Saturday, November 5, 2011

Marvel Treasury Edition 7: The Mighty Avengers

I started getting these editions right away, with Spider-man.   I just loved them, as they reprinted stories I had never seen before.  sometimes I had heard about them in flashbacks or editor's notes, but I rarely got to read the whole story.

somehow, I missed this one on the stands.  for the life of me, I have no idea how that happened, as it was the one I wanted most of all.  I had the first six.

so I had to order it through the mail.  this is dated 1975, so I might have gotten it the same time I got Superman/Spider-man.  but now I don't remember.

anyway, I got four stories for the cheap price of $1.50!  and they are all awesome. 

in the first one we meet the Grim Reaper for the first time, and The Black Panther joins the Avengers.  the first African superhero.  I had seen him already, but never with the half mask he started out with.  I didn't like it then, but it has grown on me.  the art is by John Buscema and I am glad they gave the Reaper a better costume.

story two ismy favorite- "Behold the Vision" .  anyone who knows me knows why this is my favorite. art and story by J, Buscema and R. Thomas, as before.  what a team.  the story ends with a bit of the poem of Ozymandias.

Jan and Yellowjacket get married in the third story, "Til death do Us Part".  same creative team as before, but a load of guest stars.  I've never quite bought into the whole "YJ killed Hank but we can't arrest him" thing, especially since he tells the Avengers he did it.  I think they all knew.  well, except maybe Hawkeye.  he was still pretty dim back there.

finally, the liberation movement hits comics in "Come on In... the Revolution's Fine" in which the Valkyrie forms the Lady Liberators- The Scarlet Witch, the Wasp, the Black Widow and Medusa all join her.  this is sort of the first appearance of the Valkyrie, but not the one we all know and love from the Defenders.  they visit Tom Fagan and his Hallowe'en parade in Rutland, VT, along with Roy and Jeanie Thomas (who wants to know which one is Mrs Peel). 

what a collection of comics.  that is a picture of my issue, beat up as it is, I love it. I still have some of the original ones I bought, but they don't travel well any more.

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