Customer Reviews

Avengers: Under Siege

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4 star:		(4)
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This Trade paperback collects Avengers issues (gasp) 270 - 277 (minus 272) of the original Avengers run, volume 1 from the mid-1980's. Scripted by Roger Stern and with art by the ever reliable John Buscema and Tom Palmer, the Masters of Evil led by Baron Zemo actually manage to defeat the Avengers and take over the Avengers mansion itself. The Team at that time was a relatively weaker group that included Captain America, the Wasp, the Black Knight, Hercules, and Captain Marvel II (the black female version) with Thor as an occasional guest star.

The Masters of Evil were always a fun group of villians. Really a throwback to 1960's silver-age era baddies. Bad but not exactly evil per se. They hust always seemed to have a jones-on for the Avengers. A fun storyline with out having the endless plot threads that infect so many modern day comics. Good read and solid if unspectacular art.

I remember reading this story when it first came out. After several incarnations of the Masters of Evil, long time Avengers villian Baron Zemo raises an army to attack Avengers Mansion. The series offered a lot a super folks in tights battles, but also showed the weakness of the main characters: Hercules alcoholism, Captain America's feeling of isolation from his pre-frozen in the Artic days, etc. Comic stories rarely evoke the sense of loss that this one did, which made the Avengers ultimate victory (at high cost) that much more rewarding for the reader. A great read.

"Avengers: Under Siege" is arguably one of the most memorable storylines in the Avengers' long history. Granted, it does not have the scope of the classic cosmic tales like "Kree-Skrull War" and "Celestial Madonna". In fact, the whole work feels a little too "earthy" and the action is mainly limited to one place - Avengers Mansion. But what ACTION it is! The Masters of Evil, in their most powerful incarnation EVER, invades Avengers Mansion and takes over it!

Roger Stern is a solid Marvel writer in the 1980s under the editorship of Jim Shooter. We rarely see such dependable work-horse comic-writers today. "Under Siege" remains one of Sterns greatest writings (along with his work on Dr. Strange). There is an almost effortless feel to the way Stern seems to nail down the characterization of all the characters (most notably on the second-stringers like Black Knight, Hercules, Wasp, etc.) John Buscema and Tom Palmer provides the art. The art really shines in the last chapter when the heavyweights like Thor and Captain America join the fray to reclaim Avengers Mansion. We see the restrain and control in Buscema's powerful art - Thor vs. Goliath, Cap vs. Wrecker and finally Cap vs. Baron Zemo. A lesser artist, thinking he's the next-Kirby, would have drawn the whole thing in a loose, in-your-face, full page splash, zero storytelling style. But not Buscema and Palmer. See their art here and you'll know why Buscema was THE Marvel artist of the 1970s and 80s.

I'd been reading the Avengers on and off for about 2 years and had been a Marvel fan for most of my life. I bought this on a whim, thinking to update on some Avenger's history. I was truly amazed at what I got.

While the art wasn't the great stuff we get in todays comics, it was decent enough. What was really worth it, though, was the storyline. Bringing together a group of tough super-villains and resurrecting an old idea (that of the "master of evil"), the story proved to be quite worth my time.

Showing some of the all time best Avengers, including Thor, Captain America and Hercules, the battles were truly unforgettable. While there isn't any single thing that makes it truly spectacular, the whole story is well-rounded, enticing and fast-paced, easily accessbile and understandable. It's something that once you pick up, you can't put down. It's well-worth what its charged for.

First of all, this trade-paperback is out of print, so do yourself a favor and pick up the hardcover. In the past Baron Zemo had tried to defeat the Avengers by forming the Masters of Evil, and they always kicked his butt. Not this time! Zemo forms a new crew of evil (one that outnumbers our heroes), and actually gets the drop on Cap and company. First, they break into Avengers mansion and beat up on poor, old Jarvis! Then, it's just a matter of laying in wait for the Avengers to return home! Needless to say, Earth's mightiest heroes get their asses handed to them. One even gets sent to the hospital to die! Can the Avengers rally back to retake their home and get some payback? (C'mon, what do you think?)

Collecting one of the best Avengers stories ever printed. A thrilling read that any real Avengers fan would love to own.

If you want to see a tale where the Avengers come close to the edge of existance...this one's a keeper! It has everything from Captain America under attack by some great classic villians to the all the Avengers doubting their chances of ever coming out alive from this attack! The art by Buscema is what drives the story right along at a breakneck pace. It's a must have of any classic Marvel fan

NOTE: this has Nothing to do with the classic British TV series. It's a reprint of a late '80s storyline from a long-running Marvel team/comic. Here we find the heroes caught almost totally off-guard as numerous, orgainized villains prove it takes more than intelligence and determination to win, although our heroes aren't exactly shy of those. Well paced & thought-out (with story notes in & around the introduction), and only slightly hindered by a lack a familarity with the players and an unintentionally funny remark about the un-likelyhood of Spielberg winning an Oscar. (The 5th chapter, beginning of the hospital fight, in case you're looking.)

This is definitely one of Marvel's Finest. The Avengers get overwhelmed one by one. The odds are against them. Baron Zemo proves to be a ruthless, conniving villian. The heroes eventually do triumph, but at the loss of their mansion. The story has great suspense, action and excellent characters. A must for any Avengers fan!!

This trade paperback contains one of the most significant storylines in the history of the Avengers. It collects the Volume 1 Avengers issues #270 - 271 (Aug. & Sept. 1986) and #273 - 277. (Nov. 1986 - March 1987) Issue #272 (Oct. 1986) was part two of a two-part Prince Namor (the Sub-Mariner) story that Alpha Flight #39 (Oct. 1986) was part one in. These two issues explain Namor's leave of absence from the Avengers during the tumultuous battle to retake the destroyed remains of Avengers Mansion from the Masters of Evil shown in Issues #273 - 277. Roger Stern's eight-month storyline along with John Buscema's and Tom Palmer's artwork showed that even the Earth's Mightiest Heroes can suffer a terrible loss of home and hearth and still come out victorious. But it wasn't a clean victory by any means - this battle left the mighty Hercules in a coma and Jarvis the loyal butler beaten to within an inch of his life. This story had a large impact on the fan base of the Avengers, and this many years later it's still a pivotal point in the legacy of Marvel Comics' Avengers. This one is a must-have for any Avengers Vol. 1 collection. A great read!