Avenger Books

If this is not the best volume of Avengers Assemble, it is certainly one of the best if you are interested in action. Clearly, the action in this collection is varied, and involving an extended cast of Marvel favorites from the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Thunderbolts, the Shiar empire, Ego the living planet, the Silver Surfer, the Grim Reaper, Kang the Conqueror and Ultron to name a few...

Most of the stories of this volume involve multiple title crossovers, and few of the other series are included, or this would be a much larger volume. However, it would seem that the plot of these stories suffers little from the lack of crossover titles included, since these storylines have their conclusions in the Avengers books. It might have been nice, for the sake of completeness, to have the other titles included, but for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Still, I found the stories were long enough to grab your interest, and complete enough to be understood, and gratifying enough to include cameo or better roles from a myriad of characters.

This volume includes the reappearance of Hell Cat, which starts off down a seemingly hokey path, only to turn a much more dramatic conclusion. I was really stunned on this one, and perhaps this volume is worth the purchase for this one story.

The one downside to the stories is that they leave numerous "loose ends" hanging around, with not only the "bad guys" getting away, but mysterious plots and developments totally unexplained, and shelved until later. This is quite unsatisfying in a way.

Another potential turnoff is the change in artistry which seems to occur every other issue. The art is overall quite good in this volume, however, but it is a bit of a challenge to adapt to all the changes in style. And, there is a few unexplained changes in costume for iron man, wasp, and goliath/yellow jacket. The changes in costume for goliath into the yellow jacket makes the split hank pym story line even more confusing.

Overall, this volume was a delight to read. The ultron arc in this volume was not quite as good as in volume 3, surprisingly enough it proved that there is still more water in the Ultron well perhaps for a bit more time to come. This volume makes you miss the Avengers, as they used to be...

funnest damn role playing game there is to bad they stopped making source material

A must have! For all you comic collector's This is an awsome one to add to your collection!

Once upon a time there was a comic universe, large and diverse, filled with just about any type of character from any type of pulp genre, and they shared and interacted in the same universe. You had a Martial Arts character named Shang Chi living in the same world as the cosmic space fantasy Silver Surfer who fought against the supernatural thriller Dracula who appeared in the socially conscious Uncanny X-Men and the main nemesis of said group had a daughter (Scarlet Witch) who was married to an andriod Avenger and the Avengers leader fought alongside a gruff Atlantean who was an ally to the Defenders and enemy to the Fantastic Four...mythology, science fiction, magic fantasy, "monster" characters, "horror" characters, all were there in the same universe.

That was the House of Ideas. Marvel comics, from about 1961 to around 1991. Sure, there were dud stories and more than enough cheese to make McDonalds next billionth cheeseburger, but the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. The spirit of creativity and continuity drove Marvel to its market supremacy. Characters embodied ideas, paradoxes, philosophies, sure the comics were aimed at kids, but there was some thought beyond the horizon to captivate the reader willing to reflect on the stimuli presented by the likes of Galactus, the Eternals, the Supreme Intelligence, Ultron, ect.

Since then, its been all down hill. Late spring 1992, Liefeld's Youngblood and Valiant's "Unity" crossover opened the doors to the "spec boom", when comics became investments instead of enjoyments. A comic bought for a buck in December 1991 (*cough cough*, Solar Man of the Atom #1) could be sold for about a eighty bucks one year later. This ended up destroying the comic industry, as DC and Marvel sold their creative souls to try and capitalize on the "hype". Superman was killed off, the Green Lantern corps destroyed, variant covers became more important than the 22 pages in between, Iron Man was turned into a teenager, X-men uber alles and, unfortunately, the sole prism that the next generation of comic collectors would experience the Marvel Universe.

But, in early 1992, Marvel did something right. A 19 part crossover among the Avengers titles called "Operation: Galactic Storm". At the time, it didn't make much of a ripple, as evidenced by the fact this is the first time the series has been reprinted, 14 years after the title hit the stands. But its story-value has increased with age, mostly because of what I've outlined in the first couple of paragraphs--Marvel simply hasn't been as thoughtful and innovative since. Those of us bored by the current Marvel regime, which attempts to make every single comic a replica of Kevin's Smiths overrated (and short) run on Daredevil, find refuge in the hallowed and barren halls of the old House of Ideas.

The premise is simple--the Kree (an Avengers foe) and the Shi'ar (an X-Men supporting cast empire) are at war, two Marvel alien empires that had had little contact prior to the story. The problem is, they use the Earth's sun as a "stargate" to transport warcraft from one galaxy to the other, and the disturbances said stargate causes thus threaten to destroy the earth. Thus, to preserve human life, the Avengers split up so they may "reason" with the two empires, and get them to take their war to some other turf. The story alternates among earth, the Shi'ar homeworld, and the Kree homeworld, and just about every Avenger, ever (except Quicksilver and Dr. Druid) get some face time in this epic.

What makes this crossover so strong? 1.) It's about ideas. Although this TPB only covers the first 13 chapters, its obviously needed to get to the good stuff at the end. The Greater Good, the misuse of evolution (or the inevitable extrapolation of ethics from evolution?!?), what makes one human, pragmatism over idealism, all these play a role in the story, and could elicit a lightbulb or two in the minds of those willing to wonder again. 2.) Its surprisingly character driven. The Supreme Intelligence makes a pretty strong stamp as a unique villain, Wonder Man and Vision have some nice characterization, Iron Man's pragmatism vs. Captain America's "by the book"ism, Sersi and Hercules' old school divine ethos vs. the (let's by honest) navel gazing of the modern day Avengers...even Captain Atlas and the Starjammers get some room to define themselves. and 3.) some well placed humor throughout the crossover.

What are some weaknesses? Well, first off, its just the first volume, and the second volume will have one of the most memorable climaxes for a crossover. Secondly, the art is (very) uneven, and it seems even the reproduction of the coloring is uneven. The Quasar issues are hard to look at, but the Wonderman and Avengers chapters (illustrated by Jeff Johnson and Steve Epting) hold up not only well, but very well. The story starts off slowly and unremarkably. To the modern eye trained to over realism-ify the superhero genre, the notion of Captain America wearing a trenchcoat and walking into a diner in Arizona may induce a groan or two. But the story picks up once the Avengers split up and go after the empires. The story will require a heavy dose of Avengers-background--if you don't know the relationship between Vision and Wonder man, and if you don't know that the Kree have been culturally stagnant for millenia (from the classic Kree/Skrull war from the early 70s), then much of the nuance of the tale may be lost.

I'm probably reviewing this volume through rose-colored glasses, remembering the good ole House of Ideas, but I think the story nonetheless holds up on its own merits. Its not a Bronze Age story, its not a Dark Age story, it's certainly not a Silver Age story, Galactic Storm is its own entity, built from Marvel's history and the diverse characterization in the Avengers family, taken to a logical conclusion. That, is a good story.

If you can find it, buy it; I believe it is now out of print. I love stories with pirates. This one is one of the best. Lucian, the pirate finds that his arch enemy's fiance Sarina is aboard a ship he raids. As he wants revenge on the guy, he intends to steal her virtue. The enemy, a conniving jerk, only wants her money so she is better off without him. The book captures you right from the beginning. The ending was everything I wanted it to be. I understand this was the first historical romance by this author. The second is Beloved Intruder which I found and am now reading (so far very good). I will not stop until I find all of Ms. Van Nuys' books. She has an incredible gift of story telling. As I said, I'm current reading my second Joan Van Nuys book and have another unread yet in my book shelf. They seem to all have completely different story lines, therefore, I don't think they need to be read in any specific order. If you find them, get them, you won't regret it.

Set in Texas and spanning many years on a international stage, BLood Avenger adresses the political, cororate-power and drug racketeering arena as tentacles of one marauding monster. The novel moves relentlessly en route to a confrontational encounter that states a persuasive case for the relavence of ancient Hebrew law to a modern day society.
That prevailing quality of ruthfulness has a great deal to do with a Mexico-into Texas cartel whose pillar of society members can commit mayhem without a second thought, confident of their own ownership of a corrupt political establishment.Haber's voice varies from first to third person, capturing the the atmospheric and cultural details essential to each milieu
Blood Avenger is a humane and affecting work that draws its greater momentum from preditory misdeeds and intimate tradgedy. A classic roman-noir set-up, in other words, and one that benefits from the author's freshness of approach, his eye for atmosheric detail and ear for conversational dialogue, and his generosity as a storyteller. Mike Price, Entertainment Editor, Fort Worth Business Press

I love Norma Howe's books. And this, the third in her series of "Blue Avenger" novels for young adults, provides plenty of thought-fodder. Reading this book doesn't necessarily force the reader into a contemplatative state... it entices it, teases it forth from that part of the reader's mind that is too often lulled into a stupor when reading books aimed at younger readers. Norma Howe will have none of that complacency, all while providing a captivating, thrilling story with amiable (if somewhat altriistic) characters you wish you knew in high school. Blue Avenger (a.k.a. David Bruce Schumacher) leads an ordinary - yet peculiarly exciting - teenaged life, lending credibility to even the most bizarre set of circumstances. Truly a challenging and enjoyable read, this book heightens the mythos surrounding our regular kid "superhero." I received my copy as a gift - and I have yet to find a way to adequately thank the giver. Norma Howe will altar the way you see some of the most commonly-accepted (or even ignored) details we've all taken for granted.

So just whose side are you on? Are you with the strict Iron Man, who seeks for all mutants and superhumans to register with the government. Thus making their identity public. Or are you with the AWOL Captain America, who seeks freedom in his heroism and doesn't think superheroes should have to become "lapdogs" to the government so to speak.

With gorgeous artwork and a GREAT storyline spanning across several Marvel series this year... Civil War is a good reason to become a comic book fan.

When I first pick this up I wasn't expecting much. However, I read it with gusto and felt sheer pleasure. The story seems more real, it feels as if the super-heroes are three dimensional. Two reporters are caught between a raging war between those for and against a new form of policing super-heroes. Thanks to a few super-heroes a tragedy took place and the sole survivor fights to clear his name and facing horrific odds. This is a graphic novel that is white knuckled and fast paced filled with action. Those who are fans of Marvel should pick this up. And whose side are you on?

Bendis's run on Daredevil has been one of the best ever. Much better than Miller's. That's right, I said it. This book's been building from the beginning, and it only gets better here. Bendis's crime noir past is apparent and very welcome, and Maleev's art is probably the best matched to a book that I can think of. The Volume 5 HC is gonna be the real gem, but this one includes the 'King of Hell's Kitchen' and 'The Widow' storylines, both of which were great. I suggest picking up all the hardcovers, as they don't really cost you any more than the trades and everything about them is great. Sad to see Bendis and Maleev go.