Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AVENGERS VOL. 14

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AVENGERS VOL. 14 (Marvel, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects Avengers #129-135, Giant-Size Avengers #2-4 (excluding reprint back-up stories), and Foom #12 (cover dates November, 1974- June, 1975)

Writers: Steve Englehart and Roy Thomas (#132 and GSA #4)

Artists: Sal Buscema, Dave Cockrum, Joe Staton, George Tuska, and Don Heck with additional Inking by Joe Giella, Frank Chiaramonte, and John Tartaglione

Us old guys like to bemoan the crossovers. Things were so much better way back when, we say as we sit around the Internet equivalent of playing checkers on checkerboard on top of a barrel at the general store. This book is proof positive that these sort of sales gimmicks are nothing new, as fans were required to buy both the monthly title and the double-sized, twice as expensive Giant-Size issues as well every month in order to get the complete story.

This was a double dip upgrade over the long out of print Celestial Madonna trade paperback. I think that I enjoyed the story more this second time reading it, as the Swordsman/Cotati/tree marriage bit was harder for me to swallow the first time around. Whenever I see stuff like that now I just shake my head and think Ah...the '70s. To be fair, none of these guys expected to have their work dissected in deluxe hardcover decades later or to ever appear on the big screen. We've come a long way, folks.

I am sucker for Kang and all of his timeslip ret-con goodness. This is nowhere near as confusing as all of the timeslips in Avengers: Endgame, though. Mantis was never done right on the big screen.

While this particular book is out of print you can get the same material with the same restoration (and a ton of other issues) in The Complete Celestial Madonna trade paperback. I will stick with this book. No more dips for me.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: These books are so expensive because of the level of restoration done to the material. The beauty of it is that folks like me are willing to pay the premium and then the material is later reissued in cheaper formats. Everybody wins!

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Laminated dustjacket with spot varnish. The hardback has faux leather grain and dye foil stamping.