The Avengers, Vol. 2 (Marvel Masterworks) [Paperback]

Stan Lee (Author), Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Don Heck (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2009 | Grade Level: P and up

Pick up the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes with the Marvel Masterworks! Comicdom's greatest assemblage of super heroes burst onto the scene in 1963 as Marvel Comics revolutionized the comic-adventure art form. Gathering together to face the evil Loki, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, and the Mighty Thor formed the improbable core of the ever-changing super-team. But it was three issues later when, from the ice of the northern Atlantic, Captain America returned from the frozen depths that the Avengers truly took form. Now, the epic story continues in Volume 2 with appearances by by Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, and more! Collects The Avengers #11-20.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (October 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785137084
• ISBN-13: 978-0785137085
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.5 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stan Lee is a man who needs no introduction. Nevertheless: Having begun his career with wartime Timely Comics and staying the course throughout the Atlas era, Stan the Man made comic-book history with Fantastic Four #1, harbinger of a bold new perspective in story writing that endures to this day. With some of the industry's greatest artists, he introduced hero after hero in Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men and more -- forming a shared universe for rival publishers to measure themselves against. After an almost literal lifetime of writing and editing, Lee entered new entertainment fields and earned Marvel one opportunity after another. He remains one of Marvel's best-known public representatives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "The Avengers" line-up changes in issues #11-20, February 11, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 2 (Hardcover)

"Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Volume 2" brings together issues #11-20, which means we begin with the Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp lineup and end with Captain America, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In other words, instead of a group made up of characters sharing space in second tier Marvel comics books (e.g., "Tales of Suspense") the Avengers end up being comprised of various supporting characters. Except, of course, for Captain America, who has always been the group's best leader. So the history here is a bit more important than most of the stories, some of which are sub-par, and only a true fan of the series is going to want to go to the expense of picking up this volume.

The stories collected here and reprinted in color, unlike those in "The Essential Avengers" trade paperbacks, are written by Stan Lee and drawn by Don Heck: #11 "Spider-Man" has Kang constructing a robot of the web-head to join the Avengers, which requires the real Spider-Man to save the day; #12 "This Hostage Earth" has the Avengers tangling with the Mole Man; #13 "The Castle of Count Nefaria" involves an evil plan sending electro-images of the Avengers to threaten the U.N. and have the Avengers declare war on the world; #14 "Even Avengers Can Die" starts with the Wasp wounded by a bullet and it seems the doctor they need to do the operation has been replaced by an alien (my vote for the stupidest "Avengers" story of all time); #15 "Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain" has the Avengers up against a team of bad guys consisting of Baron Zemo, the Executioner, the Enchantress, the Black Night, and the Melter.

With #16 "The Old Order Changeth" we have the aforementioned change in the Avengers lineup takes place and the group is no longer as muscle-bound as before; now it is clearly speed over strength; #17 "Four Against the Minotaur" deals with this change, asking the immortal question "With the raw power of Iron Man, Thor, or Giant-Man, how can the valiant Avengers hope to stop the Minotaur?" Well, they do; #18 "When the Commissar Commands" has the group against a giant Communist Chinese tyrant; #19 "The Coming of ...the Swordsman" has one guy with a sword taking on the Avengers. He does pretty well; #20 "Vengeance Is Ours" has the fight between the Swordsman and the Avengers complicated by the appearance of the Mandarin.

The last two-part story is actually the best of the bunch, which is rather surprising, but overall these 10 "Avengers" stories are average at best. When you have a group of superheroes it is really difficult to come up with some decent villains, and so Lee and Heck jettison most of the original group, where you hand Thor and Cap at the high end of the nobility scale, and replaced them with two of the angriest Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye and Quicksilver. The idea of reforming Pietro and Wanda was interesting, but why not do that in "The X-Men"? Still, the dynamics of this group are just strange enough, what with flying shields, shooting arrows, throwing spells, and running real fast. But for me "The Avengers" never really hit stride until the Vision joined their ranks and gave them a character they could truly call their own.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The King, March 8, 2011

By 

Phillip G. Payne - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Avengers, Vol. 2 (Marvel Masterworks) (Paperback)

This is a good collection of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's work. If you like old comic books this is a good book. The plot has glitches and the dialog is sometimes (often) stilted, but still a classic of sequential story telling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avengers Masterworks vol.2, July 6, 2010

By 

K. Harmon - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Avengers, Vol. 2 (Marvel Masterworks) (Paperback)

Excellent for any Titanic True Beleiver (T.T.B.)and former members of the

M.M.M.S. Re-live the wonderful Silver Age of Marvel comics. Though simple

maybe even primitive by more contemporary standards, these are the stories

and the artwork that made comics great. Soft bound format makes this a book

you can enjoy for it's price point. We can all be reminded in these stories

of a simpler time, both for ourselves and for society.