Review- AVENGERS: LEGION OF THE UNLIVING

AVENGERS: LEGION OF THE UNLIVING (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Avengers Nos. 131, 132, 352-354, (Vol. 2) Nos. 10,11, Avengers Annual No. 16, Avengers West Coast No. 61, and Giant-Size Avengers No. 3 (cover dates January, 1975- December, 1998).

Writers: Steve Englehart, Roy Thomas, Tom DeFalco, Dann Thomas, Len Kaminski, and Kurt Busiek.

Artists: Pencilers- Sal Buscema, Dave Cockrum, Bob Hall, Paul Ryan, M.C. Wyman, and George Perez; Inkers- Tom Palmer and others.

Upon first glance this book might seem like a confusing hodge-podge of random issues cobbled together to make you unclench that cash from your fist, and you would be right. Once you settle in and start reading it though you will see a thread throughout these stories spanning 24 years of publication. That thread is The Avengers, in various incarnations, fighting the Legion of the Unliving, also in various incarnations.

Things start out smack dab in the middle of the Bronze Age of comics with Avengers #131, 132, and Giant-Size Avengers #3 by the criminally forgotten Steve Engelhart. These issues are the first three parts of the legendary Celestial Madonna storyline. I have always been a sucker for Kang The Conqueror/Rama-Tut/Immortus, in all of their various timeline and reality glory. For the uninitiated, they are all one and the same from different points in time. Immortus, working at a grand scheme not clear to those who have not lived for seventy odd centuries in timeless Limbo, gets unwittingly/wittingly trapped by Kang, who plucks dead villains from various points in time to fight The Avengers. 

When reading comic books it is most helpful to have a healthy suspension of disbelief. When reading Bronze Age comics, it is also helpful to not over-analyze and overthink everything. Just relax and enjoy it. Let's face facts: seeing Thor battling the Frankenstein Monster is worth it, no matter how it gets to that point, right?

Avengers Annual #16 is the weak link of the book, being enjoyable but not great. While I am a fan of Tom DeFalco's writing, particularly his Spider-Man and Spider-Girl stuff, he is outclassed as an Avengers writer by the heaping helping of talent present in this book. I did enjoy the “comic jam” aspect of that annual, with artwork by a smorgasbord of greats. This issue has been collected in multiple books, so I have read it a number of times.

Avengers West Coast #61 finds Roy Thomas doing what Roy Thomas always does, making continuity as tight as a drum, for better or for worse. Here we see Agatha Harkness cast a spell on Immortus and make him spill the beans on things. Roy Thomas was apparently not a fan of the original android Human Torch being a part of the original Legion of the Unliving, since an android is not alive and therefore cannot truly die. He ret-cons Toro, the Torch's Golden Age kid sidekick, into that role instead. I can dig it. Continuity is Roy Thomas' porn.

Avengers #352-354 were a pleasant surprise to say the least. '90s Marvel can be a dicey thing, but here we see the Grim Reaper upgraded to his logical extreme. Changes to a character that make sense are welcome. Changes to a character to suit a spoiled brat “rock star” writer are not. The Grim Reaper is more dead than alive, a quasi-demon almost. I like this version of the character way more than the original (and current version). Len Kaminski wrote a ton of great comics for Marvel during this time but has seemingly dropped off the comic grid. The same can be said for artist M.C. Wyman, a wonderful craftsman whose work here reflected the Marvel house style. He took a severe turn for the worse shortly after these issues, which is a shame because he can clearly do great work. Stupid Image artists! They, and the speculator nonsense that they created and attracted, nearly destroyed the entire industry.

M.C. Wyman was a good artist at one point in time.

The endcap of this book are issues 9 and 10 from the incredible 1998 relaunch of the title by Kurt Busiek and George Perez. Busiek is Avengers royalty, a writer whose run I hold in the highest regard. Busiek, Englehart, Stern, Thomas...these are the greatest Avengers writers bar none. Busiek's writing is so rich and textured here. If space aliens landed and asked me what are the best Avengers comic books to read, I would have to flip a coin between Busiek's and Stern's run. Perez is at the top of his game here. Unlike some artists, Perez's work only improves with age. Seriously, check his artwork out. That is some seriously great stuff! Like Ultron, Busiek managed to pen the ultimate Legion of the Unliving story. 

George Perez rules!

This book was an absolute blast to read and should be a welcome addition to any serious superhero fan's bookshelf. And would you look at that...I made it through an Avengers review without bashing Brian Michael Bendis' eight year run on the title once. I could...but I won't. Even though I should.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- There is a typo on Avengers #10, page 2. Mighty is mistyped might. I am all for preserving comics as they are originally printed, but typos, especially those from the computer lettered era, drive me nuts.

I like how the trade dress is included on the covers of the issues for the 1998 Avengers series. It has been standard practice in the industry to not include it on covers of issues of modern material collected editions, and has been for a dozen or more years. These two issues were reprinted in Avengers: Clear And Present Dangers trade paperback and again in the Avengers Assemble oversized hardcovers without the trade dress. I am a big fan of trade dress, so I thought that this was cool. Most folks like things the way that they are, but I am a “I want to see the cover as it was originally published” sort of cat.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: The fully rendered covers found on the front and back of this book, minus trade dress.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. #131 is pretty hit or miss in terms of restoration, with page 8 of this book looking abysmal. Luckily, this issue will receive the Cory Sedlmeier treatment with the forthcoming Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 14, on sale this summer. While that won't rectify the inferior restoration found in this book and of the same issue in the old Avengers: Celestial Madonna trade paperback, you can rest assured that any future reprintings of this issue will look superb. DC does it once, and if it sucks, it will suck for all time because they never revisit and remaster their material.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Nice dull matte finish coated stock, the same found in Classic lines and the softcover Marvel Masterworks.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. The usual high quality waxlike lamination found on all Marvel trade paperback releases.

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Review- AVENGERS WEST COAST: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-WOMAN

AVENGERS WEST COAST: ALONG CAME A SPIDER-WOMAN (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Avengers West Coast Nos. 58, 59, 63-75 (cover dates May, 1990- October, 1991)

Writers: Fabian Nicieza (58), Danny Fingeroth (59), Roy and Dann Thomas (63, 65-75), and Terry Kavanagh (64)

Artists: Tom Morgan (Penciler, 58, 71), Randy Emberlin (Inker, 58), Paul Ryan (Penciler, 63, 65-69), Chris Wozniak (Penciler, 64), Danny Bulanadi (Inker, 63-72), Steven Butler (Penciler, 70, Dave Ross (Penciler, 72-74), Herb Trimpe (Penciler, 75), and other artists

This book starts out with the two stray fill in issues which were left out of the John Byrne-centric collections a few years ago. While I applaud Marvel for making the deadlines and not shipping late on those issues, it really would have been better for everyone if they just delayed the next issue by two months. Issues 58 and 59 are complete pieces of crap on every level and I am dumber for having read them.

Fortunately things turn completely around with issue 63. Roy and Dann Thomas handle the scripts and Paul Ryan handles the artwork. Ryan was a solid artist but not overly flashy. He has clearly laid out panels and his artwork serves the story. It's not like he was trying to make every panel a contender for T-shirt artwork or anything. Roy Thomas' dialogue is occasionally clunky or dated but his writing is still light years beyond that of Brian Michael Bendis. There are no breakfast table conversations, no double page spreads of the team breaking bread, and no snarky dialogue where everyone keeps interrupting each other. Just plenty of superheroes fighting bad guys with organic character development. 

Thomas (both of them) do a great job with the team's dynamics. Hawkeye is now the seasoned vet and voice of reason trying to get the US Agent to tow the line, while Iron Man is trying to keep his once-again secret identity of Tony Stark a secret from even his teammates. There is a changing of the guard over the course of the issues collected in this book.

I love the new development with the Grim Reaper, as it makes total sense. I'm not sure what happened to the character after this as I sat out comic books in the '90s. Ultron-13 is great. I have always been a sucker for Ultron, and now we will get to see him on the silver screen in a few years. The '90s start rearing their ugly head with cheesy “extreme!!!” villains like Jawbreaker and the rest of the Pacific Overlords. Irezumi and Cybertooth are beyond cheesy. I was thrilled to see Doctor Demonicus as a villain. He was a villain from beloved quarter box comics of my youth such as Godzilla and Shogun Warriors, both of which need to be Omnibused. 

Herb Trimpe handles the artwork in issue 75, and it was nice to see his work before the horrid Image influenced direction that he would take shortly after this. This book is very enjoyable, hovering between good and very good. Not every comic book has to reinvent the wheel to rock my world. Sometimes a good old fashioned superhero battle royal does the trick, and this book delivers a heaping helping of that.

Junk Food For Thought rating:4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I love love love these fat chunky monkey trade paperbacks! I am so excited about the big honking Epic line of books coming out and plan on buying them all! Kill me now!

DVD-style Extras included in this book: None.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Good, solid restoration throughout the book.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. This features the same paper found in Classic collections and the softcover Marvel Masterworks. I love it. It's a dull matte finish coated stock, not too thick but not too thin.

Binding rating: 4.25 out of 5. These thick books always have a nice thick band of glue.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice quality lamination on the cardstock cover ensures a lifetime of reading enjoyment when handled with reasonable care.

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Review- AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- ZODIAC ATTACK

AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- ZODIAC ATTACK (Marvel, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Avengers Annual No. 16, West Coast Avengers Nos. 25-30, and West Coast Avengers Annual No. 2 (cover dates October, 1987- March, 1988)

Writers: Steve Englehart and Al Milgrom (30)

Artists: Al Milgrom and Mike Machlan with Dave Hunt and others ( Avengers Annual No. 16)

The book starts out with the two Annuals which are a sequel to the 1982 mini-series Contest of Champions. The Controller used the East and West Coast Avengers teams in a game to trick Death into releasing the Grandmaster from his deathly exile. Al Milgrom's artwork is best described as “serviceable”. He is okay as long as he has a good inker. When he inks his own work, as he does in the West Coast Avengers Annual, the results are less than impressive. I've read both of these a few times. They were collected in the 1999 Contest of Champions trade paperback which I owned (2001 printing) but then dumped off to upgrade to the 2010 Marvel Premiere Classic Hardcover Avengers: The Contest, which was a remastered and significantly upgraded version of the same material.

The issues from the core series were a huge arc dealing with the Zodiac. The Zodiac have been used so many times and in so many ways that even diehard comic fans find them hard to follow. The original incantation was a criminal cartel, where each sign was a gang leader. According to Wikipedia, there have been six versions of the Zodiac. This book features the second version. Loathe as I am to resort to referring to Wikipedia, the Zodiac are so confusing to me that I had to. 

The battle between Wonder Man and the Abomination in issue 25 is great. I have always enjoyed Moon Knight and was pleased to see him join the team. This group was always a mismatched affair and so he fits right in. The battle between Moon Knight and Taurus in issue 29 is a lot of fun, as we see Moon Knight's schizophrenic personality reemerging. Milgrom's pencils and layouts are good. He is a great storyteller even if he is not a technically great artist. Mike Machlan's inks are not as powerful as Joe Sinnott's but he still saves the day (and Milgrom's artwork). Englehart is mysteriously absent from issue 30 but returns in issue 31 (not in this book). Milgrom takes over the scripting duties in issue 30 in addition to his pencils. The story feels similar to one of those proto-Silver Age Stan Lee alien invasion type stories from Tales To Astonish or one of the other Atlas science fiction/ monster titles.

The material collected in this book is being repackaged in the West Coast Avengers Omnibus Vol. 2, due later this year. The rub of it is that this is the last of the Marvel Premiere Classic hardcovers, while the second Omnibus goes up to issue 41. So I will be dumping this (and Lost In Space-Time) on eBay and upgrading. I resisted buying the first West Coast Avengers Omnibus because I am perfectly happy with the first three hardcovers. This will be the only way that issues 31-41 and Annual 3* will be collected unless Marvel issues another hardcover...which they probably will if I buy the Omnibus. If I don't buy it, it will go out of print and then a collection of issues 31-41 and Annual 3 will never materialize. A pox upon you, completist OCD! (*Annual 3 was also collected in the Evolutionary War Omnibus.)

This will then bump us up to the John Byrne run, which I already own in the VisionQuest and Darker Than Scarlet trade paperbacks. The fill-in issues 58 and 59 are collected along with issues 63-75 in the Along Came A Spider-Woman trade paperback. This would give us enough material, already remastered and restored, for a third potential Omnibus. Don't hold your breath for that one, although I wouldn't entirely rule it out when Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theatres in two years.

That leaves us only issues 76-102 and Annuals 4-8* in order for the entire series to be collected under the West Coast Avengers banner. Annual 4 (Atlantis Attacks), 80-82 (Operation: Galactic Storm), 96, 97 (Infinity Crusade), and 101 (X-Men/Avengers: Bloodties) have been collected in their respective crossover-themed collections.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I love the way that these Chinese made books smell.

DVD-style Extras included in this book:

Marvel Age Annual No. 3 (1985) page 3, a spoof page by Writer/Artist Fred Hembeck, and page 5, which was a preview page with brand new writing and artwork by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom, and Mike Machlan. That Annual was a blast, as they had a brand new page for each title that Marvel was currently publishing outlining the next year's plotlines. I loved Marvel Age magazine.

The covers to issues 27 and Avengers Annual No. 16 with modern recoloring. These were used as the front and back cover of the dustjacket for the bookstore market version of the book (see cover image at the top of the review). These are fully rendered and would have been used for a softcover version of this book. They likely will be used if one is ever made available. They are presented here without any trade dress (i.e. logos, etc.).

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. These Marvel Premiere Classic Hardcovers were a sort of junior Masterworks line. While this isn't quite the “Blu-Ray” restoration you would see in a Marvel Masterwork, it is still excellent.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Sewn binding. The book lays 99% flat. I feel all warm and fuzzy.

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Also available in DIRECT MARKET VARIANT flavor.

Review- AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- LOST IN SPACE-TIME

AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- LOST IN SPACE-TIME (Marvel, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) Nos. 17-24, Fantastic Four No. 19, and Doctor Strange No. 53 (cover dates October, 1963; June, 1982; February- September, 1987)

Writers: Steve Englehart, Stan Lee (Fantastic Four No. 19), and Roger Stern (Doctor Strange No. 53).

Artists: Pencilers- Al Milgrom, Jack Kirby (Fantastic Four No. 19), and Marshall Rogers (Doctor Strange No. 53); Inkers- Joe Sinnott (Nos. 17-21), Dick Ayers (Fantastic Four No. 19), Terry Austin (Dr. Strange No. 53), and others (Nos. 22-24).

Steve Englehart was on a roll with this title. What were once merely entertaining, serviceable superhero stories have blossomed into a full bore centuries spanning epic lasting 8 issues. There is no way that this could be done today, as endless company wide crossovers would interrupt the flow of this title. Most titles lose steam along the way, but Englehart was like a locomotive here. Slow to start, but once things got cooking he was impossible to stop.

I always smile when people refer to Brian Michael Bendis as the greatest Avengers writer of all time. Roger Stern, Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart...these are the cats who wrote the classics. Englehart's character development is worlds beyond anything that Bendis did, and he did it with greater efficiency. Hank Pym's growing despondency and thoughts of suicide, the growing arrogance of Wonder Man's new-found confidence, the increasing friction between he and Iron Man, Hawkeye's progression from unlikable upstart to guiding light for the team when the chips are down...these are all real, organic character developments, done within the confines of the story, and done without the sacrifice of action or fun. No snarky dialogue, no condescending attitude toward superheroes...in short, just great comic book writing. 

The gist- The West Coast Avengers head to Albuquerque to find Firebird and offer her membership on the team. Once there, they run into a dead end...and four supervillains named Sunstroke (who looks exactly like Stingray with different colors), Gila, Butte, and Cactus. Yes, Cactus. As in a walking, talking humanoid Cactus. The villains flee but Iron Man manages to track them down to their cave hideout, where they find their leader, Dominus. Dominus is from the same alien race as Lucifer (Silver Age villain), and he traps the team in Doctor Doom's malfunctioning time machine. It sends them backwards in time but cannot return to the present. All of this occurs in one issue. Bendis would have milked that for an entire trade paperback and then launched it into a company wide crossover spanning 50 issues.

Englehart certainly knows his Marvel continuity. In the Lost In Space-Time mega-arc he refers to his classic '70s run and includes characters steeped in Marvel lore like the Two-Gun Kid, Rawhide Kid, the Ghost/Night/Phantom Rider, and Rama-Tut. The team ends up jumping backward in time a few times trying to repair their broken time machine. They go all the way back to ancient Egypt to enlist the help of Rama-Tut, who traveled thousands of years back in time himself. This is another nod to Englehart's '70s run, as Rama-Tut/Kang/Immortus all figured into the classic Celestial Madonna arc.

The ranks of the team swell with the addition of La Espirita (formerly Firebird), Doctor Pym, and Moon Knight. Doctor Pym is a horrible character name and idea, and he dresses like the Phantom Stranger. God awful. Englehart created the shrinking things other than himself aspect to Pym's power, something which is utilized to this day. There is an interesting development with Moon Knight's weapons, with Englehart inserting a continuity porn aspect to them which diehards will love. 

Note Doctor Pym's costume in panel 2. Looks just like the Phantom Stranger.

I love how the story keeps splitting into an extra part with each issue, culminating with 8 parts in the final issue. The splash page for part two has two panels, and it increases by one panel for each subsequent issue. The story continually adds layers and grows more complex but Englehart didn't miss a beat. The guy was juggling plotlines like plates and didn't break a single one. I'm even betting he didn't need a “creative retreat” to pull this off.

The Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange issues are included as a sort of bonus because both of these issues intersect with the events of the West Coast Avengers Rama-Tut/ ancient Egypt time travel adventure. Very cool and very fun. The Roger Stern-penned Doctor Strange issue is a treat, with artwork by the team of Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin. Of course the Stan Lee/ Jack Kirby Fantastic Four are great. It was fun to re-read that one again.

This was a great read, the best run of this title thus far. I am looking forward to the next hardcover, which I already have in queue.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The late, lamented Marvel Premiere Classic line was sort of a junior Masterworks line. Classic material presented in hardcover with nice paper and sewn binding at a much lower MSRP. 
Extras: None. 

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. The restoration is excellent throughout the book.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Heavyweight thick coated stock paper with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Sewn binding. The book lays completely flat because the casing is not glued square to the spine, allowing for a good deal of flex.

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Review- AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- SINS OF THE PAST

AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- SINS OF THE PAST (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Avengers Annual No. 15, West Coast Avengers Nos. 10-16, and West Coast Avengers Annual No. 1 (cover dates July, 1986- January, 1987)

Writer: Steve Englehart, Danny Fingeroth (Avengers Annual No. 15 only), and Mark Bright (co-plotter, West Coast Avengers Annual No. 1 only)

Artists- Pencilers: Al Milgrom, Steve Ditko (Avengers Annual No. 15 only), and Mark Bright (West Coast Avengers Annual No. 1 only); Inkers: Joe Sinnott, Klaus Janson (Avengers Annual No. 15 only), and Geoff Isherwood (West Coast Avengers Annual No. 1 only)

Steve Englehart handles things so much differently than writers do nowadays. All of the character development occurs while things are happening, be it a battle, team meeting, etc. No 4-6 or more pages wasted on breakfast table conversations where nothing actually happens, unless you consider characters interrupting one another and speaking in a singularly snarky voice as something happening. Wonder Man's increasing arrogance, Tigra losing her soul, Hank Pym losing his mind...these things all occur in ways that are organic to the overall narrative and story. 

Remember when superheroes didn't kill? Me too.

One of the charms of this title is how mismatched and disproportionate the power levels are between the various heroes. You have Hawkeye, whose only power is shooting arrows. Arrows for crying out loud! I've always thought that he was a terrible Avenger, but here he shines only because he is trying to be better than he really is as a team leader. Mockingbird, while trained by S.H.I.E.L.D, only has battle-staves to battle universe shaking threats. Iron Man is of course extremely powerful. I love how he is constantly refining his armor. Tigra gets a power upgrade in this book, and Wonder Man is realizing how powerful he really is. It was a treat seeing Hellcat (formerly known as The Cat, as in Claws of the...) and Hellstorm, formerly the Son of Satan, back in action again, although they were not official Avengers.

While I enjoy Englehart's writing, his penchant for C and D list Bronze Age villains can get silly at times. The Griffin, Razorfist, Zaran the Weapons Master, Shockwave, Zzzax, Tigershark, and Whirlwind see our heroes barely working up a sweat. Some of the new villains leave a lot to be desired as well. Headlok? Quantum? Halflife? At least Master Pandemonium is an interesting adversary. Fortunately we see the West Coast Avengers put through the paces by some serious heavyweights, such as Graviton, Freedom Force (formerly The New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), and the Zodiac. 

Wonder Man's new costume design is hideous, crossing the worst aspects of his original costume with the worst aspects of his '80s one. Mockingbird's new costume is a more subtle redesign. Both costume changes occurred in issue 12.

I don't usually associate Al Milgrom with quality artwork, but when paired with a heavy handed inker like Joe Sinnott he does just fine. They define the look of the title while Englehart spins his seemingly endless subplots and epics. Like the rest of the run of this title, these comics didn't redefine the medium or set the world on fire. What they did do is provide solid, classic superhero stories, and for that I am grateful. Life is heavy enough, and sometimes I just want to see good guys beat up on bad guys and save the day.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- That winking Hawkeye picture on the dustjacket from the cover of issue 14 creeps me out.

The late, lamented Marvel Premiere Classic line was sort of a junior Masterworks line. Classic material presented in hardcover with nice paper and sewn binding at a much lower MSRP.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. The restoration is excellent throughout the book.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Heavyweight thick coated stock, a bit too glossy for my taste but still very nice.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Sewn binding. The book lays about 95% flat.

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Also available in Direct Market variant.

Review- AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- FAMILY TIES

AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- FAMILY TIES (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) Nos. 1-9 and Vision and the Scarlet Witch Nos. 1, 2 (cover dates October, 1985- June, 1986)

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artists: Al Milgrom (Penciler 1-5, 7-9), Kyle Baker (Penciler, 6), Richard Howell (VaSW 1, 2), and Joe Sinnott (Inker)

Nostalgia is a funny thing. If you had asked me how long I read this title prior to reading this hardcover I would have answered “a long time”. The truth of the matter is that I bailed after issue 8 and didn't return until John Byrne took the title over a few years later. What made this title seem so lasting to me was the simple fact that my family was poor and didn't have cable, so I re-read all of these issues countless times back when this series came out. I managed to buy all of these issues off of the stand except for Vision and the Scarlet Witch No. 1 as well as issue 9 of the main title. 

This was my first exposure to Engelhart's writing, and it is kind of surprising that they launched this series as part of a crossover with the Vision and the Scarlet Witch mini-series. Issue 1 remains a favorite, as I loved the battle with Ultron-12, Goliath, and the Man-Ape. I must have read that a dozen times in July of 1985 alone. 

I love the dynamics of this rag-tag group of heroes. You have Hawkeye, a veteran Avenger, as the leader. I never liked Hawkeye except for when he ran the show in this series. He is normally an insubordinate jerk, but here he tries to be the voice of reason. Mockingbird, his wife, essentially an unknown bit player thrust into the big time. Iron Man, founding member of the original team. Tony Stark had only recently resumed being Iron Man and had an underdog, tarnished reputation aspect to him at this time. I always felt that him belonging to this team was part of his redemption. Wonder Man was always a second stringer but I liked him well enough. And Tigra, who looked cool but was pretty useless as an Avenger. The Thing appeared on the last page of issue 3 and hung around until issue 10. He was kinda sorta not really a member, ditto Firebird, who assisted the team in an unofficial capacity for a while. I enjoyed the loose knit vibe of the team. Having Hank Pym (founding member, formerly Ant-Man/ Giant-Man/ Goliath/ Yellowjacket) aboard in a non-heroic capacity served to spice things up as well. 

Englehart brings in an enemy unique to this team in issue 4, Master Pandemonium. He fights the team on and off throughout this book. The search for him ends up leading to a fight with my beloved Werewolf By Night in issue 5. That cover still kills me to this day. I remember how excited I was when I pulled that issue off if the spinner rack back in November of '85. Little did I realize that it was either an homage or a swipe from the cover of Moon Knight #29. I knew nothing of such things at age 12, nor would I have cared. I do miss the no spoiler environment of fandom back then. You almost never knew what a cover would look like, or what the next issue was about aside from a letters page Next Issue hype blurb. There was a lot of joy of discovery back then. Oh well, things have moved on, mostly for the better. This was a very lonely hobby back then. 

Issues 5 and 6 also featured a then-cured Dr. Michael Morbius, otherwise known as Morbius the Living Vampire. Issue 6 had artwork by Kyle Baker instead of the regular team of Milgrom and Sinnott. I'm not much of a Baker fan, although I do appreciate his work a helluva lot more now than I did back then. Al Milgrom's artwork is best described as serviceable, but when paired with a heavy handed inker like Sinnott his work really shines.

I enjoy Engelhart's characterizations, especially Tigra. What on the surface seemed like fanboy fantasies with Tigra were in reality foundation building for her losing her soul to her cat side. Her coming on to her teammates was done as a demonstration of her becoming more animal-like...or at least I hope it was. Otherwise, it would be sophomoric. 

All in all, this was an entertaining read. It's not quite as good as I remembered it being. In all honesty this was never a favorite title of mine, even back when it was originally published. They are just solid, well done comic books. Not every comic book published has to set the world on fire or redefine the medium as a whole. Sometimes it's fun just to see superheroes save the day and maybe grow a little as characters along the way.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The late, lamented Marvel Premiere Classic line was sort of a junior Masterworks line. Classic material presented in hardcover with nice paper and sewn binding at a much lower MSRP.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. The restoration is excellent everywhere except for issue 3. Lines are washed out and/or dropped, and things look generally murky in that issue.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Heavyweight thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 4.75 out of 5. Sewn binding. The book lays about 95% flat.

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Also available with variant dustjacket.

Also available as a softcover trade paperback.