Essential Avengers

Ever since super-heroes appeared in comics, publishers have leaned toward putting several popular heroes together in an effort to boost sales. Marvel fell into the same pattern in 1963 by combining Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, Giant-Man and the Wasp together to fight a common threat. It worked. The Avengers first battle against Loki was a hit and the stories kept coming. Stan Lee wrote the bulk of the early stories and kept what would be known as the Marvel style going as he had with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four by telling stories of heroes with their own personal problems and lives who just happen to also have the abilities to battle everything from super-villians out to rule the world to more mundane bank robbers out for some cash.

Over the years, the membership has grown and the featured heroes have come and gone and come back again and again. Only one constant has remained the same: the Avengers are still Earth’s finest heroes banded together to protect the people and the planet.

Each Essential Avengers reprints about two dozen stories from the Avengers series in a black and white, ad–free format.

— Ron Black

Jump to issue:

#6

Feb 2008

Cover: $16.99

W: Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway · A: Bob Brown, John Buscema, Jim Starlin, Rich Buckler, Sal Buscema, Dave Cockrum, George Tuska, Don Heck, Tom Sutton

Reprints The Avengers #120-140, Captain Marvel (1st Series) #33, Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #150, and Giant-Size Avengers #1-4

1 copy for $13.00