Avengers comics

[Kit]

since some Avengers titles are ending and new ones beginning, it's time for a consolidation.

AVENGERS #1 HA is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, May 19.

The Story: THE HEROIC AGE IS HERE! There came a day! A day unlike any other...where two of Marvel's top creators teamed up for the very first time to create a bombastic new monthly Marvel comic that not only ushers in the Heroic Age of Marvel Comics but unleashes onto the world the most blockbuster Avengers team ever! Who will answer the call? And will they assemble just in time...because Kang the Conqueror is here from the future. And wait till you find out why…! Bonus back up feature: the oral history of the Avengers, part one. A brand new illustrated look at the Avengers in a way you have never seen before by series writer Brian Michael Bendis.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 HA is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, May 19.

The Story: The Official Handbook continues to soar during 2010's Heroic Age with an update for all things Avengers, featuring Captain America (Rogers) and Thor! In-depth profiles on the good: Bengal, Black Knight (Percy), Komodo, Whiz Kid and Prodigy! The bad: Proctor, Super-Adaptoid, the Dark Avengers & the Ragnarok clone! And everyone in between: Arkon, Trauma, Bova, Young Masters, and the Phone Ranger?! Featuring ORIGINAL ART for dozens of characters! Avengers Assemble!

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #2 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, May 19.

The Story: The Avengers have their first mission: track and neutralize the Ghost Rider for good. But they need one more recruit to help them do the job…and he’s not so cooperative. How do you put down a HULK? Chuck a few tons of metal at him! War Machine and the newest HULK go head-to-head and it gets explosive. Hotshot creators MARK MILLAR and LEINIL YU bring you the next blazing chapter of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT!

[Kit]

AVENGERS WEST COAST AVENGERS ASSEMBLE HardCover is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26.

The Story: After operating for years out of New York, the Avengers form a second team -- this time based in California! Fresh off their honeymoon, Hawkeye and Mockingbird -- under the direction of the Vision, chairman of the East Coast Avengers -- gather Tigra, Wonder Man and Iron Man (secretly James Rhodes) to fight the forces no single super hero can withstand! See the team's earliest adventures against the deadly Maelstrom and his Minions! The malevolent Crossfire! Spider-Man foe the Blank! The ionic-powered Goliath (later Atlas of the Thunderbolts)! The all-powerful Graviton! Guest-starring the Shroud, Tony Stark and honorary Avenger Moira Brandon! Collecting WEST COAST AVENGERS (1984) #1-4, IRON MAN ANNUAL #7 and AVENGERS #250 -- plus material from AVENGERS #239, #243-244 and #246; and AVENGERS WEST COAST #100.

SECRET AVENGERS #1 HA is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26.

The Story: THE HEROIC AGE IS HERE! Who are the Secret Avengers? Are they a covert team of heroes working the darkest corners of the globe to stop disaster? Are they part-spy, part-superhero? Are they XXXXXXX’s newest idea to save the world...or all they all of the above? A new era begins as Marvel's hottest team takes a 21st century twist!

[Kit]

AVENGERS ORIGIN #3 (OF 5) is on stands today, Thursday, June 4..

The Story: More hidden secrets revealed! Dissension in the ranks! Thor abandons his newfound allies as the search for the Hulk continues! But, is the Green Goliath really hiding? And who the hell is "Mechano"? Plus: Ant-Man builds his greatest invention!

AVENGERS PRIME #1 (OF 5) HA is on stands today, Thursday, June 4..

The Story: They were friends, brothers and teammates through all of Marvel's greatest adventures, but recent events turned them into the bitterest of enemies. In the wake of the Siege of Asgard Thor, Iron Man and Steve Rogers are brought together on the same side once more, but these great heroes can’t truly trust each other yet. They better start soon because something only the Big Three can handle is tearing their world apart. This all-new, grand and dangerous adventure will catapult our heroes into the explosive Heroic Age and will unite comics legend Alan Davis with Avengers scribe Brian Bendis for the very first time.

AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT #1 is on stands today, Thursday, June 4..

The Story: Marvel begins a new Heroic Age of Avengers action in May, with the first issues of Brian Michael Bendis' AVENGERS and Ed Brubaker's SECRET AVENGERS leading the way! To celebrate this new Heroic Age for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, we want all SPOTLIGHT faithful to assemble for a double-sized extravaganza jam-packed with inside information, interviews, preview art and some very special surprises. This month's SPOTLIGHT is all things Avengers: Who survived SIEGE? Which heroes passed the Initiative? What's up with Luke Cage and his renegade Avengers? What's life like in a post-Dark Reign world? And where doe Steve Rogers fit into all of this?

[Kit]

AVENGERS ACADEMY #1 HA is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

The Story: A BRAND NEW ONGOING AVENGERS TITLE BEGINS HERE! Determined to keep the tradition alive, founding Avenger Hank Pym leads a core team of veteran heroes in creating a place where the next generation of Earth's Mightiest can be trained by the greatest of those who preceded them. An institution where everyone who has ever been an Avenger can share their skill, knowledge and experience. The future is in their hands...and in the hands of the six young superhumans chosen to make up the inaugural class. But who are they? And what dark secret will turn their world--and potentially the entire Marvel Universe--upside down by the end of the issue? If you think this is just another teen hero book...the last page shocker will prove you wrong!

AVENGERS I AM AN AVENGER II TradePaperback VOL 02 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

The Story: A half-dozen lineups in a single volume! Reborn, New, Mighty — an Avenger by any other name is still one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! This collection highlights not only individual inductions — Ares, Cage, Firestar, Triathlon and more — but team-wide reorganizations and revisions! Plus: The Avengers have fought plenty of the world's deadliest criminals, but what happens when the world's deadiest criminals BECOME the Avengers? Collecting AVENGERS (1996) #1, AVENGERS (1998) #1, #4 & #27, NEW AVENGERS #3 & #15, MIGHTY AVENGERS #1 & #21 and DARK AVENGERS #1.

Why is this $34.99? AVENGERS VISION & SCARLET WITCH TradePaperback A YEAR IN LIFE is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

The Story: In a world full of heroes, villains, and monsters, there are few stranger phenomenons than the marriage of a mutant witch to a heroic synthozoid! As this unlikely couple settles into their home in Leonia, New Jersey, they find themselves at odds with the members of their complex families, including Ultron, the Grim Reaper, Quicksilver, and Magneto! And when Wanda uses the power of a village of witches to make herself pregnant, the happy twosome becomes a happy foursome when twin sons William and Thomas are born, the future Wiccan and Speed of the Young Avengers! Plus, the dissolution of Crystal and Quicksilver’s marriage! Featuring the threats of the Lethal Legion, Salem’s Seven, Samhain, the Toad, the demons of Zor, the Enchantress, and the Grim Reaper! And guest-starring Dr. Strange, Power Man, Spider-Man, and the Avengers! Collecting VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH (1985) #1-12 and WEST COAST AVENGERS (1985) #2.

NEW AVENGERS HardCover VOL 05 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

The Story: Who can you trust? Now that the shape-shifting Skrulls’ plot to infiltrate Earth has begun, that question has a clear answer: Trust no one! Explore the dramatic turmoil of the Avengers roster as the slow-burning Skrull menace ratchets up and finally explodes in their faces. Featuring Luke Cage, Echo, Wolverine, Spider-Woman and other NEW AVENGERS favorites. Learn the shocking answers to these burning questions: has Captain America truly returned to again lead the Avengers? What were the Skrulls able to learn from the captive Illuminati? How did Spider-Woman and the Skrulls survive House of M? And whose side will the super-powered criminals of the Marvel Universe take as the Skrull invasion decimates New York City? These vivid stories of paranoia and suspense are brought to you by writer Brian Michael Bendis and a dream team of comics brightest art talents — including Michael Gaydos, David Mack, Jim Cheung and Billy Tan. Collecting NEW AVENGERS #38-47.

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #3 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

The Story: Nick Fury’s Avengers have assembled: Black Widow, The Punisher, a new Hulk, War Machine and Hawkeye are souped-up and ready to face Hell…literally. Evil’s emissary comes in the form of The Ghostrider, a mysterious new villain sent to collect Satan’s debts: human lives. But how do you fight the devil and his men? With big guns and even bigger cojones. Who lives, who survives? Who knows? But it’ll be one hellish ride!!

[Kit]

MIGHTY AVENGERS TradePaperback UNSPOKEN is on stands today, Wednesday, June 16

The Story: The Unspoken speaks — and a world trembles! The Inhumans recently escaped to the stars to fight the War of Kings, leaving behind a secret that will consume the world in terror. Find out the true nature of this dark, terrible secret — and why, for centuries, it has been left unspoken! Join Avengers Hank Pym and Clint Barton as they lead a cavalcade of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes — including Hercules, Quicksilver, USAgent, Jocasta and the Young Avengers against the kind of world-ending calamity that only they can handle! Collecting MIGHTY AVENGERS #27-31.

NEW AVENGERS #1 HA is on stands today, Wednesday, June 16

The Story: Find out who the New Avengers are, where they call home (gotta see it to believe it!), which Dark Avenger has joined their ranks, and just who the interdimensional demonic threat to our existence is! These heroes have gathered to take on the threats too dark, too dangerous, and too bizarre for any other team of heroes. The New Avengers are back!!

AVENGERS CONTEST HardCover is on stands today, Wednesday, June 16

The Story: To return his fellow Elder of the Universe, the Collector, to life, the Grandmaster enters a cosmic wager with Death herself, using Earth heroes as their chess pieces! Heroes from around the world, including several never-before-seen, battle it out for nothing less than the fate of Earth itself in the Contest of Champions! Featuring every Earth hero, circa 1982! Then, Grandmaster causes more problems for the Avengers when he plans to wipe out all life in the universe, and he pits the Avengers of both coasts against each other to claim his prize! Starring 15 Avengers and special guest star, the Silver Surfer! Collecting CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1-3, WEST COAST AVENGERS ANNUAL #2 and AVENGERS ANNUAL #16.

[Kit]

AVENGERS #2 HA is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 23

The Story: The Avengers have assembled and the villainous Kang has revealed that they must travel to the future to save their own children from destroying the universe! Yes, the entire universe. But it will take one more Avenger to make the trip complete. Who is the newest hero to join the ranks of the Avengers true? And why is the once-great hero Wonder Man hell-bent on stopping the Avengers at every turn? Backup feature: Another brand new oral history of the Avengers chapter by Bendis!

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #4 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 23

The Story: Nick Fury’s Avengers have assembled: Black Widow, The Punisher, a new Hulk, War Machine and Hawkeye are souped-up and ready to face Hell…literally. Evil’s emissary comes in the form of The Ghostrider, a mysterious new villain sent to collect Satan’s debts: human lives. But how do you fight the devil and his men? With big guns and even bigger cojones. Who lives, who survives? Who knows? But it’ll be one hellish ride!!

[Kit]

NEW AVENGERS LUKE CAGE #3 (OF 3) is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30

The Story: IN A CITY INFESTED WITH CRIME, LUKE CAGE...WALKS AWAY?! When Luke Cage went to Philadelphia to avenge an old friend's brutal beating, he uncovered a drug ring that stretched from North Philly's mean streets to the powerful boardrooms of corporate America -- and with every "lieutenant" he took off the streets, another thug took his place. With the deck so stacked against him -- and a family in New York that needs him -- will the original Hero for Hire leave a job unfinished? Or will the job finish him?!

SECRET AVENGERS #2 HA is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30

The Story: On a mission no one can know about and already betrayed by one of their own! Our Secret Avengers strike force finds a link between Roxxon's digs on Mars and a mysterious shadow group on Earth. But what evil will they face on the Red Planet itself, and will a hero fall?

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS HardCover NEXT GENERATION is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30

The Story: Guess who’s back!! That’s right, kids, MARK MILLAR (THE ULTIMATES, WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN) and superstar artist CARLOS PACHECO (AVENGERS FOREVER, X-MEN) blast into the Ultimate Universe for a mind-blowing, heart-pounding and gut-wrenching event of epic proportions! When a highly-classified secret threatens Captain America, only the newly-returned Nick Fury has the tools to bring ‘em in! PROJECT AVENGERS is a go! Collecting ULTIMATE AVENGERS #1-6.

[Horsenhero]

I picked up Avengers Academy #1 the other day...and as much as I hate to say this since it features some characters I like...I can't really recommend it. The academy students are, thus far, a little boring and certainly don't behave like kids on the "edge" because they were "tortured the worst" by Norman Osborn. Hopefully the writing will improve, but, with only the first issue to go by, it's a waste of Quicksilver and Tigra.

Quicksilver did get the best line in the book though. "Pietro? Where'd you...""Super-Speed. Google it."

[Doug McCrae]

I liked Avengers Academy, had a lot of reader identification for those troubled teens.

I am 39 years old.

Enjoying Secret Avengers a lot also. Love them going to Mars, that's a great idea.

[Horsenhero]

Hmmmm, I may have to check Secret Avengers then. Sounds like it could be fun. My only issue with Academy was that the most "on edge" character in it was Speedball, most likely because of the new outfit. Just give him his Ditko outfit and leave it alone...really. Of the new kids, my faves would have to be Hazmat and Finesse thus far. Hazmat's got a bitter temper and Finesse could easily become a happy little sociopath...she's like Taskmaster, only cuter, with fewer social skills. Least favorite...Reptil, closely followed by Striker.

[saint_matthew]

Hmmmm, I may have to check Secret Avengers then. Sounds like it could be fun. My only issue with Academy was that the most "on edge" character in it was Speedball, most likely because of the new outfit. Just give him his Ditko outfit and leave it alone...really. Of the new kids, my faves would have to be Hazmat and Finesse thus far. Hazmat's got a bitter temper and Finesse could easily become a happy little sociopath...she's like Taskmaster, only cuter, with fewer social skills. Least favorite...Reptil, closely followed by Striker.

I'll see what happens with Academy, it has the ability to be great, but i feel it may turn into a complete stinker (but i;ll keep on reading regardless).

The Avengers title is so far the weakest of all the current avengers titles & 2 issues in i'm more then a little bored. I love the fact that Marvel Boy is in it, but i'm not sure about how is being represented in this comic. Also the artwork keeps on clashing with the dialogue. Too often you have characters trying to be clever and witty & the lack of facial expression is making it come off al jarring & disassociated. Too many characters in it all ready & not enough actual character to any one of them.

Secret Avengers so far is great. It has a real teamwork feel, taking disparetly different characters and focusing them into a great team. Not to mention the great artwork (something i think is not working for the main Avengers comic) & the awesome avengers space suits. It has its own tone, its own feel & isn't trying to go back to Avengers history for everything (hey look we have a team that does not try and live in any of the old Avengers HQ's. WOW!).

New Avengers, i'm still not sure what to make of it. Its trying to fill a gap that no longer exists. Whats more Its not a real team: Its completely staffed by characters who are on other active teams, have there own comic lines or generally shouldn't be in the Avengers. It seems a stretch that these character will gel. Theres no crisis so how does spiderman have time to be on an avengers team? I mean he's meant to be this awesome solo character with little to no resources, doing amazing things. Give him access to the Avengers mansion & that idea gets bitten in the arse. Power Man is meant to be running Thunderbolts full time now & wolverine seems to once again be appearing in every darn book. We'll have to see with this one, but potentially it could end up really really sucking.

Thats just my take on the current Avengers lines.

-M

[Kit]

AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE #1 (OF 9) is on stands tomorrow, Thursday, July 8.

THE STORY:
The Young Avengers return in an epic, bi-monthly Marvel maxi-series by series creators Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. When Wiccan's reality-altering powers begin to rival those of the Scarlet Witch, the young hero sets out on a quest to find her that spans the Marvel Universe and pits Wiccan against both the Avengers and the Young Avengers. But will Wiccan's desire to solve the mystery of his parentage be his salvation or his undoing? This self-contained Marvel maxi-series reintroduces and redefines the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch for the Heroic Age and is essential reading for any Avengers fan.

AVENGERS ORIGIN #4 (OF 5) is on stands tomorrow, Thursday, July 8.

THE STORY:
It's all-out action in the mighty Marvel manner! The hunt for the Hulk is on! And when Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp actually find him -- all hell breaks loose! Meanwhile, an eternal war between half-brother gods erupts in Asgard!

HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #2 is on stands tomorrow, Thursday, July 8.

THE STORY:
Hawkeye & Mockingbird are back in action together -- but so are their two greatest foes! Who is the all-new, all-deadly Phantom Rider? Crossfire once took Hawkeye's hearing from him - what will he take from him now? Plus: what secret has Clint uncovered that could destroy everything that he and Bobbi are fighting for?

STEVE ROGERS SUPER-SOLDIER #1 (OF 4) is on stands tomorrow, Thursday, July 8.

THE STORY:
Steve Rogers was America's first Super-Soldier - Captain America - and he's fought for his country since World War II. Now a face from the past reappears, a woman that cannot be alive because Steve watched her die! Steve has fought for so long, and lost so much -- is his past coming back to haunt him now? Or could this be the plot of an old enemy who controls nearly everything he touches, including Steve's mind?

[Kit]

AVENGERS #3 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

The Story: The time space continuum is broken! And the Avengers must travel to the far flung future to see exactly what terrible mess their children have made of the world. But maybe, just maybe, Kang didn't tell our heroes the truth about what has gone wrong. Guest starring the Next Avengers, the Future Imperfect Hulk and the Amazing Spider-Girl! Yeah, you heard us! Another blockbuster issue from Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita, Jr.! Plus! Another chapter in the untold oral history of the Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis…!

AVENGERS SEARCH FOR SHE-HULK HardCover is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

The Story: With her powers out of control, She-Hulk goes berserk in the town of Bone, Idaho, and the assembled Avengers may not be enough to stop her, even when Hawkeye and the Hulk return to aid them! Plus, the Wasp and Yellowjacket versus Whirlwind in Las Vegas! And when Ant-Man’s daughter gets kidnapped, an Avenger sacrifices his life to save her! Collecting AVENGERS (1998) #71-76.

NEW AVENGERS #2 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

The Story: All new Marvel magic by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen! The Avengers don't even get a chance to move in to their new digs when a dimensional invasion tears right into the heart of the team. This is a story that wlll completely reinvent the rules of magic in the Marvel Universe and have long- lasting effects on a handful of your favorite Marvel characters. Plus: an Avenger disappears! Backup feature: Another brand new oral history of the Avengers chapter by Bendis!

NEW AVENGERS TradePaperback VOL 12 POWERLOSS is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

The Story: What if…? The villains fighting for control of New York City’s underworld got their hands on a very powerful machine that could cause the immediate loss of power in any super-powered being? What if the events described aren’t a “What If?” What if they’re really happening to the Avengers? Right now, in Times Square? What if the Avengers are in big, big, trouble? Collecting NEW AVENGERS #55-60.

DARK AVENGERS TradePaperback VOL 02 MOLECULE MAN is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

The Story: Dark avengers…disappear! The wild-eyed Owen Reese is a seclusive personality with galaxy-shattering power at his command, a meek little man who just wants to be left alone in the lonely landscapes of Dinosaur, Colorado. Norman Osborn is the Iron Patriot, leader of the Dark Avengers, a strong-willed enforcer with a streak of madness who just wants America under his boot heel. But when the Molecule Man and the Iron Patriot meet, one’s gotta be the loser — and that means Osborn and his Dark Avengers! Featuring the reckoning between Ares and his son’s other father figure, Nick Fury, the secrets behind the powers of the Sentry and the true nature of the madness behind the mask of the Iron Patriot! Collecting DARK AVENGERS #9-12.

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #5 (OF 6) is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21.

The Story: The Avengers have Hell to pay as Nick Fury's new squad faces off with the demonic Ghost Rider! Hell's emissary is collecting souls, and Vice-President Blackthorne is next on his list. Hawkeye, The Punisher, War Machine, and Black Widow are cranked up and ready to face Satan's soldier, but are they prepared to fight two of him!? Good thing they have the brand-new Hulk on their side!

[saint_matthew]

Good lord is Avengers bad at the moment. I just read issue 3 of Avengers & i actually want to punch the editor. I haven't felt this harsh towards a marvel intellectual property since volume 3 of runaways where we had an entire volume where nothing happened at all... I mean at all.

My list of specific problems with the issues 3 specifically
- The writing style for the character dialogue clashed with the artwork.
- To many characters, to little screen time, didn't care.
- Characters felt 2 dimensional.
- The artwork is inconsistent & seems quite rushed in some panels/
- The artist cannot draw iron-man... at all.

Its just bad... It fails across the board.

-M

[Kit]

SECRET AVENGERS #3 is on stands tomorrow, Wednesday, July 28.

The Story: What hides in the depths of the red planet? How does it link to the Shadow Empire lurking behind the scenes in America for nearly 150 years? And will our heroes be able to save one of their own?