Avenger Books

Avenger ties the Odyssey Trilogy together brilliantly. Kirk and Picard, as we saw in Generations, make a fantastic team. One of my favorite parts of Star Trek novels is expanding on a single piece of Trek lore and getting a whole novel that doesn't bore you out of it. Amazing!

With Captain James T. Kirk fully alive and well in this chapter of the Kirk Saga, we get a great story full of plot twists surrounding the death of Sarek. What makes this novel so good is that Shatner does an excellent job on his homework intermixing the book with the history surrounding the episode in which Sarek dies from the Next Generation series.

All in all, this is a great conclusion to the first trilogy and sets up well for the next trilogy involving the mirror universe. 10/10

First of all, I would like to say for the record that Captain Kirk is my favorite character and that I am still overall very happy that Kirk is still alive and kicking (in the Shatnerverse anyway). However, this is the fourth Shatner book I have read and this was easily the most disappointing. Ashes to Eden and Collision Course were very good. Shatner's ego was.. um... pretty well in check. However The Return while a great novel and great ideas I had an issue with just how much Shatner wrote the original cast(him specifically)over TNG. Avenger was a pretty similar in that aspect to the Return. Kirk, Spock and McCoy were the big heroes and TNG basically sat back and watched in amazement. The major issue that I had with this book that took this from a 3 star book to a 2 star book was the idea of The Avenger itself. Kirk was the Avenger and he avenged Sarek's death. Why did he avenge Sarek death? Answer because according to this book they had been like father and son all these years. This is the scenario, Kirk stopped Spock from killing the individual who murdered Sarek. Then a few pages later Kirk had killed the guy. Two questions, number one, when did Kirk and Sarek become so close. I realize Kirk discovered that he had a mind meld with Sarek when he was thirteen years old on Tarsus IV. However, Picard had a mind meld with Sarek too and he didn't feel like he had avenge Sarek's death. Kirk even used the reasoning that it was an vulcan custom, which is strange because vulcans are not exactly the violent type, but even if they were Kirk isn't vulcan. Question number two he stopped Spock from avenging his fathers death... just so he could do it. He didn't feel that it was Spock's place to avenge his father's death? Just that part of the book along with the fact that Shatner still doesn't respect TNG characters to even put them anywhere near the level of TOS characters are really brought my opinion of this book down.
However, the other main story was well done. There was a ban of Vulcans called the Symmetrists that unleased a virus called virogen that killed plant and animal life and it was up to the familar heroes of the starship Enterprise to stop virus from destroying all the planets within the federation. Kirk, Spock and few others followed the clues from Vulcan while Picard and the Enterprise were following events that lead to Picard and Crusher actually getting effected themselves.

Shatner and Co did an excellent job with the characters of the both generations of the Enterprise. One thing I find as a weakness in The Return was Shatner's lack of being able to bring the crew TNG to life. That is something he did a lot better in this book.

This book did not change my mind about Captain Kirk or William Shatner as a writer. I still say if you are a fan of TOS or a Captain Kirk/William Shatner fan you will love this novel. If you are a fan of both TOS and TNG like I am you will probably rate this book somewhere in the middle. There are readers out there that say "Of course Kirk, Spock and McCoy are the heroes it is Shatner writing the novels". However, I am sure that most of the writers of Star Trek have a favorite character but they still keep it pretty balanced in the long run of the books they write. Shatner just doesn't do that. Anyway, I have heard good things about Spectre but I am going to take a break from the Shatnerverse and read the classic Yesterday's Son. I saw the episode All Our Yesterdays again the other day and can't wait to read that book.

Star Trek "Avenger" is a good conclusion to William Shatner and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens first Star Trek trilogy that spans well over a century of "Star Trek" time. The first two, "The Ashes of Eden" and "The Return" were absolutely phenomenal in so much as telling a good story about Captain Kirk just before the events of Star Trek "Generations" and after the events of that movie with his return from the dead in "The Return" bringing this compelling character back to Star Trek readers if not moviegoers.

The one unfortunate aspect of "Avenger" is that while it is a very good novel it doesn't quite live up to its two predecessors. The story in and of itself is a pretty good one, it just reaches into some areas of Star Trek that leaves one wondering where the authors were going; by that I mean in the areas where the dialogue more or less puts Captain Kirk in such a glorious light and in doing so demeaning such STNG icons as Captain Picard and Commander Riker. That being said, the overall story is still a very good one where all three authors deftly put together a truly good story that is in good fashion in Gene Roddenberry's universe. The pacing of the novel is exceptional and the overall plot set up and execution is well on the mark.

The cover art for "Avenger" is pretty much more of the same bland stuff that was very typical of Star Trek novels at the time of its publishing.

The Premise:

In true Star Trek style and fashion, William Shatner and the Stevens brought together a story that clearly ties up many of the loose ends set up in the first two novels and set up a reunion between Captain Kirk and Spock. The two storied heroes eventually come together when Captain Kirk, long thought to be dead, sets out to discover the source of a lethal virus that is destroying crops all over the Federation causing famine throughout the Federation with the situation worsened by over population. At the same time, Spock returns home to Vulcan to investigate whether his father died of natural causes or could there have been foul play involved. Both investigations lead them into a long awaited reunion that is told extremely well...

What follows is an exceptionally well written novel with only few technical errors that aren't too difficult to overcome. Overall, I would highly recommend this and the first two novels in this, the first Shatner/Stevens trilogy to any and all fans of good Star Trek fiction! {ssintrepid}

For all those complaining that this book is self-serving on Shatner's part, realize this book is about KIRK and SPOCK, not about the Next Generation!!! That said, Shatner writes the BEST Trek books, no doubt. Although RETURN is my true favorite, this one still weaves a good tale, and includes all the best characters. Yeah, I love Shatner, so I may already be a little prejudice in regards to other STAR TREK characters, but to be honest, KIRK was the smartest captain. Kirk was the strongest, coolest, toughest and perhaps, THE BEST! And with that, I recommend this book to any fan of the STAR TREK continuum...

I bought this on a whim, interested to see the new take on the Avengers. I was immediately drawn in based on the intriguing story and the very good artwork. The idea of Spider-Man really truly as an Avenger was something I've always wanted to see done right, and it finally has been. It's an eclectic mix for the Avengers, but some of the better runs have been with strange groupings. This was so good that I bought Vol. 2 of New Avengers and was disappointed because it didn't measure up to Vol. 1 (see my review for Vol. 2 for more details).

This is my favorite collection of the new avengers.

The art is hard to beat and the story is awesome.

Bendis does it again and only whiny silver age fan boys afraid of change and pissant haters can deny the greatness of this volume or this series.

You can't go wrong with this one.

If you love Bendis you will love this title. The way that characters come together is terrific and the use of classic criminals is terrific. The gathering of this group of avengers has troubled some (they think of it as a Marvel JLA), but this story really makes it work. I personally think this is Bendis's best work. I think the series has a small drop-off after this initial explosion, but this is modern Marvel comics at its best. Finch has amazing artwork. You'll love all that comes out of this.

this is the best avengers comic i have ever read. It has all the stuff i like about avengers all in one

I was never really an Avengers fan, but this new incarnation is a pretty good one. Wolverine and Spider-Man are two of my favorite characters. I really like what they've done with Captain America and Iron Man. Luke Cage and Spider Woman are new to me, but I can really get into them. It's just the start of what could be something really great.

Ariel Gore founded a website to go with her book. I found the website when I was pregnant, and frightened. The " you can do it" and "You don't need a stroller" saved me.

I am Christian, conservative, Republican, married, and in my thirties. We lived, at the time, surrounded by single mothers with careers. Ironically, I was the most hippy amongst them. Ariel Gore, her reassurance, her sense of entitlement to things like- you know- food- and education- kept me alive in the midst of the most horrifying Post- partum depression. Being married to an employed man doesn't mean the cupboard isn't mighty thin at the middle of the month. Being committed to your child, no matter what, to your principles, no matter what, to your friends--that's what I learned from Ariel Gore.

I keep buying copies of this book, and keep giving them away, to mothers struck, and frightened, in the midst of fear, divorce, spousal death, unemployment...........

two thumbs, and two big toes, up.

twc

I purchased this book as a gift, but have reconsidered due to some of the language in it, especially the "F" bombs. I'm fine with it, but don't think it would have been the right fit for the intended recipient (baby shower for a church friend!). If you can get passed that, the book is informative, offering the usual parenting advise, but in a much more entertaining, real-life way.

i don't agree with everything in this book, but if you find like i did that most pregnancy and parenting books seem to be speaking to someone from a different universe than yours, then i would give it a try. i'm 28 and married and still felt this book to be the most relevant to my life that i have found.

I loved this book. I practiced birth control during my teens and 20s and my former husband practiced it for me in my 30s. Now, at 37, I'm seriously considering the fact that I'm not going to have a Family -- I'm going to have a child, probably by myself. Do I feel regret having put pursuit of $$$$ ahead of my fertility? Hell yes! Books like this just go to show that you can make it, even when making it doesn't look like a Vogue ad. I don't have piercings or what have you, but knowing there's someone who hasn't been completely brainwashed by modern capitalist culture is a help. As Martha says, it's a good thing.

I'm sure this book's very useful for mamas living in dire financial conditions, but as for me, most of the advice the book has to offer was irrelevant. I hope I'll never get to a situation when returning an old used sweater to the store will seem like the only way to get some cash. (Not to mention the fact that where I live, you will never ever get money back for a returned item from a store. :) )
As for the style of writing, I found the book mildly entertaining at first, refreshing even - but then it just went on and on and I soon found myself bored.

The house of M is a great new way to look at things and it give u insight on the civil war that follew it

It is a very good idea, very pretty, very cool
It's kinda boring cause it's drama and bland, but I got into it so I wasnt bored.

I would recommend it, it's a very cool premise but not very AMAZINGLY executed

In the beggining I bought this book for curiosity because I read de review and I didn't like the story, but when I read this book I changed my mind totally because it was written with a dramatic point of view, I mean, the history is about what happen when the skarlet wich loose her mind and Pietro (quicksilver) manipulate her and she changed the world, now the mutantkind command the entire world, and she gives to all her friends the ability to have the life they always wanted, for example Spiderman is married to Gwen Stacy his uncle ben is alive, Cyclops and the White Queen are married and live together, Magneto is the ruler of the world is his catle in genosha (House Of M) but the only problerm is that Wolverine always wanted to remember everything, and of course he remembers what happened eith the Skarlet Wich, and he recruit all the avengers and the x-men (with the help of a mutant child) and the fight begins, and the final is amazing. This book is relly good, and I now want to read DECIMATION X-MEN: THE DAY AFTER, because I want to know much more. And I almost forget the drawing of Oliver Coipel is excellent.

I HATED THIS BOOK!!! There is no better way to say; this book stinks!! There were so many stupid plot holes and inconsistencies.. some mutants are depowered others are not; mutants with little power previously now have Godlike powers, and then you have Deus ex machina mutants with "just the right power at the right time". Man, marvel has gone so far downhill they should just have a "Crisis" and start over from scratch! SAVE YOUR MONEY... DONT SPEND IT ON THIS TRASH!!!

UPDATE - After reading the other graphic novels in the house of M (Wolverine, Hulk, Fantastic Four/Iron Man, Spider Man) I'm more likely to give this 3 or even 4 stars... if and only if you buy the other titles I just mentioned (see below - stop reading house of M "main" book immediately after wolverine jumps off the helicarier (or whatever) to the ground, read the other graphic novels I just mentioned, then go back and finish this one)... I would NOT recommend the X-Men (Captain Britain) and New X-Men graphic novels however..

I guess everyone's entitled to their opinion ... I bought this based on the positive reviews it's been getting when I should have listened to the not-so-positive ones... mind you one person's trash is going to be another person's treasure, that goes without saying.. having said that... while I found the artwork to be absolutely gorgeous and the storyline POTENTIALLY fascinating it was just that, potentially... I have to disagree with the other reviewer who said enough is covered in this graphic novel to let it "stand alone" without reading the other related house of M titles (spider-man, wolverine, x-men et al) ... I became interested enough to go ahead and pick up the wolverine and iron man/avengers house of m tie ins after reading House of M but I have the distinct feeling the other titles will be a bit of a let down for me only because I already know how the whole meta-plot ends after finishing hosue of m...

I think a far better approach would have been to combine ALL the related house of M books into one entire whole - then break that whole down into several graphic novels that move sequentially, piece by piece, covering events as they occur in a chronological order... if you do want to give house of M a try, strange as this sounds I'd suggest the following.... stop reading house of M around the same time Professor X mysteriously vanishes and Wolverine "wakes up" wondering WHAT the hell just happened ... at that point read any other house of M titles you'd be interested in (apparently wolverine and iron man/avengers got good reviews though I have yet to read those two titles)... and after you're done with that THEN go back and finish house of M so you're not dealing with "plot spoilers" ahead of time and you don't feel like you're reading half a graphic novel instead of a whole one with several "chunks" and "gaps" missing. It's quite possible that after reading those two other graphic novels...maybe "spider man house of M" too (spidey is also featured prominently in house of m ) ... that the house of M will be worthy of the praise heaped upon it by other reviewers but to me, right now it just seems... well, incomplete, for lack of a better word. Yes I know Marvel wants to make money just like any other organization but seriously, I think the way they organized the graphic novels for this whole thing is (very) wrong.
UPDATE - After reading "House of M Wolverine" and "House of M Fantastic Four / Iron Man" I'm inclined to have a more favorable view of this graphic novel, enough to bump it up to 3 stars if amazon would let me , although my earlier criticisms still stand... definitely purchase House of M Wolverine, purchase House of M Fantastic Four / Iron Man if you can get it at a reasonable price say nine dollars or so (the alternate version of the "Fantastic Four" - really Doctor Doom and his imitation of the FF but a fascinating read, Iron Man part was okay but not great)... read one or both of those graphic novels that THEN finish reading House of M (after pausing halfway through House of M at the part I mentioned above to read the Wolverine and FF/Iron Man House of M graphic novels - sounds ridiculous I know but that's really the only way you're going to enjoy House of M, otherwise it just leaves you feeling like the story was incomplete)... I may end up adding Spider Man, Hulk, Uncanny X-Men and New X-Men House of M titles to the recommended reading list too - recently ordered them so they haven't arrived yet.

As great as this graphic novel was by itself, I know of one helluva great companion piece in the form of a book entitled "The Adventures of Darkeye: Cyber Hunter" whose odd manner of having log-entries over chapters seems almost like the script for a graphic novel, even though it is in the science fiction/high-tech and cyberpunk genre along with books like "Cryptonomicon", "Snow Crash", "Prey", and "Altered Carbon". Very fast-paced and visual as well as being very exciting due to its action-packed pages.

The hulk joins the circus to escape from the Avengers (this is issue 1), and Ant-man shows up and defeats him by having his ants quickly dig a tunnel that causes the ground under him to collapse. What?

Then captain america is discovered imprisoned in a block of ice, where he is worshipped by Eskimos. Eskimos don't worship frozen human beings. And why is he still frozen, even though they've hauled him out of the water onto solid land?

"Immortus" has the power to bring historical figures into the present to fight the heroes. Why would these figures agree to fight, once they were brought here?

Then - get this - most of the Avengers decide to 'leave the team' and hire new heroes to replace them. Considering how loose-knit the group is (most of them don't live at the Mansion; and they already have their own adventures apart from the Avengers in their own books), what does it mean to 'resign from the Avengers'? They were obviously a pretty loose-knit team to begin with, since Thor, Iron Man, and Giant-Man frequently undertook adventures in their own books without summoning the others. It's not like they all lived at the Avengers mansion.

So to replace themselves, who do they pick? A bunch of super-villains who have just recently declared they are going to become good guys. Why believe them? This issue (16) is the worst in this book.

It has been said that this was Marvel's answer to the Justice League. It was much more than that. We got to see the new version of Captain America. The Sub-Mariner even comes back from his World War II roots.

We get to see much more of the weakness and failures of the most powerful super team of the 60's and 70's. To me it was like the Fantastic Four with more super powered problems. We get to see the personal glimses of their lives when they were not super beings. Cap had to deal with what it was like to be out of touch with the world while he was frozen. Iron Man had a bad heart because of the shrapnel he got back in the war.

While I don't like the black and white format it is the most affordable format. Until Marvel releases the first 500 issues on CD ROM like they will with Spider-Man this is the most economical way to see them.

Avengers Vol 1 Masterworks (Avengers#1-10) is a must have book! this amazing Hardcover features the orginal avengers team! Thor,Ant-man, the Hulk, and Ironman. later The Avengers get a new leader, Captain America! and then Namor, the Submariner is introduced! this book also has Loki the God of Evil, Enhantress, Kang the Conqueror, the Lava Men, and Wonderman! This Hardcover reprints Avengers 1-10 by Marvel comics originally published in 1963! Marvel comic greats,Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, were classic creators of this wonderful Marvel Comic book featuring Earth's Mightest Heroes, The Avengers! I Love this book! It is so good I am giving it five stars! Highest possible Recommendation! Make Mine Marvel!

Yes, for anyone who has been looking between Essentials and Marvel Masterworks, and can't see why the Masterworks series is so much shorter and more expensive, that is the reason: it's in color and hardbacked, versus the Essentials, which are black and white and paperbacked. If you're into plot and characters' speeches, you probably should steer more toward the Essentials series. If you like admiring the artwork and action packed battles of the early Marvel universe, and don't mind forking over a little extra dough for it, Marvel Masterworks are probably for you. Action sequences are generally harder to see and interpret in black and white because everything sorta gets mixed together.

Anyway, these early Avengers issues have their pros and cons. Most of the time, a comic book series gets weirder and weirder as time goes on, and this is certainly the case with the Avengers. So, if you are a fan of good ole' superhero comics, where the original members are still together, each issue has a new villian, and the good guys always win, then these early issues are ideal. True, the narration of the villians and the avengers is somewhat cheesy at this point in time, but you can choose to see it as classic or outdated depending on how you like your superheroes.

The villians faced in these 10 issues are as follows:
1. Loki, brother of Thor
2. The Space Phantom
3. Namor The Sub-Mariner and The Hulk
4. Sub-Mariner and his Elite Guard
5. The Lava-Men and The Hulk
6. Zemo, The Melter, Radioactive Man, The (original) Black Knight
7. Zemo, The Executioner, The Enchantress
8. Kang The Conqueror
9. Zemo, The Executioner, The Enchantress, Wonder Man
10. Immortus, Zemo, The Executioner, The Enchantress

Issue #3 is, in my opinion, one of the Avengers' best ever. Hulk and Namor team up to take on the Avengers in one of the longest regular Avengers issues to date: 25 pages of action. This is also the first issue where Iron Man ditches the old suit that made him look like some cheesy 50's sci-fi robot, and gets in his traditional red and gold. The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and The X-Men all make brief cameos in this issue as well.

Other odds and ends:
-The artwork is not so sophisticated at this point in time, and backgrounds are even left out entirely sometimes.
-Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade can begin to annoy you.
-Iron Man's suit gets progressively better looking.
-Wasp doesn't seem to have the ability to make a non-flirtatious comment.
-Iron Man has a brief soliliquy about his secret identity/heart problem virtually every issue.
-The original Avengers' costumes are entirely composed of Red, White, Blue, and Yellow.
-Zemo's massive ego, incessant whining, and cowl may remind you of . . . Cobra Commander ?

This obviously did not grab me the way it did others, as some Avengers throughout history are plucked from timelines to battle evil. Plus your obligatory mass battle of everybody vs everybody at the end. Part of the problem I think is that I do not care what happens to multiple versions of either Captain America, or Henry Pym. If you do, you will enjoy this a lot more.

This story primarily attempts to explain contradictions from nearly 40 years of Avengers history. Sadly, the biggest contradictions arise from previous attempts at reconciliations. There's also a standard cosmos-shaking story in there, and it's all quite competently scripted and beautifully illustrated. But the bottom line is that if you haven't already read dozens or even hundreds of previous Avengers stories, you probably don't care. If you're looking for better work by Busiek, try Astro City. If you're looking for better Avengers, try the Kree-Skrull War, the Korvac Saga, or Ultron Unlimited. Or better yet, find the original Thanos stories from the 70s, which may not have been reprinted. Now *that*'s cosmic!

I bought this collection solely on the basis that it was an Avengers book. I'd heard alot of reviews saying that it was very confusing and muddled. I wasn't expecting much. It turned out to be as unforgettable as such epics as the Secret Wars, the Kang dynasty line, the Masters of Evil (Baron Helmut Zemo, Avengers V.1 271-276) and the Kree-Skrull War.
Collecting an unimpressive array of characters (Giant man and the wasp from the present, Song-bird and Captain Marvel [Genis] from the future and Hawkeye, Captain America and Yellowjacket from the past), most of whom I thought couldn't make it as big time Avengers. The tightly packed storyline and constant action led to me being unable to stop reading. The villain was Immortus and the time-keepers, and Kang and the Supreme Intelligence ended up being allies to these time-plucked Avengers!
Long-story short, Rick Jones, harnessing the "destiny force", would have led the Avengers to become universe conquering tyrants. The time-keepers, in an effort to stop them, sent Immortus to kill Jones. Libra, the supreme intelligence and Kang decide to stop Immortus and thus begins one of the greatest story lines.
This story also reveals the origins of the Vision, the past of Kang and offers many startling revalations.
This story is a must have, a must read and a must collect.

Avengers Forever is by far one of the greatest stories ever since The Infinity Gauntlet. The story forcuses once again on hero-sidekick Rick Jones whom awakens from a sickness and finds himself in the middle of a war between Immortus and his younger self Kang. Calling upon heroes from various timelines (Captain America, Captain Marvel 3, Yellowjacket, Giant-Man, Wasp, Hawkeye and Songbird) to save existence from the menacing Time-Keepers. Exploring various realities such as an alternative to Killraven's world which has an aged Black Panther as the leader of the Avengers Tomorrow (Killraven, Thundra, Crimson Dynamo, Living Lightning and a Pregnant Jocasta) or The What If the Avengers had been formed in the 1950's reality. This adventure travels to every part of Avengers history and leads into an epic struggle in an alternate Guardians of the Galaxy universe which include evil Avengers such as Iron Man 2020, Horus (of Forever Yesterday) and The Red Guardian and good Avengers like Spider-Man 2099, Earth X's Captain America and What If #114's Bravado. I definently recommend this book to Avengers fans especially if your a new fan and wants to learn the secrets behind the Earth's Mighteist Heroes history.

Busiek attempts to disentangle the many confusing appearances and motivations of essential Avengers villain, Immortus. Or Kang. Or Pharoah Rama-Tut. Or the Scarlet Centurion. The time-traveler has shown up so many times, in so many times, and under so many names that Marvel Comics had to call in Avengers guru Busiek to craft an independent series just to set things straight. The result was so thorough, so meticulously aware of Avengers' history, that it required pages of actual footnotes. Take that either as impressive, a series with its own bibliography, or as daunting as one of those old textbooks one ditched for the escape of comic books. Even though Busiek's knowledge of Avengers' history is monumental, his story sure isn't. It's impressive to pull from so many sources across Marvel history in an attempt to reconcile continuity concerns. But, if you lose the reader in the process, you're overlooking the fundamentals of comic books. Be they literary or be they fluff, comics are still tools of recreation. They must work with the readers and never against them. To correct continuity errors, there are better options than Byzantine 12-issue series.

This "New Avengers" trade paperback adds some interesting twists to the Sentry mythos and firmly entrenches the Sentry into the Marvel Universe. If you were a fan of Paul Jenkins's original Marvel Knights mini-series (The Sentry), then this book is necessary reading. It's less about the New Avengers than the Sentry, so if you're looking to see Wolverine or Iron Man in action, this one might not do it for you.

a character, marvel has, absolutely, no idea of what to do with apparently! The sentry is this man with a "Superman style" of crime-fighting which maybe the reason he's not used often. Copyright laws, I'm sure. The Sentry is an interesting story yes but if it was a movie I would recommend you rent it.

Volume two finds the New Avengers still going strong dealing with a major super prison escape and the Sentry is back.

Coming out of the mini-series a while back, the Avengers have to work out what to do with the most powerful hero going, who is serious schizoid, and his own and everybody else's worst enemy.

So, of course they sign him up, after he helps keep them alive in the Breakout.

This does not mean he will not destroy the planet afterwards, but that is a risk they have to take, unfortunately.

The New Avengers have their hands full. There are 44 escaped super-villains that need putting back in prison, and with their reduced resources it will be a real chore. But to make matters even more confusing, it seems that the central pivot of events is a mysterious super named the Sentry. Just who is the Sentry, and where did he come from?

Overall, I found this to be a pretty darn good book. I've been pretty disappointed with the recent Avengers graphic novels, but with this one, the Marvels seem to be hitting their stride. The storyline is quite interesting, and the illustration work is excellent - including the vintage-appearing flashbacks to earlier comics. I enjoyed this graphic novel and don't hesitate to recommend it!

Writers Matt Fraction (CASANOVA) and Ed Brubaker (GOTHAM CENTRAL) team up to reinvent Danny Rand, known to Marvel Comics fans as the Immortal Iron Fist. Iron Fist has existed for a long time in the Marvel Universe, along with friends and allies Luke Cage, Colleen Wing, and Misty Knight, but Fraction and Brubaker have set out to create an entire mythos to fit into Danny's past, and they are met with stunning success.

In the book, we are introduced to the concept that Danny is not the first Iron Fist, nor will he be the last - Iron Fist is a title that is passed down, each generation, to the champion of one of the heavenly cities. And not only is Danny NOT the first Iron Fist - a previous Iron Fist, Orson Randall, is still alive! Danny and Orson must team-up to root out a conspiracy set on attacking Danny both in his costumed identity, and attempting to take over the company that keeps him rich.

Along the way, in a series of brief prologues, we are introduced to a number of past Iron Fists and the epic battles they undertook, and by the time this single slim volume ends, the Iron Fist mythos will feel expanded ten-fold, as you realize that, even in the brief space allotted to the prologues, you find a variety of styles and personalities for the past Iron Fists.

The book would be nothing, however, without David Aja on art. Drawing action is hard - the number of mediocre action comics out there is testament to that. Drawing martial arts action is harder, as it must look fluid and dynamic to the reader, despite being a set series of static images. David Aja does a magnificent job in this book, proving himself to be one of the foremost action artists in comics. But Aja also does a good job with facial expressions, body language, and other such subtleties. I eagerly await seeing more work from him.

While the story is, in parts, lacking, the fun, frantic pace rarely lets you stop long enough to realize it. Ultimately, Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story is a great read for any comics fan, even if you've never heard of Danny Rand or his friends before in your life.

I had to read some pages more than once to understand what was going on. This is more or less due to the constant change in time periods throughout the first half of the novel. As the story progressed, however, a brilliant story began to unfold and I was faced with a problem..I was so into the story I needed to find out what happened next, but I couldn't get myself to turn the page on such poetic fight scenes! Definitely worth reading if you can overcome the confusion in the earlier parts of the novel. very much looking forward to the next volume in the series.

My favorite obscure Marvel character Iron Fist makes his return to comics in this book. Filled with superhero mysticism and crazy kung fu action, the stories contained within hold up well and deliver plenty of plot and drama. Billionaire superhero Danny Rand learns that he was not the first Iron Fist, and that there is more to his power than just punching through steel walls. A rich history and an exciting new universe await readers opening "The Immortal Iron Fist" for the first time...it won't disappoint.

I love comic books. But even someone who didn't would probably love the Immortal Iron Fist. To be honest, I didn't know a thing about Iron Fist outside his silly costume and rather obvious powers before I read this. And now he's one of my favorite characters. The art is fantastic and the story is extremely well written.

If only they could take some of their other characters and give them new life the way they did with Iron Fist. I'll definitely be following up on this one.

This was amazing! I am a long time reader of Iron Fist since childhood. I began reading this updated version with low expectations. Happily, it blew my socks off. I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait until the second volume comes out. This series should live on!

The Justice League and the Avengers in one of those inter company crossover things that everybody had wanted to see for a long time, it seems. Lots of chasing around the cosmos for very bits and pieces to ultimately stop a big bad guy from doing very bad things. There is also a question of power levels at work, here.

A lifetime in the making, this was the dream project for George Perez - one of comics' giants. JLA/Avengers is bound to disappoint someone - Kurt Busiek is not my favorite writer and Perez is popular but still a polarizing artist. If the dialogue is often overwrought, it hits the nail on the head when the timelines start to shift and we start to see the different eras intersect like only a fanboy could dream of. Perez is known for giant spreads and this large format hardcover really lets that work shine. Not all of the pencils for the characters work (the She-Hulk's facial features in particular wash out noticeably) but taken as a whole, this is a must-have for die-hard fans of either/both teams. (It would however, be nice if Marvel & DC would put out an AFFORDABLE softcover trade now that they've made their money. It's cheaper to buy up the original miniseries than to get this edition!)

One of the first stories to get me buying comics properly, I was kin da casual before this story, this is so rich! And now to have it in deluxe edition, nice!! Now I have around 350 comics and graphic novels!!

Wow! This was years in the making and I expected the heavens to move and mountains to crumble, and all I got was a pretty good category 2 hurricane. The art was top notch and the writing was very good but, I expected more from the plot. The characters for the most part were dead on but, the fight between Thor and Superman was bogus! Let me correct that. The fight was good but the outcome sucked! All in all a very good read and a beautiful book to own. Well worth the money.

This is a reason I have refused to return to comic collecting on any large basis. I have the softcover magazines of this (JLA/AVENGERS) series, but $75.00 for a hardcover? Someone at both companies has got to be freakin' kidding. Even if I were single, had plenty of disposable income, I wouldn't pay this much for a hardcover like this. Are Marvel and DC trying to PREVENT fans from buying collections? The recent ETERNALS hardcover from Marvel is also priced like this -- I can hear my wife now .. "You spent WHAT?" Hey, I loved the book, but not at $75.00!!

And so, the saga of The Mighty Thor come to a close. At least, the Asgardian universe created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby way back in the 1960s has been obliterated, seemingly for once and for all, as Thor himself brings about the one, true Ragnarok, twilight of the gods, super-armageddon.

Writer Michael Avon Oeming cleverly deals with the fact that Marvel's Thor has dealt with multiple Ragnaroks over the years, explaining to readers that Thor and his compatriots (spoiler alert) have been caught in a vast cosmic joke for countless millennia, and that the Ragnarok story isn't the world-ending finale we'd all been lead to believe, but rather a sideshow staged of the amusement of some uber-gods who toy with the Asgadians for reasons of their own. Thus, a newly-cosmic, ever-heroic Thor brings an end to their torture by making Ragnarok real -- and allowing every godly friend he has -- Sif, Balder, Hogun, Volstagg, et. al. -- to die, for reals and forever. Also, one by one, fall his greatest mythical enemies: Ulik, Loki, Surtur and all the classic baddies of years gone by. It's a big event, and a reasonably engrossing story... Thor himself (spoiler alert) appears to have survived the destruction of his reality, but has put himself in suspended animation, somewhere out there in the mega-universe, so we will doubtless see him resurrected at some point. But the official word from Marvel is that this is the for-real end of the old Asgardian paradigm. An interesting way to close out a title that has gone through long, long periods of stagnation. Rest in peace, Norse pantheon. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This was by far one of the best Thor stories ever written. I always enjoyed the stories that focused more on the Asgardian aspect of the character, and less on him taking on the mongoose, or the wrecking crew. And this did not dissapoint. If you want to see the apocalypse Norse style, then I highly recommend this graphic novel. It is fantastic!

I was quite stunned by this book. The art was wonderful, the story was powerful, and it was generally well done. It is definately one of my favorite comic arcs in a LONG time.

Thor ain't no joke, this book is a must read and own for all Thor casual and hardcore fans! The beast, gods, devils, and demons in this book jump off the pages in a surreal, colorful, imaginative, and spectacular display and array of hate, evil, violence, revenge, and warfare. This is a powerfully drawn and written book. This is the best paperback comic book I have ever had the pleasure to see and read. You will want to read this paperback comic book over and over again that is just how fantastic and artistic this book looks and reads.

This was my first Thor story and it got me to pick up the new Thor Series and I have not regretted it. This was the end of one Thor series oh and what an end it was. I'm a huge fan of Norse mythology and getting to see all the different creatures and Gods was great. Very good story and nice art. A good story worth picking up.