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Avengers (1963)
Avengers (1963-1996) #1
The first of a star-studded series of book-length epics featuring some of earth's greatest super-heroes! Brought to you by the legendary creative team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby!
23 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 1963
31 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,563 books2,340 followersStan 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
May 22, 2021
Loki gets the honor of being the 1st villainous foe to be thwarted by the now famous Avengers!
But it's not the cute Tom Hiddelson-Loki, True Believers. Nay!
This is the old, gross, craggy-faced Loki who wears a green & gold unitard with an awkward horned helmet.
This was also back when Doctor Donald Blake had to Shazam his way into becoming Thor.
Annnnd back when Tony looked like a big yellow tin can.
So the gist is that Loki, ever eager to fuck his brother over, sets up poor Hulk to take the fall for some nefarious shit. And because Hulk is ugly & green, everyone (including Iron Man and Thor) are easily convinced that he is running amok in some sort of a monster rage. You know, tearing up railroad tracks and tossing bears around.
How does this help Loki screw with Thor? <--sorry, that information is given out on a need to know basis.
In other words, it's kind of convoluted. Plus, I can't really remember.
Something about getting him to turn from Blake into Thor and then magic him to death. Maybe?
It honestly doesn't matter.
What does matter is that these guys realize they're stronger together, form a team, and 50 something years later geeks weep tears of joy..
September 13, 2024
The genius of Lee/Kirby is highlighted in this book - foundational Silver Age key that introduced a team that has become a global phenomenon. By using his 'island of misfit toys' formula Lee was able to create that tension that always faces individuals when a team is forming; that critical point when all members must put their differences aside to truly come together. One of my favorite early Marvel books.
April 10, 2019
The death of Stan Lee a few months back got me thinking about the old school Marvel comics so I decided to take advantage of my Marvel Unlimited subscription to go back and read some of the oldies.
Loki makes it look like the Hulk is rampaging as part of a plan to trap Thor, but he doesn't count on other heroes like Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp showing up as well. The good guys win and decide to form a new super-team called Avengers. (Why? Because it's the first name Wasp throws out there, and it sounds pretty cool.)
It's pretty silly compared to modern comics, but there's Jack Kirby art and the hammy charm of Lee's melodramatic prose even if the dated elements like Wasp rhapsodizing about how handsome Thor is while Ant-Man berates her for being a silly woman don't play very well. Nor does a reference to dumping atomic waste in the ocean for disposal, but it was the '60s so why not? Iron Man's clumsy gold suit also looks pretty bad, but I think that improves quickly.
Next Issue: Avengers #2
Loki makes it look like the Hulk is rampaging as part of a plan to trap Thor, but he doesn't count on other heroes like Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp showing up as well. The good guys win and decide to form a new super-team called Avengers. (Why? Because it's the first name Wasp throws out there, and it sounds pretty cool.)
It's pretty silly compared to modern comics, but there's Jack Kirby art and the hammy charm of Lee's melodramatic prose even if the dated elements like Wasp rhapsodizing about how handsome Thor is while Ant-Man berates her for being a silly woman don't play very well. Nor does a reference to dumping atomic waste in the ocean for disposal, but it was the '60s so why not? Iron Man's clumsy gold suit also looks pretty bad, but I think that improves quickly.
Next Issue: Avengers #2
October 16, 2020
Hilariously outdated, but still fun to read, the way these guys decide to team-up cracked me up. Ant-Man: "Hey guys, why don't we team-up?" the other guys: "Sure, why not?" and the AVENGERS were formed! Simple times! xD
June 5, 2023
This was actually a lot of fun!
Loki has a master plan to get vengeance against Thor, and he's getting Hulk mixed up as the bad guy. Ant-Man, Wasp, Iron Man and Thor all answer the call.
I learned some very interesting things in this issue! Such as Thor's secret undercover identity as Dr Don Blake. Was also hilarious to see Iron Man in that clunky gold outfit. Yikes.
Such a great piece of history to read - very glad they're doing these facsimile editions! Epic collections are also good for it, but it's hard to find some of the earlier ones.
Classic colourful art and lots of laughs. A great glimpse into comic history.
Loki has a master plan to get vengeance against Thor, and he's getting Hulk mixed up as the bad guy. Ant-Man, Wasp, Iron Man and Thor all answer the call.
I learned some very interesting things in this issue! Such as Thor's secret undercover identity as Dr Don Blake. Was also hilarious to see Iron Man in that clunky gold outfit. Yikes.
Such a great piece of history to read - very glad they're doing these facsimile editions! Epic collections are also good for it, but it's hard to find some of the earlier ones.
Classic colourful art and lots of laughs. A great glimpse into comic history.
August 23, 2015
My love for Marvel and comic books is probably extremely obvious. I simply adore super movies and I am a total fangirl. I came across these a few months ago in a bookstore and I completely hyperventilated right there and then. Who wouldn't?
A perfect example of what they call the Silver age of comics. Certainly I can agree that the plot and characters are corny and highly predictable but lets keep in mind that these were published in the 1960s. This is actually a work of comic book history and these surreal division of supers play a significant part in that history.
So basically its Loki that pulls the Avengers together by getting one over on the Hulk and making him seem like the threat. Comic book Loki is very different to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Loki. The God of Mischief is portrayed in the comics as a heartless vengeance seeking douche bag who has his non existent heart set on ruling the world and ridding it of his brother Thor in the process. MCU Loki is the adorable, lovable emo demigod who just wants to be noticed by his big bro and be just like him. I think this is a great example of how the characters develop over time and how Marvel adds more depth into their personalities to make the story more compelling and interesting and this happens with the Avengers after some time.
So I've heard some people complain about the cheesy-ness of the dialogue and the appearance of the characters but I think Lee and Kirby did a solid job for their time. You have to commend the illustrators for designing and creating these heroes from scratch unlike the later versions that were developed from the originals. Also, this is a comic book people! The cheesy dialogue and the ever predictable plot line is what makes it just that. Obviously their dialogue has to interpret their thoughts because even though the illustrations radiate expression the reader would be really confused and the writing would likely be pretty vague.
Cut them some slack you guys and give them a chance! Clearly if you don't enjoy this sort of thing just don't read it! It's much easier than reading it and expressing in your reviews how much you hate it and "never again" will you engage in such horrendous scrutiny. Written to be appreciated by people who enjoy them and are really just fun scripts made for laughs, thrills and jubilation. Honestly these bunch of heroes are just so close to my heart and in a very weird way (I'm crazy like that) they feel like family to me and I am just so proud of their progress. *wipes tears from eyes*
\(*-*)/
A perfect example of what they call the Silver age of comics. Certainly I can agree that the plot and characters are corny and highly predictable but lets keep in mind that these were published in the 1960s. This is actually a work of comic book history and these surreal division of supers play a significant part in that history.
So basically its Loki that pulls the Avengers together by getting one over on the Hulk and making him seem like the threat. Comic book Loki is very different to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Loki. The God of Mischief is portrayed in the comics as a heartless vengeance seeking douche bag who has his non existent heart set on ruling the world and ridding it of his brother Thor in the process. MCU Loki is the adorable, lovable emo demigod who just wants to be noticed by his big bro and be just like him. I think this is a great example of how the characters develop over time and how Marvel adds more depth into their personalities to make the story more compelling and interesting and this happens with the Avengers after some time.
So I've heard some people complain about the cheesy-ness of the dialogue and the appearance of the characters but I think Lee and Kirby did a solid job for their time. You have to commend the illustrators for designing and creating these heroes from scratch unlike the later versions that were developed from the originals. Also, this is a comic book people! The cheesy dialogue and the ever predictable plot line is what makes it just that. Obviously their dialogue has to interpret their thoughts because even though the illustrations radiate expression the reader would be really confused and the writing would likely be pretty vague.
Cut them some slack you guys and give them a chance! Clearly if you don't enjoy this sort of thing just don't read it! It's much easier than reading it and expressing in your reviews how much you hate it and "never again" will you engage in such horrendous scrutiny. Written to be appreciated by people who enjoy them and are really just fun scripts made for laughs, thrills and jubilation. Honestly these bunch of heroes are just so close to my heart and in a very weird way (I'm crazy like that) they feel like family to me and I am just so proud of their progress. *wipes tears from eyes*
\(*-*)/
November 10, 2017
Stan the man
Stan was melodramatic but is a good story for it’s time. I don’t know if regular people spoke like that
Stan was melodramatic but is a good story for it’s time. I don’t know if regular people spoke like that
July 2, 2025
U can find this on Marvel Verse: Loki available in Kindle Unlimited. And the iron man suit had me lyin on tye floor😭😭 bro looks like the scraps he made his suit out of got melted in a bowl of custard😂😂
3.69 ⭐️
3.69 ⭐️
August 6, 2019
AVENGERS #1-10, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #103 (The Avengers' First Arc)
*Note: A nifty READING ORDER has been provided at the end of this review
Essentially, this series serves as a transition point between storylines; Here, Stan Lee
brings together EXISTING character arcs from 5 separate comic books and wraps them all up nicely...
while also setting up NEW character arcs for 5 separate comic books. Thus, effectively transitioning all the characters from one point to another, it works as a truly character driven narrative.
What's really interesting is what occurs around issue 4 of the storyline... which even non-readers almost universally know already, but I won't dare spoil it. It involves something of a huge achievement for comic book history, and a milestone moment in the careers of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. It's a story that returns to the root of both their careers, providing a touching full-circle storyline for the character in question affected by what happens. Through this character, it also introduces the ongoing story-arc for these first 10 issues...
...Which is the introduction of "The Masters of Evil!" Essentially, they are the anti-Avengers; if the Avengers are the major heroes from the 5 separate comic books, the Masters of Evil are the major villains from each of the 5 separate comic books. Stan Lee actually took a major villain from each Superheroes storyline, and brought them together here. It provides an interesting philosophical contrast between the two teams, the battle between the heroes and villains providing a nice metaphor of the battle between good and evil.
In fact, that's essentially the thematic purpose of this comic book in general; a meta-commentary on superheroes and super-villains, using them to explore the deeper philosophical notions of good and evil, especially when the heroes are as morally grey as the villains are. Highly recommended.
READING ORDER:
-The Avengers #1
-The Avengers #2
-The Avengers #3
-The Avengers #4
-Journey Into Mystery #103
-The Avengers #5
-The Avengers #6
-The Avengers #7
-The Avengers #8
-The Avengers #9
-The Avengers #10
*Note: A nifty READING ORDER has been provided at the end of this review
Essentially, this series serves as a transition point between storylines; Here, Stan Lee
brings together EXISTING character arcs from 5 separate comic books and wraps them all up nicely...
while also setting up NEW character arcs for 5 separate comic books. Thus, effectively transitioning all the characters from one point to another, it works as a truly character driven narrative.
What's really interesting is what occurs around issue 4 of the storyline... which even non-readers almost universally know already, but I won't dare spoil it. It involves something of a huge achievement for comic book history, and a milestone moment in the careers of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. It's a story that returns to the root of both their careers, providing a touching full-circle storyline for the character in question affected by what happens. Through this character, it also introduces the ongoing story-arc for these first 10 issues...
...Which is the introduction of "The Masters of Evil!" Essentially, they are the anti-Avengers; if the Avengers are the major heroes from the 5 separate comic books, the Masters of Evil are the major villains from each of the 5 separate comic books. Stan Lee actually took a major villain from each Superheroes storyline, and brought them together here. It provides an interesting philosophical contrast between the two teams, the battle between the heroes and villains providing a nice metaphor of the battle between good and evil.
In fact, that's essentially the thematic purpose of this comic book in general; a meta-commentary on superheroes and super-villains, using them to explore the deeper philosophical notions of good and evil, especially when the heroes are as morally grey as the villains are. Highly recommended.
READING ORDER:
-The Avengers #1
-The Avengers #2
-The Avengers #3
-The Avengers #4
-Journey Into Mystery #103
-The Avengers #5
-The Avengers #6
-The Avengers #7
-The Avengers #8
-The Avengers #9
-The Avengers #10
November 15, 2018
Excelsior Forever, Stan.
July 24, 2021
the beginning of everything 🥲
April 12, 2021
Interesting start to The Avengers, but appallingly sexist.
January 22, 2023
Me puse nostálgica
Read
January 8, 2026marcus brought this into work so read comics inbetween calls lmao . so dated and silly but iconic
April 26, 2023
At least the Hulk isn’t gray in this one. Overall very corny, but I guess that’s part of its charm.
June 6, 2019
There was a lot happening content wise and that’s not even tackling the awful gender issues found within. The narrative of this felt very mansplaining because it just over explained what happened (and then this happened etc). Context matters and this is older, but for me that makes it more painful because presumably the throw away comments (must you always powder your nose before a mission?) are the norm. Oof is right.
July 8, 2016
Me gusta que Ant-Man fuera de los primeros vengadores.
August 13, 2017
Loki after revenge on Thor brings together Thor, Hulk, Iron-Man, Ant Man and the Wasp.
July 29, 2018
He DID That
September 23, 2018
No deja de tener su encanto el leer y ver cómo comenzó (no podría decir todo).
November 26, 2018
"WE'LL FIGHT TOGETHER, OR SEPARATELY, IF NEED BE!"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2022
My Marvelous year 2: 1963 pt2
Read for some fun pair ups and clever battle tactics. Essential read for marvel historians, Loki fans.
Read for some fun pair ups and clever battle tactics. Essential read for marvel historians, Loki fans.
May 22, 2020
About to read the 700th issue of The Avengers, and like I did before I read the first issue of Spider-Man before the #800th issue, I decided to read the first issue of Avengers.
The story was simple, slow, and a bit, well...boring. I wonder at the reception of it then.
But I also saw the seeds of so many comic book tropes in this first issue. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the cheesy pulpiness of it. I enjoyed the history.
But I've read a lot of old stories. Much older than the 1960s. Lots of old school pulp fiction, too. This just isn't a good story. I'll give it ok.
But...what is started is remarkable and historic.
The story was simple, slow, and a bit, well...boring. I wonder at the reception of it then.
But I also saw the seeds of so many comic book tropes in this first issue. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the cheesy pulpiness of it. I enjoyed the history.
But I've read a lot of old stories. Much older than the 1960s. Lots of old school pulp fiction, too. This just isn't a good story. I'll give it ok.
But...what is started is remarkable and historic.
June 23, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Avengers #1 (1963)
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assemble in a chaotic but historic debut! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby bring together Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Wasp in a wild team-up against Loki, who cleverly manipulates the Hulk into battle. The plot is a bit messy and rushed—classic early Marvel—but the sheer novelty of seeing these heroes join forces is electric. Kirby’s art is dynamic, especially in the action scenes, and Lee’s narration oozes that signature Silver Age charm. It’s not perfect, but it’s the birth of a legend, and you can feel the start of something big.
The Avengers #1 (1963)
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assemble in a chaotic but historic debut! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby bring together Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Wasp in a wild team-up against Loki, who cleverly manipulates the Hulk into battle. The plot is a bit messy and rushed—classic early Marvel—but the sheer novelty of seeing these heroes join forces is electric. Kirby’s art is dynamic, especially in the action scenes, and Lee’s narration oozes that signature Silver Age charm. It’s not perfect, but it’s the birth of a legend, and you can feel the start of something big.
September 17, 2025
Really cool to go back and see where it all began. It’s kind of funny how underwhelming it ended up being. The heroes were brought together by accident and decided they worked well together, and so the team was formed! It was simple, and a lot of random stuff just sort of…happened (hulk joined a circus while pretending to be a robot in the span of 2 pages), but like, I guess that’s really all we needed, right?
February 25, 2022
I enjoyed this. The early identities of these superheroes are fun. When you think of this being some 60 years old it is amazing. Too many reviews are critiquing storylines but they are using the gauge of today to measure by. We wouldn't have what we have today if it weren't built on the foundation set in place. Recommend this to the serious comic reader! Enjoy.
January 7, 2025
this issue feels like a half remembered dream. characters speak phrases that make sense until you analyze them closer and their actions are often just as inexplicable. fights tend to take place in vague, empty places, and please someone I'm begging you go back in time and tell stan lee "show don't tell". anyway it's cool all my guys are there
April 2, 2018
A CLASSIC. THE ORIGINAL AVENGERS. no steven rogers, no clint barton, and no natalia romanova. THOR. THE HULK. IRON MAN. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP. BROUGHT TOGETHER BY A STRANGE QUIRK OF FATE <3 <3 and loki was such a classy bitch in this issue i love ittttt!!!!
March 24, 2021
Today I got a subscription to Marvel Unlimited and figured I would start from the “beginning”. I was very glad to see characters like Loki. I have to say the best part was iron mans suit, it was so bad but that is what makes it amazing.
February 24, 2024
Nota 6.
Pra época é bem amarradinho e divertido. Incrível como Os Supremos e Os Vingadores (2012) pegam a mesma premissa e modernizam a mitologia.
Só o Hulk do nada trabalhando num circo e o Loki derrotado ao ser trancado em um tanque q é zoado.
Pra época é bem amarradinho e divertido. Incrível como Os Supremos e Os Vingadores (2012) pegam a mesma premissa e modernizam a mitologia.
Só o Hulk do nada trabalhando num circo e o Loki derrotado ao ser trancado em um tanque q é zoado.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews