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Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Avengers Vol. 13

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Quick Summary

Pros: The personal stories behind individual Avengers are interesting, especially in regards to Scarlet Witch. There are a few chapters that look great visually.

Cons: Most of the stories are pretty average and forgettable. Some of the romance feels over-the-top in an unpleasant way. The artwork has some lackluster chapters.

Overall: This volume does some positive things but, overall, fails to really impress. Most of the collection ends up detailing average to below average story arcs with average to below average artwork. There are definitely places where this level of quality picks up but this does not happen nearly enough to make up for some of the collection’s flaws. In the end, this volume may appeal to readers who have been keeping up with this series and enjoy character development but will not appeal to newer readers.

Story

Avengers Vol. 13, by Steve Englehart, is a bit mixed when it comes to providing entertaining Avengers stories. The volume collects a series of arcs that mostly fail to stand out as anything unique or special. They either contain lackluster villains that bring down the narrative or place a secondary focus on the Avengers, making them feel unimportant to what is going on. However, on a more individual basis, the volume is slightly more successful. Characters like Mantis, Vision, and Scarlett Witch receive heaps of character development as this collection progresses and they all end up in interesting positions by the conclusion of the volume. Though this book isn’t necessarily that good on its own, it may end up being worthwhile in the long run if future volume are able to capitalize on this development.

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Avengers Vol. 13 mostly consists of stories that end up feeling pretty unremarkable. The book opens with a few chapters that have the Avengers clashing with Zodiac at frustratingly random intervals. Then, the Avengers go on to fight villains in a temple, none of whom have enough setup to feel like a worthwhile threat. After this, they participate in the Thanos War storyline, which is much more of a Captain Marvel affair than it is an Avengers one. Finally, they make their way to Quicksilver’s wedding where, once again, they feel like secondary characters in another comic book’s story. None of the arcs here really stand out in a particularly positive light, especially not for the Avengers.

Instead, the main positives here end up revolving around the personal development of a few specific characters. Mantis goes from being a complete enigma to a bundle of pure potential. This volume hints that she may have a far more complex history than even she believed, something that could have a big impact on her future. In addition, Vision’s ability to grasp human emotions, specifically romance and jealousy, is tested. Though his involvement in a love-triangle veers into soap opera territory at times, it is still entertaining to see Vision grasp at empathetic understanding in the face of his inhumanity.

However, the biggest development in Avengers Vol. 13 comes from Scarlett Witch. In previous volumes, Wanda would typically fire off a single hex sphere and then become useless for the duration of the fight. Within this volume, she can be seen firing off multiple hex spheres that accomplish a variety of different goals. In addition, she appears to be actively seeking out ways to further develop her powers and gain better control over the mysterious forces she is able to access. All in all, her development from a lackluster side character into one of the Avenger’s powerhouses is admirable and is something I hope continues as this series progresses.

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Art

Most of the chapters in Avengers Vol. 13 are illustrated by Bob Brown. These chapters aren’t necessarily worse than the chapters in most previous collections but they also aren’t any better. Instead, they end up falling somewhere in the middle; with an average quality level that fails to impress or disappoint.

Luckily, there are a few artistic standouts to be found in Avengers Vol. 13. Rich Buckler’s work on Giant-Size Avengers, a chapter steeped in Marvel’s past, has an excellent Silver Age look to it that matches the mood of this story. Jim Starlin’s work on the Captain Marvel chapter, continuing the story from Captain Marvel Vol. 3 (Review), provides a wonderful representation of each character and is a perfect dive into the cosmic side of Marvel Comics. Finally, Sal Buscema’s work on the last issue manages to capture the creepy and nearly-haunted atmosphere required from this story.

However, the benefits from these artistic standouts are negated by a few places where things don’t look quite as nice. One of John Buscema and Dave Cockrum’s story arcs starts out with a monstrous being towering over the Avengers. Then, just a few pages later, this same monster shrinks down to the point where it is barely bigger than Thor. These chapters also contain a couple of action-focused pages with lackluster structures, making the action feel more dull than it should.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 13 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 12 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 14 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

Previous Volume Review

All Avengers Reviews

Next Volume Review

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