Avenger Books

Brian Michael Bendis' "Avengers Disassembled" event was, all in all, a pretty poor story, apart from the unrelated conclusion to "Thor v.2" written by Michael Avon Oeming, which was utterly brilliant. However, it is fair to say that most of what spun out of it was incredibly valuable, the main exception being Bendis' own "New Avengers" series, which, while a sales hit, has never clicked with me; the AD reboot, however, gave us Ed Brubaker's Captain America, Warren Ellis and then Daniel and Charles Knauf's Iron Man, (belatedly) J. Michael Straczynski's Thor, and Allan Heinberg's Young Avengers, which has a seemingly awful title and premise, but utterly fantastic execution. If you are skeptical, give it a shot.

This first arc, titled "Sidekicks" (something of a misappelation in my opinion, since the characters are not sidekicks, unlike, say, the original Teen Titans), is just about the perfect origin arc for a superteam. Heinberg effortlessly weaves old continuity into his story in fascinating ways, carrying on from the fallout of AD better than Bendis ever did. The Young Avengers first appear in New York, consisting of four heroes whose appearances are modelled on Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk; understandably alarmed, the real Captain America and Iron Man investigate, bringing along reporter and former superhero Jessica Jones (another Bendis creation); and two girls, Cassie Lang (daughter of the deceased Ant-Man II) and Kate Bishop (daughter of a rich family, and the only character without a connection to an existing hero) decide to look for the team, and insist on joining. Hanging over all this is the impending arrival of Kang the Conqueror, arguably the worst foe in the history of the Avengers (he physically conquered the world once, and blew up Washington, although that's rarely mentioned, since it's largely been ignored since). I won't get into much detail on the plot (other reviewers have already done so, and, in any event, it's better to discover these things for oneself), but sufficed to say that by the story's end the team will have gone through the ringer, and come out both triumphant and sorrowful.

Heinberg's writing is brilliant; witty, dramatic, poignant, and insightful; he takes basic character types and brings them to life. He is matched by Jim Cheung on art, whose beautiful work (albeit with a somewhat limited array of facial types) brings the characters and their world to vivid life. The only flaw on the part of each is how slow they are, but that's not a problem in trade (although it will be when you become addicted to the series, as I did, and are then confronted with the paucity of published adventures for this team).

I give this my highest recommendation.

I'm going to be fair and not give this trade paperback a 0/10. I can see--though, perhaps, not understand why--some people might enjoy it. However, there are just so many problems with this series that I don't even know where to start.

#1: This book manages to be dull even though it has a lot of action and 'comedy.' Even with the attractive art and character design, the story did absolutely nothing for me. Captain America, as he did in the far superior Runaways, comes across as a self-righteous twit, and the Young Avengers themselves aren't much better. Other than all of them being snarky and "Patriot" being rude and--just like the real Cap--self-righteous, none of them have personalities. Oh wait. The girl they met at the wedding, she's... Oh, wait, she's just snarkIER than the others.

#2. The names. Oh Lord, the names! Here's a list of them...
Wanna-be Captain America: Patriot
Wanna-be Hulk: Hulkling
Wanna-be Thor: Asguardian (Need I say what that sounds like?)
Wanna-be Iron Man: Iron Lad. I kid you not. Iron LAD. Lad!
I understand that we're SUPPOSED to see these guys as fanboy types, but come on. The camp-factor has gone into overdrive.

#3. The back story is convoluted to the point of ridiculousness. Iron Lad's exposition in Issue 2 does nothing to form a coherent plot, and things don't pick up from after that. Plus, we're expected to know and sympathize with years of Marvel history. Sorry, but I'm not interested. I wanted a new series with a good story, and I got neither. This is just a recycled version of the Avengers.

#4. Isn't the above enough? No? Well, there's more. The dialogue tries so hard to mimick Brian K. Vaughan's snappy one-liners that it reeks of, much like the characters, "wanna-be."

3/10

I wanted to say I came into this book expecting a new storyline with great art. While the art is fantastic and stunningly the scripting, plot, and premis is not, and quite honestly it's a horrendous trainwreck.

Enter the new avengers, 4 young super heroes coming together to battle a time traveling nemisis bent on controlling the world... wait a second I thought I said new....
Turns out as somewhat obvious from the cover, these characters are basically dumbed down generic versions of the original avengers. Character names like "Iron lad" and "hulkling" is only adding to the already high cheez factor. The action and dialog is terrible and it really kills the mood or anything the trade had going.
One of the most painful parts of the trade is areas where there are glaring parts of the trade that seem to almost mock the avengers and introduce uninspired rubbish. The first captain america was african american? The reasoning is they didn't want to test the super serum on a white person first?... what the heck....

Sure read it for the comical aspects, and I definitely do not recommend this book.

This trade paperback collects the first six issues of Marvel's 2006 Young Avengers series. OC and Grey's Anatomy writer Allan Heinberg and Marvel's 'Young Gun' artist Jim Cheung introduce a new team of super-powered teenagers that each resemble a charter member of the Avengers.
I enjoyed the inclusion of supervillian Kang The Conqueror and other references to early Avengers comics. Unfortunately the promising beginning slips into an awkward time-travel plot with a deux ex machina ending. I'd rate this volume worthy of 3-1/2 stars but still enjoyed it enough to read Volume 2 (which I liked more).

This is fun. Smart, snappy writing, really good looking art and colouring. No sign of Wolverine near this team, either! Better than New Avengers, it would seem, none of the 4 splash pages per issue rubbish here. There is also the introduction of a non powered character who uses her wits and training only. She may be the best thing in the book.

I was surprised to see the mixed reviews here at Amazon to this series and it was the sole reason I waited so long to read it. In fact, I only purchased it because I wanted to be a completest with my New Avengers collection.

To my surprise the series was fantastic. Basically six major heroes in the Marvel Universe work together secretly to end major crisis's before they begin.

First the group strikes a powerful blow to a ship of would-be Skrull conquerors. This may have been the event that set the whole secret invasion off.

Next they round up the Infinity Gauntlet and all the Infinity Gems to prevent them from being used again.

Then they locate the Beyonder and finally revel who or what he really is. I really enjoyed this issue as it tied up a lot of long hanging loose ends with the Secret Wars and Beyonder stories.

Finally, there is more Skrull story which preludes to the secret invasion.

A very good story and if Blackbolt seems out of place with this group it is adequately explained in the Beyonder issue.

I would be in favor of future Illuminati adventures.

I love all the characters in this group. This is a supergroup that transcends the Avengers. The only ommitance I guess is Captain America and perhaps a few international representations, but those could be overlooked. There are 5 issues in this limited series. I guess that means the writer Bendis felt he only had 5 stories to tell of this amazing group of uberheroes. But from issues 1 to 5, there was not much significance. I didn't feel these Illuminati members did anything to warrant such high and secretive status. Their adventures were bland and their characterizations were sporadic.

The writing is somewhat rushed, I think. The art was ok. Nothing to be remembered. Bendis is a great writer, but usually because of his arcs and his runs in Ultimate Spiderman, Daredevil, New Avengers, and his independent books. His independent books are amazing by the way.

I can give this a 2 star recommendation, but that's really being generous. Graphic Novels these days should be self contained and innovating to characterization. But the 5 issues contained here are sporadic and tells its own stories. So you get 5 mini stories and in comic world these days, that's like 5 random episodes of a TV series. It's just not that worth it and it won't reveal or shed anything that you will want to remember.

New Avengers Illuminati is written by Brian Bendis with art by Jimmy Cheung. It is a five issue mini-series that elaborates on who the Illuminati are and what their role was regarding the Skrull Empire and a few other notable Marvel characters (and items).

This is necessary reading for those who are currently reading the Secret Invasion storyline since it elaborates on "the deal" an imprisoned Marvel Boy struck with the Illuminati who now seems to be a big player in Secret Invasion. The reader also learns how the Illuminati may have started the current human-skrull conflict and that there is a traitor in the Illuminati's ranks that is revealed at the end.

This isn't the best Bendis story but it satisfies for those, like me, who wanted a bigger glimpse inside the adventures of the Illuminati. I don't like retcons but in this mini-series it seems to work. Cheung's artwork is excellent.

For those who want to read Bendis at his best, I recommend his entire Daredevil tenure as well as Ultimate Spider-Man which Bendis continues to write for.

Bendis has some fun here filling in some cracks in the marvel past. It's a great idea and very well executed. It's composed of several mini stories all kind of tied together by the Secret Invasion official hood of conspiracy. If your interested in the larger event it's a must read. It also is great as a stand alone book.

This collection provides a "secret" look at some behind-the-scenes work done by Iron Man, Professor Xavier, Black Bolt, Namor, Reed Richards, and Dr. Strange. Most of the issues provide a set-up for the upcoming "Secret Invasion" event, especially the first and last issues. Following the classic "Kree-Skrull War" story back from the '70s, this group invades the Skrull Throneworld, declaring itself to be the protectors of Earth. This sets in motion events that lead up to a Skrull invasion of the Earth (which is in-publication as of this writing). For the most part, the stories enhance the existing stories, showing that Bendis and Reed have done their homework. Unfortunately, it seems they didn't pay any attention to Secret War 2 or 3 (which was a single issue of Fantastic Four), as they completely retell the Beyonder's origin and ignore his (or her, as it chose a female form) original beginning as a sentient Cosmic Cube. A mutant Inhuman? Come on, Bendis, how far can you stretch? But the art is top-notch by Jim Cheung (known notably for his work on Young Avengers) and the storytelling, for the most part, is excellent. Definitely worth picking up for the long-time fan and the newbie.

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.

The story focuses on a bunch of new recruits of the kid variety to the Initiative program.

You know that things aren't going to go well when you see that Henry Pym, Henry Peter Gyrich, and your superhuman gung-ho drill sergeant type are in charge, and when one of the new kids is a sort of Captain America peak human type who could not have cannon fodder stamped more clearly upon him if it was in orange and pink neon on his forehead.

Therefore, commence mayhem, spying and skullduggery, plus insults.

Justice becomes an interesting character, too. Bizare.

Anyway, well done to Mr. Slott and company for a good job.

I've been a long X-Men fan, and read many of those series for a decade, and thought I'd see what was going on in the Avengers world. I picked this one up at the book store because I liked Caselli's art. The final section features art by Uy which is pretty horrible, but for the most part, the book has great art. The story is good, and introduces a bunch of new (at least they seem new to me) characters such as Cloud 9, Trauma, MVP, Armory, Komodo, and Hardball. Sadly, these interesting characters are eclipsed by the huge numbers of lame 50s-era creatively-bankrupt characters in spandex body suits: Bengal, The Shocker, Boomerang, Constrictor, She-Hulk, Triathlon, and Hydroman. Then there are the stupid characters from the 50-state initiative which are all themed on the state they're from. For example, in Texas, we have the obvious things like Armadillo, Texas Twister, Free Bird, and Shooting Star, all dressed in cowboy hats and chaps. The most horrible of the new characters are a clown-hero named Slapstick, complete with white gloves and bozo hair, and the wonderfully creative "Thor Girl". It's just embarrassing. Yet all these super hero rejects aside, the story ended up being good. If you're not bothered by heroes ideas that make you cringe, I'd pick it up.

I thought that a lot of the Civil War ties have been weak, but not The Initiative. This series is off to a strong start.

From the first issue, you're introduced to some promising new characters. You think you know where the series is headed and - bam! - Slott throws you a very unexpected, even brilliant curve. I wish I could tell you what makes it so great without giving anything away, but I don't want to spoil any surprises for you. Just trust me - this book goes into some very unexpected places and that's a good thing.

Another good thing is the way Slott uses some of the Marvel U's existing characters to bring depth and tension to the series. Hank Pym, the former Marvel Boy and War Machine all have pivotal roles. Slott is respectful of their histories, but gives them some new twists and conflicts that really flesh these characters out. I also enjoyed seeing old favorite Danielle Moonstar.

The last few years have brought us at least two five-star series about younger heroes - Young Avengers and Runaways, Vol. 1. I wouldn't put The Initiative quite up there with those books, but it comes pretty close. As the series progresses into it's later issues, it gets more tied into other Marvel U events - particularly World War Hulk.

Some of the emphasis that could have gone into developing the new characters of The Initiative goes into catching the reader up on Dreaded Crossover Backstory. None of which is Slott's fault, of course, it's what happens when a series is too closely tied into these big Universe-wide events. They make for great marketing ploys but rarely great single issues.

Still, I strongly recommend Avengers: The Initiative Vol. 1: Basic Training. It's a solid book that you'll really enjoy. There's a lot of potential here; you might as well get on for the start.

What should the Marvel heroes do after the fall out of a Civil War? Why not start a group of registered super heroes to protect every state? At least that's Tony Stark's idea in the new title, The Initiative. I love the writing here and the art is great too. Two of my favorites serve as leaders at a sort of "boot camp" for new heroes. Jim Rhodes, or War Machine, and Hank Pym, Yellowjacket. I just wish the writer wouldn't always have to bring up the fact that Hank had some problems with Jan in the past. I'd say he has atoned for his sins enough. But anyways, this new character Trauma could pretty much carry the book on his own in my opinion. I could really care less about the other heroes, but maybe they'll grow on me as time passes. Plus, in this volume, you do get to see the Thunderbolts, and they rock! Peace and Love, Jake

After the great event that was the Civil War between our heroes (and the loss of Captain America), the Initiative plan is about to become the next legend coming from the House of Ideas !!

This book is the Quintesential guide to the Avengers! If you ever loved the Earths Mightiest Heroes, you Must own this book!

I liked it but i wish that they would have put more info about some of the characters...over all good.

This book spends a lot of time on minor, one-shot characters & stories, and the big players & story arcs get very little mention. Like, major villain Loki gets mentioned in a short paragraph on the page about Thor, but the Two Gun Kid gets a whole page & artwork spread? Huh? Superficial, scattershot & shallow, NOT an "Ultimate Guide".

The Mighty Avengers changed their membership more than I change my boxers. Or at least it always seemed that way. Making a comprehensive guide to chronicle the group's history and detail all of the different characters that would come to play a part as one of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes would be quite a difficult feat. So it's not surprising that AVENGERS: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE doesn't quite measure up. Sure, it appears to be all-encompassing as far as getting everyone into the book. But, while it manages a little background on everyone, it goes into depth with no one. Most characters get 3-5 paragraphs on a single picture-laden page. However, many get half-pages, and some are relegated to just a sidebar. There are a few pages dedicated to each decade (60s, 70s, etc.) in the group's history, as well as sections explaining the 'Disassembled' storyline and other Avengers comic titles. Lots of pictures and a foreword by Stan Lee top off the book's contents. A nice try, but to really be an ultimate guide, this would realistically need to be about triple the size (at least) of this 144-page effort. How about adding thumbnail cover pics of every issue? Or a ranking list of how many issues each character appeared in? And how do you leave Hawkeye off of the cover, yet you put Jack of Hearts on?

Among the characters/groups mentioned are: Thor, Iron Man, The Wasp, Teen Brigade, Rick Jones, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Space Phantom, The Lava Men, Minotaur, Mole Man, Baron Zemo, Masters of Evil, Enchantress, Kang, Wonder-Man, The Grim Reaper, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Black Widow, Swordsman, Hercules, Power Man, The Collector, Count Nefaria, Black Knight, Black Panther, The Vision, The Mandarin, Doctor Doom, Attuma, Magneto, Sons of the Serpent, Red Guardian, Jocasta, Nick Fury, Living Laser, Ultron, Egghead, Grandmaster, Squadron Supreme, Man-Ape, Mantis, Moondragon, Beast, Hellcat, The Flacon, Warbird, Two-Gun Kid, Red Wolf, Whizzer, Capt. Mar-Vell, Supreme Intelligence, Legion of the Unliving, Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Gyrich, S.H.I.E.L.D., US Agent, Moon Knight, Human Torch, Firebird, Great Lakes Avengers, Tigra, She-Hulk, Photon, Quasar, Doctor Druid, Starfox, High Evolutionary, Gilgamesh, The Fantastic Four, Demolition Man, Avengers Crew, Sersi, Stingray, Crystal, Spider-Man, Sandman, Masque, Living Lightning, Machine Man, Darkhawk, Spider-Woman 2, Rage, The Gatherers, Morgan Le Fey, Justice, Firestar, Silverclaw, Triathlon, A-Next, Deathcry, Ant-Man 2, Jack of Hearts, Captain Britain, Sentry, Spider-Woman, New Avengers, The Ultimates, Young Avengers, Thunderbolts, & New Avengers.

Other sections include: The Avengers' Origin, The Mansion, Avengers of the 1960s, Avengers of the 1970s, Avengers of the 1980s, Avengers of the 1990s, Avengers of the 2000s, and Avengers Disassembled.

This book is the ultimate walk down memory lane for those of us who have read comic books for years! The book is largely organized chronologically, with the early Avengers, and then the Avengers in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Along the way, each Avenger is detailed, along with many colorful illustrations, some scenes from actual stories, nemeses, and interesting factoids.

Overall, I found this to be a great book. I loved how broad the book was in its reach, covering everyone from The Wasp and Power Man to Ant-Man 2 and Spider-Woman. This is a great book, one that I highly recommend for all fans of Marvel's Avengers!

This is the stuff that Marvel legends are made of. This Avengers collection (covering issues # 47 to # 68 and Annual # 2 from 1967) is authored by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Gene Colan (both at their peak) and Barry Windsor Smith (somewhat of a cross between Kirby; Trimpe and Steranko in style).

Buscema's art is incredibly well suited for the super-team - creating more sophistication and drama out of a group that was somewhat middling before he came along. What makes this special? The introduction of the Vision; Yellowjacket; Ultron; Goliath, and stories like Hawkeye's secret past; Captain America's travel back in time...the authors literally elevated the group into a different stratosphere.

The only caveat is that the reprint quality within here is inconsistent and dodgy (I own most of the issues in colour reprints). If you can afford it - wait for a more expensive colour reprint edition to really appreciate the Avengers in their true glory.

I honestly don't get the appeal of these books. Why bother making (or reading) black & white reprints of classic four-color comics...? I mean, yeah, the stories are still great and the original comics are hard to find, but a huge part of what made these comics great was the eye-popping artwork, including the bright primary colors: reading them in dull B&W is just plain wrong. Sure, the printing costs are lower, so you can get more pages for your money, but it's more pages of boring, not more pages of fun. It's really a travesty.

On the other hand, it recently occurred to me that these could be used as coloring books... Maybe you could buy a box of crayons to go along with all the artwork that the publishers ruined in this format. (Axton)

Volume 3 is probably the best one to get. I was buying the original comics when they were coming out in the early 70's (and still have them) and the stories covered by this book are amongst the best ever.

Favourite of the stories within is the one involving the Vision. Perhaps my favourite moment of all the Avengers stories is in 'Even An Android Can Cry' when Captain America provokes the Avengers into fighting the Vision (as a test) "I'm going to find out if the Vision has what it takes!". First Captain America, then Iron Man and finally Thor put the Vision to the test, to see if he is worthy of joining their ranks. The artwork by John Buscema in this story is the best I've ever seen.

So whether you are a youngster who is new to these older comics, or an older person 40cough like myself, these Marvel books are brilliant buys. Theres no risk of missing one part of the story, unlike when you buy a comic once a week. Whole heartedly recommended.

This volume collects issues #47-68 (plus King-Sized Annual #2) of Marvel Comics' Avengers series that were originally published between December 1967 and September 1969. Most issues feature the team of artist John Buscema and writer Roy Thomas.
Captain America abruptly resigns in #47 for adventures in his own series, which leaves the active roster as: Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Hercules. After a Magneto appearance, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch leave the team. This is followed by Hercules' return to Olympus after a boring sidebar. Black Panther joins the team at the end of #51. After a good two-issue story with Jarvis and The Crimson Claw, the series slows with poor time-travel stories in #56 and Annual #2 before rebounding with the celebrated first appearances of The Vision in #57-59 and two series of fights with Ultron. This run of issues also includes the marriage of Henry Pym and Janet Van Dyne, new identities for Hawkeye and Giant-Man/Goliath and the first Marvel Universe appearance of admantium (#66). Cap and original Avengers Thor and Iron Man appear in many of the latter issues starting with #62. Other guest-stars include the X-Men, Dr. Strange and the Black Widow. Gene Colan and Barry Smith each pencil a pair of issues before John's brother Sal begins his run in #68.
I prefer the Avengers DVD-ROM for its complete collection of the entire Avengers run in full color PDFs. However, the Marvel Essentials series offers convenient, inexpensive access to these 40-year old Avengers comics without needing a computer. At over 500 pages, this is a tremendous value and offers hours of reading.

Yes they're super cheap, yes you get a ton of issues, and with the right volume a ton of classics. But all of these Essentials were originally drawn by the artist with a mind towards color. And these aren't just color comics muted to shades of gray. No. All color is removed. A bright yellow explosion: white. A dark blue, almost black background: white. One of the originals books I own, Avengers #61, is rendered unreadable by this process. Essential? Hardly. But I'll look at the glass as half full; I've just bought the worlds best coloring book.

Jinx is very early Bendis (anyone remember 1997?), both illustrated and written by Marvel's latest flagship writer. Jinx tells the parallel stories of a down-on-his-luck con man and a female bounty hunter (the title character). Their paths coincide in a few places, and, at the close of this first volume, it looks like they'll go on to many merry adventures. Jinx is a nice little indy - the protagonists (even the foul 'friend') are all entertaining and surprisingly engaging characters.

It feels more than a little dated - like a combination of Swingers and Out of Sight - but pulls it off with great charm. I'm not sad that Bendis decided to concentrate on his writing - Jinx has great visual style, but isn't groundbreaking as much as 'aggressively independent'. Nice for a break, but hard for a series.

Jinx is one of those crime caper stories. Dodgy characters abound. In fact, the three main characters are dodgy. A con artist dodgy type, a bounty hounter dodgy type, and an annoying dodgy type are what we are presented with.

when the possibility of obtaining a whole lot of loot brings some of them together, violence and the usual follow.

This is not Bendis' best work (that would be his work on "Daredevil"), but it is an interesting crime tale that has an ending as abrupt and as unlikely as they come.

Jinx may be the title character, but she's not the most interesting person in the book. That would be Goldfish, her new partner in a quest for a few million dollars. He comes across as a man you could hang out with but never truly trust. Jinx just seems like a lady you wouldn't to deal with after ten minutes or so.

Of course, there is Bendis' trademark dialogue (he writes some of the best dialogue in comics, which is no easy feat), and his art, which is sometimes a little hard to follow. I always thought he worked best when working with another artist (though is "Fortune and Glory," which is illustrated by him, is fantastic).

There are better crime tradepaperbacks out there. (Any of the "100 Bullets" series comes to mind.) But this is the one you should give people who aren't into comics, because it will when the art medium some new fans.

There is a scene in JINX (and this gives nothing away) in which writer/artist Brian Michael Bendis deviates from the plot to show us people in an arcade talking. These aren't central characters - a few of them are walk-ons to The Story, and some of them are extras who are hardly seen again. Very little of what they say has anything to do - even tangentially - with the plot. So for 19 pages, background actors are given the chance to tell their stories, their thoughts, their dreams.

Brian Michael Bendis is certainly not the first writer to have an idea for the back story for every one-line character who appears - almost every hack sci-fi writer is at least that obsessive, if not more so. The difference is, Bendis' background tangent isn't merely fanboyish wankery. When Bendis' background characters talk, their stories are INTERESTING. They are funny, they are layered, they are compelling, and there is far more to them than the characters say. After 19 pages, you find yourself wishing not that Bendis had avoided delaying the story, but that you could spend another 19 pages with these extras.

In fact, what Bendis DOESN'T give you is the real genius of JINX. It is a masterpiece, a five-star treasure, a genuine thrill from beginning to end. It is one of those books you finish and wish it had gone on for another 100 pages or more. (Perhaps Bendis feels the same, which is why THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION contains almost two comics' worth of appendices and additional material.) Bendis' characters don't just ACT. They BREATHE. They pop off the pages and sing and dance and move. One of the reasons the book feels like it should be longer is because - for all their flaws - you find yourself not wanting to say good-bye to Goldfish and Jinx and, yes, even Columbia. Bendis may also be the only writer other than Quentin Tarantino who can give characters pages of dialogue about the comparitive merits of letterboxing in films without sounding like a bad rip-off of Quentin Tarantino.

There is something else that Bendis can do that no other comics creator can. (Or, at the very least, no other writer has tried.) Bendis can draw scenes in such a way that the LESS you see, the more involved into the scene you become. His shadows have weight, meaning, a life all their own. Like Spider-Man's black costume, they seem to move and ooze, following their own laws of physics. Within a few pages, the shadows have become not something to HIDE the action, but rather, the audience's eyes into the scene. If I re-read JINX a thousand times, I doubt I would ever determine how it is that he somehow makes the audience feel more intimately involved in a scene when it is drenched in shadow than when it is flooded with light.

This is a conscious decision on Bendis' part. He is capable of the clean line drawings of Sal Buscema - and he proves it in one scene - or the moody pseudo-realism of Bernie Wrightson or the abstract solidness of Dave Gibbons. He CHOOSES not to draw JINX this way. When he uses xerography to depict an object, he objectifies and isolates that object, sets us apart from it. Thus, when an entire flashback scene is done through xerography, it detaches us from the action and makes us feel as though the memory which is objectively "true" is somehow less real to us than a more subjective and fantastic one.

When other writers use tricks like these, they seem like show-offs. Even Alan Moore verges dangerously close to OCD with his obsession to detail and showmanship at times. Bendis never falls into this trap. JINX is a tour-de-force - a re-imagining of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and Tarantino movies and French New Wave and film noir into a wholly new and original art. Reading JINX is reading a comic book for the first time. Others have complained about the typographical and printing errors, but even those lend a certain grubby charm to the book - like secretly reading a 14-year-old girl's diary in the days before 14-year-old girls posted their diaries to the Internet for the whole world to read, or like seeing a dirty word written on the men's room wall at a Catholic middle school. Reading JINX is like sharing a taboo secret with a small group of strangers.

It is sexy, thrilling, dangerous and insanely cool. It is also utterly brilliant. If you like comics, or if you like crime fiction, or if you just like damn good stories period, JINX is a must-read.

I must admit I was disappointed with this story. Sorry to those who found Jinx to be an amazing independent effort from Bendis, but I just couldn't see what the hype was about. Interestingly enough, as if there aren't enough adaptations already, I read they will be turning this into a major motion picture starring Charlize Theron as none other than Jinx Alameda. But, aside from my initial statement, I want to express certain aspects of the story that appealed to me, and others that turned me away.

The Pros: Noir makes for some of the most intriguing story telling to date, so instantly I was drawn to the Jinx collection. Knowing Bendis' popular Powers series, I figured I couldn't go wrong with some of his earlier works. Photo referencing was genius. It added a thicker layer to Jinx's world that we don't see often in the comic universe. I'm all about presentation in comics and graphic novels, and I think this was done well (albeit one portion I'll explain in the cons.) Original story crafting was a plus. Typical crime drama setting -- i.e. casual noir -- with some real tragic characters. They carry their own individuality with precision. And finally, when you take it to the streets, this is some epic storytelling.

The Cons: Right off the bat, and again, sorry to those who disagree, I could not stand the dialogue. Trying to mimic realistic (real life) conversations just doesn't work on paper. In the movies, yes, because it obviously doesn't sound so scripted. But, your eyes don't accept the words so willingly when you just wanna get through a comic book. Especially a long one, it's frustrating to read someone stutter constantly or people interrupting each other and even finishing each others sentences. And, I really don't want to see "..." several times in a bubble. But, Jinx has it all. Which brings me to the other minute "presentation problem" I mentioned in the pros, the conversation bubbles seemed to be a mess, and the tails were too long; may sound petty yes, but in a black and white, they are more noticable and distracting. And finally, I just didn't really care for the story, it took me a while to read it because there are so many slow and boring parts, I was really ready to read a crime drama, but it's not what I got. This is not a spoiler review, so I won't reveal anything about the plot. Just, letting the readers know my opinion.

The wonderful thing about comics is that they've segregated themselves from any other art form and mediums on how to tell stories. And there's always something that gets lost in the translation when they are adapted into something else (such as a movie). There's such a unique-ness to it, that only fans can appreciate, and a respect that we can give to those involved in this comic universe. So, I applaud Brian Bendis' efforts, but I, unfortunately, can't carry much of Jinx with me.

Agents of Atlas is a good read, if your sick of what Marvel Comics is producing then you be surpised by Agents. It has a beginning a middle and an end. Plus it reprinted all the characters first golden age apparance, and a What If? story that started the whole thing. I say buy it or wait till it comes in paperback.

Agents of Atlas was almost good. The concept is excellent...but that's as far as it goes.
The very basics of a good comic are missing: story and art. Like I said, the concept was good, just not the execution. The plot is predictable from page one and the art needs to step up to be mediocre.

I'm a long time Marvel fan - 40+ years - so I hate to give a bad review but given all the good collections out there, I'd give this one a pass.

In 1978, I was blown away by What If? #9, in which the "1950s Avengers" raced to save President Eisenhower from the clutches of the evil Yellow Claw. While I was already well-versed in the standard Marvel heroes of the time, I had never heard of such Golden Age characters as Human Robot, Gorilla Man, Venus, and Marvel Boy. They made quite an impression on me (also thanks to story editor Roy Thomas' copious footnotes) and when they turned up briefly in Kurt Busiek's AVENGERS FOREVER, I was thrilled. So now we come to 2008, and I finally pick up the hardcover collection of AGENTS OF ATLAS, which brings these formerly-alternate-timeline characters into the standard Marvel Universe of today, and what a treat it is.

Other reviewers here have adequately summarized the plot. I'll just join in by saying it was a wholly entertaining read. This is the first work by Jeff Parker that I've read, and I can say that I'm willing to try more. Thankfully, the story doesn't overdo the "we're so cool" factor of many team books. This is a true group of outcasts, and they act like it. Sure, I may be biased by my prior exposure to these characters, but this is an excellent follow-up to their original appearance, and Parker made it easy for me to love this story. Leonard Kirk's artwork is exceptional - seriously, he's THE perfect choice for this title. It's very realistic work with excellent layouts, and his character designs are superb. So like I said: 30 years, and the wait was definitely worth it.

Most of all, I have to give Marvel a thumbs-up for including not only What If? #9, but solo appearances from various Golden Age comics. All this extra material tops the book out at a thick 256 pages, and when you consider the price, that's a steal of a deal. I have relentlessly bashed Marvel in the past for their outrageous trade paperback prices, but this gives me hope that they will even things out with their hardcovers.

This is a fine example of how amazingly fun and literate revisionist comic books can be. Granted, the characters here were originally little more than filler-fluff, even in the way too filler-fluffy Fifties, as the collection readily shows in the reprints of their initial appearances. But together they make a solid team with interesting characterization and fabulous dialogue, easily on par with the best Avengers and JLA stories of recent years. I truly hope Marvel decides to do more Agents stories; there's a rich backstory now that could develop and produce more fun comics. This is a sterling collection with enhancing and intriguing extras; all in all, a great package and highly recommended.

This book may have been more interesting if not wrapped so tightly in the Marvel Universe; most of these characters predated Marvel Comics, after all. Most of the characters here were first published by the pre-Marvel Atals Comics, run are a combination of superhero, horror, and sci-fi characters. The characters were strong enough to carry the story on their own, and the inclusion of Marvel staples like SHIELD and Wakanda just kind of muddy the water a bit.

The story follows a high-ranking government agent and his reunion with the team of extraordinary heroes that he led decades before. The heroes face off against another bygone character; the villainous Yellow Claw.

The art is top-notch, and a couple of the characters get much deserved face-lifts. The plot was OK, and the dialog was annoyingly hip. In many ways this book was no more impressive than anything else on the shelves now, but the dynamic between an amnesiac secret agent, a robot, a talking gorilla, a goddess, an Atlantean monarch, and a guy from Uranus is just kooky and charming.

The reveal was pretty well telegraphed by the middle of the story, but its still a fun read. Reprints of the original stories featuring these characters was one of the main motivators for getting this book, and do not disappoint; which is why I gave this book four stars instead of three.

A fairly good novel by Askegren, with the two superteams joining forces amid mutual distrust to fight Barons Zemo and Strucker.

Unfortunately, the end goes out with a whimper rather than a bang; that this managed to happen even during a fight in Hydra's secret headquarters is a bit of a surprise.

This book did a fabulous job of transferring what we see in the comics we buy each week into words only and getting it just right. I was very pleased with the author's handling of the character of Thor in particular, as he is my personal favorite, but all the characters were well handled and well written. The story was excellent overall. Marvel, give us more of THIS!!!!

Like the Time's Arrow Trilogy, this book also suffers from being too much like a comic in novel form. Too much action and not enough character development. The Thunderbolts is a poorly written comic and the characters there have little need to be used in the novels. Pierce Askegren is a good writer but even he couldn't make this story go in any creative or interesting direction.

Yes this book has it all, Action great writing super heroes like captain america thunderbolts and others. If you like the comics of either of these two teams then you have to get this book no Q's about it as this is just like a well wrote comic book but i think it will even get non comic fans to read it. To finish i just have to say that this is a must for any fan of the avengers!

This book was action packed. This the best team up since the Time Arrow Trilogy, with the X-Men and Spider Man. A must have for all Marvel readers.

Ultron unlimited is actually quite an interesting story. For a reader who hated Ultron since his inception (mainly due to the fact that the Avengers comics at that time made little to no sense), I can't help but say that this storyline ranks as one of my favorite.
While it doesn't have the incredible, (in my view) legendary quality of Avengers Forever, or the explosive and addictive action of "Avengers under seige", the story still proved to be very interesting, if not addicting. What I liked most about this story is how it so deftly develops the triangle relationship between the Scarlet Witch, the Vision and Wonderman, while simultaneously giving a concise, yet detailed overview of Ultron's history and the relationship between Hank Pym and Janet Van Dam. The fighting scenes were also incredible, escpecially the battle raged between the army of Ultroids and Wonderman, the Vision, the Scarlet witch and the Wasp. The battle against Alkehma 2 was also very impressive.
I have two main problems with this storyline, however. Firstly, the story ended FAR too abruptly, killing off Ultron (who was previously unbeatable and unharmed) in just 2-3 pages. The second was the low realism (in terms of comic realism). It took Thor, Cap, Firestar, the Black Panther and Iron Man several pages to take out ONE Ultron made of secondary Admantium. Yet, they managed to fend off hundreds of Ultrons (mostly made of Titanium with some made of Secondary Admantium) and still balst a way into Ultron's chamber.
Despite this, the story is still well worth the read, especially as it deals marvelously with both the Vision/Scarlet witch/wonderman mess and the Hank Pym psychological history mess.

This series collects the saga of the return of Ultron. In this collection you can see the MIGHTY AVENGERS at their best, against incredible odds and they triumphed. The story is fast-paced and potrays MARVEL'S most powerful super-team the way they should be, with one of the most climactic finale in the history of comicdom. You see them getting pummeled and hurt but they keep going. It is one of the best I've read and is on par with AVENGERS: UNDER SIEGE saga. A great read.

Over the years Perez's art has grown much better than when he started back on the Fantastic Four in 1976. Even if Perez's work remained the way it was back then I still feel that he is one of the best artists in the comic industry. This one has everything. Battles with the ultimate villian, Ultron are one of the best I have seen. I am what you call an older comics fan. I still have a sense of wonder that I once had. Spectacular battle scenes only done justice by George Perez. I rememer once how John Byrne once ridiculed Perez's art as simplistic...he can eat his words now. Perez's style has grown to surpass Byrne's by light years. While Byrne's art remains stagnant Perez is always evolving and growing into a much better artist than a lot of the current crop at Marvel.

When I read that Ultron Unlimited reprinted an Avengers story from 1999, it gave me expectations of a story featuring characters and developments that I was unfamiliar with. You see, I haven't been read comics for 20 years, and have only recently been collecting graphic novels to share with my kids. What got me to buy this title was largely curiosity and the reliably stunning art of George Perez.

When you're thinking about comparisons to the Golden Age of Comics (the late 70s and early 80s), the contrast between Avengers: Ultron Unlimited and the more recent vintage X-men titles, for example, is dramatic. With today's X-men, I often have no idea who some of the recent additions to the team are, and even some of those I knew (e.g. Wolverine) occasionally seem completely out of touch with the characters remember.

With the Avengers, it's all about continuity. Ultron Unlimited features an old villain, and Kurt Busiek brings back a classic team of Avengers - Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The Vision, The Wasp, Wonder Man and Black Panther. Sure, there were two newcomers - Justice and Firestar - but they both seemed appropriately green. The Scarlet Witch/Vision and Wasp/Yellowjacket marriages had broken up, but those seemed more like the result of the passage of time.

The end result was that I didn't feel at all out of touch with what was going on, or what had happened to these characters since I'd stopped reading comics. In fact, because of Busiek's apparent reverence for Avengers past, I really felt like I could jump in without missing a beat. He really uses the history of the Avengers, right down to their origins, throughout the story. Was it the best Avengers tale of all time? I wouldn't presume to say that, but for me it really was a pleasant surprise and thoroughly enjoyable.

By the way, did I mention that George Perez has really evolved since his glory days on the Teen Titans? He's really come into his own, to the point that I'd say he may be as influential a comic artist as John Byrne was in his heyday. Very impressive. All in all, I'd have to say that Avengers: Ultron Unlimited was good enough to get me to take a chance on another of Busiek/Perez's Avengers reprints.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this is the best Avengers story ever written! What is wrong with Busiek's writing? Nothing! His plot and script are not simplistic at all. Some other writers have handled Thor, Cap, Iron Man, et. al. in a simplistic way, but this shows them at their most complex: With an ever-changing force of evil in the world, they must find an unconventional way to tackle it. Add Justice's hero-worship problems, the Scarlet Witch leaving the Vision for Wonder Man, and, of course, Dr. Pym. This is the best he's ever been written! This trade paperback could easily be all you need to read about this character, the man who was and was not Ultron.
I haven't even gotten to Ultron yet! He is at his most evil and most powerful here, doing something that many readers thought him incapable of doing: wiping out a country. No, it was not "rushed and glossed over". You could clearly see the shock, horror, and anguish on everyone's face, thanks to Mr. Perez, the glue that holds this together. I have always been a fan of George's artwork, which tells a story unto itself, and he is sorely missed on the book now. I hope he is doing better. Busiek and Perez never failed during their run on Avengers, and if you want the best example, this is it.

FINISHES Bishop's Plot!!! This was why Bishop went back in time!!!

Well this chapter of the Onslaught war sees Spider-Man, the Punisher, and the good Green Goblin trying to save New York city from a fleet of Sentinels which Onslaught has send to control the city. But the heroes are badly choosen for the task here. Spidey can only do so much aganist the Sentinels, the Green Goblin is knocked out of action, and the Punisher has to rescue Shield agents from a downed heli-carrier. It would have been more intresting if Nick Fury and Dr. Strange had led the charge against the sentinels on the Front Line, but they were never used for this story and it's a shame.

Here it is the final battle against Onslaught. A lot of Marvel heroes gather to destroy the villian and the result is the most boring climax ever put in a comic book story. Marvel's "Secret Wars" saga was better then this. I hope we never see a return of Onslaught.

It really was. The whole idea of Professor X going mad clearly came from Bob Harras, not Lobdell, and if you're editor in cheif at the company you can do anything you want, even if it only succeeds in angering more readers then it actually attracts. Another story like this one, and there won't be a Marvel Universe anymore.

I've just a few things to say of this book. Superb. It keeps the pace, but, nevertheless, it asounds me how much suspense you can go through with all that going on. 'WillNate & franklin get out?' or, simply 'How's it all going to end out?' or even 'Won't hate for mutants rise again?'. I consider this to be the best chapter of the 6, although, all are worth reading. In closing, I have to say, The watcher's presence add's a touch of finesse, and Apocolypse's statement brings me to believe that he'll have something up his sleeve, and could pop up anytime (but I have a feeling it will be in Cable between '99-2000).