Avenger Books

Best book on this subject I have ever read. Easy to read, thoughtful, funny and practical. Common sense in paperback.

I am impressed with the wealth of information available in this book. We have a problem with clutter and I have already begun using her ideas! Throwing things out, making a rolodex of where items are and labeling cabinets so items go where they belong. I also tried borax for cleaning my marble bathroom sink and it did a better job then anything else I've ever tried.

I like how the book is written and if an item relates to something else in the book, it tells you what page to find the related item on so you don't have to search for it. This one book covers what 3-4 of my others books combined cover! I think the book was worth every penny.

Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity

great tips. I can't wait to start cleaning green. The one thing that would be great is if the book had a list that summerized the cleaning supplies that were needed to clean each room. How many spray bottles do I need and what is in each bottle? I have started to go through the book again and write down my own list, but it is a bit scattered. Does anyone have their own list?

If I could only own one book on keeping a greener home, this would be it. There are tips on everything from opening a clogged drain to homemade beauty products. This book is never out of reach at my house now!!

I was so excited about the changes brought about in my house by using the tips in this book, that I ordered a three pack of the Dutch Rubber Broom she describes in the text (a garage broom, a kitchen broom, and a hand broom for the car, for 9.99 plus S&H). The company overcharged me (19.99 instead of 9.99), and then messed up my order (just gave me the garage broom). When I confronted them with this, they first stated that they didn't have a three broom offer, then when I forwarded them their own web page, they still refused to correct the error, stating that the error was on my part, because that isn't what is reflected on the order.

The gal on the email and phone argued with me rudely. She admitted that others have had the same issue, but it was because they were, like myself, incapable of reading a web page correctly. I have been reading since the age of three, and I'm a computer programmer, so I think I have a firm grasp of how to navigate a web page.

My option, at this point, is to pay to ship the garage broom back to them unused and get my twenty dollars back (roughly the price of shipping), or to give them another $20 and have them graciously ship me the rest of my order. Their adamant claim, of course, is that they had fulfilled my order, and it isn't their issue in the first place to even address this. The route to speak with someone higher on the food chain was short-circuited by this same rude person. Just a warning, in case you wanted to give that broom a try. The book: fabulous! The broom company: leaves much to be desired. I wish I'd never bothered.

UPDATE: I was fortunate enough to be able to contact the book's author (WOW), and she actually fixed the problem with the company. Can you believe it? I couldn't have even dreamed of a better response from an author. It's unfathomable to me. For the fact that she really cares enough to go the extra mile for a complete stranger who is willing to listen to her advice, I'm profoundly grateful, and would give her more than the five stars her writing has earned her, if it were possible. Neat! If you're deliberating whether you'll buy this or not, just do it for the sake of giving your greenbacks to a real person with real compassion and real action in her intentions. I'm floored and am ready to check out her gardening books, just for this reason!

If the Leader and friends and Gamma Sentinels weren't enough of a problem, how about some teammates being take over and used against you. Wolverine you wouldn't expect, and wouldn't want to face, the Scarlet Witch is scary, and Rogue's mind is a little fragile to start with. Then there is still the Hulk to worry about, speaking of unstable.

I absolutely loved this book and I will recomend this book series to anyone who reads X-men books. This is pure action with The Hulk and Captain America kickin some real butt. The first book is just as good even though it has a slow start but read it cause this 2nd book is the best. But MY GOD you just have to read this! Thanx for readin!

I have witnessed some great battles. Like the battle of five armies in the hobbit. The battle at Helms Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The battle between Luke and Darth Vader. The countless battle that took place during the Age of Apocolypse storyline. The battle between the X-men, The Avengers and The Hulk definetly rates among these great battles.

I was very impressed with the super skrull. Along with having shape shifting abilities, he has the power of all four members of the fantastic four. Those powers coupled with the x-men, avengers, and hulk's powers. There was nothing else to call him but ultimate skrull.

I also really enjoyed in the end how Scarlet Witch and Rogue put aside there differences after all they had been through. Especially since Wanda also remembered that she to had a checkered past.

After all, the X-Men have several. This is a review of book#1 (the data base tends to mix them all together.) Greg Cox reminds me of Roy Thomas writing Marvel comics in the 60's and 70's. He can take the Marvel characters and advance them a step further while maintaining their original essence and actually improve on them. I never really liked the Hulk and Iron Man that much until I read this book. I also liked his approach to the relationship between the post-divorce Vision and Scarlet Witch. The climax battle at Niagra Falls is awesome; it is as vivid as an actual comic book while supplying details that could only be described in prose. It takes a good writer to do that.

The Avengers are caught in the middle of two warlike alien races that have been going at it a long time, the Kree, and the shapeshifting Skrulls. Captain Marvel is from the Kree race, so it was almost inevitable that he would become involved. This drags the Avengers in with him, as they realise the conflict could endanger their own planet, as well as others.

As a kid, I always recognized Neal Adams as "that good drawer." I was immediately drawn to the realism and dramatic flair of his artwork. He really shines in the story in which Ant-Man explores the Vision's inner workings, a la Fantastic Voyage. As good as he is, though, he's only slightly better than John Buscema. JB's work remains very underrated.

Roy Thomas' storytelling...well, it's hard to be kind. It's not just that it sounds dated (the dialog is atrocious), but it doesn't seem that he had a coherent story in mind. It just meanders along.

Get it if you're a fan of the Avengers and Adams and Buscema. Don't expect much from the story, though.

In the early 1970's there was perhaps no finer comicbook writer than Roy Thomas and no finer artist than Neal Adams. When the pair teamed up on a run of Avengers from #89 to #97, they created one of the most legendary stories in Avenger's history that continues to be powerful more than 30 years later.

At the start of the story we learn about the alien races of the Kree and Skrulls. The Kree are a paternalistic, arrogant race of highly advanced beings who jump-started the early men who would become the Inhumans and now consider Earth to be a threat to their dominance. The Skrulls are a race of shape-shifters who receive far less respect than the Kree, although they`re really no more evil. The two races hate one another, and each is now under the leadership of an usurper who urges war.

Earth finds itself in the wrong place caught in the middle between the two warring races. And the Avengers are taken to the Andromeda galaxy where they aid their ally, the Kree-born Captain Marvel. This ends up being a story well ahead of it's time. By the time the late 1980's and 90's came around these kind of multi-issue, cosmic reaching storylines were all the norm with thigs like Secret Wars, Infinty Gauntlet, and countless others, but this story took place back in 1971 and 1972. The run would display some classic Neal Adams Covers including #96 with the Vision pummelling an alien nearly to death.

While a bit dated today, particularly in regard to the overly dramatic speech of the characters, it nevertheless was a complex storyline that foreshadowed many storylines 20 years down the road and remains a classic.

Before every superhero was at each other's throat, and before the Avengers were disassembled, reassembled, and misassembled; legendary creators Roy Thomas and Neal Adams crafted one of the undoubtedly best stories in the Avengers mythos, and it is the very definition of a superhero epic. The Kree-Skrull War, which the fallout of still echos in Marvel comics to this very day, finds Earth in the crossfire of the interstellar war between the alien races of the Kree and the shape changing Skrulls. Defending the planet, and slowly finding public opinion going against them, are Earth's mightiest heroes, the Avengers. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Vision, the Scarlet Witch, and more alongside Captain Mahr-Vel and Rick Jones among others are all here, and they all leave their mark. Though the dialogue may be dated by today's standards, the Kree-Skrull War is still fun to read today and is one of the best superhero stories ever written. Neal Adams' iconic artwork remains some of the best to ever grace these characters, and it's easy to see why he is still refered to today as being the best artist in the long running history of the Avengers comics. All in all, the Kree-Skrull War is possibly the most essential Avengers story, well, ever; and it deserves to be discovered by generation after generation.

If the great cover of this book doesn't grab you, then the story will!

Roy Thomas, one of Marvel's best writers ever & arguably most famed for his superlative Conan series, produces the best story in the Avengers' long run, as they battle far from Earth in the Kree-Skrull war.

The Kree, first seen as would be invaders of Earth in Marvel's Captain Marvel (not Shazam's good Captain - lately - from DC)book are facing off against their bitter enemies the Skrull, from all the way back in # 2 of the Fantastic Four. I bought the latter when it first came out (yeah, OK, I'm really old!) and also bought the original run of Captain Marvel. Even at that age I recall being interested in the FF book, being intrigued to buy a book featuring such odd looking heros after getting into comics through DC's clean cut stars. Even at that age I recall wondering what had happened to the 4th Skrull after seeing the other 3 of their expeditionary force in the last panel of the FF's book. (I don't want to go on as I might give away some of the Avenger's story here).

Well, Roy uses this small slip on Stan Lee's/Jack Kirby's part as a way to springboard this story into sending the Avenger's across the galaxy to intervene in a war that threaten's our planet too, as well as clear their name as it is besmirched by a politician bent on office through dragging their reputation through the mud.

I can't recommend this book enough. Others may feel the more recent Avengers Forever mini series is the best Avengers story arc ever. My money's on this one!!! Buy it, you won't be disapointed!

Collecting one of the best Avengers stories ever printed. A thrilling read that any real Avengers fan would love to own.

WOW!

Baron Zemo reforms the Masters of Evil -- gathering a team that outnumbers and outguns its predecessors -- and coordinates an attack on Captain America and The Avengers in an attempt to break their spirits. Left in their devastating wake are a tortured Jarvis and a battered, broken and comatose Hercules.

Roger Stern scripts a groundbreaking story, showing just how ruthless evil can be, and John Buscema and Tom Palmer masterfully illustrate it. It's obvious to me that these creative minds have inspired many of today's talents.

DC comic lovers, drop your five issues of Batman and Superman and experience Marvel at its best in this trade paper back. Marvelites, you know you have to pick this bad boy up. Fans of the subversive styles of The Authority, Thunderbolts and Rising Stars, read where these subversive styles all started. Under Seige is a must have for all.

I'd been reading the Avengers on and off for about 2 years and had been a Marvel fan for most of my life. I bought this on a whim, thinking to update on some Avenger's history. I was truly amazed at what I got.

While the art wasn't the great stuff we get in todays comics, it was decent enough. What was really worth it, though, was the storyline. Bringing together a group of tough super-villains and resurrecting an old idea (that of the "master of evil"), the story proved to be quite worth my time.

Showing some of the all time best Avengers, including Thor, Captain America and Hercules, the battles were truly unforgettable. While there isn't any single thing that makes it truly spectacular, the whole story is well-rounded, enticing and fast-paced, easily accessbile and understandable. It's something that once you pick up, you can't put down. It's well-worth what its charged for.

This Trade paperback collects Avengers issues (gasp) 270 - 277 (minus 272) of the original Avengers run, volume 1 from the mid-1980's. Scripted by Roger Stern and with art by the ever reliable John Buscema and Tom Palmer, the Masters of Evil led by Baron Zemo actually manage to defeat the Avengers and take over the Avengers mansion itself. The Team at that time was a relatively weaker group that included Captain America, the Wasp, the Black Knight, Hercules, and Captain Marvel II (the black female version) with Thor as an occasional guest star.

The Masters of Evil were always a fun group of villians. Really a throwback to 1960's silver-age era baddies. Bad but not exactly evil per se. They hust always seemed to have a jones-on for the Avengers. A fun storyline with out having the endless plot threads that infect so many modern day comics. Good read and solid if unspectacular art.

"Avengers: Under Siege" is arguably one of the most memorable storylines in the Avengers' long history. Granted, it does not have the scope of the classic cosmic tales like "Kree-Skrull War" and "Celestial Madonna". In fact, the whole work feels a little too "earthy" and the action is mainly limited to one place - Avengers Mansion. But what ACTION it is! The Masters of Evil, in their most powerful incarnation EVER, invades Avengers Mansion and takes over it!

Roger Stern is a solid Marvel writer in the 1980s under the editorship of Jim Shooter. We rarely see such dependable work-horse comic-writers today. "Under Siege" remains one of Sterns greatest writings (along with his work on Dr. Strange). There is an almost effortless feel to the way Stern seems to nail down the characterization of all the characters (most notably on the second-stringers like Black Knight, Hercules, Wasp, etc.) John Buscema and Tom Palmer provides the art. The art really shines in the last chapter when the heavyweights like Thor and Captain America join the fray to reclaim Avengers Mansion. We see the restrain and control in Buscema's powerful art - Thor vs. Goliath, Cap vs. Wrecker and finally Cap vs. Baron Zemo. A lesser artist, thinking he's the next-Kirby, would have drawn the whole thing in a loose, in-your-face, full page splash, zero storytelling style. But not Buscema and Palmer. See their art here and you'll know why Buscema was THE Marvel artist of the 1970s and 80s.

The book came to me quickly, and of course was in excellent condition. The main story itself was romantic and wonderful, but not in an over-the-top or cheesy way, which made it perfect for me. The artwork is gorgeous, but in a couple of the later one-shot stories it seems the characters moved a little too fast without much reason. Don't let that detract from buying this manga though, it's fantastic!

The story is about love at first sight. Micah is a ruthless person when it comes to getting what he wants. Yuuki is a shy hotel owner that only think of others. They meet in a bar after taking shelter from the rain and there is an instant attraction between the two. As you may have guessed someone tries to come between them. Micah's male asst. tells him that he is in love with him and to make matters worst Micah has a fiance! What he does to get Yuuki is really enough to make you believe in love. This is a really good story and when you meet Yuuki's brother it makes you wish the story has a part two. I know he made wish there was.

This book was wonderful! Four different stories of which the first two were subtly connected and the last two with some of the same characters. There is much yoai goodness and I recommend reading it! The scenes are wonderful and expressions adorable! It's a must for your yoai collection!

(slight spoilers, so if you dont want 'em dont' read my review)

First story-(high school setting) Shirou has a spectacle fetish and when he notices that Sataru Sorachi wears glasses he can't help but be mean to this man he's become attracted to, but its all a big missunderstanding between the two and this story comes to a climax after Shirou almost kisses Sorachi while he's asleep. (three chapters of their exciting relationship)

Second Story-(same school) After an embarrassing incident where Sawai, the super hot guy that every gril fawns over, stumbles upon his friend Minami, the two become quite closer. Minami becomes confused by his feelings-of jealousy?-from watching girls ask out his friend and Sawai having told him before that "I'm not interested in girls." Even though they help eachother reach a pinacle of physical pleasure, are they still just friends? And how could Sawai "not" be interested in girls? (1 chap)

Third Story- A gay detective meets a very handsome bartender at a cafe while eating lunch thier with his assistant and immediately falls for the attrctive man and his "sweet smile," but when Detective Noritaka stops coming in everyday Nanase gets worried and has to check up on him. (1 chap)

Fourth Story-Same assistant, Ichi is the main character. He is in love with his childhood friend, Tetsuji, who is two years younger than him but with far better grades and looks with pure talent in everything he does. After celebrating, (drinking), Tetsuji passing his exams, Ichi goes all brotherly, saying Tetsuji must still visit even though he's moving and wishing him the best only to be shocked by an "I'm sorry" and fleeting kiss good-bye (for the night). Moping at the office with confusion, he finally gets answers when he goes home to find guess who waiting for him? (1 chap)

My personal favorite was the 2nd story, second fav was the 3rd, and third fav the 1st! The stories are absolutely cute, hot, and loveable!

Four story, interconnected two by two.

Shirou has a fetish for spectacles. He thinks to be able to find attractive every person wears them. And so when he is drawn by Satoshi, he thinks cause he wears spectacles. But then he sees him without them and he has to admit that it is love, love for a guy.

Sawai and Minami have a friendship with benefit... they are lovers. Buth Minami fears that Sawai can fall in love for a girl and he is jelaous, even if he has never said I love you to him... he doesn't think Sawai can reciprocate the feeling.

Saegusa is a private investigator who falls in love for Nanase, the bartender he sees everyday at lunch. But Nanase seems so distant and never accepts his hints, until Saegusa lose one of their one o'clock lunch appointment.

Tetsuji and Ichi are childhood friends. Now Ichi has a work and Tetsuji wins a scolarship for a distant city: their friendship has to end and Ichi has never had the courage to admit his love for his friend. And then Tetsuji makes his move...

The first two story are about teens and the other two about young men. Still they are pretty innocent. Maybe I have endured much more by a lot of novel and also by the previous manga I have read, but I have found this one a little tamed.

I have found interesting the first person point of view that it is used first by a character and then by the other, like a ball in a gamefield... I feel so, game, what do you feel?, game, I love you, game, do you love me?, POINT.

this is a very cute, touchy feely little yaoi book. not to say it isn't awesome, but despite the fact that it has sex scenes the overall feeling is sort of like "awww...." the first love story of the title is very good and solid, plus the detective stories, which feature some actual adult protagonists, who look like adults and everything! and the sex is a bit more original than the typical stuff, which is also appreciated.

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.

Just as was done in the Starman series by James Robinson, they take 2nd tier heroes and make them interesting with much better writing. The extras showing the first appearance of the heroes was fun.

Macnee is. "The Avengers and Me" gives the reader a true sense of just what type of man Patrick Macnee is, more so, I feel, than his autobiography, "Blind in One Ear."

And while he downplays his role and acting abilities, we all know better. During the past few years, I'd taken to listening to his audio tapes of the "Sean Dillion" (Jack Higgins) stories, and his ability to take other's works and add so much character to them is astonishing. This book will not disappoint.

For true lovers of the show, this is a "must have" book. For those who strive to learn what makes the best actors tick, this is a "must have" book. Finally, if you want to learn a little more about British culture, this is a "must have" book.

If you are a fan of "The Avengers" series and even have a recollection of "The New Avengers" series, you will love What this book also tells us is how the participants did not particularly have as much fun making the series as we did watching them. When Diana Rigg announced that coal miners were making more than they were--a remark that did not endear her to coal miners--or when the cast of "The New Avengers" found they were not going to be paid--or when Joanna Lumley stood up at a gathering and let the others know how hard the cast worked while everyone else partied, we begin to reconsider what came over the tube in a new light and admire the actors even more for not showing their displeasure before the cameras.

As is common today in "confess all" autobiographies, Macnee is quite honest about his weight and drinking problems; and more interestingly, about his feelings of inferiority before such "real" actors (as he puts it late in the book) as Diana Rigg and Ian McKellen (but not Orson Welles, for reasons that you will find in the last chapter).

This edition boasts lots of good stills, especially the color shots of Honor Blackman episodes which we know only in black and white. I feel it could have used more behind-the-camera anecdotes and I certainly miss an index. But what there is is quite good and fans will certainly love it all.

This is a good book. It is very good reading about that famous British import TV show. It is very insightful. I recommend this highly. Good reading!

"The Avengers & Me" is a very good book if you love that wonderful British import to American TV. Patrick MacNee is really at the core of this book as he is without a doubt the one and only John Steed. It's really from his perspective. It is very insightful and full of great stories about the workings of this great TV show. A must have if you grew up with it.

This is a "Must Have" if You are an Avengers Fan. The book focus mostly on Mr Mc.Nee history along the show from the begining to the end,included The New Avengers. It also includes a number of interviews to the different people involved in the show. Is like "The Biography of Mr Mc Nee". The photographs are great and it has plenty. Just a small complain:The book does not extend too much about the musical scores. But is a great book! Perhaps readers will be disapointed if they looking for an episode guide because that is not included. A detailed ep.guide can be founded in the other book of the Avengers "The Avenger Companion" But the two books does not repeat any information, so is great to have both and both complement each other.

It's great to finally find a book with some humor in it. It pokes fun at all of the deaths in comics today with a 2x4. If you enjoyed the JLI (bwa ha ha league) then this might be something to pick up.

Great comic, very funny. If you need a comic that is funny and a good read you should check this one out. Funny characters and situations they get into.

Dan Slott is one of the most underrated writers in mainstream comics today. Perhaps best known for his run on the surprisingly good She-Hulk, Slott does Marvel's version of Formerly Known as the Justice League with G.L.A.: Misassembled; a mini-series taking place during the disassembling of the Avengers. A bunch of D-league superheroes (maybe even lower), known as the Great Lakes Avengers tries to become the real deal with the real Avengers gone, but as they soon find out, that's easier said than done. Especially when an old Avengers villain comes out of the woodwork with a plan that could destroy, well, everything. What really makes G.L.A. so good is Slott's hilarious dialogue and story that not only pokes fun at the superhero genre, but comic books in general. Not to mention the not so subtle jab at Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis mini-series for DC; G.L.A. features many memorably inefficient heroes (including leader Mr. Immortal, as well as an obese, bulemic heroine by night and supermodel by day). What G.L.A. really does the best though is remind us in this doom and gloom age of comics is that they can still do the one thing they were meant to do in the first place: be a fun escape. Paul Pelletier (Exiles) provides solid art to boot. The only real downside is that G.L.A. is short, too short. That aside, there's some extra issues thrown in here, including John Byrne's issue of West Coast Avengers which introduces the heroes featured here. All in all, though it doesn't get a 5-star rating, G.L.A. is still worth picking up, and is one of the more fun comics to come out in quite some time.

This is, hands down, the funniest Marvel story I've seen. If you like comic books even a little, and can appreciate a few jokes at their expense, this is a must-read. My only complaint about it is that the G.L.A. mini was only four issues long. This is definitely something that needs to be an ongoing series. Fortunately for G.L.A. fans though, and if you aren't one yet you will be after reading Misassembled, they also threw in the original appearance of the G.L.A. as well as the first and only previous appearance of Squirrel Girl. They're not as great as the main story, but they do prove that it was possible to write funny comics upwards of twenty years ago, and hey, six issues for the price of four. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This TPB is awesome! One of the funniest titles (on purpose) that I have read in a long time. Author Dan Slott knows exactly how to stage a joke (his shot at DC's Identity Crisis was perfectly timed) and he is clearly familiar with the Marvel Universe (come on when was the last time you saw Paladin or Captain Ultra in a comic book?)!

The 4-issue premise centers around D- Level characters: Mr. Immortal, Door-Man, Flat-Man, Big Bertha, Dinah Saur, Grasshopper, and Squirrel Girl (with her sidekick Monkey Joe) and their battle to save the universe from total extinction simply because a villain realizes that whenever a plan is hatched in New York too many heroes are around to stop it...so he moves to Wisconsin.

The jokes come at a rocket-fire pace and yet through it all I still felt like I was reading an actual hero adventure that had some gravity to it. Did I mention a team member dies in all 4 chapters (one of them 5.7 seconds after officially joining the team)? Artist Paul Pelletier puts together a solid layout reminiscent of John Byrne in his hayday (Byrne was the original creator of most of these characters).

I cannot imagine a comicbook fan who wouldn't get enjoyment out of this book. It does for Marvel what "Formerly Known as the Justice League" did for DC. Check it out...but beware Leather Boy!!!!

Monkey Joe...we hardly knew ya!

SEQUEL! HOUSE OF IDEAS I DEMAND A SEQUEL!

For a light-hearted whimsical view of the Avengers, read this book. There are wondeful categories that the other books just don't have. Everything from fights to a champagne count is included in this book. The authors rate everything on a 5-star scale. See if your favorite episodes are the same as theirs.

This is actually pretty good Avengers reference book, for a reasonable price. You can get other episode guides, but if you're looking for one that is not a coffee table book, and you don't care if there are color pictures (B&W only in here), this is highly recommended. It has some nice essays/articles from the experts, and gives a summary of each season as a whole as well. The author gives an episode summary, then rates each one with a star system on wit, humour, 60's Concerns, "And a Young..." and kinkiness, which is really helpful if you're looking for the episodes with the most B&D in them to rent. Not that I would know, I mean, that's uhhh what I've heard anyway.

Like two bookends they were. John Steed and Kathy Gale? John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel? John Steed and Tara King? You decide. "The Avengers" was a popular 1960's British fantasy-adventure series that focused on the exploits of a male-female duo in the service of the British government. The series underwent several changes of its female lead but its one constant male lead was John Steed always portrayed by the debonair Patrick Macnee (Originally the John Steed had two male partners but that format eventually changed). Kathy Gale portrayed by Honor Blackman became Steed's first female partner. However, when Honor Blackman departed the series and Diana Rigg entered as Mrs. Emma Peel, the show became an international sensation. Rigg brought sophistication, wit, charm and beauty, which hid her lethal and highly visual judo and karate abilities. Macnee and Rigg complemented each other beautifully with their carefree witty and charming exchange of dialogue. The show distinguished itself with bizarre and futuristic villains and fantastic plots. Popular at the height of the James Bond craze, the show was able to distinguish itself with its simply over-the-top visual style. Laurie Johnson's catchy and sophisticated main title theme matched the visuals of the show and still conjures up an image of the series when listened to today. I can still see the distinctive main title. When Diana Rigg left the series, Linda Thorson entered as John Steed's new partner Tara King. The series soon went off the air in the United States. It was a shame because the episodes with Tara King were quite good. The King episodes seemed to be a little more down to earth and contained some very good writing and intricate plotting. In any event series definitely left its mark amongst the finest. The episode guide format of this book is very good. Well written. I am not that fond of "The New Avengers" or Sean Connery's weak Avengers movie (even though it did have a good score). This is a must-have book for your library if you are an "The Avengers" fan.

I like that this is the only book (that I know of) with a highly entertaining, critical analysis of each episode, as every other guide I've read only features boring, objective synopses. However, I have to question the judgement of anyone who gives "What the Butler Saw" anything short of a raving review, and who gives that lame Avengers movie (starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman) a positive review. I also have to ponder the heterosexuality (I hate sounding so un-PC, but let's face, Emma's name IS derived from the term "Man Appeal," and she is the MAIN reason I, as well as anyone else who's attracted to women, regardless of gender, love the show) of someone who can only describe Emma's sultry dance of the seven veils, from "Honey for the Prince," as "plodding." All that aside, the authors do share an overall appreciation for the show, and any fan of the Avengers is all right in my book (which, by the way, I'm sure THEY'D gleefully criticize).

Avengers Dossier sparkles with a short witty synposis of each episode. The essays at the end of the book were enjoyable but raised tantalizing questions. Ian Hendry,the original costar, Honor Blackman, and the wonderful Diana Rigg each left to pursue a film career and other options.

McNee admits that Hendry had amusing but critical things to say of the producers. Rigg was ready to leave after the first year because of low pay (ironic that she was paid less than the cameraman! when she was making them rich) and other frustrations. In one of his books McNee admits he never realized how badly she was treated but when he learned of their nasty verbal abuse to the young Linda Thorson he accompanied her to her interviews with the producers to keep them civil. How much money was made each year from the show? What were the actors paid? Apparently the stars of the New AVengers were cheated of their pay the last few weeks. What sort of racket was going on? Did the producers scheme to secretly replace the wonderful Diana Rigg so they could get someone cheaper and more naive who wouldn't question her appalling treatment at their hands?

Writer Roger Marshall's departure left the show the poorer scriptwise. Despite Clemmens negative and nasty comments regarding Diana Rigg it is her shows that I watch, not his poorly written post Rigg ones. I began to notice weaker scripts midway through the color season: Death of a Great Dane, 50,000 Breakfast, See through Man are rather boring. Clemens produced some duds- The Producers was such an incredible waste of talent- Nyree Dawn Porter and Robert Vaughan were wasted in material so badly written I could have done better. Patrick McNee, a gentleman, appears too trusting. After seeing Clemens dreadful The Pretenders and the godawful scripts of the last year of the Avengers that Thorson and he were stuck with, how could he have trusted Clemens to write good material? In retrospect, the success of the original avengers belongs to Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, McNee, wonderful directors, and writers Philip Levene and Roger Marshall. Were they replaced with inferior writers and directors because they were cheaper? Different from DAve Peters books but great fun. Everyone has their favorite AVengers episode but mine is not Touch of Brimstone- The Gravediggers and HOney for the Prince both have far more wit.

This book works well as a sequel to 'the Adventures of Blue Avenger,' it picks up more or less where 'adventures' ended, but is clearly its own story. I'm not going to give much away, but it involves a trip to Europe, a historical mystery, Shakespeare, and yes, a code to be cracked. Part of the story is based on 'the Merchant of Venice.' The themes of personal integrity and helpfulness are still strongly present, which I was pleased about, and this time the undercurrent is more academic and historical than philosophical.

I am a huge fan of the Blue Avenger series, I first read them when I was in high school, and I can still appreciate them at 25. This particular book would be perfect for a high schooler who is studying Shakespeare at school. It would make the work much more interesting, I think.

I do not want to sound like a Star Wars fanatic, so I will say that this general formula is a tried and true method for any trilogy or three-act play. Norma Howe did a wonderful job of writing the first Blue Avenger novel! The story was MUCH more cerebral than most teenage books (I'm 31 and I like it), yet understandable and entertaining. But, at the end of it, Blue seems on top of the world. How, can she write a sequel that will be just as interesting without rehashing the original plotline? Into what I call "the Empire Strikes Back method". In the 2nd act of any good trilogy, our heroes must face problems that the reader (or viewer) earnestly feels may be too much for them. (E.G. In TESB, the rebels are routed from Hoth, Han & Leia are betrayed and captured, and Luke must face the mighty Darth Vader while only half-trained) In this 2nd act, Omaha is embittered and pulls away from Blue, the anti-bullet law may be revoked, and Blue's car is destroyed. Indeed, he seems at an all-time low, with all his triumphs of Act I reversed on him. Read on to see what happens.

And also, while I don't agree with all of Mrs. Howe's ideas on free will in the 1st book, she does let the reader think-something most authors don't do anymore. Notice how a subject most youngsters find...uninteresting is expounded on in this book in such a way that makes you truly interesting in Shakespeare, Edward de Vere, and even word puzzles.

One more thing, Blue's integrity is proven in this book. Despite his hormones urging him to the dark side, he intently stays true to Omaha, not even entertaining unfaithful thoughts about another girl. Commendable! Blue truly is a superhero!

I do not want to give away the plot, so remember my vague refernce to TESB, and bore on full speed ahead at Warp Factor 9! (Oops, wrong show!)

i think the below reviewer's writing is a fairly good reflection of his intellectual capacity.

don't trust his judgment, it's a great book-- he just wasn't able to appreciate it.


the writing is not "boring," and the writer does not use "random" words. her style is excellent, a refreshing respite from the dull writing that fills most "young adult" books these days.

Blue Avenger: Cracks the Code
By: Norma Howe


This is the second book I read this trimester. The is book is about how David who changed his name to Blue Avenger is trying to figure out a lot of different codes and figure out his love life. Blue is 15 and he has a girlfriend named Omaha. In the beginning of the book he gets a chance to send Omaha to Italy to see his dad. She comes back very disappointed, her dad told the story about how they a banded her. After that Omaha and Blue weren't going steady anymore. Meanwhile Dr. Wood is getting Blue into a new mystery about Shakespeare. He said it was all written by "Edward de Vere" the 15th earl of Oxford. So later in the book he finds out that that the information is false and that Edward de Vere never really existed. And Shakespeare really was "Edward de Vere", but now Dr. Wood and Blue are going to go to Europe to investigate. Read the book to find out if Blue or Dr. Wood is right; also find out what will happen with Omaha and Blue.

This book was very boring to read because everything went very slow and book never seemed to progress. I couldn't feel like I was in the book because all of characters seemed so unreal. The main conflict did not interest me; it was about Shakesphere and love. I hate both of those kinds of books. The characters were not realistic because they have the most unreal thing happen and they act like nobody ever would. The ending to the book sucked because nothing really happened all that happened was somebody won an argument big whoop.


The author's voice was in the third person. The author used a lot of random words that I didn't understand or don't make since in the sentence. The author didn't really use many different characteristics. I think the author used too much description and not enough dialogue. The tone of the book was very monotone. Nothing really seemed to happen. I think the author should have done more dialogue in the book.


If I had to rate this book I would give it a 5/10 because it was really boring and in comparison the was really slow and had no point to it. I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone because it was horrible, boring and nothing ever really seemed to happen.

I think this qualifies and the worst book I read and if I wasn't forced to continue reading it I wouldn't have. I think the author could have made the book more interesting if he rewrote the thing with a good storyline. This was the absolute worst book EVER!!! Don't read it.

In Norma Howe's first book, THE ADVENTURES OF BLUE AVENGER, her main character David Schumacher changes his name to "Blue Avenger" and becomes a self-made hero. In the sequel, BLUE AVENGER CRACKS THE CODE, the adventure continues.

The book opens as Blue is reading through his father's old books, which have remained untouched since his death three years before. The last book on his list is THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, and Blue begins to wonder who the real Bard was. Could it have actually been Shakespeare or was it Edward De Vere, the relatively unknown 17th Earl of Oxford? Blue, his best friend Louis DeSoto, and Louis's sister Drusie all travel to Venice in order to solve this enigma.

The three friends navigate through many mysteries on this fateful trip. When the time comes for them to board the plane for their long journey home, you wonder if they will be able to resume their normal lives --- or will author extraordinaire Howe treat us to yet another installment? One can only hope that Blue will have more codes to crack in the near future.

--- Reviewed by Audrey Marie Danielson