Avengers/Defenders War (Marvel Premiere Classic) [Hardcover]

Steve Englehart (Author), Bob Brown (Illustrator), Sal Buscema (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Captain America. Iron Man. Thor. Doctor Strange. Namor the Sub-Mariner. The Hulk. The world's greatest heroes at the forefront of its two most titanic teams! But when the dread Dormammu and the lying Loki manipulate the Defenders and Avengers in an effort to obtain the awesome Evil Eye, the groups' first team-up is almost their last! Hero vs. Hero across the world, with world-destroying power as the stake! Guest-starring Sunfire and Prester John, later of Cable and Deadpool fame! Collects Avengers #115-118, Defenders #8-11

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (October 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785127593
• ISBN-13: 978-0785127598
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review ..., June 12, 2002

By 

merlebuck (Macon, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Avengers/Defenders War (Paperback)

The Avengers/Defenders War trade paperback is a wonderful look back at a bygone era of the Marvel Age. It was the prototype for the kind of ultra-dramatic crossover spectacular that a decade and a half later reached binge proportions. Unlike the Secret Wars/Atlantis Attacks/Onslaught/etc. crossovers, the storyline is self-contained within the pages of the two team mags, and has a definite beginning and an ending. And it has loads and loads of charm- and thank goodness for that!

This trade covers the whole of Avengers #116-118 and Defenders #9-11, as well as the parts of Avengers #115 and Defenders #8 that acted as prologue to the later issues. The trade is 128 pages in length, with a stunning cover by fantastic contemporary comic artist Carlos Pacheco- it's a real winner! Not only that, but the pages have been recolored, which means no dot-matrix headaches for you and me. I like that! The art is fine, with able work done by Bob Brown and "steady as she goes" Sal Buscema, and Steve Englehart's scripts are never short on drama.

The setup of the story revolves around the dread Dormammu's planned conquest of "the Universe!" Unable to do so without compromising his pledge to Dr. Strange to never invade our universe (oh how honorable!), he enlists the aid of a blind Loki to help him undertake a plan to merge his universe with our universe. And voila! No inner conflicts, no cowardly deceit! Our universe is now his universe, and he can enslave it at will.

The plot involves drawing the Defenders unwittingly into gathering together the pieces of the Evil Eye, an artifact that will help Dormammu merge the two realities. Standing in the way of the unknowingDefenders is the Avengers, who slowly realize the import of what is happening. Several battles ensue, including Dr. Strange vs. Black Panther and Mantis in an Iowa cornfield, Vision and Scarlet Witch vs. Silver Surfer in a volcano, and Iron Man vs. Hawkeye in Monterrey, Mexico! My favorite battle is between Swordsman and Valkyrie. Those of us who know the inevitable tragic fate of the Swordsman will find in his dialogue the tragic pathos of one who's time is near, and the battle scenes are straight out of Errol Flynn- well planned and ably drawn.

The final chapter, en epilogue if you will, is kind of anticlimactic, and there is a weird glitch where the lettering is off balance in about 5% of the pages, which is annoying. And Englehart inflicted Loki with a strange case of Norse ebonics throughout, whereupon he would moan such ignominy as "I be blind!" But overall, it was a real hoot to read this trade, and would highly recommend it for fans of Avengers, Defenders, Marvel comics, and team comics in general.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need more 70's books from that bygone era!, August 7, 2002

By 

picardfan007 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Avengers/Defenders War (Paperback)

This is the classic Avengers/Defenders book that you can't put down! The classic 70's writers and artists are all here. Steve Englehart, writer and Bob Brown and Sal Buscema as artists. It's about Loki, the Avengers first adversary and how he teams up with Dr. Strange's nemesis, Dormammu! It's an all out slug festival to the finish with Marvel's finest talent. I wish they made them like this again. All the artists today get their contract and are in and out like yesterday's news. Bob Brown was one of Marvels most under rated artists. He also did the art chores on Daredevil. Sal Buscema was a workhorse and provided a lot of classic material that still stands up today. Writer Steve Englehart was another one of those names you never heard a lot about..however they were the mainstay at Marvel in the 70's ...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Takes you back to your youth, and shows how great Marvel can be!, June 7, 2008

By 

W. Gonzalez "Gonzo" (Atlanta, Ga. USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Avengers/Defenders War (Marvel Premiere Classic) (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed re-reading this collection from 1973. I remember when it was being published and my brother and my best friend would wait at the gift shop for each new issue. I was a "big" collector back then, and this was the highlight of all my collection. Avengers vs. Defenders, the hours we spent debating who was stronger, smarter, more super. Truly a great collection, for first time readers and old folks like me, who want to relive the greatest comics of our own day.
Buy it you won't be sorry.
Nuff said.