Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Avengers Vol. 2
Quick Summary
Pros: A few stories stand out as something unique. This collection shifts the structure of the team in a way that is interesting to read about.
Cons: Many of the stories here are just average and don’t really feel that memorable.
Overall: Though many of the stories in this book aren’t that noteworthy, the ones that are help make up for them and turn this into a worthwhile collection. Over the course of this book, the Avengers deal with multiple intense situations and undergo a period of growth whose effects are still felt to this day. Readers who enjoy Silver Age Avengers escapades or who want to see how the team evolved over time should consider reading this book.
Story
Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 2, by Stan Lee and Don Heck, spends about half of its time detailing stories that are just average but spends the other half of its time detailing more unique and memorable adventures. Within this collection, the Avengers have multiple intense fights, one Avenger has a near brush with death, and Captain America gets some well-written resolution from the past. Plus, a twist occurs halfway through the book that makes the story more interesting and is satisfying to see from a historical aspect. These highpoints in this collection’s narrative make the book as a whole worth reading.
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The first half of Avengers Vol. 2 mostly centers around several pretty standard Avengers adventures. They have the heroes clash with a villain. These adventures are fun, however most of them fail to really stand out as something particularly memorable.
Luckily, the few that do manage to stand out help bolster the overall quality of this collection. The Wasp’s near brush with death leads to some tense and suspenseful moments. Meanwhile, Captain America’s triumph over Baron Zemo is very well-executed and leads to a wonderful combination between the satisfaction of victory and the melancholy dissatisfaction of vengeance.
Then, at around the book’s halfway point, Avengers Vol. 2 does something that seriously changes the entire structure of this comic. The majority of the team decides to take a break from their duties as Avengers and a brand new group of heroes are brought in to replace them. This changeup is important from a historical standpoint because it establishes the Avengers as a malleable entity, rather than a specific group of people, which becomes important as this comic progresses into the future. It also gives a new dynamic to the series which feels fresh and interesting.
The benefit from this new dynamic is instantly recognizable. The new group of Avengers are more quickly prone to arguments and snap at one another more often. Unlike the earlier grouping of Avengers and other Marvel teams of the time, like the Fantastic Four, this new grouping of Avengers lacks an underlying level of respect and admiration to prevent their petty disagreements from evolving into serious problems. This makes the team more unique and relatable which, in turn, makes them more interesting. I am really looking forward to seeing how these characters will develop as their adventures continue.
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Art
The artwork in Avengers Vol. 2 is alright but doesn’t stand out as anything truly spectacular. Don Heck does a solid job with depicting the characters in this book and ensuring that their actions are exciting. In a book heavily focused on bouts of action from the main characters, this is an important and appreciated aspect of the visuals. However, there are also places where the backgrounds are pretty plain and do not instill the sense of wonder that the story implies they should. Despite these problems, the overall appeal of the visuals in this book is still decent and makes for an alright reading experience.
Continuity
Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 2 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).
The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 3.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- The first chapter in this collection has the Avengers thinking something happened to Tony Stark. This issue began in Tales of Suspense #61 and is resolved in Tales of Suspense #63, both of which are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2.
- The Fantastic Four’s battles against the Mole Man are mentioned here. A major battle with him took place in Fantastic Four #22, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 3 (Review), and they, supposedly, defeated him for good in Fantastic Four #31, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 4 (Review).
- The Red Ghost was introduced to the Marvel Universe in Fantastic Four #13, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 2 (Review), and was most recently seen in Fantastic Four #29, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 3 (Review).
- In Avengers #16, Hawkeye references his actions in Tales of Suspense #57, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2.
- Thor’s “Trial of the Gods” begins in Journey into Mystery #116, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 3.
- Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch quit the Brotherhood of Mutants in X-Men #11, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men Vol. 2.
- The story in Avengers #17 references the events of Tales to Astonish #69, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 2.
- In Avengers #19, Nick Fury’s recent fight against Hydra is referenced. This fight took place across Strange Tales #135-136, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.