Avengers Legends Volume 1: Avengers Forever Tpb

If you don't know Avengers history, you *may* not enjoy this magnificent yarn as much as a long-time fan. Kurt Busiek, the modern master of continuity, teams with one of the best modern artists, Carlos Pacheco, to weave a "can't-put-the-book-down-till-I'm-done" monumental story. Like the great "Kree-Skrull War" of the early 70s, the key character is Rick Jones, whose dormant mental power (first awakened in the K-S War) is deemed a threat to all existence. Avengers from past, present and future are whisked together to team with Kang the Conqueror to stop Kang's "older wiser" self Immortus and the so-called Time-Keepers from extinguishing "threatening" timelines in which the Avengers have become a destructive force.Busiek oozes respect and admiration for those creators who have come before him, and does an incredible job tying loose ends together from Avengers' past history (especially with regards to the Vision and Original Human Torch, and the wretched "Crossing" from various titles' waning volume 1 issues). Pacheco's phenomenal art (inked by the equally talented Jesús Merino) clearly shares a Neal Adams component (who drew the Kree-Skrull War) with an exquisite attention to the most minute detail. If you only buy one TPB a year -- or ever -- THIS is the one to get, folks.

With Rick Jones sick beyond their ability to heal, the Avengers turn to the Supreme Intelligence, an organic supercomputer for aid. However, little do they know that this is merely the beginning of an adventure, one that will decide the future of mankind. Immortus, the Lord of Time, wants Jones dead, but strangely Kang the Conqueror wants him to live. Jones, together with a misfit group of Avengers drawn from various places and times, must save mankind, and unravel a riddle deeper than they can imagine.I got this book for my eight-year-old son to look at, but it was way beyond him. However, I must admit that I loved this book! The story was well written; it is extremely complex, and yet did not succeed in losing me at any point. This is a great graphic novel, one that I highly recommend.

AVENGERS FOREVER can be a little daunting for the uninitiated. The modern Marvel Universe dates back to the 1961 release of FANTASTIC FOUR #1. Since then, thousands of monthly Marvel comics have painted an epic tableau of colorful heroes, villains and settings. AVENGERS FOREVER writer Kurt Busiek and artist Carlos Pacheco delve into this tableau without apology, digging out all kinds of obscure Marvel historical factoids, obscure characters and events.The result is one heck of an awesome story. Seven time-lost members of the Marvel super team, the Avengers, are called upon to save history as they know it. Their old adversaries, Kang and Immortus (the same guy from two different periods in his life--told you it was dense!) are seeking to manipulate history to their ends, Immortus by killing Rick Jones, a normal human who has long been associated with the Avengers and who poses a threat to Immortus' plans.The Avengers chosen for the mission are an eclectic group. Two from the present of the team (Giant Man and Wasp), three from the past (Yellowjacket, a weary Captain America taken from a pivotal point in his career, and Hawkeye) and two from the future (Captain Marvel and Songbird).The heroes embark on a long journey through time to several crucial moments in Marvel and Avengers history. To the Old West, where they meet several of Marvel's long-forgotten western heroes. To a post-apocalyptic future where they meet a band of freedom fighters (led by an old, wise Black Panther and the brash Killraven, hero of an obscure 70's sci-fi comic series) battling an alien invasion. To the 50's in the McCarthy era. To the distant future. Ultimately the Avengers must do battle with a group of enigmatic beings who have made a judgment that flies directly in the face of the Avengers' very reason for existing.It's a great story that I think any fan of comics would enjoy tremendously. I know a lot about Marvel history, but I'm no completist. Even though I'm not a walking Marvel Encyclopaedia, I still enjoyed this story tremendously. It's one of the best comic series of the past several years and not to be missed. If you enjoy epic tales and quests with the exploits of heroes and diabolical villains, AVENGERS FOREVER is the book for you.

Avengers Forever is the be all, end all story of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. This is one of those stories that no matter how many times you read it, no matter how many years pass, you'll always find something you didn't catch the first time around. This epic covers over 35 years of Avengers history, making the bad stories good, and the good stories great, fixing all sorts of continuity flaws and bolstering weak points in past stories. Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern, and Carlos Pacheco really pull out all the stops on this one.The story takes place in the past, present, and the future as Immortus, lord of time, is assigned by the Time Keepers to kill Rick Jones, the sidekick of the Hulk, Captain America, the first Captain Marvel, and Rom the Space Knight; the same Rick Jones who inadvertently led to the formation of the Avengers. Rick possesses the Destiny Force, a latent psychic power that will evolve in humans over the centuries. Welcome to the Destiny War!To stop Immortus, Rick recruits a ragtag team of Avengers from different eras. From the present, Giant Man and the Wasp, who becomes the de facto leader of this team. From the future, Songbird--a reformed Avengers villain whom they do not trust--and the third Captain Marvel--the son of the first one--who is withholding pertinent information from his allies during this struggle. And, mining his rich knowledge of Avengers history, Busiek uses Captain America, who is demoralized and disillusioned with his country; Hawkeye, who returned to his bow-slinging ways after a brief stint as the second Goliath; and Yellow Jacket, a.k.a. a mentally unstable Hank Pym, who will become the Giant Man of the present. If there isn't enough dissention in the ranks, the Avengers must team up with two of their deadliest adversaries: the Supreme Intelligence and Kang the Conqueror, who is destined to become Immortus one day, a fate he hopes to prevent. In the final battle, every single Avenger from every different timeline battles Immortus and his legion of evil Avengers. Some characters were created exclusively for this series, but the majority of them have been seen before, some briefly, some you never thought you'd ever see again like the 1950s Avengers and the Egyptian Avengers (read the book). There are so many references throughout Avengers history that there is a page of footnotes at the end of every other chapter. This one has it all! Even Lex Luthor (like I said, read the book).A stickler for continuity, Busiek clears up the origins of both the Vision and the original Human Torch, something that really needed to be addressed. He also manages to work out a few bugs from "The Crossing," the Avengers storyline of five years ago where Iron Man became evil, not to mention threw continuity to the wind. He does all of this with respect; no story is desecrated (i.e., such as the wretched Spider-clone storyline, which is still hurting Spider-man to this day) but improved and clarified (i.e., the aforemention

Although I must admit when the limited series first came out, I hardly paid any attention to it. But when the trade paperback collection was released, I was astonished to say the least. Flipping througn its 200+ pages, it seemed to contained the best and worst moments in Avengers history, as well as finally answer long enduring questions and paradoxes about Kang, Imortus, The Original Torch and the Vision. Kurt Busiek really knows how to make this time spanning cosmic saga work, Carlos Pacheco, meanwhile delivers his best work ever. A must for any Avengers fan. A good read, great art and revelations galore.