Avengers Epic Collection 13 Seasons of the Witch prhcomics.com/book/?isbn=9781302960094 Publication Date: 12 Nov 2024
496 pages
$44.99 US
The old order changeth once again in a glorious, fan-favorite period for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers!
The Avengers welcome the powerful new Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, into their ranks — just in time to witness the trial of one of their stalwart members, Hank Pym! Then, Thanos’ fun-loving brother Starfox joins the roster for an adventure to the Inhumans’ refuge on the moon and an uncanny team-up of sorts with the Fantastic Four — which will have lasting repercussions for the Vision! As Scarlet Witch fears for her synthezoid husband, Doctor Strange seeks her aid on a search for the Darkhold! But will a cash-strapped Spider-Man find gainful employment as the newest Avenger? Super villains cause pandemonium at Project Pegasus, and Hawkeye goes solo — but when Clint Barton meets Mockingbird, Cupid is the one firing all the arrows!
Collecting
Avengers #227-237, Annual #12;
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16;
Fantastic Four #256;
Doctor Strange #60;
Hawkeye #1-4
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 is cover dated December 1983 the same month as Amazing Spider-Man 235, Avengers 226 & Annual 11, Fantastic Four 249 & Uncanny X-Men 164.
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/newsstand.php?type=cover&month=12&year=1982&publisher=marvel&sort=alpha&variantex=nullAvengers 227 is cover dated January 1983 the same month as Amazing Spider-Man 236, Fantastic Four 250 & Uncanny X-Men 165.
The original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe started that month.
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/newsstand.php?publisher=marvel&type=cover&month=1&year=1983&sort=alphaAvengers 237 is cover dated November 1983 the same month as Amazing Spider-Man 246, Fantastic Four 260 & Uncanny X-Men 175.
The Falcon Limited Series started that month as did Walt Simonson's Thor run with issue 337
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/newsstand.php?type=cover&month=11&year=1983&publisher=marvel&sort=alpha&variantex=nullAvengers Annual 12 is cover dated January 1984 the same month as Amazing Spider-Man 248, Avengers 239 Fantastic Four 262 & Uncanny X-Men 177 & Annual 7.
Rom reached issue 50 this month and the X-Men/Micronauts limited series started.
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/newsstand.php?publisher=marvel&type=cover&month=1&year=1984&sort=alphaCover is Avengers Annual 12
Title is on the cover of Avengers 234
Welcome to the Roger Stern era of Avengers .....
.... or rather welcome back to it!
Avengers second Epic Collection, Judgement Day, collected the period late in Stern's run following Under Siege that had never been collected in Paperback before.
17 Judgement Day 1987
Avengers #278–285, Annual #16; *
Marvel Graphic Novel No. 27 - Emperor Doom;
X-Men vs. Avengers #1–4;
West Coast Avengers Annual #2
464 pages
June 18, 2014
The book of the material leading up to that followed a couple of years later
16 Under Siege 1986-1987
Avengers #264–277, Annual #15;
West Coast Avengers Annual #1;
Alpha Flight #39
456 pages
May 31, 2016
And then in 2020 the very end of his run came out
18 Heavy Metal 1987-1989
Avengers #286-303, Annual #17
512 pages
November 24, 2020
With the exception of the Judgement Day material, which was only available previously in HC, ALL the rest of Stern's Avengers run had been published in paperback trade, albeit with a slightly wonky start:
Trial Of Yellowjacket
Avengers (1963) #212-230.
Absolute Vision 1
Avengers (1963) #231-241 And Annual #11-12,
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16,
Fantastic Four (1961) #256
Doctor Strange (1974) #60.
Absolute Vision 2
Avengers (1963) #242-254 And Annual #13.
Legacy Of Thanos
Avengers (1963) #255-261 And Annual #14,
Fantastic Four Annual #19.
Avengers: The Once And Future Kang
Avengers (1963) 262-269 and Annual #15,
West Coast Avengers Annual 1
Under Siege
Avengers #270-277
Avengers: Assault On Olympus HC
Avengers #278-285
Avengers: Heavy Metal
Avengers (1963) #286-293
Epic 13 mainly contains material from Absolute Vision 1, plus some issues from the end of The Trial of Yellowjacket
Before Roger Stern wrote Avengers he serves an 18 month stint as the book's editor:
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=1351Avengers 173-191
That's the later part of the Korvac saga, the assorted issues straight afterwards and the Micheline/Byrne run
It's worth looking some of his other editorial credits too
X-Men 113-131 - Claremont/Byrne
Iron Man 114-133 - Micheline/Layton/Romita Jr
MTIO 42-60 - including Project Pegasus saga
That's some record even before we get to his writing
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=1351He starts off with a major Hulk run, collected in Hulk Epic 9 earlier this year, alongside his first Doctor Strange run, which is in Doctor Strange Epics 4 & 5. His good but cut short Captain America run with John Byrne follows, see Captain America Epic 9 for that, which is alongside the start of his Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man run! After Cap he returns to Doctor Strange writing most of 46-75 over an extended period. Peter Parker leads to Amazing Spider-Man alongside Doctor Strange and after a year on Amazing he adds Avengers to his list!
Roger Stern is inheriting a book in a bit of a mess, or rather recovering from it. Micheline and Perez bailed soon after 200, leaving it in the hands of a rotating creative cast till Jim Shooter returned for 210 onwards. Writing decisions were made then that still haunt certain characters to this day, notably Hank Pym, and Shooter very quickly finds that writing an ongoing book at the same time as being Editor In Chief is a bit too much. His last regular issue writing is 220, although he plots a couple of issues following this - 222 & 224. Micheline, Steve Grant & Alan Zelenetz all make writing or scripting contributions to the next 6 issues - 221-226 - which re-establish an Avengers line up down to 4 members. Most of these issues are due be reprinted in Avengers Epic 12 Court Martial next year.
When The Trial Of Yellowjacket collected 212-230, including the 227-230 collected in Epic 13, they concentrated on telling the story of the fall of Yellowjacket/Hank Pym from the main Avengers book. As a consequence of this they missed out the Avengers annuals published in this period, 10 & 11, plus the Roger Stern written ASM Annual 16 which features the Avengers and introduces the new Captain Marvel. The Epics restore them to their correct place: Annual 10 goes towards the close of Epic 10.
Absolute Vision volume 1 opened with Avengers Annual 11, which will be in Epic 11. Although it came out between 225 and 226 I suspect it'll be placed earlier, and given the line-up of 4 Avengers it should be no later than between 220 & 221 - between 217 & 218 and 218 & 219 are the other options. There's a note on page 18 that suggests it takes place shortly after Defenders 109, which is the same month as Avengers 221 making the placement between 220 & 221 seem reasonable.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 opens Avengers Epic 12 It's a bit of an odd story, much more centred on Monica Rambeau, Stern's creation making her debut, than Spider-Man himself. The Avengers feature later in the story but it very much deserves it's place here on the strength of it being Monica's debut as Captain Marvel
227-230 are the finale to the Yellowjacket storyline, and were in the Trial of Yellowjacket trade. The story was parked at the end of 224 and is picked up here and allowed to run to it's conclusion with the actual trial. 227 starts with Captain Marvel's powers being assessed, leading on nicely from ASM Annual 16, and by the end of 230 we've been introduced to Starfox on Titan, who's planning to come to Earth to seek out the Avengers.
227 is pencilled by Sal Buscema, with Brett Breeding inking him and the next issue.
From issue 228 Stern is mainly paired with Al Milgrom on pencils. I'm pretty vocal about my dislike for Milgrom's inks but right through his Avengers run he does a competent workmanlike job.
229 sees the return of the great Joe Sinnott to the title on inks after a short run c issue 100 and a pair of issues in the early 150s. He'll remain with the title till 252 and then join Milgrom on the first 21 issues of West Coast Avengers.
The regular Avengers issues in Absolute Vision 1 started with 231-232 which is a fun caper vs the Plantman during which Starfox arrives wanting to join the Avengers and Hawkeye breaks his leg, which leads to him being sidelined
Annual 12 slips in between (I think) ages 19 & 20 of issue 232 as the US government become aware of the Inhumans on the moon and send the Avengers there. This brings the Vision & Scarlet Witch back into contact with the team.
233 is about the Avengers trying to penetrate a barrier round the Baxter Building that appears in the closing stages of 232. During the course of this The Vision is severely injured and rendered comatose. Byrne does breakdowns for this issue with Sinnott finishing and some of the art is shared with Fantastic Four (1961) #256, which tells the FF's side of the story. Stern & Byrne were obviously pleased with the results as they repeat the trick years later for Avengers Annual 14 & Fantastic Four Annual 19
234 concentrates on the Scarlet Witch, retelling her origin story and what happens in the wake of Vision & Scarlet Witch Limited Series #4. Hawkeye's Skycycle is introduced, setting up his limited series, and the issue's end feeds into Doctor Strange #60, still written by Stern, which features the Scarlet Witch & Captain Marvel assisting Doctor Strange against the Dracula, who's seeking to steal the Darkhold from Avengers Mansion, brought back in the wake of Avengers 188.
235 is a sequel of sorts to the Plantman story featuring The Wizard, the start of which brings Spider-Man back into contact with the Avengers.
He guest stars in 236 & 237, wanting to join the team to gain a salary and ends up accompanying them on a trip to Project Pegasus as Moonstone, Blackout, Electro & Rhino try to escape!
Missing from this Epic, but in Absolute Vision 1, are Avengers 238-241. They will follow in Avengers Epic 14. 238 is a Vision issue, 239 has some Avengers on a chat show (it was Assistant Editor's Month) and 240-241 round off the recently concluded Spider-Woman series and brings Tigra back into the Avengers orbit.
Rounding off Epic 13 is Hawkeye 1-4, written and drawn by Mark Grunewald which substantially changes the game for the archer introducing him to Mockingbird. This has already seen one airing in Epics, in Hawkeye Epic 1, and I've got two other copies on my shelves: the original; trade, a birthday gift some years back, and in the Mockingbird Complete Collection.
This is a top, TOP book setting the standard for the next few to come.
With Epics 11 & 13 are now released: Epic 12 Court Martial is on the runway for May 2025 and contains from the main Avengers series 210-226 & Annual 11: Mantlo's one issue, the entire Shooter II run through to the issue before the Stern run starts. Vision & Scarlet Witch 1-4, which I had expected to be in Epic 13, will also be in Epic 12.
www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/series.php?seriesid=4049&page=gallery1 cover dated November 1981 same month as Avengers 225
4 cover dated February 1982 same month as Avengers 228
That leaves issues 238-263 and Annuals 13 & 14 to be divided between Epics 14 & 15 and bulked up.
14 238-248 & Annual 13
Marvel Fanfare 14 (Vision story)
Marvel Team Up 142 Captain Marvel & 143 Starfox
West Coast Avengers 1-4
20 issues worth
* There's no way that it'll be included but it's worth noting Secret Wars occurs between issues 242 & 243
15 249-263, Annual 14, Fantastic Four Annual 19, Fantastic Four 286
21 and a half issues worth.
The next Avengers Masterworks looses FF Annual 19 which was a little unexpected especially as the corresponding FF Masterwork does have the Avengers annual in. Doing the same here would bring us closer to 20 issues.
I think the 3 books at the end of the run look like this:
EPIC 27
Avengers 389-392
Last Avengers Story 1-2
Iron Man #319-323
Avengers:The Crossing
Force Works #16-28
War Machine #20-21
(20 issues worth)
EPIC 28
Avengers #393-396
Force Works #19-20
War Machine #22-23
Iron Man #324-326
Avengers: Timeslide
Age of Innocence - The Rebirth of Iron Man (Double Sized)
Captain America 449
Thor #496
Force Works #21 & 22
(20 issues worth)
EPIC 29
Avengers 397-402
FF 414-415
Uncanny X-Men 335-336
X-Men 55
Hulk 445
Onslaught X-Men 1
Onslaught:Marvel Universe
Black Knight: Exodus
