Credits
The chronologies were compiled with the invaluable help of the Marvel Chronology Project and my own personal common sense (for what it's worth). Many bits and pieces were also gathered from the Marvel Universe Appendix and FFPlaza, and numerous articles, posts and comments posted around the web, a list that would be too long to publish here. Not everything is to be considered "the truth" when we consider the state of Marvel continuity these days, so you should take all of this with a grain of salt. Still, it's always fun to think that the Marvel universe is one big story with no real end in sight.
Bio
Huh? Another Avengers webpage? But... why? I'm well aware that there are already a couple of great sites on the subject everywhere on the net, but I've decided to propose mine anyway. My goal is to focus on the history of Earth's Mightest Heroes, mainly by including a critical perspective of each issue published since 1963. I've been tinkering around this project for the last years and now's the time.
My
affection for the Avengers goes back to my childhood, nearly thirty-five years
ago (!), when I stumbled upon some French-Canadian reprints of their early
adventures (these black and white books were translated and produced by Éditions
Héritage,
a publisher from Québec). Soon, I was buying these monthly reprints AND the
original, then-current Marvel comics, having the privilege of discovering two
eras of the team's history at once. Remember that for us living through this
glorious era, the cost of these two books alone was under a buck per month!
A buck!!! Per month!!!
Of
course, there comes a point in life when people tell you to grow up, so out the
window went my large English and French collections. I was ready to face Existence.
But after some years, feeling that something was missing, it was by some uncanny
chance that I picked up Avengers #273 (with a cover displaying
the Black Knight's pensive face) at the local drugstore (this was in 1986 and
I was then
22). I stood there, amazed: Hercules back with the Avengers? Namor an
Avenger? Who was that cool new Captain Marvel? And most unbelievable of all: the
Wasp as team leader?!?!?! What the hell was going on? Luckily for me, that
particular issue was the begining of a great saga, The Siege of Avengers
Mansion. I said to myself: "OK, I'll see how it turns out, but no way
am I going to start a new collection again... I'm a grown man with a bright future
ahead of me". Wishful thinking, as you can guess (on both points: starting a
new collection AND the bright future!).
The
week after, I stumbled upon West Coast Avengers #14 (with
the Hawkeye wink on the cover). Once again, I couldn't believe the state of things:
there really
was TWO original Avengers comics per month? Picked it up. Tigra? Another Iron
Man armor? Wonder Man wearing a costume that looked like a Mexican salad bowl?
And whatever happened to Hank Pym? Was he going nuts again? 'Nuff said. Like
a madman, I purchased all the back issues I could get my hands on. This quest
was worthwhile: to this day, there's only maybe five issues of Avengers (from
Volume I)
that I still search for. Of course, with the arrival of Marvel's Essential series,
my goal to own a complete run is becoming more realistic to achieve. And I had
as much fun rereading the old issues that entertained me in my youth, to say
the least.
Even with some noticable gaps in my collection, the web tempts me to share my
opinions on this great comic book. For each issue discussed, I will provide cover
art, basic (very basic) creator information, cast of characters and a short synopsis
(the part that I hate more to write). Any synopsis bores me to tears, usually.
I hate reading a summary of a book or movie I haven't read or seen. And if I
have read or seen it, what's the point then? But I understand that it is essential
for many new readers.
What you will find is a short critique by myself of each and every issue discussed, with "Favorite Panel" and "Favorite Line" features included. And a Rating system too, the simplistic but well-know and understood "four star system" (four stars being best, one star being worst, tralala). But instead of stars, though, I've decided to provide little Avengers heads as icons. You'll see.
Warning: Keep in mind that, even without complex synopsis, some
SPOILERS will inevitably come up in the main review. So if you've never read
a particular story, key plot points or events could be revealed.
What
you will also eventually find is all the Avengers members' appearances in all
Avengers-related comics. Keep in my mind that I've always been a fan of more
obscure
members of
the team
(be it Two-Gun Kid, Gilgamesh, Deathcry and so on), so everyone will be treated
fairly. Since I'm a continuity nut, I will also include continuity guidelines
to the team's appearances in other Marvel comics, regardless of the roster (gulp!).
So, enjoy. My first goal is to be informative. If you learn something while being vaguely amused, I'll be a happy man.
