Essential Avengers - Volume 6 [Paperback]

I've been a long time fan of the Avengers comic book, but I have never fully understood the name. The Fantastic Four were a quartet, the Defenders defended the Earth against evil and the X-Men owed their name to Professor Xavier. The Avengers, however, weren't truly avenging anything. It's just one of those random thoughts that ran through my head as I read Essential Avengers Volume 6.

This volume covers issues 120-140 of the Avengers comic, along with Giant Size Avengers 1-4, Captain Marvel #33 and Fantastic Four #150. Although the exact lineup would change over this time span, the central members would be the Vision, Scarlet Witch, Mantis, Iron Man and Thor. Among others also participating are Black Panther, Hawkeye, Captain America, Beast, Yellowjacket, Wasp and Swordsman. And since this is the team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the villains are pretty tough too, including Ultron, Thanos, the Zodiac, Dormammu and Klaw.

The main villain, however, during this set of issues is clearly Kang the Conqueror, who, among other things, has his eyes set on marrying the Mantis who apparently is also something called the Celestial Madonna. Of course, as always, he will fail, but there are a number of marriages in this issue, most notably between the Vision and Scarlet Witch and between Quicksilver and Crystal. This volume will also provide the full origins of both the Mantis and Vision.

As always, the Avengers remain entertaining, and these issues are helped by the presence of many core members - Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Vision and Scarlet Witch - although the other superheroes typically associated with the team - Captain America, Yellowjacket and Wasp - only appear a limited amount. If you are a fan of either the Avengers or mid-70's Marvel, this volume should be read.

The Avengers have seen their share of ups and downs as a comic. Despite a stellar assembly of stars (or not) - in reality, the title often struggled to live up to what it proclaimed to be: The World's Mightiest Heroes. By the last collection of Essential Avengers (# 5), the swinging sixties by Stan and gang were over, and a new cohort of writers took over.

Steve Englehart mans this period of the Avengers with pretty good plotting, but the same problem that plagued the previous collection remains: a lack of strong villains. I have never considered Cornelius Lunt and the Zodiac group (groan) a legit threat to the Avengers - a bunch of guys in animal suits just do not make threatening villains! And Kang the conquerer appears again, and again...

Kang has always been a 2nd rate Dr Doom to me. However, we do get Thanos and Ultron 5 in this - serious baddies. With a dearth of bad guys, Engleheart does a novel turn and even summons up the undead - Frankenstein, Baron Zemo, The Ghost, The Human Torch and Wonder Man - in a strange but colorful yarn.

Much of the book focuses on Mantis (who?). This Asian heroine and the dear Swordsman - feel strained and out of place in the Marvel pantheon. Looking back now, they were hardly the stuff of Marvel legend - but they occupy a sizable part of the narrative here. Although I care little about Mantis, the storyline that Engleheart weaves is compelling enough to follow, Zodiac warts and all. I'm still confused about what a Celestial Madonna is and anyone reading the book, pls. let me know.

Most importantly, we get the Vision's origin story extensively told. And a nice origin of the Kree-Skrull war which I never knew about. This is the highlight of the book. But why Marvel had to employ so many artists and inkers - from Don Heck to George Tuska to John Buscema to Dan Adkins to Rich Buckler to Don Heck and Johnny Craig, etc - it's amazing how many artists took the reigns issue after issue. Although this affects the style and consistency - it's interesting to see how the different styles (many dated now) pan out. No artist took ownership of the Avengers during this period, which reflects badly on Marvel.

Overall, the Avengers were destined for greater things. Engleheart's sometimes convoluted storylines (remember his work on Dr Strange) may not be for everyone. But this is a readable book overall. Not the classic Avengers Assemble we've all come to love, but more like the Avengers Roll Along!

This volume collects issues #120-140 of Marvel Comics' monthly Avengers series and the quarterly Giant Size Avengers #1-4. It also includes Captain Marvel #33 (which follows #125) and Fantastic Four #150 (that fits between #127 and #128). The original comic books were all originally published between March 1974 and October 1975. Steve Englehart is the writer for all Avengers issues besides #138 and GS #1. These same issues feature six different pencilers, with Bob Brown (#120-123, 126), Sal Buscema (#127-134) and George Tuska (#135, 137, 139-140) logging the most panels.
The Avengers active roster at the start of this collection is: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman and Mantis. #120-124 feature the team battling the Zodiac cartel, twelve criminals that each resembles a respective astrological sign (admittedly not one of Marvel's memorable creations). The series improves with Thanos in #125 and the wedding of Quicksilver and Crystal and the return of an archnemesis in #127. Kang the Conqueror returns in a story arc that starts in #129. In GS #2 one Avenger dies and Hawkeye returns. The most interesting segment of this run is the flashback origin of the Kree and Skrull civilizations in #133-134. The origin of the Vision also appears here though it was later retconned by Marvel. With its ranks slimming, the team adds new members Moondragon and former X-Man Beast in #137, and Yellowjacket and the Wasp return soon thereafter. GS #4 centers on the wedding of the Vision and Scarlet Witch and thankfully concludes the Swordsman/Mantis subplot.
This is recommended for fans interested in the entire Avengers series but new readers should start with an earlier "Essentials" volume. Even better is the "40 Years of The Avengers" DVD-ROM collection of PDFs of the entire monthly run (though unfortunately not the Giant Size issues). The Marvel Essentials series offers convenient, inexpensive access to these 30-year old Avengers comics without needing a computer. At over 550 pages, this is a tremendous value and offers hours of reading.