Essential Avengers, Vol. 1

Essential Avengers #1

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

There came a day, unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born - to fight the foes no single hero could withstand.

Collects: Avengers #1-24

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

536 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 1966

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

[Printable Tire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so I bought as many of these Essentials collections as I could find when they first came out, until there were too many of them to keep up with and at $15 a pop it was setting me back some. But as a consequence of casting a wide net with buying them, a lot of them I personally find very boring (the fact they’re all in black & white doesn’t help either). I’ve tried reading this one many times over the years, and it took a pandemic for me to quietly sit down and read through it at last.

Let me reassure you that I know these comics are for children. Not only children, but children of the 1960's. But as a perpetual manchild (or if you like “the embodied spirit of eternal childhood wonder”) who is humbly old-fashioned, I feel quite qualified to grade them.

They’re about as boring as I feared. Captain America is just as much a cardboard shell as he was in his own series, although the Avengers seem pretty aimless until he shows up in #4, and the homoeroticism between him and Rick Jones is at least interesting. I can usually stomach Lee’s “ditzy dames'' approach to female characters, but he goes too far with the Wasp, whose only characteristics are that she's horny and she wants to put on makeup. She’s a stereotype but it's not like any of the others are stunning examples of individuality. Part of the problem is none of them have absolutely any reason to be together. Spider-Man learned with great power comes great responsibility. The Fantastic Four and the X-Men are families of sorts so they have to stick together. The Avengers are just a bunch of really powerful dudes and fighting together is a way for them to compare dick sizes, basically, which isn’t a super interesting raison d’etre. Also, how come Thor always seems to be the chairman of the week?

But the main problem, for me, isn’t that the heroes have no interiority, or any real reason to be together; I could live with that. The problem is the villains they fight are so boring. You can call yourselves “The Masters of Evil” all ya want, but you still have a guy whose superpower is shooting gunk out of his chest (on the other hand, I think it will be Radioactive Man who wins in the end, by slowly giving everyone cancer). Baron Zemo and his little South American dictatorship ain’t no Doctor Doom, and I read with great relief when Stan Lee finally killed him off (for real this time! He never came back! Ever! Okay, his son did, but that’s another story).

Then we have the time traveling villains, Kang the Conqueror and Immortus (who are apparently the same guy but that’s also another story). At least they look really cool, although they spout the same cornball dialogue as every other villain. The main problem with them is, if they can time travel anywhere, why don’t they go back in time and kill all the Avengers when they were babies? Or old men? Or find out what their secret identities are? Or go back in time when they’re defeated and change the course of history so they aren’t? Or a million zillion other things?

I want villains to at least want something other than revenge (avenge?). Revenge just feels weirdly like it's not moving any narrative forward- like the villains are stuck in neutral until they get over this whole revenge thing. Move on and try to put a laser on the moon or something. Or at least rob a bank. When the only motivation for anyone’s actions is something as unoriginal as revenge it just makes me realize more starkly how I’m essentially reading fanfiction of action figure wrestling.

The Avengers also fight a lot of weird, yet forgettable aliens.

And of course, as Lee’s prone to do, the same lines are rehashed over and over and over again: I actually get a headache when I read some variation of the words “high pockets,” “I missed you on purpose!”, “you talk too much, mister!” and “Captain America acts as if he was born to lead!”

The stories SLIGHTLY improve when the New Kids come on the scene: there’s lots of awkward squabbles and angst, because it’s more apparent they’re a team not because they’re a family, but for the glory, and for their own personal, mostly selfish reasons. Captain America shows some dimensionality: he’s not just a scrappy super patriot, but something of a haughty aloof dinosaur who has to learn to be a better leader. Scarlet Witch is more fleshed out than Wasp (who doesn't even get a mention when Cap bemoans the loss of his old teammates ((which he does pretty frequently)) and Hawkeye is something of a “hep cat” (I never even knew he had a personality before). Quicksilver’s still pretty boring, though.

But reading this Essential collection is about as exciting as reading a stuffy old history book, which is “essentially” what it is, of the fictional world of Marvel. So even more useless than reading a history book!

So, of course: on to the next volume!

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I collected comics from the early 60s...what is called the silver age of comics...(I mean I began in the early 60s). I had the Avengers from #4 on, then stopped collecting in the mid 70s. If you're a comic book person you know they got a lot darker at that time. Then...in a finical crisis I had to sell my collection. So, when I came across the Essential collections I was able to recover at least the stories. I went with 4 stars since they are in black and white, but still they're good.

So much of what happens with comic books (at least for some of us) is tied up in nostalgia and times gone by, maybe a longing for a simpler time. As noted elsewhere (in other reviews and elsewhere) Captain America is my favorite all time superhero, hands down. He (and in the DC universe Superman) exemplify standing for ideals and not only looking for the best but upholding the best in America. Rights and responsibilities equality for all people. In Avengers #4 the "new team" recovers/rescues Captain America from a block of ice where he had been quick frozen at the end of WWII when he was blown clear of a missile launched by Baron Zemo. Cap was dropped into his icy prison and his "young sidekick" Bucky was killed.....

The inclusion of captain America guaranteed my interest. So, the stories I had once owned in original form...even if only in black and white. Good vs. evil and two fisted action...well, two fisted, shield slinging, hammer throwing, etc., etc., etc. action.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is collection from the early tales of the Avengers as told by Stan Lee and they have been reprinted in B/W. It shows the early Avengers with indeed Thor, Iron man and the find of captain America has also been included in these stories een if they somewhat differ from the movies, the comics are certainly dated by a shedload of fun.
It also shows the major players in the Avengers taking up other responsibilities and move on and the creation of a new team that is perhaps much less powerful but story-wise perhaps more interesting with Hawkeye, Scarlett Witch, Pietro (giving the DC hero Flash a run for his money). It is true that in this era the female heroine was far less involved as a full character in the heroics, that would take some time but the stories do the series credit nonetheless.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE CLASSIC LITERATURE

[Professor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, a lot of folks I know who read comics look down on the 1960s stuff. But they're nuts. You want fun? You want high flown dialogue, loopy nicknames, epic battles, all bright but with just a bit of complexity, character conflict and such creeping in? With plenty of WTF moments and painfully dated gender roles and politics(okay, I may be one of the few that finds that part of amusing, but as time goes on we see the Wasp become a little more proactive)? Well, look no further. As a guy raised on the 80s Avengers books, it was great to see how it all started.

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this held up better than Golden Age Batman. I enjoyed it, though it's still kitschy of course, with plenty of unintentional hilarity. (Like how after Zemo sprays the city with super adhesive glue, the Wasp goes to find "Paste-Pot Pete" to save the day. Thank God for Paste-Pot Pete!) It is a LOT of comics and my interest waned toward the end--but maybe that's just because Iron Man and the Wasp both left the team halfway through. (Also the Hulk and Ant-Man, but I care less about them.)

[Dominick Vasquez]

The book The Essential Avengers Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby is a very action packed comic book. This comic follows the journey of key avengers such as Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. These key characters go through their ups and downs of finding their team. This book was very entertaining and had multiple fight scenes that I enjoyed. The dialogue and the illustrations show the whole story of how the avengers came to be. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a superhero fan, especially if you’ve seen the marvel movies. Even if you haven’t seen marvel and just DC or classic superhero shows this comic is a decent option. Overall I would give this book four out of 5 stars because it was long, but it also kept me entertained for most of the way. The Essential Avengers Vol. 1 is a solid read for anyone looking into comic books, I recommend.

[Matthieu Savignac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un sacré morceau à lire, et surtout un sacré morceau d’histoire.
Cet Essential ne se lit pas d’une traite comme certains autres volumes : il se présente presque comme un ouvrage historique, racontant la naissance d’un mythe dans un contexte éditorial précis, façonné par des auteurs ayant chacun leur propre vision du monde.

Le volume se découpe assez nettement en quatre parties.

La première est consacrée à la formation des Avengers, ce groupe hétéroclite de héros provenant d’autres séries encore loin d’être toutes des succès. Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man – et the Wasp – ainsi que Hulk, rejoints plus tard par Captain America.
C’est du pur Stan Lee, épaulé par son compère Jack Kirby : des récits typiques de la fin des années 60, très verbeux – pardon, extrêmement verbeux – avec un méchant par épisode, des situations grand-guignolesques et un happy ending assuré.
Un épisode, ça va. Deux, c’est encore acceptable. Mais en enchaîner davantage devient une véritable épreuve.
La narration est pompeuse, les blocs de texte s’accumulent pour dire peu de choses, et les répétitions sont incessantes. On a bien compris que les Avengers ignorent les identités secrètes des uns et des autres, mais voir Tony Stark ou Don Blake le répéter plusieurs fois par numéro devient rapidement usant. Et bon sang, que quelqu'un fasse bouffer à Iron Man ses transistors...

Ces premières issues sont également très rigides. Je n’ai jamais été un grand admirateur du trait de Kirby, mais impossible de nier son sens de la composition et de la pose iconique. Pourtant, les planches sont surchargées, les cases très denses, souvent découpées en quatre rangées remplies de dialogues. Même replacée dans le contexte de l’époque, la lecture demande de la patience.

Du côté des personnages, ce n’est pas plus enthousiasmant : l’évolution est quasi inexistante et chaque héros se résume à un gimmick répété à l’infini.
Thor, le costaud pas très subtil. Iron Man obsédé par ses transistors et par sa double identité. Hulk qui veut simplement être tranquille. Captain America qui joue le leader. Ant-Man/Giant-Man, surprenamment central dans la première moitié du volume, souvent celui qui réfléchit et trouve les solutions.
Et the Wasp… que Stan Lee caractérise principalement par son excitation devant les corps musclés et son obsession pour le maquillage et la coiffure. C'est assez difficile à vivre.

Du côtés des vilains, on a un beau patchwork, dont certains plutôt bien amenés comme Kang ou la ré-utilisation de Mole Man, et d'autres qui sont complètement passé à côté - Oui, je te regarde Immortus. L'arrivée de Captain America a surtout servi à réintroduire le Baron Zemo accompagné (entre autre) de l’Enchanteresse et de l’Executioner qui vont être récurrent pendant un sacré moment.

Et nous arrivons à la deuxième partie, le départ de Kirby et son remplaçant par Don Heck. Un changement qui, en plus de donner une narration plus libre, plus aérée et moins rigide que celle de Kirby, s'accompagne d'un changement de ton qui va rendre les issues de plus en plus sérieuses. On sort du côté Grand Cirque pour arriver à des enjeux plus importants et réels. Même si en pratique le résultat n'est pas encore des plus cohérents, l'idée de base, elle, se veut contenir plus d'enjeux.

J'en veux pour exemple l’issue 14 sobrement intitulée "Even an Avenger Can Die". Attention au spoil...
Suite à l’issue précédente, the Wasp est mourante, un poumon perforé et seul un docteur norvégien spécialisé qui a mis au point un traitement expérimental pourrait la sauver.
Thor décide donc d'aller le trouver. Pour ce faire il prend l'avion, pardon, il se pose littéralement sur un avion, puis décide finalement d'y aller tout seul, son marteau indiquant exactement le laboratoire du professeur. Comment ? C'est un marteau magique !
Le docteur est en pleine préparation importante, il demande à Thor de sortir de chez lui, mais celui-ci s'en bat le marteau et le kidnappe sans état d'âme pendant que ce dernier lui dit qu'il s'est trompé d'homme afin de l'amener au chevet de Janet.
Alors que le docteur, toujours apeuré, leur jure qu'il ne peut rien faire, Giant-Man se met à l'agresser en lui ordonnant de la sauver, ce qui a pour effet de faire tomber le masque de l'homme afin de démasquer un alien, qui meurt d’étouffement instantanément.

Le groupe décide donc de trouver une source de signaux d'origine extraterrestre sur Terre qui pourrait avoir kidnappé le professeur avec divers gadgets sans aucun sens, puis en découvrant que la base doit venir d'un endroit éloigné de toute habitation, ils hésitent donc entre le pôle Nord et le pôle Sud. Pourquoi oublier les 70 % de la planète que sont les océans et pourquoi spécifiquement les pôles ? Parce que !
D’ailleurs, comment choisir entre les deux pôles ? Facile. Rappelez-vous. Le marteau de Thor est magique. Et là c'est pratique, il le brandit et hop, c'est bon c'est choisi, c'est le pôle Nord.

Boum patatras bien joué, c'était bien la base des extraterrestres. Amicaux ou non ? Les Avengers ne se préoccupent pas de ça et sous la houlette du premier "Avengers Assemble" de Thor, font un petit massacre avant de se voir arrêter pour que le chef fasse un petit speech pour permettre à Don Heck de dessiner des piou-piou dans l'espace.

Trop long pour nos héros qui continuent de tout défoncer jusqu'à ce que le docteur en question leur dise d'arrêter leur bordel et qu'il n'a jamais été kidnappé mais est resté pour aider la race d'extraterrestres à se protéger d'une autre race exterminatrice. Tout ce foutoir mis par nos héros a finalement alerté cette autre race qui fonce direction la Terre. Du coup, nos gentils extraterrestres se barrent et s'en vont affronter leur ennemi mortel dans une dernière bataille perdue d'avance sous l’œil du Watcher.

Kidnapping, Agression, Meutre, Massacre, Génocide sans aucun remord... On est loin des Avengers qu'on connait...

Finalement passons à la troisième partie qui est le nouveau line-up du groupe. Exit les membres d'origine qui ont désormais tous une série régulière qui fonctionne bien, et on passe aux nouveaux personnages ou ceux qu'on veut ressortir du placard. On garde Captain America, on balance un Hawkeye, une Wanda Maximoff et son frère Pietro et boum, les nouveaux Avengers.

C'est à partir de là que j'ai retrouvé vraiment du plaisir à lire ces issues. Cette nouvelle dynamique est intéressante et s'intéresse à quelque chose de plus profond que des individus isolés affrontant une épreuve. Il est question d'esprit d'équipe, de leadership, de questionnements de la place de chacun au sein d'un groupe et au sein de la société. Les intrigues sont souvent plus complexes et possèdent des rebondissements au sein d'une même issue ou même certaines storylines durent sur plus d'une issue.
On est au début de quelque chose et cela se sent, il y a encore des frustrations et des points qui sont assez rédhibitoires, comme par exemple le caractère de Hawkeye qui est tout simplement insupportable, dès que Stan Lee lui fait prendre la parole c'est pour être un complet imbécile arrogant. Ça aurait pu être bien amené mais non, c'est lourd et malaisant.
Ou Wanda qui... qui est une femme, en fait. Peut-être pas autant stéréotypée que Janet mais on est quand même sur un personnage qui n'existe que pour les autres, ici son frère ou son admiration pour Steve. Et ses pouvoirs, c'est comme les transistors d'Iron Man ou le marteau de Thor. Stan Lee n'a aucune idée de quoi faire avec. Allez hop c'est magique, ça fait tout, même le café.

En tout cas, le trait de Don Heck se lisse, son découpage s'améliore et on s'éloigne doucement de ce trop plein de narration pour une approche plus visuelle, un récit raconté plus avec les images qu'avec le texte, ce qui rend beaucoup plus fluide notre lecture. Lecture qui est elle aussi beaucoup moins stéréotypée que dans les premières issues.
Le dernier arc du tome avec Power Man qui arrive à discréditer le groupe, Captain America qui se retire avant d'être obligé de revenir pour la dernière grande aventure dans une double issue avec Kang, c'est magistral. Cette aventure à cheval entre le présent et le futur, mettant en scène un Kang qui n'est finalement pas juste un méchant qui est méchant pour être méchant mais bien un être entier avec des buts et des motivations qui lui sont propres, qui a besoin de s'allier avec ses ennemis mortels, c'est du grand Marvel. On est loin, loin des premières issues.

Alors oui, c'est une longue review, mais oui, c'est un gros morceau à lire et à découvrir. Impossible de le conseiller à n'importe qui, il faut être fan de ce médium, être passionné de ce groupe, ou apprécier connaître l'origine des héros que l'on connaît si bien désormais.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel somewhat bad for writing this, considering how much i love silver age Marvel, but this book is not very good. Just overall in terms of story, and the art, it comes up laking. I was trying to figure out what this book seems to be missing and i think i know: there are no subplots. The gold standard for Marvel around this time would be Spider-Man, or the Fantastic Four, and the thing that makes them good is all the subplots going on. While an issue of either of those would advance the lifes of the characters of the book, an issue of Avengers focuces on the villian of the month, and how to defeat them. It's the kind of superhero story i just don't like.
There are some good things though, and i should mention those as well. The story of how the team actually comes together is good, and very imaginitive. It would be easy for the team to simply already be a team at the start of the issue, like X-Men, but Stan and Jack take the time to come up with a reason for the hero's to join together. That was really cool.
The Jack Kirby issues are, of course, stunning. I love Jack's version of all these characters, so seeing them all on one page is a treat. Issue four where Cap joins the team, and then they fight Namor, was really good artwise. There is also a few issues where Jack was inked by Chic Stone, and i think those two make a great pair. I can't say i really care for Don Heck that much. I did notice that his style seems to change based on the inker. I think he is one of the artist, like Gene Colon, who needs an inker that understands how he draws to really make the art the best it can be. The issues inked by Wally Wood is a perfect example of this.
Another thing of note is that I'm not very familar with many of the Avengers villians. This collection here is basically all the Avenger comics i've ever read. It was intresting to read about villians that i don't know everything about before i even read an issue. I am looking foward to more of that.
My final thoughts on the book is that it just isn't as good as it should be. This is a book with almost all the A-listers in Marvel, at the time, so it should be freaking awesome, but somehow it's boring and hard to get through. I've already decieded that i want to continue reading the Essential Avengers line, but it is mostly because i want to read more of the early Marvel storys, not because this book left me wanting more.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great peak at the past into issues that would otherwise be way out of my price range. The cheese factor is a bit much, but hey we are talking 40 years ago. It's any comic book reader's heritage.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comic Book Quiz Time: True or False - the Fantastic Four appear in the first issue of The Avengers.

The answer is TRUE. In fact, Marvel's First Family play a very large role in the formation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes becoming a superhero team.

The Norse god of mischief, Loki, would like nothing more than to defeat his boastful half brother Thor. However, due to being banished to a forbidden zone within the Seven Realms, Loki has to use a proxy via his magical inclinations to defeat the god of Thunder. The chosen lackey is none other than the Incredible Hulk who is duped into destroying a train track after Loki used an illusion spell to make the green behemoth believe there was dynamite about to explode.

Using a ham radio, the Hulk's teenager sidekick, Rick Jones attempts to summon the Fantastic Four for help, as they had dealt with him previously. However, the Fantastic Four must decline and they recommend Jones summon Thor, since he's a heavy hitter. You'd think this is just what Loki was hoping for. Only his ultimate trap is far from set. So when Rick Jones attempts to radio Thor, his transmission is received instead by Iron Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Eventually, Thor joins the fight against the Hulk with the other heroes. Rick explains that the Hulk is innocent of the mass destruction and Thor with assistance from the All Father, defeats Loki. Enjoying their adventure together, the heroes, along with the Hulk, decide to make this a regular thing. With suggestion of the Wasp, the team take on the name of the Avengers and comic book history is made.

Marvel characters had already been interacting with each other for a couple of years prior to the debut of The Avengers. As mentioned earlier, the Fantastic Four attempted to defeat the Hulk in issue #12 of their first series. Spider-Man asked the FF for a job in his first solo issue. With each of these crossovers, Marvel developed a cohesive universe which was a delight to readers.

As fans were demanding more of such adventures, Stan Lee got the idea to develop a group team title that would hopefully introduce readers to some of the struggling (in popularity) heroes and hopefully enticed them to pick up their solo books as well. Besides, DC has been having similar success with it's flagship group title, Justice League of America. Thus in Stan's mind, what was good for the goose must be good for the gander.

By issue #4, the Hulk departed the Avengers feeling hated and unwanted by his teammates and the remaining Avengers added the World War II legend, Captain America, since frozen in an iceberg, to the roster. Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man now going as Giant Man, the Wasp and Captain America: they may not have been the original lineup. But they are considered by many to be the most iconic membership of the team's 60 year plus history.

Jack Kirby was Stan Lee's go-to artist and collaborator whenever a new project arose. Kirby was allowed to select the original roster of the Avengers. When asked in interviews years later why he went with the 5 characters that made up the Avengers by the end of issue #1, the King responded 'they were all characters that I had created' and was comfortable drawing. Plus, Kirby felt that he'd receive a higher working wage if he used only characters that he had created previously at Marvel. Familiarity and money might have been the reasons why The Sub-Mariner became a one-time adversary of the Avengers as well as the return of the Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America.

By issue #8, Kirby became bored with the title, as he often did, and went on to plot and pencil other projects at the House of Ideas. Don Heck took over as the series' regular artist. The co-creator of such Avengers stalwarts as Iron Man and the Wasp, Heck would oversee the team's biggest roster shake up in Avengers #16 when Captain America would now lead the team, comprised of former baddies Hawkeye, The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Heck would stay on until issue #40. Dick Ayers inked a majority of the first 2 dozen issues with lettering completed by Artie Simek at Sam Rosen.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early days of Marvel's Avengers, in black-and-white.

The Essential series has been all-but-superseded by the current Epic series, which is a similar deal but it's now all in glorious colour (There is a certain charm in the black-and-white format though.)

Anyway, these stories are certainly a product of their time. The stories are often clunky, contrived and female characters get a bit of a bad time. They can be fun to read if you can overlook how dated they are, but in all honestly they're more a novelty than anything else. Jack Kirby's art is decent, Don Heck is acceptable and slowly gets better as the issues go on.

Highlights include the early appearances from future heavyweights like Loki, Kang the Conqueror, Immortus, Count Nefaria and the Swordsman, as well as the modern age debut of Captain America in #4.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve officially given up on these Avengers books. I hate the writing and do not find any of it interesting at all. The art is standard for Marvel, but the way the characters talk is beyond annoying. And they constantly narrate themselves (the editors should have used thought bubbles, not speech bubbles). I just couldn’t take it seriously, and found it so irritatingly unrealistic. Also the way the characters speak to eachother is so outdated and just awkwardly unrealistic. People do not talk like that!
To be clear, I only read a few pages of this book - so I can’t judge the story much apart from the fact it was so boring and dull I gave up.
I’m sure some people love these books, but I really don’t.

[Robert Noll · Rating 3 out of 5]

From battling with the Hulk to Kang the Conqueror, and making a couple of roster changes, the Avengers romp through their first 24 issues.

1. Exposition abounds - Stan Lee’s writing style seemingly leaves no detail unrevealed.
2. The exclamation mark is everywhere!
3. You can definitely feel the shackles of the Comic Code Authority. The entire group can take a punch and just walk away from it without any visible damage or other mental trauma.
4. This black and white version loses something. Baron Zemo’s costume lacks the same “pop” and Kang does not have the purple and green jump suit.

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read in 2005, review from 2024)

This collected many of the early Avengers comics from the Silver Age and includes many iconic moments like the team forming, finding Captain America in the Arctic, some of the original team retiring to make way for the Maximoffs + Hawkeye, etc. As a middle schooler it was fun enough to read even if I thought there were far too few issues about the core Avenger trio + the Pyms and more of the later recruits. Only real downside was everything in the book being in black & white, presumably to keep the cost of this massive collection down.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Avengers, issues #1 - 24. This has been pretty interesting. These issues were from 1962/63 I believe and it's neat to get a glimpse of what the culture was like back then. The stories were pretty campy, but it was good clean fun. I enjoyed seeing how the team was formed and then evolved.

[H.L. Sudler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The somewhat hokey early days of The Avengers, but still fun to read.

[Gomezmr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fantastic.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Avengers never lose because they always get up one more time than they get knocked down.

[B.J. Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great.

[Thomas Orsini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome

[Adam Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Launched in September 1963, the Avengers were Marvel's answer to the Justice League. However, there were some marked differences from the Justice Leagues. For starters, neither of Marvel characters, Spider-man or the Fantastic Four found their way into the Avengers. Instead, the Avengers featured characters who didn't actually have their own comic book but shared their titles with other characters. The first line up included Iron Man from Tales of Suspense; Ant Man, the Wasp, and the Incredible Hulk from Tales to Astonish, and Thor from Journey Into Mystery.

The first line up comes out almost through serendipity as a result of the mechanizations of Thor's brother Loki to frame the Hulk. They decide to form a team, but quickly it becomes clear that the Avengers are no Super Friends. After the 2nd Issue, the Hulk leaves and by the third issue, the Hulk has joined with Namor to fight his former allies.

The Avengers are a team that struggles for cohesiveness with personality conflicts cropping up everywhere. Wasp even suggests that Thor get a crew cut!

However, in Issue 4, the Avemgers changes forever with the re-awakening of Captain America, who subsequently joins the team. The whole feel of the Avengers changes and the next thirteen issues are delightful as a truly great Avengers team goes to war on evil.

However, in Issue 17, after yet another battle with the Masters of Evil, Iron Man, Giant Man, and Wasp decides to take leaves of absence while Thor flies off for "The battle of the Gods," and the remaining Avengers choose three new team members in former bad guys Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver with Captain America leading the team.

The last 7 issues leading up to Issue 24, feature an Avenger team where personality conflicts come fast and furious as Quicksilver and Hawkeye have an eye on replacing Cap, and the Avengers' reputation is put at risk thanks to the work of the Enchantress, and finally Cap quits in frustration but comes back when he realizes the Avengers need him.

There is much not to like about the book. Even at its height, the Avengers are not the nicest group in comics. When Ant Man summons the Avengers based on information received from the ants, he's laughed to scorn. When Iron Man misses a meeting of the Avengers, a board of inquiry is convened and he's given a one week suspension by Thor and Ant Man. And when you get into the last seven issues, I had moments where I wanted to smack Hawkeye swarmy arrogant face.

That said, there are two great reasons why this book earns five stars. A secondary reason is the villains. The Masters of Evil are a great team, as led by Baron Zemo, and the Enchantress does pretty well on her own with the aid of Powerman. In addition to that, a visit from the Mandarin and the Swordsman are highlights.

The second and overwhelming reason is Captain America. Captain America has no special powers or even a nifty bow and arrow, but he is the heart of the Avengers, and the true natural born leader. He gets testy at Hawkeye (who wouldn't?) and the contempt of the new male Avengers for him, but the fact is that he's the go-to guy, the role model. He has some moments of moodiness, but there's no one better to have by your side in battle. There's no one who's a better Inspirational leader than Captain America. And that's why the Avengers are able to continue to beat foes even after the massive power loss that Issue 17 represented.

Cap made the Avengers a great team when he joined in Issue 4, and he kept it a great team despite its comparative weakness after Issue 24. Add to that a good Commie-smashing issue and an issue where prayer was referenced repeatedly in a mainstream comic, and this book is a winner.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reprints Avengers (1) #1-24 (September 1963-January 1966). In an attempt to destroy his brother Thor, Loki accidentally leads to a gathering of heroes. With Iron Man, Giant Man, the Wasp, Thor, and the Hulk, the Avengers find themselves as Earth’s mightiest heroes. When World War II hero, Captain America is found frozen in ice, a new generation learns of his greatness as he rallies a team that grows to include members like Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch as they fight to protect the Earth.

Written by Stan Lee, Essential Avengers Volume 1 gathers the first twenty-four issues of the first volume of the series. Like all of Marvel’s Essential series, the comics are reprinted in black-and-white. The stories have also been collected in other volumes and the Marvel Masterworks series.

I grew up on Marvel, and probably more so than the X-Men, the Avengers were my superheroes. I started reading the comic in the 200s, but this collection helps show how the team came together and formed. Before the Essential line, you could find early Avengers adventures in older Marvel reprints, but it is good to see them collected here. It is also important to note that many of the characters, just like now, were carrying their own books as well as the Avengers…the Avengers was simply a “best of” for Marvel and a way to boost the second tier characters’ sales.

This is a big volume and with The Avengers movie being released, it is worth wild for fans to check out. The series not only shows the team’s formation, but it also has the return of Captain America in The Avengers (1) #4 (March 1964). The return of Captain America provided the spark the team needed (plus with Hulk never fully meshing with the team, the group was a bit short).

Essential Avengers Volume 1 in addition to Captain America’s return features other big firsts. Avengers (1) #2 (November 1963) has the Space Phantom. Avengers (1) #6 (July 1964) features the premiere of the Masters of Evil which provided a bit of anti-Avengers team action whose members had battled the Avengers in their individual team books. Avengers (1) #8-10 (September 1964-November 1964) created the time traveling Kang, introduced Wonder Man (though he quickly dies), and Immortus (who may or may not be an alternate version of Kang). Avengers (1) #16 (May 1965) relaunched the team and turned Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver into heroes. Avengers (1) #19 (August 1965) introduced the Swordsman (an early anti-hero), and Avengers (1) #22 (November 1965) had Power Man (who later became Atlas of the Thunderbolts).

The Avengers wasn’t really a great book at this point, but it is fun to see its early beginnings and compare it to the current Avengers mythology. The Essential Avengers has proven to be one of Marvel’s bigger Essential lines and more and more volumes continue to be coming out. Start where the team started and see what they become. Avengers Assemble!

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun foray into the history of the Marvel Universe.

[Helmut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Startet sehr langsam...

...und nimmt dann Fahrt auf. Band 1 der Essential Avengers ist für mich klar zweigeteilt: Der mühsame, extrem formelhafte und langweilige Beginn mit den Mitgliedern Iron Man, Thor und Giant Man... und dann, ab dem Punkt, in dem die Lineup wechselt, fangen dann auch die Geschichten an, Fahrt aufzunehmen und spannender zu werden.

Seltsam, denn eigentlich sind die Originalmitglieder an sich deutlich interessantere Charaktere - aber zuviele Köche verderben den Brei, und die Abschwächung des Teams tut den Stories scheinbar gut. Hawkeye ist und bleibt ein unsympathischer "Green Arrow"-Klon, dessen ständiges Rumgenöle schnell auf die Nerven geht, und die Scarlet Witch ist weit entfernt von ihren realitätsverändernden Superkräften späterer Zeiten. Eigentlich sind nur Quicksilver und Captain America interessant im späteren Team. Dafür hat man aber nicht dieses Dackelzüchter-Clubgehabe (wer ist denn heute Vorsitzender? Wem muss der Mitgliedsausweis für ein, zwei Wochen entzogen werden, weil er zu spät zur Sitzung kam?) und diese unglaubliche Arroganz von Thor, die eigentlich nicht so richtig zu Thor passt.

Die Zeichnungen sind von üblicher Kirby/Heck-Qualität, wobei Heck eigentlich mehr kann, als er hier zeigt - seine Iron Man-Stories liebe ich.

Ich bin gespannt auf Band 2.

[Ross Kitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great nostalgic start to the Avengers line.
Having once read these books in Essential format and as a wee lad in various British reprints, I thought it'd be fun to read through the 8 or so I've got again.
One thing that strikes me about the 24 issues herein is the rate at which Stan Lee's style improves over the four years of the run. Certainly the corny level is very high throughout, and plot lines are utterly bizarre at some stages, but his dialogue and pacing hits a definite stride as the roster updates from the original line up (Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man/Ant Man, Wasp, and Hulk_then_Cap) to the quartet of Cap, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. The banter between Cap and Hawkeye is amusing, if uncharacteristic aggressive for Cap, and Hawkeye proves very interesting to read- perhaps an early flawed hero.
There are many of the classic villains here- Loki, Kang, Zemo, the Masters of Evil, and then some stolen from other books, such as Namor, Mandarin, and the Mole Man, as well as Enchantress and Executioner.
Definitely worth the read if you enjoy seeing where the (now) most popular MCU team came from

[Rexhurne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some classic stories with a lot of relevance for the marvel cinematic universe. The first Avengers story is a must read for anyone who is even slightly interested in marvel's history, same with the story where they find Captain America in the ice. Some other highlights are the introduction of Kang the Conqueror and Wonder Man. A lot of other stories are surprisingly fun if you set your expectations low (the silver age setting) and just see whatever they throw at you. A lot of (historically) high and low points, certainly not the worst early silver age work i read. Certainly better than the early solo adventures of a certain Norse god.

[Tim Pieraccini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably two and a half stars. Nice early Kirby art to start with, then it gives way to Don Heck, whose figures are clumsy-looking and whose pages are not well laid out (Kirby does layouts for one issue, and difference is immediately obvious). It perks up slightly towards the end with two issues inked by Wally Wood, and one by Romita Sr, but the writing throughout is early Stan Lee; too verbose, and too centred on the men, with women obsessed with romance or generally worrying about the men. (The Enchantress is a slight exception to this.)

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hark back to the glory days of the Marvel age. I enjoyed seeing the original Stan Lee comics and the basis for the popular movies. While I understand that the Avengers is a collection of heroes comeing together to fight bigger threats it felt like it was missing pieces of the story. I understand that this si due to each character having their own story arc and comic books but it made the whole collection feel a little disjointed.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over a year and a half ago, I picked this book up to become better acquainted with the Avenger's origins before the movie came out. It was so mind-numbingly boring that I set it down a LOT. However, once the Avenger's line-up changed and all my fave heroes left, the book became tons more interesting. Hawkeye is my new favorite.