Tag Archives: Don Heck

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Essential Classic X-Men Vol. 2

Essential Classic X-Men Vol. 2

First Published: May 2006

Contents: The X-Men #25 (October 1966) to #53 (February 1969); and Avengers #53 (June 1968)

Key Creator Credits: Roy Thomas, Werner Roth, Gary Friedrich, Arnold Drake, Don Heck, George Tuska, Jim Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, and others

Key First Appearances: Sean Cassidy/Banshee, Cobalt Man, Candy Southern, Changeling, Frankenstein’s Monster, Grotesk, William Drake, Madeline Drake, Mesmero, Norton McCoy, Edna McCoy, Lorna Dane/Polaris

Story Continues From: Essential Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1

Story Continues In: Essential Classic X-Men Vol. 3

Overview: Welcome back to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. With a small enrollment, headmaster Charles Xavier is able to focus and help each student develop to the fullest extent of their abilities. Mutant abilities, that is! As all of the students are members of the X-Men, mutants working to build a world that homo-sapiens and homo-superior can live side-by-side.

In this volume, we get the first new member to join the team, as Mimic comes on board. However, he left quickly after fighting with Cyclops and losing his ability to mimic others’ abilities during a fight with the Super-Adaptoid. At this same time, future X-Man Banshee is introduced as a foe, but soon becomes a loyal friend to the X-Men. At the end of this volume, we do meet Lorna Dane, but more of her story will unfold in Essential Classic X-Men Vol. 3.

Now, over the years, many people have claimed that Charles Xavier can be an ass. A story arc in this volume would be Example #1. During a battle with Grotesk, the X-Men believe that Xavier has been killed. The students bury their mentor and figure out how they will function going forward. Out of nowhere, Xavier returns alive and well. Turns out he had been hiding in a secret basement at the mansion, so he could mentally prepare to stop an alien attack. Xavier hired the reformed criminal known as Changeling to impersonate him, giving him some of his mental powers. So it was the Xavier-impersonator that died in battle with Grotesk. Trust me, this is just the first of a long list of Xavier’s foibles.

Towards the end of these issues collected, a new format was introduced into the books. The stories would run around 15 pages, and then there would be a 5-page back-up which slowly revealed the origins of the original X-Men. In this volume, we get the origins for Cyclops, Iceman, and Beast.

What makes this Essential?: I actually feel that these stories are better than those found in Essential Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1. While I do not want to besmirch the work of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, I don’t believe the X-Men were ever their top priority. I think when writer Roy Thomas comes onboard, he is able to put his full effort into the stories, and we see the characters start to develop, becoming individuals with unique costumes and not just chess pieces controlled by Xavier. I almost think the casual X-Men fan would be better off starting with this volume first before ever reading Essential Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1.

Footnotes: X-Men #45 and Avengers #53 are also reprinted in Essential Avengers Vol. 3.

If you like this volume, try: Marvel Visionaries: Roy Thomas, which collects assorted issues from Thomas’ legendary career at Marvel. In the early 1960s, Stan Lee realized he needed help and hired Thomas to come in as an assistant. He was quickly promoted to writer, and one-by-one, Thomas would scribe the adventures of nearly every significant Marvel title at some point in the 1960s and 1970s. By my count, he has stories reprinted in over 35 Marvel Essentials (plus 2 DC Showcase Presents). The stories collected here give the reader some of the many highlights from Thomas’ resume – The Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, the Invaders, Dr. Strange, and Dracula.

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Essential Avengers Vol. 5

Essential Avengers Vol. 5

First Published: January 2006

Contents: Avengers #98 (April 1972) to #119 (March 1972); Daredevil #99 (May 1973); and Defenders #8 (September 1973) to #11 (December 1973)

Key Creator Credits: Roy Thomas, Harlan Ellison, Steve Englehart, Barry Windsor-Smith, Rich Buckler, Don Heck, Sal Buscema, Bob Brown, and others

Key First Appearances: Imus Champion, Mantis

Story Continues From: Essential Avengers Vol. 4

Story Continues In: Essential Avengers Vol. 6

Overview: In the aftermath of the Kree-Skrull war, the Avengers have returned to Earth to find that one of their members is missing. Tracking down the Warhawks, the Avengers are reunited with Clint Barton, who has dropped the Goliath act and is now back to the bow and arrows of Hawkeye. With him, they find another former Avenger, Hercules, confused and disoriented. What a way to start the next volume of Essential Avengers!

The disoriented Hercules leads into a storyline that leads into #100 anniversary issue, which brought back every former Avengers – including the Hulk – in a battle between Earth, Asgard, and Olympus. Following that, the Avengers face numerous familiar foes, including the Grim Reaper, the Sentinels, the Space Phantom, and Magneto.

The highlight of this volume is the Avengers-Defenders War, which crossed over between the two titles, both scripted by Steve Englehart. Loki, the step-brother of Thor, and Dormammu, long-time foe of Doctor Strange, manipulate the two super-teams into battle. This has been reprinted multiple times, including in the Essential Defenders books.

The volume concludes as the Avengers make another return to Rutland, Vermont, for the annual Halloween parade. Once again, chaos ensues as the Collector shows up trying to complete a set of Avengers.

What is interesting with this volume is Englehart advancing the characters into relationships, bordering on a soap opera. The Scarlet Witch and the Vision start a relationship, much to Quicksilver’s chagrin. Mantis shows up, and wants to claim the Vision as her own. The Swordsman has fallen head over heels in love with Mantis, but can’t get the time of day from her. All of this gets resolved in the next volume.

What makes this Essential?: We see another transition in the Avengers title as Roy Thomas steps down as writer, and Steve Englehart comes in as the new scribe of the book. The X-Men – friend and foes – make numerous appearances during a time when their book was strictly a reprint title. Englehart scripts one of the first multi-part crossovers between the Avengers and the Defenders. With the introduction of Mantis, we start approaching the Celestial Madonna storyline that will dominate Essential Avengers Vol. 6. The downside to this volume is the art, which suffers from a lack of consistency. If you liked Essential Avengers Vol. 4, you should probably have this volume as well to continue the run.

Footnotes: Avengers #111 and Daredevil #99 was also reprinted in Essential Daredevil Vol. 4.

Avengers #115-#118 and Defenders #8-#11 are also reprinted in Essential Defenders Vol. 1.

If you like this volume, try: Avengers: Under Siege by Roger Stern and John Buscema. Running in Avengers #270-#277, the Masters of Evil are back with a vengeance, taking down the Avengers one-by-one. During the onslaught, Hercules is beaten within inches of his life; control of the Avengers Mansion falls over to the bad guys; and even the butler Jarvis is caught up and injured. But falling back to the group’s origins, the Wasp rallies the troops, calling in Thor and Captain America to defeat the Masters of Evil. When fans are asked to name the best Avengers stories, this is easily in the top five for everyone, if not the top choice. This has been collected multiple times and remains in print nearly 30 years after it initially ran in the monthly book.

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Showcase Presents Batgirl Vol. 1

First Published: July 2007

Contents: Batgirl stories from: Detective Comics #359 (January 1967), #363 (May 1967), #369 (November 1967), #371 (January 1968), #384 (February 1969), #385 (March 1969), #388 (June 1969), #389 (July 1969), #392 (October 1969), #393 (November 1969), #396 (February 1970), #397 (March 1970), #400 (June 1970), #401 (July 1970), #404 (October 1970) to #424 (June 1972); World’s Finest Comics #169 (September 1967) and #176 (June 1968); 
Batman #197 (December 1967) and #214 (August 1969); Justice League of America #60 (February 1968); The Brave and The Bold #78 (June-July 1968); Adventure Comics #381 (June 1969); Superman #268 (October 1973) and #279 (September 1974); and Superman Family #171 (June/July 1975)

Key Creator Credits: Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, Frank Robbins, Gil Kane, Don Heck, Curt Swan, Mike Friedrich, and others

Key First Appearances: Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Jason Bard

Overview: Meet Barbara Gordon, librarian and daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. With an invitation to the Gotham City Policeman’s Masquerade Ball, Barbara is making a female-fitting version of the Batman costume. While on the way to the ball, Barbara encounters a robbery in progress, and jumps in to stop the crime. Later on, she can’t stop thinking about the rush she experienced as a crime-fighter. Making her costume more practical for physical activity, Barbara joins the Dynamic Duo as a protector of Gotham City, as Batgirl.

Early on, Batgirl was brought in every couple of issues to help Batman and Robin with whatever case they may be working on. But her popularity grew as a character, earning her a back-up feature role in the pages of Detective Comics. While most of these stories are one-and-done, towards the end of this run an ongoing story arc was introduced by Frank Robbins and Don Heck. Barbara reveals her secret identity to her father, who being a good cop had already deduced her secret. Barbara gets elected to Congress to help represent Gotham City in Washington, D.C.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: Batgirl was created at the request of the producers of the Batman television show, hoping to add a new female character to the show’s third season. Appropriately enough, her first comic appearance was titled “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!” The show helped cement Barbara Gordon’s place in the Batman universe, and the writers and artists found ways to take advantage (albeit slowly) of this incredible character. This is a great volume to own, and share with readers of all ages. My only complaint about this volume is the cover image they chose for this volume (Page 1 from Detective Comics #371). Seriously, could DC find a more sexist image to use? I understand that Batgirl was not used on many covers during the time frame that this book covers, but the covers to Detective Comics #359 or #369 would have been much better choices to use over the cover image above.

Footnotes: The stories from Detective Comics #359, #363, #369, & #371, and Batman #197 were also reprinted in Showcase Presents Batman Vol. 3.

Batman #214 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents Batman Vol. 4.

Detective Comics #400 & #401 were also reprinted in Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1.

The Brave and The Bold #78 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 1.

World’s Finest Comics #169 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents World’s Finest Vol. 3.

World’s Finest Comics #176 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents World’s Finest Vol. 4.

Justice League of America #60 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents Justice League of America Vol. 3.

If you like this volume, try: tracking down a copy of The Brave and the Bold #33 (June 2010), during the J. Michael Straczynski run on the book. This story is set in the days prior to the events of Batman: The Killing Joke (and if you need info on why that book is important, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog). Zatanna has had premonitions of events coming up in Barbara Gordon’s life, so she and Wonder Woman take Babs out on the town for a night of fun. Cliff Chiang draws a beautiful yet realistic female figure, and was a perfect choice for this issue. This issue was collected in the Team-ups of the Brave and the Bold hardcover, which collected the JMS issues of The Brave and the Bold.

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Essential Daredevil Vol. 3

Essential Daredevil Vol. 3

First Published: August 2005

Contents: Daredevil #49 (February 1969) to #74 (March 1971); and Iron Man #35 (March 1971) and #36 (April 1971)

Key Creator Credits: Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Barry Windsor-Smith, Gerry Conway, Gary Friedrich, Don Heck, and others

Key First Appearances: Starr Saxon/Mister Fear (Machinesmith), Stunt-Master, Turk Barrett, Thunderbolt,

Story Continues From: Essential Daredevil Vol. 2

Story Continues In: Essential Daredevil Vol. 4

Overview: Welcome back to the continuing adventures of Daredevil, the Man without Fear. In this volume, we say goodbye to writer Stan Lee, as he gives up the reigns to Rascally Roy Thomas and, later, Gerry Conway. Most of the art in this volume comes from the talented Gene Colan, although we do get a taste of early Barry Windsor-Smith in this collection.

This volume starts off with Matt suffering from a crisis of conscience. Foggy Nelson has been elected District Attorney and has gone his separate ways from Matt. Matt wants to ditch his red union suit and try to settle down into a reasonably normal life with Karen Page. Sadly, circumstances force Matt back into costume, as Daredevil has a city to protect.

One of the early villains introduced is Star Saxon, a genius who builds killer robots. (Saxon later appears in this same volume as Mister Fear, but his fame would eventually peak when he takes the name Machinesmith, being a foil for Daredevil, Captain America, Spider-Man, and others.) Long time foes Gladiator and Jester make return appearances to take on Daredevil, as well as Cobra and Mr. Hyde coming over from the pages of Thor.

The volume concludes with a crossover between Iron Man and Daredevil, as they battle the Zodiac. It makes for a nice change of pace to see Don Heck’s take on Daredevil for these issues.

What makes this Essential?: Once again, the artwork steals the show with this volume. I’ve praised Gene Colan’s talents many times in this blog, and there is not much else I can say to convince you on his art. This volume is no exception. In terms of the stories themselves, the tales in here are generally forgettable, quite honestly. This feels like a time in the character’s history where the primary concern was just to get a monthly book out, and any character development was a secondary concern. By all means, get this volume for Colan’s art. Just don’t get your hopes up if you are getting this for the Daredevil stories.

Footnotes: Daredevil #73 and Iron Man #35 & #36 are also collected in Essential Iron Man Vol. 3.

If you like this volume, try: the Daredevil run from Frank Miller. In the late 1970s, Miller came onto the book as the artist and eventually took over the writing chores as well. During his run, Miller took a throwaway character introduced in Daredevil #69, Turk Barrett. Turk made that one appearance and then did not appear again for nearly 10 years until the Miller run. Turk was a two-bit thug that had dreams of bigger jobs with greater rewards, but he always seems to make the wrong choice. Daredevil would crash into whatever bar Turk was drowning his sorrows in, smash everything (and everyone) up, and then question Turk, who would squeal and give Daredevil whatever info he was needing.

Notwithstanding the use of Turk, the Miller run on Daredevil is the first one mentioned when people talk about the best Daredevil runs. Miller pushed the boundaries for a monthly newsstand comic and helped set the tone for comics to come in the 1980s. This has been collected numerous times as both hardcovers and trade paperbacks. If you haven’t read this yet, you are missing out on one of the all-time great Daredevil stories.

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Essential Ant-Man Vol. 1

Essential Ant-Man Vol. 1

First Published: February 2002

Contents: Ant-Man/Giant-Man & Wasp stories from Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962), and #35 (September 1962) to #69 (July 1965)

Key Creator Credits: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, Dick Ayers, and Bob Powell

Key First Appearances: Dr. Henry ‘Hank’ Pym/Ant-Man/Giant-Man, Egghead, Janet Van Dyne/Wasp, Porcupine, Human Top (Whirlwind), Nathan Garrett/Black Knight

Overview: Doctor Henry Pym is a research scientist looking to find a way to miniaturize objects. After proving that it works on objects, Pym tries his formula on himself, shrinking down to the size of an ant. Unable to defend himself from the attacking ants looking to defend their home, Pym runs for his life until he can get back to his lab to retrieve the antidote. Putting aside the formula for months, Pym revisits his project as he learns more about the ants. He converts the formula to a gas, attaches the gas canisters to a costume, dubs himself the Ant-Man, and a new hero is born.

In the issues to come, Ant-Man develops a decent rogues gallery. While many opponents in these issues were one-and-done, some of his foes such as Egghead, Porcupine, the Human Top (later renamed Whirlwind), and the first Black Knight would have long-lasting spots in the Marvel Universe.

In Tales to Astonish #44, we meet Janet Van Dyne, the daughter of a fellow scientist. When Janet’s father is murdered, she seeks help from Pym. Donning his costumed identity, Ant-Man rescues Janet and reveals his identity to her. Pym uses his current research to mutate Janet’s body, giving her the ability to shrink down to insect size while wings sprout from her back. Taking on the name of the Wasp, the duo avenges the murder of Janet’s father, and a new partnership is formed.

Shortly after joining the Avengers, Pym feels inadequate in comparison to his other teammates in Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk. Pym theorizes that what can be shrunk can also be enlarged, and Giant-Man is born. This is the first of many costume identity changes that Pym will make over his career.

What makes this Essential?: There are very few original ideas in comics. Everything is inspired by what has come before, or as an unapologetic attempt to duplicate success at a rival publisher. DC had found success by resurrecting the Atom identity with Ray Palmer in Showcase #34 (September/October 1961). Henry Pym first appeared in January 1962 and dons the Ant-Man costume and identity in September 1962. Over at DC, the Atom joined the Justice League in Justice League of America #14 (September 1962), and Pym (with Van Dyne and others) found the Avengers in November 1963. So whether Lee & Kirby were directly trying to duplicate DC’s success, or just wanting to have their own size-changing hero, the timeline that Henry Pym follows seems to mirror that of Ray Palmer, just one year behind.

Despite being founding members, Ant-Man and the Wasp often get pushed to the side in modern retellings of the early days of the Avengers. These stories help justify their place on that team. Pym is a brilliant scientist who gets overshadowed in other comics by his contemporaries in the Marvel Universe. The Wasp was not a sidekick, but a truly equal partner with Ant-Man. She earned her own ongoing backup feature, which may have been the first female-led super-hero stories at Marvel. Lee and Kirby do the bulk of the stories in this volume, but they get overlooked by all of the other legendary stories that were coming out in this era. This volume is worth taking a look!

Footnotes: Henry Pym was just one of the tenants in Tales to Astonish during the 1960s. Initially, the book was a science-fiction anthology title. When the super-hero movement took off, Pym became the lead feature each month with various backup stories. Starting in issue #50, the Wasp was given her own solo story feature, giving the book two super-hero stories per issue going forward. With #60, the Wasp feature ended and her space was given their former Avenger colleague, the Hulk. In 1965, the Giant-Man feature was replaced by Namor, the Sub-Mariner, beginning in #70.

If you like this volume, try: the Mighty Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest collection, available as both a hard cover or a trade paperback. Following the events of Secret Invasion, Henry Pym has once again adopted a new costumed identity, this time as the Wasp. Pym’s ex-wife was believed to have sacrificed her life in stopping the Skrull invasion of Earth, and Pym wants to honor her memory by keeping the Wasp name alive. A new Avengers team is formed, by what appears to be the long missing Scarlet Witch. Can this new team of Avengers come together to help save the Earth? This is one of the best story lines involving Henry Pym and the Avengers. Pym is confident in his abilities, he steps up as a leader of gods and warriors, and he proves that his intellect is just as great as Reed Richards and Tony Stark. Over the last 10 years, this was the one Avengers title that felt most like the Avengers of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

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Essential Thor Vol. 1

Essential Thor Vol. 1

First Published: February 2001

Contents: Thor and Tales of Asgard stories from Journey Into Mystery #83 (August 1962) to #112 (January 1965)

Key Creator Credits: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Leiber, and Don Heck

Key First Appearances: Dr. Donald Blake/Thor,  Jane Foster, Loki, Odin, Balder the Brave, Heimdall, Tyr, Asgard, Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, Frigga, Radioactive Man, Merlin Demonspawn, Ymir, Surtur, Cobra, Mr. Hyde, Haag, Hela, Lady Sif, Enchantress, Executioner, Grey Gargoyle, Karnilla, Laufey

Story Continues In: Essential Thor Vol. 2

Overview: Donald Blake, an American doctor vacationing in Europe, finds himself being chased by the Stone Men of Asgard. Hiding in a remote cave, Blake finds an ancient walking stick. Tapping that stick on the ground transforms the weak doctor into the mighty Thor, God of Thunder and Prince of Asgard. Armed with his hammer Mjolnir, Thor sends the Stone Men back to their planet, and establishes himself as the protector of Midgard (Earth).

Over the next two years of stories, we are introduced to Blake’s nurse Jane Foster, who is in love with the thunder god. We meet the royal family, such as Thor’s father Odin, King of Asgard, and his step-brother Loki, god of mischief. We see his friends who stand by Thor’s side in battle and in celebration, like Balder the Brave, Heimdall, Tyr, and the Lady Sif. And any hero is only as great as the villains he battles, and Thor battles humans to aliens to Asgardians.

While this title develops it’s own story and mini-universe, it does crossover into the mainstream Marvel Universe. Thor’s teammates in the Avengers make multiple appearances, and Thor even battles Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The final issue in this collection features a battle between Thor and the Hulk, the first of many such bouts.

This volume also includes the Tales of Asgard stories that were a back-up feature beginning in Journey Into Mystery #101. These stories gave readers the back-story of the Asgardians, telling tales of Thor and Loki in their youth, and exploring the nine realms. Many familiar characters, such as Lady Sif, Hela, and Surtur, were introduced into the Marvel Asgardian universe through these features.

What makes this Essential?: This is a decent introduction to Thor, Loki, Odin, and the other Asgardians, but these are not great stories. When I think of “Thor”, I associate words such as “Epic” and “Mighty” and “Grandeur”. I don’t think these issues give me that. Thor does not stand out against other humans, Asgard looks small, Loki comes across as more annoying than evil. Lee & Kirby will have much better stories collected in later Essential Thor volumes. Other creative teams will have even more impressive runs with the Thunder God. This volume is a good way to introduce a reader to the title character, but I don’t think this is the volume to make someone a fan of Thor.

How many Executioners does one god need?: In Journey Into Mystery #84, Thor battled the Executioner, a pro-Communist warlord trying to wrest control of the nation San Diablo. Thor helps the democratic forces stop the revolt, and the Executioner is, well, executed by his troops as he tries to escape. Whether is was his desire to re-use a good name or an oversight on his part, Stan Lee used the name Executioner again in Journey Into Mystery #103, when he introduced the Asgardian/Storm Giant who is often partnered with the Enchantress.

Footnotes: In his first appearance in Journey Into Mystery #93 (June 1963), Radio-Active Man’s name is spelled with a hyphen. In his next appearance in Avengers #6  (July 1964), the hyphen has been lost, giving us the more familiar spelling of Radioactive Man’s name.

If you like this volume, try:  the 2007 relaunch of the Thor title by J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel. Thor and the other Asgardians had been dormant in the Marvel Universe since the end of the previous Thor series in 2004. In this story, JMS and Coipel bring Thor back to the land of the living, as he seeks out his fellow Asgardians and looks to rebuild Asgard, which now hovers over a small town in Oklahoma. This is a great story to be introduced to the entire concept in a more current time-frame. This has been collected multiple times in paperback and hardcover editions, so you should have no troubles finding this.

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Essential Iron Man Vol. 1

Essential Iron Man Vol. 1

Essential Iron Man Vol. 1

First Published: September 2000

Contents: Iron Man stories from Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963) to #72 (December 1965)

Key Creator Credits: Stan Lee and Don Heck

Key First Appearances: Tony Stark/Iron Man, Professor Ho Yinsen, Wong-Chu, Stark Industries, Kala, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Blizzard (Jack Frost), Anton Vanko/Crimson Dynamo, Senator Harrington Byrd, Melter, Mandarin, Scarecrow, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Unicorn, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Morgan Stark, Titanium Man

Story Continues In: Essential Iron Man Vol. 2

Overview: In 1963, Stan Lee and Don Heck teamed up to create a modern day knight in the midst of the Cold War. Tony Stark was a weapons manufacturer that had everything he could ever need, with the looks, the women, and the money to do anything. Visiting troops in Viet-Nam to see his weapons in use, Stark is injured in a land-mine explosion, which placed metal shrapnel next to his heart. Captured by the evil warlord Wong-Chu, Stark and Professor Yinsen build a suit out of iron to use in an escape. Stark dons the armor, and Iron Man is born.

Following his return to the United States, we see Tony Stark try to balance his life between his business responsibilities for Stark Industries, and the need to put on the Iron Man armor to fight the super-villains popping up left and right. We meet his closest friends – Happy Hogan serves as Stark’s chauffeur and confidant, and Pepper Potts is his loyal secretary who keeps her love for her boss hidden away. Iron Man is introduced as Tony Stark’s bodyguard, which explains why Iron Man shows up so often when Stark is in danger.

The villains are a mix of Cold War enemies (Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and the Black Widow) and major threats at home (Melter, Blizzard, Unicorn, and Hawkeye). The Black Widow and Hawkeye would later reform their ways, and eventually become loyal members of the Avengers, the super-hero team which Iron Man helped to found and financed for many years. The Avengers make numerous appearances in these stories.

What makes this Essential?: I find myself being more impressed with this volume over time. While the first year of stories are somewhat clunky (no pun intended), it smooths out and finds it’s footing in the following two years. The number of characters created with lasting impact is very remarkable for stories that were 8-to-12 pages per month. You can read these stories and get a solid understanding of all things Iron Man, even more than the later Essential volumes. If you are a fan of Iron Man or the Avengers, pick up this volume.

Shades of Gray: Following in the footsteps of the Incredible Hulk, the first appearance of the Iron Man armor in Tales of Suspense #39 was all gray. In the next issue, the armor was painted in the traditional red and gold.

Footnotes: As time has moved further and further away from the Viet-Nam war era, the origin of Iron Man has been updated to match the current era. The basic storyline remains the same, with Stark being injured and forced to create the armored suit. However, the location has been updated to the first Gulf War in the 1990s, and then to the wilds of Afghanistan in the last decade.

If you like this volume, try: another viewing of the first two Iron Man movies. The origin of Iron Man is visually exciting in the first movie, and the supporting cast with Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan make the Tony Stark aspect of the story just as important as the Iron Man aspect. In the second movie, the Black Widow is introduced, and Anton Vanko was used as a combination of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo.

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Essential Avengers Vol. 2

EssentiaL Avengers Vol. 2

EssentiaL Avengers Vol. 2

First Published: June 2000

Contents: Avengers #25 (February 1966) to #46 (November 1967), King-Size Avengers #1 (September 1967), and the Ant-Man story from Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962)

Key Creator Credits: Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Don Heck, and John Buscema

Key First Appearances: Goliath, Collector, Bill Foster, Sons of the Serpent, Living Laser, Red Guardian, Whirlwind

Story Continues From: Essential Avengers Vol. 1

Story Continues In: Essential Avengers Vol. 3

Overview: The Avengers legacy continues in this second Essential edition. The line-up of Cap’s Quirky Quartet (Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver) are the core line-up in this volume, but we see the return of the Wasp and Giant-Man, who soon adopts the new identity of Goliath.  In addition, the Greek demi-god Hercules becomes a long-term guest of the Avengers before finally being named a member of the team in issue #45. Hawkeye petitions the team to admit his girlfriend Black Widow to the team, but she would not officially join the team for many years.

In this era, stories start being stretched out over multiple issues, becoming grander in scope. New villains are introduced, such as the Collector, Whirlwind and the Living Laser; existing villains such as Dr. Doom, Dragon Man and Attuma are imported from other titles; and familiar villains like Enchantress and the Executioner are still causing trouble.

What makes this Essential?: Quite honestly, these stories are very pedestrian. When fans make lists of their favorite Avengers stories, these issues do not make the cut. However, I think this volume is key because of two creators who begin their long residency at Avengers Mansion.

Roy Thomas was the first of many fans to join the comic industry in the 1960s. Thomas was hired as a staff writer, taking over many books that had been written by Stan Lee since issue #1. Thomas took over with Avengers #35, which began a seven-year run on the title. Thomas’ long career has given him the chance to work on nearly every character, but his Avengers run, particularly the Kree-Skrull war, remains one of his best.

John Buscema provided much of the art during the Thomas era on the Avengers, and then later returned to the title in the 1980s for a memorable five-year run with Roger Stern.  In the 1960s, Buscema’s art-style was very similar in look and energy with Jack Kirby, and became the natural choice to take over the art duties on the Fantastic Four and Thor titles when Kirby left Marvel in 1970.

Footnotes: Beginning with issue #38, Tony Stark’s mansion is now referred to as Avengers Mansion for the first time.

If you like this volume, try: the Avengers: Mythos hardcover collection from 2012. Back in 2006, Marvel started releasing one-shots titled Mythos: <Character Name> written by Paul Jenkins. Characters featured included Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men. Jump to early 2012, when Marvel started gearing up for the Avengers movie by putting out all kinds of comic books. One such line of books were five Avengers Origins comics, focusing on various members of the team (Ant Man and Wasp; Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver; Thor; Vision; and Luke Cage).  The hardcover released late in 2012 collects the five Avengers Origins comics, as well as the Captain America and Hulk Mythos issues. So outside of Iron Man and Hawkeye, this gives the reader a modern retelling of the early days of mid-1960s Avengers.