Luke Cage's Avengers fights the system
345644
At the end of 2013, I went back and read the entire Brian Michael Bendis run on Avengers (which included New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers, Illuminati, and several cross-over books). I think binge-reading a series of comics is as equally satisfying as binge-watching TV shows (this only applies to the Wire, Deadwood, Rome, Breaking Bad & Game of Thrones). This collection begins the absolute zenith of the Bendis run.

In 2004, Bendis took an Avengers book that was stale and more than a decade from good story-telling. His first story arc was Avengers: Disassembled. The Scarlet Witch went crazy and killed several members. The eventually subdued the Scarlet Witch, Magneto shows up and takes her away and the the team decides to disband.

A few months later there is a break-out at Rikers Island and dozens of villains escape. Spiderman, Captain America, Wolverine, Daredevil, Jessica Drew and Luke Cage all show up to put things in order. Steve Rogers decides that it was fate and he convinces Tony Stark to reboot the Avengers. Daredevil declines, but everyone else is in. They also happen upon a mysterious man known as The Sentry.

600+ kids die in a tragedy caused by young, untrained heroes in Stamford, CT. The US Government responds by passing the Superhuman Registration Act. Tony Start is for it. Steve Rogers is against it. The heroes split and fight in a Civil War. After its conclusion, Rogers is killed. Luke Cage becomes the leader of the New Avengers, as they try to do good works while avoiding Tony Stark's Mighty Avengers.

In this trade, there are a few interesting storylines/features:
(1) The first issue deals with the return of Clint Barton. It is drawn by Alex Maleev (Bendis seems to break him out for seminal moments). It's beautifully drawn - Maleev is a master at drawing closeups of faces. Readers that have ever had a complicated relationship with someone will most likely appreciate Bendis's writing here.
(2) After the Civil War, Dr. Strange and Iron Fist have joined Luke's Avengers. The team roster is now Cage, Spiderman, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, and Spiderman.
(3) Clint Barton shows up at Strange's House in Greenwich Village. There is a tense moment before he joins the team.
(4) Following up the plot from vol. 3, the Avengers travel to Japan to rescue Maya Lopez and confront Electra & the Hand.
(5) There are several artistic hints regarding the upcoming Skrull Invasion throughout the trade.\

Looking back at Bendis's entire Avengers run, a few things become very clear:
(1) He is the definitive writer of a number of heroes:
(a) Daredevil - obviously...his early 2000's run on that book was incredible and built on the seminal work of Frank Miller the way no other writer was able to
(b) Spiderwoman - she was a 3rd rate hero in the 70's and forgotten by the 80's. Bendis brought her back and gave her a great story. His Spiderwoman solo books are also very good.
(c) Luke Cage - Bendis has made him an A-list Avenger and Marvel character
(d) Spiderman - Bendis does a great job with this universe's Spiderman, but his defining character in all of comics may be Ultimate Spiderman
(e) Reed Richards - The leader of the FF (and the smartest man in the Marvel Universe) makes a lot of appearances during the Bendis Avengers run (he is also a star of "An Oral History," but more on that later). Bendis handles Reed better than any other writer I've come across. I'm very much looking forward to the day in 2019 when Marvel announces that Bendis is going to write the FF.

There are other characters that Bendis handles brilliantly, including Captain America, Iron Man, Iron Fist, Hawkeye, Dr. Strange and Wolverine.

Finally, a great companion piece to these Avenger books is Bendis's "An Oral History of the Avengers." He has the Avengers talk about their history (60's through 80's) in a reality tv confessional booth type of format. It's amazing.
3704796
Volume 1 of "The Essential Avengers" represents the weakest stories in the history of Marvel's answer to DC's Justice League of America. Collected in this volume are the first twenty-four issues of "The Avengers," which overs up the first two lineups to answer the call, "Avengers Assemble!" These two lineups represent the strongest and weakest Avengers lineups. Originally we have Thor, the Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp, with the Hulk being replaced by Captain America and Ant-Man deciding being Giant-Man is more interesting (In other words, you basically have all of the Marvel superheroes who were not Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four). The initial problem is coming up with somebody to fight that could actually provide some sort of challenge to that particular group. The three issues offer Loki, the Space Phantom, and Namor the Sub-Mariner. After finding and thawing out Captain America in issue #4, the Avengers go for multiple enemies such as the Lava Men and Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil. But even then, it is really hard to pretend that these are even contests.

After a year Stan Lee retooled the Avengers. At the end of issue #16 all of the original members leave and Captain America becomes the leader of the new quartet made up of Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The radical change is twofold, because not only do the Avengers trade an over abundance of strength for skill (the original group had four membes stronger than the new group combined), but except for Captain America, none of the new Avengers have their own comic books (or time-share comic books in the case of Captain American and "Tales of Suspense"). With the new lineup emphasizing skill the villain can be super-strong (e.g., the Minotaur) or super-skilled (the Swordsman) and it works a lot better.

Jack Kirby does the pencils on the first eight issues of "The Avengers," and then Don Heck takes over (except for #16, done by Dick Ayers). Since I was rather unimpressed by the new lineup and the contest between Pietro and Hawkeye to see who could be the bigger malcontent, having Heck, my least favorite Marvel artist, draw "The Avengers," made it my least favorite Marvel title during this period. To be fair, the three issues inked by Wally Wood are the best Heck drawn comics I have seen, and the one inked by John Romita, Sr. is pretty good as well. There is only one really classic story in these first two-dozen issues, #4 "Captain America Joins...the Avengers," but #23 "Once an Avenger," is the first appearance of Kang, who tends to become important now and then down the road.

These stories are so weak in comparison to what comes afterwards that I picked up volumes 2 and 3 of the "Essential Avengers" before I picked up this first one.  But you know how a hole like that in my collection of black & white comic book reprints is going to drive me crazy.  Volume 4 is out and it is the first of the "Essential Avengers" volumes to be supersized (more issues and more Avenger fun).  But all things considered "The Avengers" just never clicked the way "The Fantastic Four" and "The X-Men" did when it came to Marvel supergroups.
1241760
Very good reading! Hulk takes his revenge on the 4 who wronged him...sadly many other heros get caught in his wake. The battles are very entertaining, especially when Hulk makes his own arena in New York. I highly recommend this title.
2850147
I'll be honest, when this series came out I didn't read it.  "New Avengers", I don't care about some wannabes, I want Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man.  It wasn't until I got a free comic book day issue of the first issue that I decided that I NEEDED to buy the trade paper backs.

First off, "New Avengers" is a bit deceiving.  This series follows the disassembling of the original Avengers, thus the "New" Avengers.  This book features Captain America (Steve Rogers), Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider Woman (Jessica Drew), and Wolverine.  All of these are or become big name people in the Marvel Universe.

There was nothing about this book that I didn't like.  It starts off action packed, and stays action packed until the end.  I read this book and was hooked. A few points and bright spots about this book:

Luke Cage:  I'd heard of him, but didn't know much about him.  After reading this book (and the series) all I can say is that Luke Cage is The Man.  A great character who, much like Captain America, will always do what he feels is the right thing.

Brian Michael Bendis:  A fantastic writer.  He is the one responsible for other great titles such as Ultimate Spider-Man.  In my opinion, he is one of the top writers that Marvel has.

Spider-Woman:  I always thought she was a joke.  Like a knock-off Spider-Man.  Well, they did a great job reinventing her and giving her an identity and story.

Story: Without giving too much away, the story that stars here helps to shape the marvel universe for the next 2-3 years.  This will explain much from later major marvel story lines.

Overall, I would recommend this to any Bendis fan, any Avengers fan, and anyone who enjoys comics overall.
598038
Civil War should serve as a primer for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America 3: Civil War, with all the appropriate changes reflecting the differences between the Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios films. Time will tell to see which story beats make the cut and which (The New Warriors' reality TV publicity stunt) will be ignored.
As a disclaimer, I must state that I haven't been a regular reader of Marvel comics since the late 90s/early 00s so all the the shifts and changes over the last decade to the Marvel Universe are new material to me. Like the majority of the casual MCU audience, my interest in the Marvel Universe centers around the films, which present a unified, coherent collection of related characters, films and story arcs.
Civil War at times felt as though it belonged to the What if? series of Marvel comics thanks to the flexibility the comic medium provides (no Marvel Universe character ever stays dead unless said character is irrelevant/obsolete), but the story arc did have lasting effects on the Marvel Universe, with the notable backtracking of the subsequent death of Steve Rogers, who reappeared alive and well so that he could lose his Super Serum, become a senior citizen and pass the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson. I did not read the explanation for how Steve Rogers was brought back after being assassinated; I only read Civil War as a primer for the upcoming film.
But the underlying conflict of ideology between personal freedom, represented by Steve Rogers and national security, represented by Tony Stark appears to remain the central focus of Civil War, with Peter Parker in moral conflict over which side to support.
The heroes representing the US Federal Government eventually resort to recruiting super villains out of a morally dubious inter dimensional super vault with Lo Jacks installed in them to keep them from running or reneging on their agreement to arrest (yes, super powered criminals tasked with the apprehension of super powered heroes turned vigilantes) the renegade heroes, removing some of the moral grey area of the original concept.
Eventually, Civil War regresses into a basic two super teams conducting a slugfest brawl in public (Manhattan, NYC), right at home in any comic book, and ends with a time out called by Captain America speaking as the voice of reason when he realizes the fight over the argument for personal freedom has become nothing more than heroes fighting, resulting in massive collateral damage and distrust and fear by the ordinary people they are supposedly fighting to protect.
Civil War brings up similar themes to what was previously explored both in the Marvel Comics and in Marvel films (not the MCU) with the Mutant Registration Act from the X-Men, with the key difference being that "Hero Registration" is presented as a prerequisite for being a super hero, whereas mutant registration amounts to racial profiling. In this sense, Civil War has more in common with DC's Watchmen and the Keene Act that effectively outlawed costumed adventurers/vigilantes barring those who made their identities public and became agents of the Federal Government.
Well worth reading for those who like to have some background knowledge of upcoming MCU films.
3674615
The limited series had a six-issue run from June to November 1992, which is bolstered in this volume by Warlock and the Infinity Watch #'s 7-10 and Marvel Comics Presents #'s 108-111.

Written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by Ron Lim, the story line focuses on the ultimate villain Magus and the plot to gain power in the Marvel Universe. The first to fall are Reed Richards and Iron Man, while the battles build on Earth and in outer space. Magus seems to have the perfect plot, as evil doubles appear to doom the heroes to a bitter defeat.

The plot is deftly composed and Lim's art is impressive. The series is an inventive means to have an all-star cast presented in a very unique scenario.
2886267
I'm not sold on the edgier concept of Marvel Comics' "Ultimate" titles. However, I truly enjoyed reading the trade paperback that collects issues 1-6 of "The Ultimates" (four stars out of five), which is based on The Avengers. The story significantly tweaked the team's origins, but gave older readers a basis of comparison to earlier adventures.

The comics and movie don't differ too much. In the film, SHIELD military commander Nick Fury (voiced by Andre Ware) assembles The Avengers to take down an alien threat. Each of the heroes (except Captain America) show contempt for Fury, but the writers don't explain why there is bad blood.

The team, in its first mission, lives up to Fury earlier calling them "showboaters ... who won't take orders from me or anyone else" after they fail to stop an alien from sabotaging a remote military base.

The Avengers' confrontation with The Hulk is more violent than, but just as "fun" as, the published version. The heroes coordinate their efforts under Cap's leadership, but the writers again "drop the pen" by not explaining the sudden change in motivations.

The reason for The Hulk's comics rampage is downright silly since Banner is enraged enough to turn into the super-powered monster because his estranged girlfriend is dating Freddie Prinze Jr. In the movie, Banner says he can control The Hulk while battling the aliens. The battle ends with the clich of beauty calming the beast.

Sadly, the "Ultimate Avengers" creators commit the most unforgivable cinematic sin: It's forgettable and leaves me longing for the live-action Avengers and Captain America films being developed.
1904331
The second volume is done well. Punisher is wounded after the first book by the Howling Comandoes after taking out the cartel. The government also played a big part. Taken prisoner and Crossbones has to bring him back to his bosses. Runs into the Black Widow who has her own agenda and mission. Thrown in a prison in another country. The Howling Commandoes then kidnapped hid last living relative as bait to lure him out. He also has to deal with that cartel who are lead by the brother of the guy that was killed in the first book. You also deal with people who know the Puinisher his friend and a beat cop who get drawn into the war that looks to destroy LA. Punisher outfit is mad cool and action is well done with the story
517854
If you love the Avengers, and I know you do, this is a must see movie! It has action, suspense and aittle drama moreover, it's awesome!!
1302590
I am new to the Marvel Universe and I will admit that this is a difficult introduction to the world of The Avengers. However, this comic has everything! Avengers from various time periods are brought together to fight the chronologically challenged Immortus throughout multiple timelines. I am not just talking about Avengers from different eras either, but characters at a defined low/high point brought together specifically for this Destiny War. There were moments where I was spinning in confusion, but the writer was able to clarify past events in only a few panels, helping even a Marvel neophyte like myself get back on the trolley. This was probably not the best starting point, but well worth the read.
179130
I recommend this movie to those who love the Marvel series, especially those who want context for the Avenger movie.
2810674
One of my all-time favorite Avengers finally gets stories worthy of his abilities. This collection hits the bullseye constantly. A worthy and recommended read for all fans of the Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers and all marvel comics.
However the character portrayed in these comics are nothing like Hawkeye seen on screen. Hawkeye is a hero, living in a world where most of the heroes have super powers or mutated abilities. Hawkeye is human, figuratively and literally.
So if you are a fan of the big screen Hawkeye, you may cringe at this collection. If you are a fan of Hawkeye in the comics, this is your book.
2329195
The avengers fighting each other is not what I would expect,  Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.  I guess if you are into battles your ok with it, but not when friends fight friends.
1347103
This Trade paperback collects Avengers issues (gasp) 270 - 277 (minus 272) of the original Avengers run, volume 1 from the mid-1980's.  Scripted by Roger Stern and with art by the ever reliable John Buscema and Tom Palmer, the Masters of Evil led by Baron Zemo actually manage to defeat the Avengers and take over the Avengers mansion itself.  The Team at that time was a relatively weaker group that included Captain America, the Wasp, the Black Knight, Hercules, and Captain Marvel II (the black female version) with Thor as an occasional guest star.

The Masters of Evil were always a fun group of villians.  Really a throwback to 1960's silver-age era baddies.  Bad but not exactly evil per se.  They hust always seemed to have a jones-on for the Avengers.  A fun storyline with out having the endless plot threads that infect so many modern day comics.  Good read and solid if unspectacular art.
1376544
Pricey, but worth the money.  This was the best run of early Avengers.  Excellent reproduction values too.  I like that they have included the letters page from each issue.
3285648
Collecting: Avengers (2012) #35-37
-- New Avengers (2013) #24-25

A lot of threads are coming together in the "Time Runs Out" storyline as the Marvel universe heads for what is billed as the crossover event of all time:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Secret-Wars/dp/0785198849/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Secret Wars</a>.  "Time Runs Out" is an apocalyptic event that signals the end of the mutliverse.  The multiverse is collapsing and where earths from parallel universe collide with our Earth, only one earth can remain.  Previously, in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/New-Avengers-Volume-4-A-Perfect-World/dp/078515485X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">New Avengers Volume 4: A Perfect World</a>&nbsp;the Illuminati devised a plan for protecting Earth by destroying these other realities' earths as they come into contact with our Earth.  The Illuminati's plans put them directly at odds with the Avengers, and Captain America has vowed to stop them (see&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Avengers-Volume-6-Infinite-Avengers/dp/0785154787/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Avengers Volume 6: Infinite Avengers</a>&nbsp;).  The companion 'prequel' issue--&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Avengers-World-Vol-4-Before-Times-Runs-Out/dp/0785192522/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Avengers World Vol. 4: Before Times Runs Out</a>&nbsp;-- promises to fill in the gaps of this story and reveal the details of the months that lead up to the current situation where the Avengers find themselves at war with the Illuminati as the clock counts down to the ultimate end of reality.

Three different teams are working on a solution to the problem of world-ending incursions into our reality; however, through mistrust, misunderstanding, and downright hostility the three teams are also working against each other.  The Avengers are hunting the Illuminati, while the combined brainpower of Beast and Mr Fantastic keep them one step ahead of Captain America's crew.  Meanwhile Namor has formed the Cabal with some truly bad guys in order to carry out the only known solution to the problem of the incursions: they are destroying the incoming worlds.

I loved this story and I cannot wait until the next installment.  The problem is epic and there seems to be no solution in sight (short of the soul-destroying option of genocide that Namor and his Cabal have devised).  The intrigue is thick! Plots and scheming, alliances formed and betrayed, the twists and turns build suspense!  Time Runs Out continues in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Avengers-Time-Runs-Out-Volume-2/dp/0785193723/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Avengers: Time Runs Out Volume 2</a>
2831017
I Loved this run on the Avengers, fighting the Kodiak, the mystery of many is and the vision. There is not a weak story in the run