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Avengers Epic Collection
Avengers Epic Collection, Vol. 4: Behold… The Vision
Prepare yourself for one of the most stellar creative periods in Avengers history! Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Gene Colan, and Sal Buscema raise Earth's Mightiest Heroes to unheard-of heights with the: debut of the Vision, an all-out battle with Ultron, the introduction of Yellowjacket, and an all-new Goliath! Then, Kang the Conqueror drops in from the 41st century, pitting our heroes against the Squadron Sinister in a cosmic chess match! As if one set of adversaries from across time wasn't enough, the Avengers must also battle the Captain America, Sub-Mariner and Human Torch of 1941! Also featuring the Black Panther vs. the Sons of the Serpent, the return of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and barbarian Arkon the Magnificent! Collecting Avengers (1963) #57-76 and Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #17.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2015
19 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,479 books271 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 14, 2023
Well Roy Thomas isn't Stan Lee, but he still does an admirable job chronicling the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. This volume features the arrival of the Vision, Hawkeye becoming the 2nd Goliath, the insanity of Yellowjacket and the wedding of the Wasp, plus the long-awaited return of Quicksilver and (one of my favorites) the Scarlet Witch. Also included in these pages are guest-appearances by Doctor Strange, the Black Knight, the Black Widow, Rick Jones, Captain Marvel, Nick Fury and Arkon. And all that doesn't even mention the villainy of Ultron, the Sons of the Serpent, the Growing Man, the Squadron Sinister, the Grandmaster, the traitorous Swordsman and Kang the Conqueror. Unlike the current trend in comics where it often takes six issues to drag out a story that really only needed 1 or 2 to tell, this volume represents an age when each issue was crammed with so much happening that it took a score card to keep track of the merry Marvel madness. This may not be the greatest collection of Avengers tales, but it ranks up there.
June 29, 2015
A really nice collection filled with a lot of Avengers history I knew nothing about. Did you know that Hawkeye once traded in his bow and arrows to become the new Goliath? I didn't, but it sure was fun to find out. It was also great to see the debates of some Avengers regulars, like the Vision and Yellow jacket. Of course, I knew who those people were, but it's nice to have actually read there origin stories.
The storylines themselves are pretty interesting too. The book starts off with a big one as we are introduced to the Vision. It's pretty well known now that Vision would turn on Ultron and join the Avengers, but it was cool to read that story anyway. I got to say that even though I knew what the outcome would be it was still an entertaining story. There's also a pretty good storyline where a new villain shows up claiming to have killed Hank Pym. The problem is that without a body, The Avengers can't do anything about it, so the killer walks free. Plus, he even ends up marrying The Wasp! What a great twist.
The villains of the book are pretty good. Both Ultron and Kang, two of the big baddies for the Avengers, show up. The story with Ultron is really good because Ultron manages to create a body made up purely of Adamantine. I would say the Kang storyline is better, but just because it has the Avengers traveling through time to fight the World War 2 invaders, and the Squadron Sinister. It's hard to top that. There are some other villains that show up, and well those stories aren't bad, they aren't stand outs either. It was cool though that most of the other villains are either multiple villain's teaming up, or some kind of evil organization. That's a threat that the Avengers should be dealing with.
The art is pretty good. Both John Buscema and Sal Buscema do a lot of the work. I like the Buscema brothers but it often depends on who is inking them. If it's someone who does solid black lines I like it, but when it's more scratchy and sparse I don't like it as much. There is also some art by a guy named Barry Smith, who I'm guessing is Barry Windsor-Smith. He is doing his best Kirby impression, and it was pretty cool to see. It really sucks that Kirby didn't do more Avengers work, so you have to take what you can get.
Overall, this a really nice collection showcasing some great early Avengers stories.
The storylines themselves are pretty interesting too. The book starts off with a big one as we are introduced to the Vision. It's pretty well known now that Vision would turn on Ultron and join the Avengers, but it was cool to read that story anyway. I got to say that even though I knew what the outcome would be it was still an entertaining story. There's also a pretty good storyline where a new villain shows up claiming to have killed Hank Pym. The problem is that without a body, The Avengers can't do anything about it, so the killer walks free. Plus, he even ends up marrying The Wasp! What a great twist.
The villains of the book are pretty good. Both Ultron and Kang, two of the big baddies for the Avengers, show up. The story with Ultron is really good because Ultron manages to create a body made up purely of Adamantine. I would say the Kang storyline is better, but just because it has the Avengers traveling through time to fight the World War 2 invaders, and the Squadron Sinister. It's hard to top that. There are some other villains that show up, and well those stories aren't bad, they aren't stand outs either. It was cool though that most of the other villains are either multiple villain's teaming up, or some kind of evil organization. That's a threat that the Avengers should be dealing with.
The art is pretty good. Both John Buscema and Sal Buscema do a lot of the work. I like the Buscema brothers but it often depends on who is inking them. If it's someone who does solid black lines I like it, but when it's more scratchy and sparse I don't like it as much. There is also some art by a guy named Barry Smith, who I'm guessing is Barry Windsor-Smith. He is doing his best Kirby impression, and it was pretty cool to see. It really sucks that Kirby didn't do more Avengers work, so you have to take what you can get.
Overall, this a really nice collection showcasing some great early Avengers stories.
August 13, 2021
You know, I enjoyed WandaVision.
This is the Epic Collection that collects, well, Vision's first appearance and other assorted sundries. It tells the tale of Ultron, or at least... well... one of them. It also tells the story of Black Panther outing himself to the world as being a black man. Also Black Knight's origin story for some reason. I'm not really questioning it, it was all a bit of rollicking fun.
Diving back into these stories (and watching Hank Pym show all the signs of needing a bipolar diagnosis which he'd eventually get some decades later) it's truly surprising how much was there and just waiting to be dug into. Yeah, they're cheesy comics... but there's a lot more there than one might expect. Ultron, when you dig down into it, is an utterly terrifying story. Vision and all he went through questioning his identity and his place in the world? It's ripe for digging into, and even the MCU hasn't really contended with that as much as they should.
These are solid, fun comics. They're classics for a reason. While they might be cheesy now... I think they deserve a bigger shake than what they've gotten. Hell, even the Black Panther story dealing with race relations was a hell of a lot more interesting than I expected it to be and nuanced.
This is the Epic Collection that collects, well, Vision's first appearance and other assorted sundries. It tells the tale of Ultron, or at least... well... one of them. It also tells the story of Black Panther outing himself to the world as being a black man. Also Black Knight's origin story for some reason. I'm not really questioning it, it was all a bit of rollicking fun.
Diving back into these stories (and watching Hank Pym show all the signs of needing a bipolar diagnosis which he'd eventually get some decades later) it's truly surprising how much was there and just waiting to be dug into. Yeah, they're cheesy comics... but there's a lot more there than one might expect. Ultron, when you dig down into it, is an utterly terrifying story. Vision and all he went through questioning his identity and his place in the world? It's ripe for digging into, and even the MCU hasn't really contended with that as much as they should.
These are solid, fun comics. They're classics for a reason. While they might be cheesy now... I think they deserve a bigger shake than what they've gotten. Hell, even the Black Panther story dealing with race relations was a hell of a lot more interesting than I expected it to be and nuanced.
July 16, 2023
This brings back so many memories. I was collecting these issues when they were first published. Loved them then and even more so now. First Vision, Ultron, and Yellowjacket. And many more. A truly Epic collection.
April 30, 2021
I’ve become accustomed to stories from the Big Two written around this time period, and the good and bad which comes with it. This collection covers almost two full years of classic Avengers material and depicts some keystone moments for the team, such as the origin of the Vision. Unlike most of my reviews which start and the beginning and go over the chronological narrative, I thought it best to divide this review up into the things I liked and the things I… didn’t care for as much.
The Good:
First and foremost, the art is excellent. Rich, vibrant colors and strong line work throughout. I actually think for once the interior art far outpaces the cover art in terms of quality. The image of Vision crying at the end of his introduction is iconic for a reason.
Clint aka Hawkeye (aka Goliath II) is the most interesting character here. I know, I know. I stan Clint too hard, but I also call it as I see it. Clint’s aggressive attitude and arrogance, mixed with his inferiority complex, give him depth that isn’t as prevalent with the other characters. I love how he bristles at the idea of changing the Avengers roster, but despite his many complaints is the most protective and loyal friend to his new teammates. He’s against the idea of Vision joinin the team, but by the next issue he’s already warmed up to him, gives him a nickname, and later is the sole voice who doesn’t believe the Vision to have willingly betrayed the team. Too often the Avengers forget they are a team who need to trust and support one another, and it’s only Clint who doesn’t immediately assume his friends have turned traitor (Vision, T’Challa) at the slightest suggestion. He’s also the one who worries about their immediate safety when the team seems to not really care if one of their own has gone missing (Hank Pym). His arc of going from Hawkeye to Golitah II is a neat insight that works for the character, though I think we’re all glad it was short lived.
T’Challa is the second most interesting character. Though some of the in-universe terminology is a little dated (“I am a Wakanda!”) I loved seeing how he interacted with the team as the de facto leader early in the book. The arc returning him to Wakanda to deal with M’Baku wasn’t always paced well, but it was nice to see so many darker-skinned faces filling the pages. That’s hard enough to find in 2021, much less moving into the ‘70s.
Vision’s creation and his story with Ultron wasn’t executed as well as I’d have liked (Ultron just comes off as kind of silly in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way) but the seeds for what it wants to be are there, and it’s a great origin overall.
Hank Pym is a divisive character, but I actually quite like him. When written well, he’s a fundamentally good person; compassionate and devoted to science, with a girlfriend he loves greatly but has trouble properly expressing himself to, and whose mental illness has provided a lifelong struggle. Considering the time period, Hank is written pretty competently. His transformation into Yellowjacket and subsequent marriage to Jan is interesting in concept, though like Vision’s origin the execution leaves some to be desired.
The epithets are incredible. My favorite is Clint’s oft used “HOLY CATS!!”
A storyline that openly deals with racism in the 1970s and isn’t entirely tone deaf. Antagonists who sound like the actual “alt-right” in the current day and age, which makes the story feel uncomfortably relevant. Though subtextual, the theme about the differing experiences of people within the same marginalized community, in this case the different experience of Blackness in America, and the message that race isn’t a monolith. But just because one does not feel that they are inversely affected by a system designed to put down other people like them, it is still a fight that must be fought, and still affects them. A young Black woman, who happens to be a popular singer, doesn’t want to use her music for an “agenda” because she’s trying to “make it” in a white world. But when she is imperiled and the Black Panther is the only one who comes to her timely aid, with the heavy implcation the police took their time arriving due to the fact that it was a Black woman who was under attack, she realizes she must use her voice and take a stand. It’s surprisingly good stuff, for the time, and resonates now just as much as it did then. Well, that is until...
The Bad:
A storyline that openly deals with racism in the 1970s and becomes incredibly tone deaf right at the end when the “blame” for the racial divide perpetrated by a group of conservative terrorists is divvied up between Dan Dunn, the obviously racist white television host featured in an antagonistic role throughout the story, and Montague Hale, his ideological rival and a man of color. Montague Hale spends the story up until the big reveal demanding civil rights and social change in a very vocal way but is revealed to be working with Dunn in his white supremacist terrorist organization to create civil unrest. Why would such an important and influential man at the center of a progressive movement do something so heinous? Why, for undefined and nebulous “power” of course! Hale’s motivation is staggeringly dumb and lacks context as to what his tangible gain is from having Americans engage in a race war. It really feels like Marvel wanted to backtrack a little lest they upset the racists. See America? It’s not just the whites— Black people perpetuate racism among themselves too! please don’t boycott us This is made even worse when the revelation comes right before the last page, in a reveal of truly Scooby Doo proportions and totally ruins what had been a dated, but engrossing story.
The pacing is a little rough at times. This is most noteworthy when Dr. Strange shows up to request the assistance of the Avengers (T’Challa, Clint, Vision and the Black Knight) in battling Surtur and Ymir. Not only does this get solved extremely quickly, but the lack of involvement from Thor in dealing with two Asgard-adjacent beings feels odd. Especially since Thor is in and out of the book at will already.
Jan. Just… Jan. It would be a number of years before Janet van Dyne and her contemporaries (Susan Storm and Jean Grey) evolved out of their “token girl teammate” schtick, so Jan is really not at her best here. Constantly fainting or screaming in terror and generally not being particularly useful because she’s too busy being imperiled. There’s quite a few times she doesn’t even try engage with the enemy, content to stand back while the men work. This is symptomatic more of the times then a Character Truth™, but it’s still annoying to see Jan spend most of her screentime complaining (once she says she thinks Montague Hale, prior to his heel turn, is ‘something less than civil’ in a peak Karen moment) instead of contributing in any meaningful way.
On a darker note, Jan manipulates her long-time partner into marrying her when he is mentally incapable of consent and going through a manic episode and it’s laughed off by the narrative because… damn, women sure do want to get married, don’t they? It’s major cringe. I know it’ll come up again in the future and be used as character development for Jan, thank god, but it’s hard to sit through such a dubious act and then laugh when she threatens Hank with violence if he even thinks about leaving her*. Yikes.
*Just to be clear, the idea that Jan would do something horrible that would reveal something about her integrity or awareness or be the stepping stone to character growth isn’t the issue. The issue is not her actions but how the narrative justifies them. A complicated character is interesting, and I’m cool with watching them pursue a horrifically toxic relationship, so long as the narrative doesn’t try to Twilight it up into something admirable.
Natasha, the Black Widow, as the only other important female character of note, is also hit with the 60s Men Writing Women stick. Wearing her hideous original outfit would be enough of a crime, but Natasha’s character apparently revolves around wanting to be with Clint and… that’s it. Sure, she’s a super spy for SHIELD, but she’s really mostly concerned about Clint missing their dates. It’s so off brand from how we envision the character now and I was glad that her occasionally appearances were mercifully brief. Of course, she was also imperiled during some of those, just so we can double down on obnoxious female character tropes of supposedly capable badass ladies.
Overall:
Mixed, but still enjoyable. Read with the context of the time and the writing style of it’s contemporaries, there’s a lot to like. Read as a modern reader, viewing it through a modern lens, there���s a lot to unpack narratively and thematically. The melodramatic writing style is funny as often as it is cumbersome, and the depictions of the heroines fell pretty flat most of the time. I enjoyed what I got, though I expect adaptations of Vision’s origin or Hank and Jan’s wedding (forever in my mind coined by the ship name “Jank” due to the unsavory circumstances of their nuptials) to take these ideas and make them a lot more palatable.
And for how much I do enjoy seeing Clint in what amounts to stripper gear, I’m ready for him to go back to being Hawkeye.
The Good:
First and foremost, the art is excellent. Rich, vibrant colors and strong line work throughout. I actually think for once the interior art far outpaces the cover art in terms of quality. The image of Vision crying at the end of his introduction is iconic for a reason.
Clint aka Hawkeye (aka Goliath II) is the most interesting character here. I know, I know. I stan Clint too hard, but I also call it as I see it. Clint’s aggressive attitude and arrogance, mixed with his inferiority complex, give him depth that isn’t as prevalent with the other characters. I love how he bristles at the idea of changing the Avengers roster, but despite his many complaints is the most protective and loyal friend to his new teammates. He’s against the idea of Vision joinin the team, but by the next issue he’s already warmed up to him, gives him a nickname, and later is the sole voice who doesn’t believe the Vision to have willingly betrayed the team. Too often the Avengers forget they are a team who need to trust and support one another, and it’s only Clint who doesn’t immediately assume his friends have turned traitor (Vision, T’Challa) at the slightest suggestion. He’s also the one who worries about their immediate safety when the team seems to not really care if one of their own has gone missing (Hank Pym). His arc of going from Hawkeye to Golitah II is a neat insight that works for the character, though I think we’re all glad it was short lived.
T’Challa is the second most interesting character. Though some of the in-universe terminology is a little dated (“I am a Wakanda!”) I loved seeing how he interacted with the team as the de facto leader early in the book. The arc returning him to Wakanda to deal with M’Baku wasn’t always paced well, but it was nice to see so many darker-skinned faces filling the pages. That’s hard enough to find in 2021, much less moving into the ‘70s.
Vision’s creation and his story with Ultron wasn’t executed as well as I’d have liked (Ultron just comes off as kind of silly in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way) but the seeds for what it wants to be are there, and it’s a great origin overall.
Hank Pym is a divisive character, but I actually quite like him. When written well, he’s a fundamentally good person; compassionate and devoted to science, with a girlfriend he loves greatly but has trouble properly expressing himself to, and whose mental illness has provided a lifelong struggle. Considering the time period, Hank is written pretty competently. His transformation into Yellowjacket and subsequent marriage to Jan is interesting in concept, though like Vision’s origin the execution leaves some to be desired.
The epithets are incredible. My favorite is Clint’s oft used “HOLY CATS!!”
A storyline that openly deals with racism in the 1970s and isn’t entirely tone deaf. Antagonists who sound like the actual “alt-right” in the current day and age, which makes the story feel uncomfortably relevant. Though subtextual, the theme about the differing experiences of people within the same marginalized community, in this case the different experience of Blackness in America, and the message that race isn’t a monolith. But just because one does not feel that they are inversely affected by a system designed to put down other people like them, it is still a fight that must be fought, and still affects them. A young Black woman, who happens to be a popular singer, doesn’t want to use her music for an “agenda” because she’s trying to “make it” in a white world. But when she is imperiled and the Black Panther is the only one who comes to her timely aid, with the heavy implcation the police took their time arriving due to the fact that it was a Black woman who was under attack, she realizes she must use her voice and take a stand. It’s surprisingly good stuff, for the time, and resonates now just as much as it did then. Well, that is until...
The Bad:
A storyline that openly deals with racism in the 1970s and becomes incredibly tone deaf right at the end when the “blame” for the racial divide perpetrated by a group of conservative terrorists is divvied up between Dan Dunn, the obviously racist white television host featured in an antagonistic role throughout the story, and Montague Hale, his ideological rival and a man of color. Montague Hale spends the story up until the big reveal demanding civil rights and social change in a very vocal way but is revealed to be working with Dunn in his white supremacist terrorist organization to create civil unrest. Why would such an important and influential man at the center of a progressive movement do something so heinous? Why, for undefined and nebulous “power” of course! Hale’s motivation is staggeringly dumb and lacks context as to what his tangible gain is from having Americans engage in a race war. It really feels like Marvel wanted to backtrack a little lest they upset the racists. See America? It’s not just the whites— Black people perpetuate racism among themselves too! please don’t boycott us This is made even worse when the revelation comes right before the last page, in a reveal of truly Scooby Doo proportions and totally ruins what had been a dated, but engrossing story.
The pacing is a little rough at times. This is most noteworthy when Dr. Strange shows up to request the assistance of the Avengers (T’Challa, Clint, Vision and the Black Knight) in battling Surtur and Ymir. Not only does this get solved extremely quickly, but the lack of involvement from Thor in dealing with two Asgard-adjacent beings feels odd. Especially since Thor is in and out of the book at will already.
Jan. Just… Jan. It would be a number of years before Janet van Dyne and her contemporaries (Susan Storm and Jean Grey) evolved out of their “token girl teammate” schtick, so Jan is really not at her best here. Constantly fainting or screaming in terror and generally not being particularly useful because she’s too busy being imperiled. There’s quite a few times she doesn’t even try engage with the enemy, content to stand back while the men work. This is symptomatic more of the times then a Character Truth™, but it’s still annoying to see Jan spend most of her screentime complaining (once she says she thinks Montague Hale, prior to his heel turn, is ‘something less than civil’ in a peak Karen moment) instead of contributing in any meaningful way.
On a darker note, Jan manipulates her long-time partner into marrying her when he is mentally incapable of consent and going through a manic episode and it’s laughed off by the narrative because… damn, women sure do want to get married, don’t they? It’s major cringe. I know it’ll come up again in the future and be used as character development for Jan, thank god, but it’s hard to sit through such a dubious act and then laugh when she threatens Hank with violence if he even thinks about leaving her*. Yikes.
*Just to be clear, the idea that Jan would do something horrible that would reveal something about her integrity or awareness or be the stepping stone to character growth isn’t the issue. The issue is not her actions but how the narrative justifies them. A complicated character is interesting, and I’m cool with watching them pursue a horrifically toxic relationship, so long as the narrative doesn’t try to Twilight it up into something admirable.
Natasha, the Black Widow, as the only other important female character of note, is also hit with the 60s Men Writing Women stick. Wearing her hideous original outfit would be enough of a crime, but Natasha’s character apparently revolves around wanting to be with Clint and… that’s it. Sure, she’s a super spy for SHIELD, but she’s really mostly concerned about Clint missing their dates. It’s so off brand from how we envision the character now and I was glad that her occasionally appearances were mercifully brief. Of course, she was also imperiled during some of those, just so we can double down on obnoxious female character tropes of supposedly capable badass ladies.
Overall:
Mixed, but still enjoyable. Read with the context of the time and the writing style of it’s contemporaries, there’s a lot to like. Read as a modern reader, viewing it through a modern lens, there���s a lot to unpack narratively and thematically. The melodramatic writing style is funny as often as it is cumbersome, and the depictions of the heroines fell pretty flat most of the time. I enjoyed what I got, though I expect adaptations of Vision’s origin or Hank and Jan’s wedding (forever in my mind coined by the ship name “Jank” due to the unsavory circumstances of their nuptials) to take these ideas and make them a lot more palatable.
And for how much I do enjoy seeing Clint in what amounts to stripper gear, I’m ready for him to go back to being Hawkeye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2016
It's always fun to read old Marvel comics when you've never read them before, and these early appearances of The Vision were interesting when compared to the current series. There's the return of Ultron, which was fun, some nice focus on the Black Panther, and plenty of other crazy stories to keep a reader entertained. However the two-part story describing the marriage of Wasp and Yellowjacket was really stupid, and the Black Knight story felt tacked on and really should have appeared earlier on in the volume.
July 15, 2018
There are some really good issues in here and some amazing art, but there's also far too many issues of overwrought dialogue and very sweaty plotting.
March 23, 2019
Collecting The Avengers #57-76 and Marvel Super-Heroes #17, this is a nifty little collection. As you can probably tell from the title it starts off with the first appearances of The Vision as a new Avenger with some of the plot around Ultron thrown in as well as some Kang stories and a really good Black Panther centric story where he fights the KKK-like Sons of the Serpent.
Roy Thomas is pretty great at writing these stories and the contrast with Stan Lee's style early on in the series is quite marked. There isn't nearly the same amount of text cluttering up the pages, the story reads much more fluidly and as a consequence these are more fun comics to read. Sometimes the very early issues of Avengers can feel a bit like homework, important stuff but sometimes hard going. The sexism that is present in the way the Wasp is treated, is still here, however, but less pronounced now.
The art of the Buscemas, and particularly John, is really dynamic if often somewhat conventional, but sometimes you get real treats when they decide to create a full page panel which is just arrestingly beautiful. This is the case with a couple of panels in this volume centred on full pages of The Vision, a character than being created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema is clearly a work of love for them. This creative team would go on to produce two of my all time favorite comic series with Conan and Savage Sword of Conan for Marvel, so it's a treat to see them here.
Roy Thomas is pretty great at writing these stories and the contrast with Stan Lee's style early on in the series is quite marked. There isn't nearly the same amount of text cluttering up the pages, the story reads much more fluidly and as a consequence these are more fun comics to read. Sometimes the very early issues of Avengers can feel a bit like homework, important stuff but sometimes hard going. The sexism that is present in the way the Wasp is treated, is still here, however, but less pronounced now.
The art of the Buscemas, and particularly John, is really dynamic if often somewhat conventional, but sometimes you get real treats when they decide to create a full page panel which is just arrestingly beautiful. This is the case with a couple of panels in this volume centred on full pages of The Vision, a character than being created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema is clearly a work of love for them. This creative team would go on to produce two of my all time favorite comic series with Conan and Savage Sword of Conan for Marvel, so it's a treat to see them here.
November 27, 2020
Another where the three stars is an average as this collection is wildly uneven.
On the plus side, we have John Buscema's amazing art; Gene Colan and Barry Windsor-Smith do some nice work, as does John's brother Sal, but John B. does the best. Particularly crowd scenes, where he usually infuses the crowd members with lots of individuality.
Also good: the debut of the Vision, Ultron, Kang's battle with the Grandmaster and the Sons of the Serpent return (anti-immigrant bigots, pundits whipping up the country — it's like a story of today!).
Not so good: Why does the Wasp spend so much of this collection fainting or screaming? She was often ineffective in earlier stories, but she was always in their pitching.
Also: endless in team squabbles. Which is fine in itself, it was part of the Marvel brand, but all too often there's no reason for it (like Hawkeye fighting everyone because he wants to take down his old foe himself).
And a couple of bad plotlines, such as the batshit-insane wedding of Hank and Jan.
This may not be much guidance to anyone, but it's all I got.
On the plus side, we have John Buscema's amazing art; Gene Colan and Barry Windsor-Smith do some nice work, as does John's brother Sal, but John B. does the best. Particularly crowd scenes, where he usually infuses the crowd members with lots of individuality.
Also good: the debut of the Vision, Ultron, Kang's battle with the Grandmaster and the Sons of the Serpent return (anti-immigrant bigots, pundits whipping up the country — it's like a story of today!).
Not so good: Why does the Wasp spend so much of this collection fainting or screaming? She was often ineffective in earlier stories, but she was always in their pitching.
Also: endless in team squabbles. Which is fine in itself, it was part of the Marvel brand, but all too often there's no reason for it (like Hawkeye fighting everyone because he wants to take down his old foe himself).
And a couple of bad plotlines, such as the batshit-insane wedding of Hank and Jan.
This may not be much guidance to anyone, but it's all I got.
November 29, 2024
This collection was a ride, and not always a good one. It started off pretty strong, some real good stories. Campy in the best possible silver age-y way. Then as the stories progressed they started to become dumber and more boring. I usually love Roy Thomas, but the later part of his run collected in here definitely started to become kinda stale.
However, that doesn't mean this whole volume is a wash. I mean, we get Vision, we get Ultron, we get Grandmaster and the Squadron Sinister. There is a lot in here to love. But then there is also the Growing Man. There is Arkon the Magnificent. There is the fact that Black Knight finally joins the Avengers, then is not mentioned again for the rest of the collection except for a random Marvel Super Heroes issue that is thrown in at the end almost as if the editors are apologizing for Roy Thomas forgetting he had this character join to anybody who was excited about it.
However, that doesn't mean this whole volume is a wash. I mean, we get Vision, we get Ultron, we get Grandmaster and the Squadron Sinister. There is a lot in here to love. But then there is also the Growing Man. There is Arkon the Magnificent. There is the fact that Black Knight finally joins the Avengers, then is not mentioned again for the rest of the collection except for a random Marvel Super Heroes issue that is thrown in at the end almost as if the editors are apologizing for Roy Thomas forgetting he had this character join to anybody who was excited about it.
April 17, 2024
The art really stands out in this collection, shared among the brothers Sal and John Buscema, along with Gene Colan. Stars in the making. Roy Thomas takes on the writing, and it's serviceable, though Thomas resorts to dialogue that sounds too much like a bunch of wise guys.
I found the oldest comic I ever owned in this collection. It's the issue from October 1969, featuring Kang and the Growing Man on the cover. I'd always thought before that it was from 1968, but I wasn't too far off. Funny to run into that issue again. I picked the book up without knowing it was in there.
I found the oldest comic I ever owned in this collection. It's the issue from October 1969, featuring Kang and the Growing Man on the cover. I'd always thought before that it was from 1968, but I wasn't too far off. Funny to run into that issue again. I picked the book up without knowing it was in there.
January 15, 2019
This anthology of Avenger comics, while sometimes sexist in its portrayal of Wasp (a problem that stems back to Avengers #1) and racist in its portrayal of Black Panther (e.g. when he calls himself a “soul brother”), provides a fun series of adventures that includes Vision’s origin story, Clint Barton’s identity crisis as a superhero, the introduction of Yellowjacket, and, for Black Panther fans, the comic book origins of Monica Lynne.
March 14, 2021
The introduction of the Vision to the Avengers is a fun tale spun by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. There are some other fun bits like Hawkeye becoming Goliath and the mystery of Yellowjacket. However the Sons of the Serpent story does not age well with its attempt to deal with racial strife in America. It was neat to see Vision meet the Scarlet Witch for the first time, though no hints of their future could be seen.
July 28, 2018
Some of the stories are cheesy, as well as much of the dialogue, but John Buscema's artwork alone is worth the cover price.
My favorite story in this collection was the introduction of the Vision (Avengers 57-58). It mixes creative ideas to build an interesting character from scratch. Plus, the issues are drawn by John Buscema, who is awesome.
My favorite story in this collection was the introduction of the Vision (Avengers 57-58). It mixes creative ideas to build an interesting character from scratch. Plus, the issues are drawn by John Buscema, who is awesome.
July 1, 2019
A nice set of stories Roy Thomas writes some tales that are still relevant today. The coming of the Vision is still one of the most classic Avengers stories. In the 70's !Marvel tried telling socially relevant stories to help. raise awareness, but not offend. There is a lot of this here. My only complaint about these stories is the "Hawkeye becomes Goliath" period.
November 8, 2024
I enjoyed this book, though for some reason not as much as the last one or two. I enjoyed the return of Ultron as my favorite villain in the series so far, but a lot of the stories fell a bit flat in comparison to others from earlier on. I did really enjoy the Vision centered storylines though.
October 28, 2018
Great stories about Ultron and Vision. Yellow Jacket premier and Hawkeye conversion to Goliath were bonuses.
February 12, 2019
It took them almost 60 issues, but finally The Avengers starts getting good.
January 20, 2020
Some issues are better than others.
July 11, 2020
This to me is the first truly great era of Avengers comics. Early Buscema brothers. Roy Thomas at his finest.
November 17, 2020
It's quite enjoyable to go back and read again the Classic Avengers issues.
November 6, 2021
Another classic Marvel series of the Avengers of old
April 20, 2024
Awesome collection. I always thought that Roy Thomas was a better writer than Stan Lee. I believe he was more intellectually smarter. Great art all around.
October 2, 2023
Avengers Epic Collection, Vol. 4: Behold... The Vision is a pretty huge milestone in Avengers history.
As the title suggests, the most important story within is the first appearance of The Vision (and the first proper appearance of major Avengers nemesis Ultron!) The art in these first two issues is absolutely sublime, and gives a glimpse of things to come in the comic book: more full-page panels, and more two-page splash panels featuring huge battles or even some experimentally-creative scenes (the Swordsman's arrival in issue #65 for example.)
John Buscema's art is wonderful throughout, as is those who would occasionally step in for him (Gene Colan, Barry Windsor-Smith, and even his own brother Sal Buscema.) It's almost as though writer Roy Thomas has given the artists more creative freedom to tell a story, no longer constrained by square panel after square panel on every page. It definitely improves the readability of these issues, as opposed to what was before.
And, of course, Roy Thomas' writing remains strong, bringing back Ultron again later on in the volume, as well as Kang the Conqueror and the Grandmaster right afterwards. In the final issues of the volume, Arkon the Magnificent makes his debut appearance. He would continue to be a thorn in the side for not only the Avengers, but also the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the future.
Definitely worth picking up!
As the title suggests, the most important story within is the first appearance of The Vision (and the first proper appearance of major Avengers nemesis Ultron!) The art in these first two issues is absolutely sublime, and gives a glimpse of things to come in the comic book: more full-page panels, and more two-page splash panels featuring huge battles or even some experimentally-creative scenes (the Swordsman's arrival in issue #65 for example.)
John Buscema's art is wonderful throughout, as is those who would occasionally step in for him (Gene Colan, Barry Windsor-Smith, and even his own brother Sal Buscema.) It's almost as though writer Roy Thomas has given the artists more creative freedom to tell a story, no longer constrained by square panel after square panel on every page. It definitely improves the readability of these issues, as opposed to what was before.
And, of course, Roy Thomas' writing remains strong, bringing back Ultron again later on in the volume, as well as Kang the Conqueror and the Grandmaster right afterwards. In the final issues of the volume, Arkon the Magnificent makes his debut appearance. He would continue to be a thorn in the side for not only the Avengers, but also the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the future.
Definitely worth picking up!
June 8, 2016
One of the better Epic Collections, primarily for some great Buscema artwork on the initial Vision tales in The Avengers. Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Buscema, Sam Giacoia, and Gene Colan all provide pencils for this book, with some great Roy Thomas stories to buttress them. The Vision debuts, as does Yellowjacket, the new Goliath, Hawkeye's brother Barney, the Squadron Sinister, the Grandmaster, and Ultron-6.
It's hard to go wrong with this book - it's worth the cover price!
It's hard to go wrong with this book - it's worth the cover price!
April 11, 2017
I love the Avengers, especially the older comics, and collections such as this are a great way to have all of the old issues without paying a small fortune—as cool as it is to have originals, this is the next-best thing, and in some ways even better (numerous issues in one volume, with a sturdier cover than regular comic books).
This volume even has some bonus material, including the issue of Marvel Super-Heroes in which Dane Whitman meets the spirit of his ancestor Sir Percy of Scandia—the original Black Knight—and takes up the Ebony Blade to become the modern-day Black Knight (the good one, unlike his evil uncle Nathan before him). Aside: Dane Whitman appeared as the Black Knight before this, but he didn't have the full powers of the position.
This volume even has some bonus material, including the issue of Marvel Super-Heroes in which Dane Whitman meets the spirit of his ancestor Sir Percy of Scandia—the original Black Knight—and takes up the Ebony Blade to become the modern-day Black Knight (the good one, unlike his evil uncle Nathan before him). Aside: Dane Whitman appeared as the Black Knight before this, but he didn't have the full powers of the position.
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