Avengers: The Kang Dynasty Omnibus

Avengers (1998) (Old Trades)

by Kurt Busiek

Kang the Conqueror has been a foe of the Avengers for decades! Now, witness his ultimate triumph, as he brings all of his vast cross-time spanning legions to bear to conquer the Earth once and for all! Can Earth's Mightiest Heroes hold back the colossal forces arrayed against them or will they face defeat and subjugation beneath the boot of the Conqueror?! Collecting Avengers (1998) #41-55 and Avengers Annual (2001) #1

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.

Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.

During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).

Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.

In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.

In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.

In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.

Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.

Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Busiek's final Avengers story is a doozy. A 15 part story where Kang takes over the planet. The Avengers become insurgents, trying to defeat him. Meanwhile, we also get the long running threads of the two Hank Pyms and the Triune Understanding resolved. The Triune Understanding gets strange with a monolithic pyramid spaceship involved. Can't say that Busiek stuck the landing there. There was a really complicated reveal.

Busiek nails Kang, making him more threatening than the reject from the Blue Man Group ever has been. He even navigated the stuff with the Scarlet Centurion well and that could have went bad real quick as back in Avengers #200, the Scarlet Centurion brainwashed Ms. Marvel and then knocked her up with himself. It's one of the most nutball Avengers stories out there.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Busiek's Avengers swan-song is a rather elegant mixing of plots. We get the biggest, baddest Kang story ever, but with all kinds of interludes, like a conclusion to Hank Pym's latest multiple personality story and a battle against the Triune's evil. This story could have been big and overbloated, but instead it's broken into interesting, bite-sized pieces.

Granted, it feels a little outdated at this point, with its big fights and its limited characterization, but what we get is great.

And wow, there's no way to read that last issue as anything but a beautiful homage to victims of 9/11.

[Brian Poole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kurt Busiek Era came to an epic conclusion with a massive 15-part story that made the most effective use of long-time Avengers villain Kang ever. Kang and his grown son, Scarlet Centurion, hovered over Earth and unleash a series of attacks on the planet as a prelude to their intended takeover. They induced Atlanteans, Deviants and various villains to launch assaults. Other threats included the nuclear threat The Presence, the cunning Master of the World and a space threat that revealed the true purpose of the Triune Understanding. Earth surrendered to Kang, but the Avengers led a successful uprising that precipitated a bruising final battle. Along the way, the saga had room for things like solving Hank Pym’s identity issues and revisiting the controversial rape of Carol Danvers.

On scale alone, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was rivaled only by The Korvac Saga as the biggest Avengers story to that point. Busiek flawlessly orchestrated a complex, multifaceted story that wove together numerous plot streams into a cohesive, compelling whole. He paid off plot strands that had been building for years and used the grand saga to do some excellent character work, especially with Warbird, Hank Pym, Wasp, Captain America and Triathlon. But more importantly, Busiek may have written Kang better than any other writer before or since. He brought out a kind of operatic, elemental force of personality that transformed what had often been a cartoonish villain into a convincing epic threat. Kang’s complicated relationship with his son was deftly handled and came to a shocking and tragic conclusion.

A varied array of artists saw duty on this saga. Alan Davis and Mark Farmer did some very cool work in the opening installments, but the duo didn’t stick around for very long. Kieron Dwyer and Rick Remender would eventually come aboard as regular artists. Their detailed, angular style served the story well. In and around those two “regular” teams, the saga featured strong contributions from notable talents like Manuel Garcia, Ivan Reis, Brent Anderson and Patrick Zircher. The individual styles weren’t too far apart, so while the shifts in artists were noticeable, they never disrupted the flow of the story. It was classic, bold comic book storytelling, professional and compelling.

This grand epic was a fitting capstone for Busiek’s run on Avengers. It encapsulated everything that was great about his approach to the series and gave Kang his best showcase ever. It was a fitting conclusion to a celebrated stint and one that fans of the franchise should seek out.

A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com

[Sineala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the end of Busiek's Avengers run, an epic culmination to all the plots he'd started before, and a surprisingly solid Kang the Conqueror story, probably my favorite Kang story so far. Everyone likes when Kang destroys Washington DC and enslaves humanity, right?

There are an excellent number of really good character moments -- the issue about Simon and Wanda in the camps, say -- among all of the punching; I was afraid from the point where it was revealed that Kang's son was Marcus that the Carol arc was going to do something I really, really hated, but I was glad to see that it was handled reasonably sensitively, and Carol even had some nice moments at the court-martial scene in the last issue. Even the punching was good; the Cap and Kang fight is going to be memorable.

(My fave Iron Man mostly sat this one out, alas, but he has some wonderful engineering moments.)

Also nice is the textless issue of Earth surrendering. Really striking.

I don't know that Busiek's run here is my favorite Avengers run ever -- there are definitely major missteps in the middle -- but this is an extremely solid ending.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really intricate and layered story, with many cool plotlines to go through! Although sometimes, the amount of information you get at once can be a bit confusing, everything is very well wrapped up!
The art is wonderful and super detailed, so much so, that sometimes, it’s important to take time to just appreciate it, due to the amount of detail put into the scenes!
Kang is a very dangerous, but very intriguing villain!

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Adam Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. One of the best!!

Such a shame and would have been a glorious addition to the MCU.

Kang is such a brilliant character, made me think throughout "what could have been spectacular".

[Tacitus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a well-constructed series, with both copy and art demonstrating that they understand the medium. It is very much a story that met my expectations, in that there is plenty of action, though that has some downsides.

The action comes at the cost of character development, There are a lot of narration boxes and characters explaining what is going on in dialogue. These do serve the purpose of helping readers understand what’s going on, and in a fairly seamless way if someone happened to pick up an issue mid-story. That said, they do not give much room for character development. The chaotic layouts and overabundance of text make this harder to read and process.

Instead, Busiek pauses the story at appropriate points to introduce some character building. These include Thor getting depressed at being immortal while friends and civilians die. Warbird has feelings toward Marcus (Kang’s son), and she later regrets killing a villain. Kang and his relationship with his son rounds out the villain and his motivations. There is also an issue featuring Hank Pym and the Triune Understanding that is a gem. In any case, in these moments the characters do shine, as does Busiek’s talent.

In contrast, the main plot with Kang is overly complex and felt emotionally empty. Multiple threats develop and the Avengers have to split up to deal with them. There are just a lot of characters to keep track of and what they were trying to achieve wasn’t always clear. It seems to be action for action’s sake.

Still, the overall pace of the war felt right, with wins and setbacks for the heroes. There are even some dark moments. The heroes attack Damocles and Kang attacks back, destroying a major capital. Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man are in a concentration camp together.

After the war, Iron Man mourns the loss of Duane Freeman, among others. That Freeman, a government bureaucrat, is missed is the right sentiment, but I didn’t feel anything as he was not given much space here. Scarlet Witch also chooses to remain in the camp to help civilians, but what she suffered as a consequence isn’t explored. These were intended to make the conflict seem important, and lend the story some gravitas, but on balance, they seem added as afterthoughts or skipped entirely, and so their emotional weight is dissipated.

Late in the series, Busiek also (perhaps unknowingly) introduces a problem with Kang’s strategy. If he is defeated, Kang can just retreat back in time and come back and start over again. Potentially, he could repeat this infinitely until he wins. In fact, Marcus himself introduces this idea, which his father rejects. Kang has some strange concepts of winning nobly, and grooming his successor, which I guess is admirable, but the background for this aspect of his character is not explained here.

One problem with this edition is that the issue covers are all in the back. Most collections include them with the rest of the content to separate the issues. Not only is this an aid in reading, providing clear breaks, but it also gives a sense of how the series read as individual issues.

Overall, this is an entertaining, if light, series for fans of the Avengers.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Después del desastre de Heroes Reborn con la "Imagización" de los héroes de Marvel durante los 90, Heroes Return, la colección de Vengadores de Heroes Return (o sea, el regreso a la normalidad) recayó en manos de todo un experto en los guiones de Marvel, Kurt Busiek, que se había abierto paso en la compañía a través de la prestigiosa "Marvels" y de la única consecuencia buena de Heroes Reborn, la colección Thunderbolts, en la que un grupo de villanos clásicos de los Vengadores se hacían pasar por héroes, y en la que demostró a todo el mundo que la fórmula de siempre seguía funcionando.

Busiek permaneció al frente de Vengadores durante unos cinco años, y decidió poner el punto y final a su presencia en la serie con una historia que tendría lugar en la colección durante un año, y que aquí en España se conocería como "La Guerra de Kang". Y la verdad es que fue un broche de oro, ya que La Guerra de Kang es una de las mejores historias sobre este villano que se ha contado. Y las historias sobre Kang suelen ser más que buenas. En La Guerra de Kang, el conquistador llega a la Tierra con la intención habitual de dominarla, pero esta vez lo hace acompañado de su hijo, Centurión Escarlata, y lo hace de forma directa, estableciendo una estación espacial en órbita, trayendo a sus seguidores desde el futuro y animando a villanos y rebeldes a levantarse contra el orden establecido. A través de una compleja historia que resuelve tramas que llevaban años desarrollándose, como la historia de la Comprensión Trina, y lo héroes más poderosos tienen que hacer frente a La Presencia, los atlantes de Attuma, los Desviantes, el Amo... Y mientras, se ahonda en la relación de Thor y Pájaro de Fuego con la inmortalidad, en la relación entre la Bruja Escarlata y el Hombre Maravilla, en los sentimientos de La Visión, en la labor de líder del Capitán América... Y en una de las historias más extrañas que ha visto la historia de Marvel, un anual de los años 80 obra de Chris Claremont y que tenía a Miss Marvel como protagonista, en la que sufría una especie de abducción y abuso por parte de un hijo de Inmortus, un tal Marcus (al igual que el hijo de Kang), una historia extraña, delirante y políticamente incorrecta que había quedada sepultada por años de historia.

Toda una historia bélica que merece la pena disfrutar.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giving this 4 stars would be generous.

It felt like a slog to read through at times. There were a lot of moving parts they set in motion - like any good story - but it led to an end that was anti-climactic.

What I thought would be more about Kang conquering across time and space, and all his different incarnations, led to him conquering a single point in space and time - set on Earth at the turn of the 21st century - so that Kang could show his son how to conquer.

For anyone who has seen the battle against Thanos in Endgame, they used Captain Marvel in the exact same fashion.

While reading this gave me more insight to what the MCU might be leading up to - spelling & grammatical errors aside - it gave me more filler content than direct answers.

I will admit there were parts that felt original, but there were probably better ways to get to the same conclusion.

I do have to note, for something called "The Kang Dynasty," it didn't feel like there was a lot of Kang in it.

Take this as you will.

[Shail Qaiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10 - Worth Reading

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is an epic event with high stakes and a strong villain in Kang, but it has its flaws. While the large-scale battles and time-travel chaos are exciting, the pacing often feels uneven, with some parts dragging on too long. The plot can also feel a bit convoluted at times, especially with Kang’s complex schemes and shifting motives.

Some character moments fall flat, particularly when it comes to some Avengers’ emotional depth—there’s a lot of focus on the action and world-shaking events, but not enough time to really dive into how these battles affect the heroes. Additionally, while the artwork is generally strong, there are moments where the visuals don’t match the intensity of the story, making some sequences feel less impactful than they should.

Despite these issues, it’s still a fun, action-packed read that showcases Kang as a serious threat to the Avengers. It’s worth checking out if you’re into large crossover events, but it’s not a perfect execution of its ambitious ideas.

[M Sholihin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book out of my curiosity due to the MCU introduction of the villain character Kang. After reading until the last page, I realize this whole book reminds me why I don't like Marvel Avengers. The Avengers in this era consist of a lot of characters who have similar set superpowers which I found 'boring'. [This is why I prefer DC Justice League].
The plus side: The threat of Kang is well realized in book. Hank Pym split personality story arc is good. The silent issue #49 is excellent. In the later pages the moment when Kang do something to his son does have a 'shocking' factor for me -I love it.

The followings are the 'meh' moment that brings the rating down: Kang's prison moment with his son in issue #54 -I don't understand why he decided to be convinced by his son to 'escape'. Carol's guilt of killing someone and 'hooray' moment after the court-martial.

Story: 3 stars
Artwork: 4 stars

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Avengers storylines ever. In the midst of a massive worldwide assault by the time-traveling tyrant Kang, the Avengers are both heroic and human, brave but flawed. Almost every character (and there are a LOT of them!) has some moment a shine, meaningful conversations, or even a full character arc. There's musings on superheroism in a time of war, and the burden of immortality. This volume and storyline also include a completely dialogue-free issue that powerfully portrays that immense odds stacked against the heroes. It's not perfect -- in particular, I tend to think of this as a "What If?" story more than actual continuity, as the Marvel Universe recovered so quickly from the massive damage of Kang's rampage.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not flawless, The Kang Dynasty is an Avengers story that both serves as a coda to the team’s 20th century exploits and addresses some of Marvel’s greatest misfires. Moments of brilliance await here for the well-versed in Marvel comics lore from the period, such as Iron Man’s remorse towards turning against his teammates in the past and Hank Pym finally realizing why his mental health has deteriorated so greatly since his early Avengers days, and even though Kang makes for a prime villain formidable enough to still pose a threat to the team, I found the resolution rushed in a way to undermined what had been a 5 star experience for me.

[Malcolm Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's strange that Kang's invasion sits as the backdrop to 3-4 other potentially world-ending events that unfold through this story. I guess this allowed Busiek to split the protagonists into little groups and keep turning the screws all over the board.

It's a lot of fun and it makes me want to go back and read the old Alpha Flight stories that must have been a backup strip in some Marvel UK comic, as I'm sure The Master was in those...

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It literally loses points because of the art. God, I wish Perez had hung around for this book. It’s such a big story (literally global, with two French superheroes making appearances to, I suspect, keep their union benefits) that you think “maybe they could have turned it into a crossover?” The FF show up in the background and Alpha Flight appears in name only, even though their nemesis appears in a rather significant role.

[George Barlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Kang Dynasty, the Avengers must face the formidable conqueror Kang the Conqueror, whose plans for world domination put the entire Earth at risk. Busiek’s storytelling balances high-octane action with character-driven moments, capturing the essence of the Avengers as a team. Dwyer’s art is dynamic and energetic, bringing the team’s battles against Kang’s forces to life.
Did I enjoy it? Yes, it’s a thrilling, action-packed Avengers adventure.
– George B

[Murphy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it six or seven years ago, more or less on a whim. I hadn't read anything leading up to this volume, however, so I think I wasn't fully able to appreciate it. I do love Busiek, though, and he's a consistently good writer.

[Julieta Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente historia, la trama excepcionalmente entrelazada.

[Gomezmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

These comic are definitely original.

[Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There are no words."

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno, con personajes complejos y muy bien creados.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow...I really enjoyed this. Epic storytelling, great art and I loved every page.

[Andres · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Sheil Choksi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good Avengers story but a lot of characters so i was lost at times. Kang is a dope villain

[stephen smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

not bad

[clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pesar de que no es uno de mis preferidos, me ha gustado leerlo.
Me lo leí después de ver Loki para conocer a Kang mejor.
Creo que es uno de mis nuevos villanos favoritos.
<3 Kang te quiero

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one showcases Hercules short fuse.Kang is really pissing him off and hes not shy about letting everyone know it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kang wants to take over the world again, this time he's brought his son. There's a decent story amidst all the battle sequences. The character moments can be surprisingly moving, even with the bad guys. And its nice to see a different slant to a typical Avangers story. A very good read.

[Devero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il nucleo della Guerra di Kang, senza fronzoli belli ma poco utili come l'annual 2001, e qualche altra cosa. ottima storia.