AVENGERS:
THE
ONCE AND FUTURE KANG (Marvel,
First Printing, 2013;
Softcover)
Collects
Avengers
#262-269, Avengers
Annual
#15, and West
Coast Avengers Annual
#1 (cover dates December, 1985- Annual, 1986)
Writers:
Roger Stern, Danny Fingeroth, and Steve Englehart with Jim Shooter
and Mark Bright
Artists:
Pencilers/Breakdowns- John Buscema, Steve Ditko, and Mark
Bright; Inkers/Finishers- Tom Palmer, Klaus Janson, and Geof
Isherwood
Oh
man! This is where things got real for then-12 year old me. I bought
issue 262 off of the spinner rack at 7-11 when it was released in
September of 1985. I was in 7th grade at the time and, as
hard as it might seem to believe to younger comic book fans today,
one had to hide the fact that they still liked “childish things”
like superheroes at age 12 back then.
#263
was another one that I bought off of the spinner rack. The Roger
Stern/ John Buscema era rules. The art team of Buscema and Palmer had
a rough edge to it which lent itself to the action. I fell hook,
line, and sinker for this crossover. I was already buying Fantastic
Four, so part two of this story in #286 was another spinner rack
purchase. I picked up X-Factor #1 because of this issue.
I
didn't buy 264 at the time, which is too bad since it's such a great
issue. Oh well. I don't recall buying #265 at the time, although I
have read it in the Secret Wars II Omnibus. I did pick up 266
at the time. The 32 pages with no ads cover blurb, along with the
Silver Surfer and Secret Wars II epilogue, enticed me to buy
it. It was an awesome issue then and it holds up every bit as well
today.
It
is issue 267 that blew my mind as a kid. I love Kang The Conqueror
with all of the endless timestream and divergent timelines, and this
issue was read many times that winter. I didn't get 268 or 269 at the
time, probably due to a lack of money. This was a fantastic ending to
the Kang saga.
 |
| This splash page blew my mind as a kid, back when alternate timelines in Marvel Comics weren't a daily occurrence. I remember thinking wait...how is Storm back in her old costume WITH her powers back? |
The
annuals I've read before in other collections. Steve Ditko did the
artwork on Avengers Annual #15. His artwork at this stage of
his career was solid if not his most illustrious effort. This was a
crossover with West Coast
Avengers Annual #1. I
enjoyed the battle with Freedom Force.
This
was another great collection of real Avengers
comics. Roger Stern is
one of the holy trinity of Avengers
writers. Accept no substitutes.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.
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.
While
this book is out of print, it's contents (minus issues 262 and 263)
have compiled along with the contents of the Under
Siege
hardcover/trade and the orphaned Alpha
Flight
#39, which addressed why Sub-Mariner left the team, in Avengers
Epic Collection: Under Siege
trade paperback.
Issue
263 was part of a three part crossover with Fantastic
Four
#286 which led into X-Factor
#1.
These issues aren't essential to understanding the issues in this
collection, but Marvel has spoiled us with their completeness so
their omission is curious. If this were a DC collection I would be
praising the inclusion of all of the story pages and word balloons.
Linework
and Color restoration: Nearly perfect. To be honest with you,
I am going to have a hard time justifying a double dip when the
Marvel Masterworks line reaches this run of of Roger Stern
trades. Knowing me I likely will double dip anyways, but the end of
the Stern run is where I will ultimately jump ship from the
Masterworks line either way.
Paper
stock: The same wonderful matte coated stock that Marvel uses
in all of their collected editions for material with flat coloring. I
love it.
Binding:
Perfect bound trade paperback. You can see the slight separation in
the front and back of the book with the perforated binding, but a
dollop of acid free library glue would deal with that if it becomes
an issue down the road. It's not like I'll ever have time to read
this book again before I die to find out either way.
Cardstock
cover notes:
Laminated cardstock cover.
