Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Avengers Vol. 17

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening story is exciting and tense. The Thanos story arc works well on its own or as a sequel to earlier events. The “Korvac Saga” is compelling all the way through and is filled with well-written action and suspense. The “Korvac Saga” also concludes with a great philosophical pondering. The majority of the collection’s artwork is fantastic.

Cons: The quality of the art dips in some places.

Overall: This is an excellent volume in nearly every regard. The stories here are deep and meaningful, while still being fun to read. The “Korvac Saga” in particular is an amazing ride from beginning to end that leaves the reader with something to think about. Plus, many of these stories are important to Marvel’s history and signal a development for the Avengers as a team. Anyone looking for good stories about the Avengers should read this comic.

Story

Avengers Vol. 17 breaths new life into this series and contains some of its best stories in a while. In this volume, several compelling story arcs detail adventures that range from plain ol’ exciting to deeply profound. The “Korvac Saga” is the crown jewel of these arcs and easily makes this collection worth reading on its own. Meanwhile, events taking place in the background help further develop the Avengers as a team and help set up conflict for the future. All in all, this collection is fantastic and worthwhile from beginning to end.

(spoilers start here)

Avengers Vol. 17 starts with the “Nefaria Supreme” story arc, which pits the Avengers against a seemingly unbeatable foe. The arc ramps up tension by sending out a few weaker enemies first and then demonstrating that Nefaria is stronger than all of these villains combined. It makes for a fight that feels evenly matched and ends up being exciting.

Then, Avengers Vol. 17 sees Jim Starlin continue the story of Thanos by having the Avengers team up with Adam Warlock to finish off the villain for good. It is a short but extremely entertaining story arc. In many ways, it is also a hugely successful sequel to the events that took place across Starlin’s time writing Captain Marvel Vol. 3 (Review). The only problem is that these chapters feel more like Adam Warlock stories than anything else, causing them to fit in with the rest of the volume slightly less.

Once this is done, Avengers Vol. 17 shifts over to the main event, the “Korvac Saga”, mostly written by Jim Shooter. The first half of this saga has the Avengers team-up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and discover an unknown villain is kidnapping Avengers. However, they are not able to place their full attention on finding the kidnapper because they are beset with other problems. This allows some fun scenes to play out while it becomes increasingly apparent that the Avengers are more vulnerable than ever.

As the first half of the “Korvac Saga” comes to a close, it is revealed that the Collector is behind the disappearing Avengers. His reveal is handled well and, with the benefit of hindsight, makes perfect sense. This reveal also leads to an exciting battle, where the Collector is forced to push himself more than usual. However, once the Collector is defeated, he reveals that there is an even greater threat out there and is then unexplainably killed by this threat. This makes for a perfect transition from one half of the arc into the next.

The second half of the “Korvac Saga” deals with Korvac himself. Readers watch as the Avengers rush to fight a man that they know is nearly all-powerful. Simply having all of these characters in the same room together makes for an incredibly tense scene where it feels like anything can go wrong. Then, the battle starts and Avengers start falling like flies. It makes the entire sequence of events more exciting and dangerous. It also makes the emotions more powerful as the Avengers approach victory and Korvac ultimately resigns himself to defeat.

However, the real genius in the “Korvac Saga” is how this defeat is handled. Moondragon explains that Korvac was not some crazed despot hungering to shape the world into his idea of utopia. He was actually a benevolent being who would have truly worked to bettering the entire universe. In a way, the Avengers were this arc’s true villains. It is an amazing twist that I did not see coming and that feels refreshingly innovative for this era in comics.

The entirety of Avengers Vol. 17 is also notable for minor stories that unfold in the background. This volume introduces some strife within the Avengers but has them deal with it in some surprisingly mature ways, especially considering how quick they were to fight one another in past volumes. It feels like a marked evolution for the team and a more realistic portrayal of how heroes would act. This volume also introduces friction between the Avengers and the federal government, as the Avenger’s privileged legal status is questioned. This is a interesting twist for the series that could lead to some interesting story arcs in the future and is already leading to some comedy, as the Avengers are forced to take the bus during the “Korvac Saga”.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Avengers Vol. 17 is mostly positive, with only a few exceptions. The volume starts out with some work from John Byrne, whose straightforward panel structure and great characters allow the first arc to shine when it comes to action and excitement. Then, Jim Starlin takes over for two chapters and brings his signature approach to cosmic visuals with him, leading to an amazing cosmic odyssey. Finally, George Perez brings some innovative layouts and generally great visuals to the “Korvac Saga”. The only exceptions to the volume’s positivity occur near the collection’s conclusion, where shifting artists create some visual inconsistency within the series. Overall though, the artwork here looks pleasing and leads to an enjoyable reading experience.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 17 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 16 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 18 (Review).

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

• Wonder Man’s history from Avengers #9, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review), is mentioned a number of times.
• Power Man became involved with the Avengers back in Avengers #21, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 3 (Review).
• Power Man fought another character by the name Power Man in Power Man #21, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Luke Cage, Power Man Vol. 2. 
• A note in Avengers #164 mentions that Scarlett Witch tested out a “flying belt” for Tony Stark back in Avengers #16. This reference is incorrect and is likely a reference to her actions in Avengers #153, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 16 (Review).
• The Wasp and Yellow Jacket’s powers were improved in Marvel Team-Up #59-60.
• Count Nefaria’s activities in X-Men #95 are mentioned a few times. This issue is collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1.
• Troubles in Tony Stark’s personal life are mentioned at various points. Though the specific troubles are never explained, it is possible that this is a reference to the legal battle against Midas that began in Iron Man #103, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man Vol. 12. 
• Thor references his fight with the Destroyer in Thor #265-266, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 16.
• Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 essentially continue Adam Warlock’s story from Marvel Masterworks: Adam Warlock Vol. 2 (Review). These issues also serve as a pseudo-sequel to the events of the “Thanos War”, see our “Thanos War Reading Order” for more information.
• Starcore first began appearing in Avengers #102, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 11 (Review).
• Iron Man’s solo fight against Thanos took place in Iron Man #55, a part of the “Thanos War”, see our Reading Order for more information.
• In Avengers Annual #7, Iron Man makes a passing reference to fighting a Skrull fleet. This fight took place during the “Kree-Skrull War”. See our “Kree-Skrull War Reading Order” for more information about this war.
• The previous S.H.I.E.L.D. station was destroyed in X-Men #100, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy had previously starred in issues #3-12 of the Marvel Presents series, all of which are collected in Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers Vol. 1. 
• Captain America met the Guardians in Marvel Two-in-One #5, collected in Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers Vol. 1.
• Thor met them in Thor Annual #6, collected in Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers Vol. 1.
• Captain America lost his powers in Captain America #218.
• Ms. Marvel’s origins are explained in Ms. Marvel #1, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Ms. Marvel Vol. 1. She met Beast in Ms. Marvel #16, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Ms. Marvel Vol. 2. 
• A note in Avengers #172 mentions that Crystal watched Quicksilver disappear back in Inhumans #11, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Inhumans Vol. 2. However, this can also be seen in Avengers #170.
• Black Panther mentions a “disappearing persons” case. This case is examined in Marvel Two-In-One #40.
• Avengers #172 mentions Beast and Thor running off on errands. Beast’s adventure is shown in Marvel Team-Up #69 and Thor’s is shown in Marvel Team-Up #70.
• The Collector’s role in Incredible Hulk #198, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 12, is mentioned.
• Avengers #175 references Thor’s leave of absence from the team through Thor #225-263, collected across Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 13 to Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 16.