Avenger Books

This is firmly anchored in the period when Beast is told to stop playing pong, and pay attention. Yes, the ever lovin' Beast era.

The Avengers get back from a mission, and are meeting when a strange Eskimo type attacks them and starts ranting about gods, and summons a big green super polar bear to attack the heroes. What is more, it works.

It seems the winged one he was ranting about was Namor, who moved the Captain America cased in ice by accident, which enabled him to be discovered and become an Avenger in the modern day.

He nicks Cap, the Avengers talk to Namor, and they team up to get him back from his new deific status. It is no mystical powers this guy has, but a necklace provided by Kang.

So, of course, they end up in the future. Kangs throws everything at them from dinosaurs (because even Kang thinks dinosaurs are cool), to the conscience police, but the ever lovin' Beast pulls a tech trick or two of his own to win the day.

Conan, an established king in aquilonia gets married. His queen, Zenobia, is kidnapped by a wizard's sorcerous beast.

Asking a local sorcerer for assistance, he sets out to track her down, and retraces the paths of a few of his old exploits in the process. Piracy with the brotherhood, disposing of some Turanians, again rescuing the Devi, and more. Not much chat her, lots of sword.

I've been out of the comic-scene for the last several months, so I'm not up to date on current trade paperback collections of previously released material. When I first saw this listing on Amazon.com, I thought "Neat, someone is releasing a MARVEL AGE DIGEST of mid-late seventies AVENGERS material. That's good stuff for the kiddies."

Information on the specific contents was sparse and no cover image was available, but upon seeing Gerry Conway and Jim Shooter's names listed as writers, along with Perez for the art, I thought that I was looking at something along the run of AVENGERS (volume 1) #150-156, which again would be a good run to release in trade paperback geared toward a younger audience.

And so, sight unseen, I placed an order. The merchant selling the item was prompt and efficient, and I received my item within five days of placing the order. I have no complaints with the merchant selling the item. My only complaint, if I have one, is with Marvel trade paperback division and the editor of the collection.

To wit: this trade paperback is an edited re-release of 1999's AVENGERS VISIONARIES: GEORGE PEREZ volume. The aforementioned AVENGERS VISIONARIES volume consisted of reprints of AVENGERS ANNUAL #6, AVENGERS #161-162, AVENGERS ANNUAL #8, AVENGERS #194-196 and a short back-up story featuring Jarvis the Butler from AVENGERS #201.

The MARVEL AGE edited reprint collection eliminates AVENGERS #194-196, a well-regarded story introducing the villainous Taskmaster and guest-starring the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man.

Amusingly, in the cast of characters given in the introductory pages of this collection, the Scott Lang Ant-Man is listed as one of the cast of characters, but the only stories he appeared in during the period covered by this collection, the aforementioned issues #194-196, have been removed from this volume.

Additionally, the credits page at the beginning of this volume lists Joseph Rubinstein, Jack Abel and Dan Green as inker, and again, the issues that they had worked on - the aforementioned issues #194-196 - have been omitted from this volume. Consequently, the book contains an inaccurate credits page.

While these may be picayune objections to the product, the element the causes me the most amused consternation is that the artwork for the reprints of issues #161, 162, and Annual 8 has been bowdlerized. The artwork - which had been previously approved by the Comics Code Authority when it was first published - has been prudishly altered from that printed in 1977 and 1978 (and in the 1999 AVENGERS VISIONARIES volume) apparently to "protect the children" from Janet Van Dyne Pym's unfortunate wardrobe choices.

For example, in issue #161, Jan wore a purple backless number with a plunging neckline, a bare midriff and lots of little cutouts running down the outside of the legs. For this collection, the art has been altered and recolored to eliminate Jan's cleavage and cover up her midriff. [They even went so far as to erase her bellybutton.]

In issue #162, back in 1977, a naked Jan was bound on a platform with metal restraints strategically covering the naughty bits in a situation reminiscent of what befell the Dahlia Lavi character in the late sixties Bond spoof CASINO ROYALE. This remained untouched in the 1999 reprint, but in 2004, the artwork has been altered to put Jan in a light grey bodystocking. This time, the art-retoucher neglected to eliminate her navel, and this suit sweats in little beads of perspiration just like Jan's bare skin did in 1977.

In Avengers Annual #8 (ca. 1978), Jan wore a blue-green minidress with a plunging neckline. Again the artwork has been altered to remove Jan's cleavage, by having Jan wear an undershirt in a color identical to the minidress. Not content with saving the reader from Jan's cleavage, the powers-that-be in charge of this collection have decided that they must also save us from the prospect of Jan's bare legs. Oh dear, oh dear, she now has leggings in an identical blue-green color to the minidress and new undershirt.

I read these stories when they first came out at the tender age of ten and eleven. My own children have read these stories in their original form at ages younger than I was upon their first release. It has been by experience that mores liberalize with the passage of time, so I find this rampant censoring of material that twenty-six and twenty-seven years ago WAS considered appropriate to all-ages (as the current MARVEL AGE line is touted as being) most curious.

As a reader and longtime fan, I expected Marvel to be responsible with regard to their reprint product, but not cowardly. The alteration of the material reprinted in this collection smacks more of moral cowardice than artistic responsibility.

So, my review is mixed. The stories I would give a four-star rating, but the exection of this edition I would give a mere two star rating, thus averaging out to the three stars I have given above.

Buy if if you are interested in it or think you or someone you know would enjoy it, but be aware that the material has been noticably altered from how it was originally intended.

"Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Volume 2" brings together issues #11-20, which means we begin with the Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp lineup and end with Captain America, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In other words, instead of a group made up of characters sharing space in second tier Marvel comics books (e.g., "Tales of Suspense") the Avengers end up being comprised of various supporting characters. Except, of course, for Captain America, who has always been the group's best leader. So the history here is a bit more important than most of the stories, some of which are sub-par, and only a true fan of the series is going to want to go to the expense of picking up this volume.

The stories collected here and reprinted in color, unlike those in "The Essential Avengers" trade paperbacks, are written by Stan Lee and drawn by Don Heck: #11 "Spider-Man" has Kang constructing a robot of the web-head to join the Avengers, which requires the real Spider-Man to save the day; #12 "This Hostage Earth" has the Avengers tangling with the Mole Man; #13 "The Castle of Count Nefaria" involves an evil plan sending electro-images of the Avengers to threaten the U.N. and have the Avengers declare war on the world; #14 "Even Avengers Can Die" starts with the Wasp wounded by a bullet and it seems the doctor they need to do the operation has been replaced by an alien (my vote for the stupidest "Avengers" story of all time); #15 "Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain" has the Avengers up against a team of bad guys consisting of Baron Zemo, the Executioner, the Enchantress, the Black Night, and the Melter.

With #16 "The Old Order Changeth" we have the aforementioned change in the Avengers lineup takes place and the group is no longer as muscle-bound as before; now it is clearly speed over strength; #17 "Four Against the Minotaur" deals with this change, asking the immortal question "With the raw power of Iron Man, Thor, or Giant-Man, how can the valiant Avengers hope to stop the Minotaur?" Well, they do; #18 "When the Commissar Commands" has the group against a giant Communist Chinese tyrant; #19 "The Coming of ...the Swordsman" has one guy with a sword taking on the Avengers. He does pretty well; #20 "Vengeance Is Ours" has the fight between the Swordsman and the Avengers complicated by the appearance of the Mandarin.

The last two-part story is actually the best of the bunch, which is rather surprising, but overall these 10 "Avengers" stories are average at best. When you have a group of superheroes it is really difficult to come up with some decent villains, and so Lee and Heck jettison most of the original group, where you hand Thor and Cap at the high end of the nobility scale, and replaced them with two of the angriest Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye and Quicksilver. The idea of reforming Pietro and Wanda was interesting, but why not do that in "The X-Men"? Still, the dynamics of this group are just strange enough, what with flying shields, shooting arrows, throwing spells, and running real fast. But for me "The Avengers" never really hit stride until the Vision joined their ranks and gave them a character they could truly call their own.

Well Onslaught will perhaps forever be Marvel's most controversial storyline. I only gave this chapter three stars because it focuses on the Hulk's side of the war with the mad mutant. Peter David tried as much as he could, to make the Hulk chapter of the Onslaught war, interesting and he mostly succeeds. The Hulk takes part in the battle, but he somewhat regards this whole affair as a waste of his time. I wonder if that's how Peter thought of it too?

"The Avengers hinted at a world of miraculous transformations hidden beneath the ordinary and the overlooked."

This is a book that wanted to be a video compilation. I don't have a scrap of fact for this assertion save that it would clearly make more sense as a frustrated boxed set: short 'interview' pieces by stars and fans, inadequate in a book, might be delivered to camera; exhaustively detailed synopses of episodes the authors really just want to show to us; even the photos which are the book's main attraction point to a visual, rather than a literary, aim. Originally published as 'Chapeau Melon et Bottes de Cuir' ('Bowler Hat and Leather Boots'), this is perhaps the best-looking book on 'The Avengers' so far, yet has a strangely unprofessional feel; the writing style is more that of an old-fashioned fan magazine than a book. Other features seem short and slapdash, such as an episode guide with too many similarities to that in Dave Rogers' 'The Ultimate Avengers' - for example, neither can distinguish a local from a Westminster by-election in 'November Five', and the financial mistake in 'Death of a Batman' crops up here too! Their thirteen 'selection box' episodes are just inferior substitutes for videos or repeats, recounted at lifeless length; almost everything but the dialogue is given, complete with minute details of scenery and still the odd stupid mistake (such as missing out the main red herring in 'The Cybernauts'). They reflect little of the series - nothing with Ian Hendry or Honor Blackman (the series' real groundbreaker), but eight from the single colour Diana Rigg season. Yes, I think the black and white Rigg and the colour Thorson seasons are a better mix of the silly and the sinister, but if the authors had made comments on their choices they might communicate some of their enthusiasm to the reader. Sadly, the width of coverage without the added depth of performances, music and dialogue gives little idea of why 'The Avengers' was special - instead bringing you perilously close to boredom. There are suddenly several 'Avengers' books around, and more variety with the Movie - though I still reckon Lily Savage makes a better Mrs Peel than Uma Thurman! The best episode guides are in Dave Rogers' 'The Complete Avengers'; for background information, try his aforementioned 'The Ultimate Avengers', despite the largest number of typos ever; the most readable is Patrick Macnee's 'The Avengers and Me', which looks great too (even if it's not quite so unputdownable as his autobiography 'Blind in One Ear'); the best 'feel' for the series, with dialogue quotes and reviews, is Cornell, Day and Topping's 'The Avengers Dossier', despite my not agreeing with all their opinions (particularly their attacks on Linda Thorson's wonderful Tara King). My liberal hatred of monopoly notes this is the only one with no involvement by Rogers - unless you count his helping get its original version withdrawn, which is why the current re-release has been nicknamed 'The Avengers Unpulped'! So what's the unique selling point here? The photos. Some are previously unpublished, and I love the one on page 67. Otherwise, I'd only recommend it to beginners and completists. It simply isn't "the definitive Avengers guide" its publicity claims, and if you've seen a fair number of episodes and want a book about the series, it might be pretty but it's not the best one for you.

"The Avengers hinted at a world of miraculous transformations hidden beneath the ordinary and the overlooked."

This is a book that wanted to be a video compilation. I don't have a scrap of fact for this assertion save that it would clearly make more sense as a frustrated boxed set: short 'interview' pieces by stars and fans, inadequate in a book, might be delivered to camera; exhaustively detailed synopses of episodes the authors really just want to show to us; even the photos which are the book's main attraction point to a visual, rather than a literary, aim.

Originally published as 'Chapeau Melon et Bottes de Cuir' ('Bowler Hat and Leather Boots'), this is perhaps the best-looking book on 'The Avengers' so far, yet has a strangely unprofessional feel; the writing style is more that of an old-fashioned fan magazine than a book. Other features seem short and slapdash, such as an episode guide with too many similarities to that in Dave Rogers' 'The Ultimate Avengers'. Neither can distinguish a local from a Westminster by-election in 'November Five', and that the financial mistake in 'Death of a Batman' crops up here too!

Their thirteen 'selection box' episodes are just inferior substitutes for videos or repeats, recounted at lifeless length; almost everything but the dialogue is given, complete with minute details of scenery and still the odd stupid mistake (such as missing out the main red herring in 'The Cybernauts'). They reflect little of the series - nothing with Ian Hendry or Honor Blackman (the series' real groundbreaker), but eight from the single colour Diana Rigg season. Yes, I think the black and white Rigg and the colour Thorson seasons are a better mix of the silly and the sinister, but if the authors had made comments on their choices they might communicate some of their enthusiasm to the reader. Sadly, the width of coverage without the added depth of performances, music and dialogue gives little idea of why 'The Avengers' was special - instead bringing you perilously close to boredom.

There are suddenly several 'Avengers' books around, and more variety with the Movie - though I still reckon Lily Savage makes a better Mrs Peel than Uma Thurman! The best episode guides are in Dave Rogers' 'The Complete Avengers'; for background information, try his aforementioned 'The Ultimate Avengers', despite the largest number of typos ever; the most readable is Patrick Macnee's 'The Avengers and Me', which looks great too (even if it's not quite so unputdownable as his autobiography 'Blind in One Ear'); the best 'feel' for the series, with dialogue quotes and reviews, is Cornell, Day and Topping's 'The Avengers Dossier', despite my not agreeing with all their opinions (particularly their attacks on Linda Thorson's wonderful Tara King). My liberal hatred of monopoly notes this is the only one with no involvement by Rogers - unless you count his helping get its original version withdrawn, which is why the current re-release has been nicknamed 'The Avengers Unpulped'!

So what's the unique selling point here? The photos. Some are previously unpublished, and I love the one on page 67. Otherwise, I'd only recommend it to beginners and completists. It simply isn't "the definitive Avengers guide" its publicity claims, and if you've seen a fair number of episodes and want a book about the series, it might be pretty but it's not the best one for you.

The Avengers Companion reads like a fan scrapbook, with plenty of great pictures. The glossy photos, both monochrome and color, can be cosidered the best aspect of this book. Another great thing the authors did is to avoid critiquing each story, a smart move in that it's pretty frustrating seeing your favorite Avengers story ripped to shreds by some dimwit who happens to have been lucky enough to have a book published, or have the time to create his own website.

Other features include an episode guide encompassing all eras of The Avengers, from the Ian Hendry first season to the end of The New Avengers in the late 70s. Each episodes plot is described in a brief paragraph, a synopsis which avoids playing spoiler in case a reader hasn't seen a particular episode. While containing some minor factual errors (one reason I gave only 4 stars), each synopsis stays pretty true to the main plot as seen in the televised versions of the stories. However, another reason I gave this only 4 stars is that after the overall episode guide lies a section that takes 13 episodes, presumably the authors' favorites, and gives a detailed plot description of two to three pages per story. I simply cannot understand the need for this section, as the stories are very subjective to each reader, and their favorite 13 may not, and likely won't, match each individual reader's 13. This space would have been better used to expand on the plot descriptions of the rest of the stories to include, quite possibly, a cast list or more pics, among other things, to give the stories more equal billing. As mentioned earlier, this is simply not criticizing the other stories, but mainly giving their baker's dozen significantly more ink.

Capping off this book are articles by certain writers as to what The Avengers mean to them, as well as interviews with the main stars, including Patrick MacNee, Diana Rigg, and Linda Thorson. The jewel of these interviews is with script editor Brian Clemens. In this, he explains very candidly his "controversial" no blacks policy. But this is what made The Avengers great, controversy. It's a show that would not be made the same way today. Dare I say if you need to see black actors, watch Good Times and leave The Avengers alone.

All in all, this is a fun, non-critical celebration of one of the greatest shows in TV history. Relax and enjoy the fantastic pictures and interviews.

I'm going to have to agree with the other readers. This book had excellent pictures. But the writing was not up to par. The other Avenger books are far more interesting. Still, if you collect all Avenger memorabilia, you might as well add this book to your collection.

If you're an Avengers fan, you'll want this book for the pictures. If you just want one book, then get the Complete Avengers.

The worst move Geoff Johns could make would be to succeed the Kang Dynasty arc with another epic in which the very fabric of reality is threatened (albiet this time on a mystic level). Splitting order and chaos and thereby turning the world topsy-turvy reminded me of many other apocalyptic scenarios common to comics. However, this collection is saved by Johns sensitivy for his characters and their iconic symbolism. This collection contains some decent dialogue as well an interesting sub-plot in which the UN invests the Avengers with world leadership.

What isn't wrong with Avengers: World Trust? To begin with,the art is bad. Toward the back of the volume there are a few almost decent group shots, but for much of the books everybody looks just plain ugly.They even manage to make the beautious Scarlet Witch and voluptious She Hulk look bad. As for the coloring, at one point, for no apparent reason the whole scene turns purple. The whole issue is a wide range of dark and darker shades. As to the plot, accept for the "griping" political situation, and "thrilling" soap opera moments, nothing really happens most of the time. No fights, no super villian, not even a robbery at the corner drug store. Why, early on, the entire city of Washington, D.C. disappears and nobody does anything about it for the entire lenght of the story. They have really brought The Avengers to a new low. I never thought it could happen. It has always been consistently good. When the X-Men were nothing more then a reprint mag, The Avengers were having great,new adventures. No more. Surely, it can't get worse then this. But then there was that time Ironman turned traitor, then into a teenage alternate universe version of himself, but at least that was quickly fixed. This travesty went on for several issues and I get the feeling it's not going to ever end, except maybe with a cancellation notice. Save your money. Buy an edition of DC Archives and read something fun.

This is the collection of Geoff Johns' first story arc in Avengers. The story is interesting, and his mix of first string, and traditionally second string Avengers makes for an interesting interplay. Of course, while the story is interesting and well executed, it is nothing all that epic. The most memorable part would be the fact that the Avengers Mansion is now considered a separate country.

Avengers World Trust is a collection of Geoff Johns first six issues on his too brief run on the monthly title. Johns has worked miracles over at DC with his great run on Flash and his resurgence of classic characters and plots on JSA. Sadly, the most he brings to World Trust is a standard adventure.

The first four issues deal with the Avengers battling a mystic enemy that is transplanting the capitals of the Earth to another dimension. Nothing new is really brought to the storyline, but Johns reestablishes members like Namor, The Falcon, and even government liason Henry Gyrich. The art is bad but the plotting and action are passable.

The fifth issue included sets up where Johns plans on taking the title by allowing the Avengers to operate within the United Nations. It's a nice paced story that allows us to reattach ourselves to the Avengers as people.

The final issue (the best), and a great example of what Geoff Johns is known for, deals with two new members Ant-Man and Jack of Hearts. This is an excellent story in duality that treats these two characters better than they have been handled since the 1970's. It's a must read for any Avengers fan and the art is solid throughout.

So, six issues...one possible classic story and five standard adventures.

I've owned the collection for several months now. The plot is good, it follows Avengers history for the most part. The art is superb and just grabs you. Although the best storyline in this collection I feel is the one with the GRIM REAPER, it is still such a treat when you see THE MIGHTY THOR in action against PAGAN.
HERE'S THE BREAKDOWN:

WRITING: 3 STARS
PENCILLING: 5 STARS
INKING: 4 STARS
BOOK BINDING: 3 STARS

All in all, I loved the AVENGERS roll call in this collection.

The highlight of this collection is the comeback of the Grim reaper, which was mostly handled well, while the guest star of the beast was an enjoyable story. However, overall, I must say that this collection isn't very impressive.

There is minimal character development, the villains are mostly inconsequential or annoying, the fights border on mundane, and the endings mostly predicatable. The most enigmatic of this collection is the Triune understanding, which you simply come out hating.

The Moses Magnum fights I thought were ridiculous, I hated them. The clashes between Pagan and Lord Templar got increasingly boring and repetitive, as they mostly ended as fistfights between the superstrengthed and the steroid pumped.

I'd avoid it unless you're on a hunt (like i was) to beef up your collection of Avengers past issues that you don't have. It doesn't add much to your collection.

Kurt Busiek gives another 'I Can Learn To Read' story of the Avengers. It's predictable, and gives a weird echo of previous Avengers runs (especially Perez's first run on the team about twenty years ago). It's simple superhero stories, and the overall collection suffers because of the clumsy juggling of the characters and stories. The Triune story comes out of nowhere, as if it were more a convenient argument for Busiek's clear reluctance at developing minority characters (a long-argument in the Avengers). The Grim Reaper story seems to be rehashed from a few other Grim Reaper stories.
The art is easily the best thing about the book. Perez cares a lot about the team and is able to bring an extraordinary amount of detail and beauty to each page. While his character designs are a bit lackluster (Triatholon and the Triune look particularly dated), he still is able to show newer characters like Firestar and Justice in as good a spotlight as old favorites Scarlet Witch and the Vision.
I would recommend the Avengers Visionary book reprinting Perez's first run.

See other reviews for the stories here. My gripe is the poor materials used in these Marvel collected works. Like Thor:Across All Worlds (and every review there mentions this fault) the pages started falling out after the first read. Sub-standard glue and binding result in a book that just crumbles in your hands. Appalling quality control from the normally reliable Marvel. I've stopped buying any of these glossy page, black and white spine editions. Been burned twice now, that's plenty.

As a fan of both the New Avengers and Spider-man, I figured a Spider-Man story featuring the New Avengers would be great. It wasn't. It seems like the makers couldn't decide whether to cater to the New Avengers readers or the Spider-Man readers, so they opted for neither. The art and story feel like an old episode of the 80s Spider-Man cartoon, hokey. Quite a step backwards since the New Avengers series and Spider-Man is usually engaging entertainment. Skip this one.

I thought this was okay, but I have to agree that the plot was a bit slapdash and the motivations didn't make much sense. I think they would be better off leaving the Avengers-related mega-plot off to the side a bit more, and keep concentrating on Peter Parker's life, rather than trying to wow us with cameos by Wolverine, Captain America, Luke Cage, et. al. Doesn't fit in with the titles previously engaging story arc.

But it's still an okay read. I'd give it a 3.5, if I could.

This storyline takes place after the events of the previous volume. Peter Parker (now an Avenger) and M.J., along with Aunt May, are invited to reside in Stark Tower as permanent residents since their home is no more. While settling in Parker soon finds that the terrorist organization Hydra is remaking itself and plans to takedown the social and economic mainstays of the United States--in short, they are attempting to destroy America from within. This is not Stracynzski's best work. The whole story is mediocre but there are some nice pieces of dialogue in the scenes with the new leader of Hydra confronting the old leaders of Hydra and with Wolverine and M.J. The artwork is sloppy and vague and makes the reader question if the artist cares about his job. Also the appearance of the New Avengers doesn't help the story improve and it comes off as a lame and unnecessary character crossover. If you need a Spider-Man "fix" then pick up one of the Ultimate Spider-Man trades by Bendis or one of Stracyznski's early Amazing Spider-Man trades such as Coming Home.

My anticipation piqued when I saw the mail package containing this book in my mailbox. However, after the initial perusal through the pages of The Avengers Files, that anticipation soured, only to be overtaken by disappointment. Please do not misunderstand. There is plenty of great background information on all the main characters of The Avengers, from the David Keel Years to The New Avengers in the late 70s. The problem with this volume lies in its format.

First, the blurb from the publisher on this book's Amazon page claims that the book is "abundantly illustrated". This claim is simply not true. What pictures this book does include are limited to two glossy eight-page photo inserts placed in two different parts of the book. While the photos are quite lovely and glossy, in both monochrome and color, they hardly qualify as an abundance. In fact, I'd consider 16 pages of photos in a 352 page volume a dearth.

The next problem has to do with the way Pixley presents the background information. The Avengers Files treats each episode as a real life event, even claiming that somewhere in the vast unknown lurks the real John Steed. Therefore, each story becomes its own case, each televised episode a surveillance film kept hidden away hush hush in the files of the ministry, with top secret and background information for each. Had Andrew Pixley chosen to present this info in an easy-to follow, year-by-year, story-by-story format, it would have worked much better. Instead, he gives each character his (or her) own chapter or chapters, with Steed getting the most chapters, being the longest-running character in the series, and recounts the background information in a prose style that is much like a novel. Unfortunately, this method is not conducive to a neat, chronological order of events. At one point, he discusses Steed's characteristics in the early 60s, then jumps to the mid 70s with the very next paragraph. There is plenty of great info here, but unfortunately it is scattered throughout the book in a hard-to-follow format.

Another problem I have with this book is, when referencing each story, Pixley designates a four letter code for each. Thus, The Hidden Tiger is [TIGE], Murdersville becomes [MDVL], and a Sense of History goes by [HIST]. You can understand the problem right off the bat. If the reader is not familiar with the story titles, he will be hampered in his understanding of the reference. Give Pixley credit for including a definition of acronyms, or Codes, if you will, in Appendix A toward the end of this volume. However, if the reader has to constantly interrupt his reading to check up on a code, his enjoyment of the book will be severely strained.

Also, I really don't understand the need for all the footnotes in the book. Most pages are inundated with them. If this is fiction, there really should be no need for them. Why not just include the footnote material as part of the main text? In this regard, Pixley went too far in his work of "espionage". Footnotes, just as the definitions of Codes in Appendix A, interrupt your reading.

I consider this book an opportunity lost. Great research went into The Avengers Files to incorporate all this great background information into one easy-to-follow-volume. Too bad this volume is not so easy to follow. This malady could have been easily fixed by putting all this info in an episode-by-episode format.

Mr. Andrew Pixley has pulled together into one place what has to
be the most comprehensive coverage of that debonair Ladies' man
and spy (oops, sorry, agent), Mr. John Steed, and all of
his various partners. From Dr. David Keel, to Mrs. Cathy Gale.
From Venus Smith and Dr. Martin King, to the irresistible,
charming, cool, intelligent, independent, sophisticated and
sensuous Mrs. Emma Peel. From Miss Tara King, to Purdey and Mike
Gambit. From Charles and One-Ten, to Mother, Father, and even
Rhonda, they're all here!

In "The Avengers Files", you enter the fictional, undercover
world of Great Britain's top agent, and all his helpers and
associates. Mr. Pixley threads through all the "surveillance
tapes" (TV episodes) from all the years of The Avengers and The
New Avengers, and the "books and comics", passed off upon we,
the unsuspecting public, and extracts all the intelligence data
and missions, clearly detailed here for us to relive and enjoy,
over and over.

As a work of fiction, Mr. Pixley's book is very good background
material for fan fiction writers, and anyone who wanted to know
more about their favorite Avenger.

The fault that I find with it, is that the sections
on Emma Peel should be the largest of the book, since Emma Peel
did appear in nine more of the surveillance tapes than Cathy
Gale, and Emma Peel was certainly the subject of many novels
and comics and comic strips.

If Emma sells, then here would have been the place to do it.
I feel that Mr. Pixley favors Cathy Gale, judging by the size of
the chapters involving her, and the picture on the back of the book.

Maybe someday, somewhere, someone will finally realize who was
the apex of Steed's partners, and give Emma her just due, giving
us the "perfect" book on The Avengers.

In the meantime, "The Avengers Files" can feed some appetites.

If the format of this book was an experiment, then I'm afraid it's a failed experiment.
I was continually looking up the abbreveated storytitle code to find which episode Mr Pixley was referring to.
I may not be able to recommend this book, but I can recommend the following two.
If you want to learn more about the particular episodes in a more coherent style try Dave Rogers; "The Complete Avengers". Which is an excellent episode guide, even if some of the episode synopses are from shooting scripts, and not the televised version.
Or if you want a more Macnee centric one try; "The Avengers and me".
By Patrick Macnee and Dave Rogers.