Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Avengers Vol. 4
Quick Summary
Pros: The vast majority of stories in this volume are very entertaining. One of the story arcs is great and has an incredible social message, especially for the time. The character development seen in the previous volume continues here and is still just as compelling.
Cons: A minority of the stories are just average. Some aspects of the book feel dated.
Overall: This is another success story in the history of Avengers comics. The tales told over the course of this book are filled with action, great characters, and a solid sense of comradery between the members of the Avengers. They are a wonderful representation of what this era of comics could do and will likely be a treat to any fans out there. Readers interested in reading solid Silver Age adventures or who enjoyed the previous volumes will likely enjoy this book.
Story
The stories in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 4, by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Don Heck, indicate that the Avengers series has hit a seriously entertaining stride. This volume takes everything good about Avengers Vol. 3 (Review), continues it, and even adds a little more appeal on top. Plus, this volume contains one of the best story arcs in the series thus far, one with a great social message that still feels relevant today. All in all, this is another example of enjoyable Avengers adventures from this era.
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The most obvious positive in Avengers Vol. 4 comes from the straight-up fun storytelling featured in most of the chapters. The opening chapter is a solid conclusion to the previous volume’s final story, the Living Laser ends up being a compelling villain, and the inclusion of Hercules on the team shakes things up a bit. Each of the stories is also filled with action and contains some entertaining banter between the members of the Avengers.
Though all of these stories are great, the crown jewel of Avengers Vol. 4 is the Sons of the Serpent arc. This is an unapologetic condemnation of racism and xenophobia in a way that feels every bit as relevant in the modern day as I’m sure it did back in 1966. It also works as a great showcase for the Avengers as individuals by showing how committed by they are to justice.
In addition, throughout all of these stories, the wonderful sense of character development has continued from the previous collection. In our review of Avengers Vol. 3 (Review), we discussed how great it was to watch a team of unlikely allies develop into a friendly group of serious crimefighters. That development stays true here. Newly introduced heroes integrate into the team while the already acquainted members form deeper friendships. Even Goliath comments on this at one point by stating how strange it is to see Hawkeye stand up for Captain America, despite hating him in the past. All of this offers a fantastic sense of progression that is not often seen in modern comics.
The only problems in Avengers Vol. 4 are relatively minor. There are a few places where the dated nature of these comics begins to show, such as inaccurate science and poor depictions of women. In addition, the closing two stories are only average when it comes to quality. However, these are minor problems and do not prevent this from being a solid collection as a whole.
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Art
The artwork in this volume maintains the acceptable level of quality that has been present over the past few volumes. Don Heck does a solid job in presenting the members of the Avengers in a way that easily leads to action-packed moments. Heck’s layouts are also logical and help assist the flow of this action. However, there are places where detail feels a bit lacking or some mistakes show up in the coloring. These problems aren’t incredibly noticeable but do prevent this from being a book worthy of higher praise. Overall though, this is still a visually pleasing comic that will likely satisfy most fans out there.
Continuity
Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 4 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 3 (Review).
The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 5.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- At one point, Captain America references a card given to him by Sgt. Fury. He got this card in Tales of Suspense #78, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 1.
- Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have an adventure with the X-Men in X-Men #27, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men Vol. 3, which happens before the events of Avengers #36.
- Goliath fought Colossus in Tales to Astonish #58, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man Vol. 2.
- Hercules battled Pluto in Thor #129-#131, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 4. Hercules’s story in this volume is continued from these issues.
- Hercules mentions his fight with Thor. This took place in Thor #128, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 4.
- The urgent matter Captain America attends to in Avengers #38 is detailed in Tales of Suspense #88-89, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 2.
- S.H.I.E.L.D.’s actions in Strange Tales #155, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 2, are mentioned in Avengers #39.
- The Red Skull’s current schemes are explained in Tales of Suspense #90, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 2.
- The Red Skull’s attempt to control the Cosmic Cube in the past is detailed in Tales of Suspense #80-81, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 1.