time Cap gets back in #16, the founding members decide to take a break and Cap is stuck in command of at least two new Avengers who don't like taking orders. Starting in #17, Quicksilver and Hawkeye start back-talking Cap and trying to prove that they should be leaders of the team, which sounds interesting for maybe a couple issues, but goes on well into the next collection and gets exhausting. Cap should have replaced the replacements, even if they did quickly prove they could handle Avenger-level threats. Still, the new cast makes for an interesting new dynamic and holds up fairly well for a while. Rick Jones also disappears after the membership change, which is very welcome.

It might be blasphemy, but I seem to prefer the more uniform, detailed art of Don Heck to Jack Kirby, though I assume Heck is mostly going off of Kirby's original imaginative designs.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great classic collection. Between this and Vol 1, we are introduced to the Avengers. Simple, basic stories for sure. But stories that led later to more thrilling plotlines, better art, and classic heroes and villains.

Looking back, the first group of Avengers really did not last long, breaking up in issue #16. But we all have to start somewhere. In these early stories, the Avengers lived in a mansion that was broken into almost every other issue, and the heroes did not the secret identities of the other heroes. Oh how simple things were back in the early 60's. Even in the Avenger mansion alone, Captain America would have his full costume on, with mask.

Learn your Marvel history here, in Vol 1 and Vol 2 of the Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers!

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah.. I can excuse so much stuff because it was the 60s and well, we have to factor in lots of stuff, but.. it's so.. stupid and cringe-worthy at times, that I can't say anything positive about most of the stories back then other than "it was written for kids" and "it was the 60s" and pretty much stuff like that.

Oh well, the artwork was and still is one of my favourite things ever. Don Heck or Kirby, both of them were amazing artists!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first four issues of The Avengers V2 are relatively mundane. There's only so much you can do with this same group of heroes showing off the same series of personality quirks. Still, there's some nice variety. Some of the issues continue to integrate with the larger Marvel universe: when Kang returns, Spider-man makes a guest appearance (#11), then the Avengers fight two FF foes, the Mole Man and the Red Ghost (#12). Other issues continue to expand the Avengers' own mythology: besides the return of Kang (#11), we also get the introduction of Count Nefaria (#13), who's just a rich mob guy with inventions in this debut, and the space-faring Kallusians (#14), who are barely ever seen again. But overall, these stories are just OK.

The first joy in this volume comes at the pivot point (#15-16), a two-part story that revisits the Zemo and the Masters of Evil, with a new roster that rather delightfully combines the two earlier memberships. But it's not their return that's a big deal, it's the fact that Zemo dies. Meanwhile, these issues also feature the original Avengers retiring, offering up in their place the Cap's Kooky Quartet of himself, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. Both of these plot points say the same thing: the Avengers was willing to totally reinvent itself, to move forward its plots and make space for new ones. To a certain extent, that was a recurring motif in the early Marvel Age of Comics, but it was a game-changer for what had come before, and particularly apparent in this title.

Cap's Kooky Quartet deserves a bit of additional thought: why in the world did Marvel replace their top stars with this set of second-rate villains? Stan Lee's much later explanation is that he was having troubles tracking continuity between the titles, so he settled on a team without titles of their own. Certainly, there were other potential advantages too: having characters whose home base was the Avenger allowed the possibility for changes to the characters, something that Gerry Conway focused on years later in his own Justice League Detroit, and this team of ex-villains also offered more room for dissension.

And there's definitely dissension (thanks mainly to Clint) and more notably strong characterization of all of our main characters. We get to know these characters much better, and it's mainly to the comic's benefit (except, perhaps, for the characterization of Rick and Steve, which is mainly Rick whining about not being an Avenger and Steve whining about not being a secret agent of SHIELD).

The comic really feels like it hits its stride again with the intro of the Swordsman (#19-20). We get an intriguing new villain and a team of strongly characterized individuals working together as a team. It's a good sign for the future, even if the Mandarin has the same old motive of defeating the Avengers just-because.

As a whole, this volume is weaker than the predecessor, because the innovation and excitement of the first volume is no longer there to hold up the weaker scripting and characterization that was common in this time period. Fortunately, Cap's Kooky Quartet comes along just in time to bring new innovation and excitement to the comic. (Call it 3.5 stars, with the half-star in the latter half of the comic.)

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This volume is notable for including issue #16, the big roster shake-up, and issues #19-20 which feature the debute of the Swordsman. Of these, I think #16 is the only issue I'd recommend on its own merit. That's one issue out of ten, not good. Some dated racial stereotypes, sexism, and anti-communist politics. There are some good art sequences, and some isolated great bits of characterization on Stan Lee's part, but overall it's one of the more bland and pointless Silver Age titles.

One of the good things that comes out of this volume is the roster shake-up. The writer isn't even gone yet but in the first run of the team the roster becomes something entirely different than it was at the start. Not only that, but most of the new members are reformed villains (well, technically). There's a great idea here about how the Avengers isn't always made up of the greatest heroes, but can be a place of redemption for those who want to be something more as part of a team than they were individually. When the original cast leaves, they have a bittersweet moment about how they're not quitting... they're taking a leave of absence. Once an Avenger, always an Avenger, right? I like that. I like that the roster can change completely but this is still the Avengers.

If only the original team, or the one that comes after, were written well.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a slight improvement over the first volume. Thankfully, the ridiculous Wasp characterizations (that often carry through to Invisible Girl in the Fantastic Four) went out the window when the old guard left and Cap takes on Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye.

The situations are still mostly ridiculous—because Stan Lee couldn't seem to help himself from writing ridiculous, overblown stories—but Don Heck's art seemed to dial it down a notch...in a good way.

And, though, once again, the female member of the group is the most underwritten, Lee actually occasionally took a moment to show she had some decent, if vague, power.

So, a slight improvement.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's definite improvement in this volume, especially after the more rambunctious and physically weaker team of Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch come on the scene. There are some lame attempts to "correct" some misread dialogue in the reconstruction. There's nothing too great here, but it's gradually getting up to the standard set by Spider-Man, FF, X-Men, and Daredevil. Lee and Heck were still riding on the thrill of seeing the popular Marvel superheroes together, and the reconstructed team is much more interesting in terms of character relationships. The Commissar story is kind of a lame rip-off of The Wizard of Oz, however, and the Swordsman is an interesting villain, having a strong degree of honor that makes him tread a fine line as to where they are going to go with him, although I understand that he died fairly early on (although he's very much alive at the end of this volume).

As with the contemporaneous The Mighty Thor vol. 3, there is a story opposing communism in Asia, this time in a fictitious country called Sing-Cho. Unfortunately, what is called "communism" in this propaganda is more like oligarchical capitalism. Of course, I oppose oligarchical capitalism, but calling it communism is Orwellian newspeak (although it's certainly true that Russia and China had plenty of this, and no true communism).

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure which FF issues are concurrent with these avengers stories, but Stan Lee was more on his game here than over there, at least in the early issues. A lot of standard Stan Lee plots, but it's fairly fast paced and interesting. Plus, there's the first major membership shakeup, which was rather novel in the days of the stable JLA roster.

One similarity with FF is that the characters all have personalities, evern though it seems with the new team, they spend more time yelling at each other than anything else. Both the Wasp and, later, The Scarlet Witch, play the Sue Richards role of peacemaker and upholder of "traditional" feminine virtues. Neither Jan nor Wanda seem to get as much action as the boys, just like with Invisible Girl.

After the great Jack Kirby art on the early Avengers issues, Don Heck took over. Now, I can remember when folks said Heck apparently drew with his feet, and his art isn't as dynamic as The King's, but it's fluid enough, and his girls are pretty. He details some pretty good fight scenes, also.

On to volume 3!

[Evan Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection contains issues 11-20 of the Avengers, published from 1964 to 1965. Overall this was another solid Stan Lee collection, featuring crazy plots, aliens, kooky supervillains, and everything else you’d expect from 1960’s Marvel.



One thing I did not realize – in issue #16, the entire roster (minus Captain America) turns over. Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man & Wasp are gone, replaced by Hawkeye and the siblings Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch (of X-Men fame). This surprised me, although the quality of the series didn’t really suffer. I didn’t think any of these issues were incredible, but I enjoyed nearly all of them and would recommend this collection to any fans of Silver Age comics. 3.5 stars.

[Alex Andrasik · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much so silly and so sexist, and yet glimmers of brilliance. The original team as some pretty nonsensical bouts with the likes of Kang, Mole Man, the Red Ghost and, in his debut appearance, Count Nefaria, master of the international crime syndicate the Maggia, before a final showdown with the Masters of Evil sort of, but not really, precipitates their departure from the team. There are a lot of assertions that "We're not disbanding, merely taking a leave of absence!" and pains are taken to make it seem like there's some organizational structure to this thing called "the Avengers" to allow for some continuity, but the various heroes' claims that they need some time off are rendered laughable by the fact that they keep having super-adventures in their own titles, while the easy recruitment of reformed villains Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch makes no sense whatsoever. The latter two were involved in a terrorist plot to subjugate a nation not too long ago, while Hawkeye has been besmirched by the all-dreaded commies! It's times like these I wish for a little more finesse in these early stories; if the Avengers had been chartered as a proving ground for repentant defectors under the trusted tutelage of Nazi-smashing legend Captain America, I could buy it, along with the squabbling that follows the new squad's formation. But it's just the usual cartoony, flimsy plot developments where suddenly these three villains enjoy at least a modicum of public support. (Later retcons do try to fill in the gaps a little bit.)

That said, the squabbles do impart a vivacity to the stories that were largely missing from the genteel interactions of the original lineup. Oh, there was an amusing stab at internecine tension a few issues earlier when the team laughed off Giant-Man's warnings from his ant friends, but for the most part those days were all "How now, Avenger!" and "Well met, Avenger!" and "Make me a sandwich, little partner!" Hawkeye and Quicksilver's hot-headedness echoes the dynamic of the Fantastic Four at its best, and Wanda's partiality toward her brother makes more sense than the Wasp's flirtatious fawnings. (However, I would kill if, just for a moment, Wanda's observations of Clint and Pietro's jockeying for leadership turned toward the consideration that maybe *she* should be in charge of all these bickering boys.)

Cap's short temper is a little harder to square with the character he'd become, and even to an extent with the character we'd seen since his awakening from the ice. I'm willing to put it down as an expression of his overall personal stresses, which are otherwise quite well depicted--he's shown as painfully aware of his lack of a real life outside his role as super-hero, and his loneliness and desire for an additional purpose to fill the void are quite affecting. His pining for a response from Nick Fury is a little much, but sort of cute at the same time, and ends up having significance to one issue's plot, so that's something.

Backing up a minute--this collection contains the famous issue in which Cap confronts his old WWII-era enemy Baron Zemo, resulting in the latter's death (albeit accidentally, and at his own hand). I'd never realized before how inconsequentially this watershed moment plays out; most of the issue in question, #15, is set-up and then the first half of a big brawl between the Avengers of Masters of Evil. Cap and Rick Jones' odyssey to South America is brief and Zemo's demise completely rushed. Also, from some of the blurbs in that issue and maybe the next, it seems like Stan decided to kill Zemo off in response to fan demands for a more "final" end to some character, sometime. An uncharacteristically bloodthirsty way for a silver age Marvel mag to go!

The less said about the Commissar, the better, but I'd be remiss not to mention the two-part story that closes out this collection. It's main attribute is that it introduces the Swordsman, who's not much on his own but who will go on to play fairly significant supporting roles in some key epics down the line; plus, despite being a retread of the Wonder Man intro--villain manipulates stooge into joining the Avengers, stooge regrets it and tries to rebel--there's a little bit of real pathos to Swordy's feelings about serving with the team. This two-parter also begins filling in Hawkeye's backstory, establishing him as an orphan who was trained in a traveling carnival, and continues developing Cap's lonely man-out-of-time persona. There's also a great sequence that shows how well this supposedly under-powered squad works as a unit, even when they're squabbling.

Best of all, the Scarlet Witch isn't depicted as at all man-crazy, and her powers, while completely incomprehensible, and quite useful and formidable!

[Gary Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Order Wasn't Old Enough to be the "Old Order"!

Fun stuff all the way through! It's the early/mid-Silver Age with Stan Lee firing on all pistons and veteran artists like Don Heck, Dick Ayers, and even Wally Wood (inking #20) bringing it all to life in living color.

Was it as good as the first volume? No, of course not. Replacing Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man and the Wasp with second stringers Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch comes with an expected drop in quality. But to Lee and Heck's credit, they keep things rolling along and fun with even a touch of poignancy in the Swordsman's story.

The Swordsman, by the way, was just a lame character with a lame power and a lame costume and wasn't worthy of the hyperbolic "proudly presenting" cover promo on #19. It was like the overblown Wonder Man intro in the first volume. Just goes to show that not every character Lee co-created was a winner. That said, I liked the Swordsman story and its ironic and role reversal ending. The Mandarin's walk-on was a delightful surprise too.

Hydra's one-page appearance in #19 proved pivotal. I loved the quaintness of Captain America sitting down and handwriting a letter to Nick Fury asking about a job.

The Scarlet Witch sure ups the cheesecake factor (sorry, Jan!), especially in #17 where her midriff is bare but for a sheer red material. The bikini look was out and the one-piece back in for 18 and 19, but the bikini suddenly reappears in #20. This was an impressively quick costume change since 19 ended a mere moment before 20 started. (Interestingly, Wanda's costume as seen on the splash page of #17 with bare midriff is virtually identical to that of Witch Woman in the early Ghost Rider almost a decade later, right down to the v-notch at the top of the shorts.)

The issues collected here span December 1964 through September 1965. I enjoyed each one of them, but standouts were #11 and the battle with "Spider-Man" (a bonus activity is matching the Ditko swipes with their original appearances in ASM), #13 with Count Nefaria's ridiculously elaborate scheme to achieve a relatively simple end (presaging TV's Mission: Impossible which would debut the following year), and #18 featuring the new team tackling an insurmountable Red Chinese man mountain called the Commissar (a Cold War take on the Wizard of Oz). And while I doubt this Avengers yarn inspired Falco's 1981 song "Der Kommissar," reading the story did stir up good memories of that catchy song and of the early '80s from which it sprang.

The non-drama of the Wasp hovering between life and death in #14 was at least a springboard to a fun Atlas-era sci-fi story of an alien colony hiding on earth. I enjoy the early Marvel stories that feature superheroes but have lingering elements of the old alien monster-style stories Lee, Kirby, Heck, Ayers, et al. were accustomed to cranking out like sausage. The Minotaur in #17 falls under that umbrella as well.

The roster of Big Name villains include encore appearances by Kang, the Executioner, Enchantress and Zemo. We also see the Melter, the Black Knight, The Mandarin, and Mole Man teaming up with the Red Ghost. New faces of 1965 include Count Nefaria, Major Hoy and the Commissar, and the Swordsman.

Ten Silver Age Avengers stories in full color for $15.99? A great deal! I do kinda doubt there will be a third volume, but one can hope. Or better yet, maybe Marvel will reprint The Avengers Omnibus, Vol. 1 which collects the first 30 issues in hardcover, oversized, with letters pages and extras! Avengers Assemble! (somebody hadda say it!)

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirby’s out, Heck is in, and Stan Lee keeps on churning ‘em out as the Avengers hit a very important milestone and otherwise battle some truly dubious villains and also (sort-of) Spider-Man!

This is a definite improvement over the first ten issues of The Avengers and it’s not just because of what happens midway through. I think my favourite story is actually the first one, where the Avengers tackle a Spider-Man robot that Kang creates to lure them into a trap.

This one story is every goofy ass 60’s comic book staple in one go. Kang in particular is hilariously straightforward as a villain, even though his time travel and technology mean that every encounter with him could theoretically be happening in rapid fire and wearing the Avengers down, but why worry about time travel when Spider-Man robot?

And the whole story ends up in a booby-trapped temple in Mexico, because sure, and the real Spidey shows up and oh my lord it’s just crazy from end to end, but it’s also really fun. This might be my favourite outing for the original line-up.

The book’s real pivot comes when the Avengers’ roster changes for the first time and suddenly this book is even more enjoyable (minus the incessant bickering - Hawkeye is so obnoxious in this book you’ll want to slap him). As an aside, I love that they have a panel of super-villain reactions, like some poor reporter got sent to the year 3000 to take a statement from Kang.

Dropping everybody except for Captain America, we add in Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. Cap’s Kooky Quartet, as they’re known, is one of my top Avengers line-ups because they’re SO underpowered. Nothing’s easy for these four, so when they win it’s not a matter of waiting for Thor to belt something with his hammer (seriously, Thor is the problem). They put the work in.

Villain-wise, eh, it’s okay. They put a pin in Zemo (FOR NOW) and Count Nefaria is introduced (Lordy he’s annoying in his initial appearance - his refusal to get his hands dirty is one of the dumbest villain caveats ever). The Swordsman is introduced and he’s modestly threatening, which is an amusingly sharp contrast to how pathetic he’ll get later on.

And the true baddies, Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade, are quietly shuffled off into the night with nary a word. Hamming it up somewhere, just not anywhere near this book, thank heavens. We’ll skip over the usual problems with characters like The Mandarin, it is what it is when it was what it was. At least Wanda is immediately ten times more involved than The Wasp.

It’s a very solid and more recommendable three stars, bump it up if you can handle the cheese. Like I say, this is where I start to really like the Avengers’ line-up and the change was a smart idea, plus one that’s super important to the team’s identity, with its ever-shifting roster paving the way for lots of adventure to come.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a few adventures fighting Kang, Mole Man, and Count Nefaria, the Avengers face off again with Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil. Following which, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man, and the Wasp for some reason decide it's a perfect time for extended vacations. They hold auditions for replacements and choose former criminals Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch.

When Captain America returns from South America where he and Rick Jones have been fighting Zemo by themselves, Iron Man hands Cap his new team and takes off with the rest of the legacy Avengers. Oh, but not before advising Cap to also recruit the Hulk, because that's always worked out so well in the past.

I've become less and less patient with Stan Lee's writing in classic Marvel comics. Not just here, but it's especially hard to take in these issues. The new team is nothing but drama as Hawkeye and Quicksilver (with Scarlet Witch backing her brother) selfishly challenge Cap's right to lead. For his part, Cap tries to keep the others in line by stubbornly bullying them. It's all very juvenile alpha-male stuff.

The collection ends with an even bigger head-scratcher as the villainous Swordsman tries to join the team without even hiding that he's doing it for nefarious purposes. He gets way farther in his plans than he should, especially considering that Quicksilver should be able to make short work of him single-handedly.

I'm going to keep reading old Avengers out of curiosity and eagerness to get to better stories, but this era of the team can't end quickly enough for me.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's definitely a visible improvement in Stan Lee's storytelling ability in Volume 2, however slight it might be.

A lot of the same problems remain from the first 10 issues, e.g. clunky plots, deus-ex-machina resolutions, female characters getting second-class treatment etc., but there's also a lot more characterisation going on. Captain America reflects on his lack of a personal life and there's a genuine sense of drama when the Wasp gets gravely injured.

Art-wise, Don Heck remains on duty here, with the exception of Kirby returning for #16. In just a short time, both have improved in their ability to illustrate, making the stories much more enjoyable.

This volume also includes the first big membership shakeup, with the departure of Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man and Wasp, and the introduction of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In just 4 issues, Scarlet Witch already gets a whole lot more respect than the Wasp ever did. Sadly though, all the inner arguments that plagued the older characters is repeated as Hawkeye and Quicksilver vie for the team's leadership, declaring Captain America a has-been. Hawkeye is one of my favourite Avengers, but in these early days he's such a brat. Almost intolerable.

Highlights include an early appearance from future heavyweight Count Nefaria in #13, Wasp's near-death experience in #14, the aforementioned membership switch-up in #16 and the two-part Swordsman storyline in #19 and 20.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cap's Kooky Quartet

In the midst of Marvel's rise to prominence in the 60s, perhaps one of its most brazen moves was ditching the team of someone's for a whole host of ex-villain nobodies.

I can understand the thought process: It is hard to grow characters when their primary story is in another book. Characters become static and cardboard when you can't go deeper than their reaction to the month's plot.

But still, a team of villains who are noted for their lack of power, Cap's Kooky Quartet was a gutsy move. And the long-term payoff is tremendous. Clint and Wanda specifically will get more panels than Thor or Iron Man in the Volume 1 run of Avengers and West Coast (I haven't done the research to verify that, but I feel strongly it is true). They are arguably more essential to the team for the first 40 years of its publishing history.

But the launch is rocky. The FF's infighting is taken to the next level. The attempts to give characterization and fundamental desires stumble. If memory serves, Avengers won't really build until Thomas takes over scribing.

First Appearances:
Count Nefaria (I always forget where he starts...)
Jarvis? (He's unnamed)
The Swordsman (his joining the team always serves as a fun bit of trivia)

[Paul Stanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s lucky no one told the Count that we’re all ham radio buffs!”

Look for: The Watcher earnestly acclaiming the power of prayer (#14); Don Heck drawing Rick Jones as a robust adult, and the death of Baron Zemo (#15); a major Avengers roster change: Iron Man, Giant-Man, the Wasp, and Thor take extended leaves of absence, and are replaced by reformed villains Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver! The founding members are all gone (#16); and a rebrand to the Mighty Avengers (#18).

First appearances of: Iron Man’s transistor-powered roller skates (#12); and The Swordsman (#19), who briefly joins the Avengers… under false pretenses (#20).

MCU connections: Thor implies he doesn’t have a sense of humor, which resonates into the MCU and their calibration and re-calibration of the Thor character. (#11) A henchman protesting that no one can stop the Avengers recalls the moment in Avengers: Age of Ultron when a Hydra henchman expresses a similar sentiment. (#13)

“Quicksilver touches what he pleases!!”

[L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first portion of this collection has us hanging out with the old guard of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Giant Man/Ant Man, and the horniest Avenger of all, Wasp. But then Marvel decided to shake things up by dumping these tried and true heroes (with the exception of Cap) to bring in a new line up of Avengers who aren't all that interesting or heroic. The worst one is Hawkeye. All he does is argue with the guys and belittles Scarlet Witch. (Stop calling her 'doll'! How would you like it if she constantly called you 'dickless wonder'?) At least the annoying Rick Jones and his Teen Brigade drop off the map.

[Timothy Villa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less impressive than book one. The stories and adversaries are weaker overall. The good includes first appearances of The Swordsman and Count Nefaria, Cap's Kooky Quartet, the finale to Baron Zemo I, and much better work with The Scarlet Witch than with Wasp. The bad includes two pretty awful Mole Man stories, the entire plot about saving Wasp's life, the terrible Commisar character and story, the whiny whiny Rick Jones, and the bitchiness and just plain nastiness of Cap towards anyone and everyone.

[Cosmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the 5 star is generous, but I enjoyed reading this volume of The Avengers.

Kang returns! Some other villains like Count Nefaria! Aliens! Zemo strikes back! The Mole Man! Enchantress and Executioner! Black Knight and The Melter!

Lots of villains. Spider-Man guest stars!

Halfway through team does experience a “shake-up” which truly changes the tone of the series. This deserves four, but it’s keeping the five because it kept me entertained.

If you liked the first volume, read this. 5 generous stars, or 4 stars and 1 bonus star.

[Jeff Bleyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgic slice of Silver Age comics that missed a dash of the Jack Kirby artwork that made the first volume of this series so enjoyable. Also the dated and shallow characterizations of the female characters, particularly the continual swooning The Wasp demonstrates over seemingly every male character she encounters, was a bit cringe worthy. Entertaining enough for me that I have queued up the third volume in this series to read over the coming weeks.

[LordSlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this second volume a bit more than the first. Stan Lee's writing is smoother, and the artwork is cleaner and more dynamic; through these volumes I have gained a great appreciation for Don Heck's style. Wally Wood, one of my all-time favorite comics artists, inks an issue, so that's cool. There's a new lineup for the super-team, which I like quite a bit, innovative and imaginative ideas, cool villains, and more oddly perspectived action panels. Good stuff.

[Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very good choice to get a new Avengers team together, as the OG team really runs out of steam in this, culminating in their last issue together, 14, which is one of the worst single issues of a comic I've ever read. The new team is fun, though, and they have actual character-based dynamics together. Don Heck's art is really fun, too, and there's some inks by the God, Wally Wood, which is so cool that it gets referenced as a selling point on the cover of issue 20.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

More early Avengers fun. About a third into this run we get a new lineup as Iron Man, Giant Man, and Wasp go on temporary leave. They are replaced by Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. Baron Zemo returns. We get the debut of The Swordsman. Lots more fun adventures, but I honestly miss Iron Man. Not Giant Man or Wasp, though.

Stan Lee writing is good and Don Heck’s art is GREAT.

[Logan Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much better than the first one. The art is better, the stories are more interesting, and especially toward the end, the characters start to come into their own a little bit and become their own people, something that's not exactly true about the first volume for characters outside of Hulk.

Also the brief appearance by Spider-Man is great!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book, much better than Volume 1. The stories are a lot more engaging, better written and more interesting. Obviously due to its age, some of the dialogue is very outdated, but in this volume it’s slightly more forgiving. It was cool seeing how the team fragment over the issues and a New Avengers Team line up towards the end of the book.
I am hoping Volume 3 matches this book.

[Shawn Bourdo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The transition from the original team to the new team leaves some good stories on the table. But the new team adds lots more drama and personalizes the heroes. The arrival of Hawkeye is the start of a great addition to the team.

[Roger Gaboury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little uneven, and a letdown art wise from Kirby on the 1st 10 issues. Villains are weak here, (the Commissar?) making me long for first issues of Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. The collection here is buoyed by the addition of my favorite Avenger, Hawkeye, in issue 16.