Avengers Assault on Olympus

Avengers (1963) #278-285

by Roger Stern, Bob Harris, John Buscema (Illustrator)

Captain America! Thor! Namor! Hercules! Black Knight! She-Hulk! Captain Marvel! Dr. Druid! Wasp! See the Avengers storm the very gates of Olympus to battle an entire pantheon of all-powerful gods! Do our heroes stand a chance? Plus: from the Thunderbolts, Moonstone! And Jarvis stands alone!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure

190 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.

Reviews

[Jeff]

In the late ‘80’s, Roger Stern was on a roll of sorts with his Avengers writing. The previous volume, Avengers: Under Siege, is one of the classic Avengers stories. The Masters of Evil, sick of getting their asses handed to them by the Avengers, come up with a wicked plan.



Scheme one: Send Mad Thinker’s remote controlled car through the drive through at Taco Bell and order 1000 Gorditas. When the car pulls up to the window: no driver, a 1000 Gorditas have been ordered. Rinse and repeat at other area Taco Bells. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Scheme two: Break into Avengers mansion, dogpile the Avengers with everybody at once, put Jarvis in the hospital, put Hercules in a coma and tear up Captain America’s only picture of his mama.

Cooler heads prevailed and they went with the latter plan, but now I’m hungry.

There’s a shift in leadership in the Avengers. The Wasp wants to go on vacation cause she’s tar’d, so Monica Rambeau/Captain Marvel takes over because Thor talks funny and nobody can understand him.

They also bring in a new member: Dr. Druid.



“Master of the Unknown” translates to D-list Dr. Strange.

Plus there’s something about this guy I just don’t trust:



But he’s kind of a horn dog and earned a rep with the ladies.

And he could hook up your DVD player.



So where was I?

How about a summary, ass!

Good idea!

Somebody steals Hercules (he’s still in a coma from issue two hundred and seventy something) and takes him to Olympus, where the Avengers do battle with Zeus and friends.



Namor as sushi. Bottoms up, Flounder boy! MMmmmmmmm!

She Hulk beats up a fat guy.



Hercules gets brought back but not quite the happy drunken whoremonger that he was before.



In a very special issue, as Jarvis recovers in the hospital and debates whether he’ll return to service as the Avenger’s butler, the history of the Avengers is seen through his eyes. It’s a nice little break from continuity.



Jarvis, old boy, the Hulk got a hold of a 1000 Gorditas and the plumbing is backed up again. Will you please tend to it. Thanks for coming back. The plunger is in the hall closet. Missed you!

Bottom line: This is a Premium Edition collection, bound in kitten skin with an extra plastic cover. Because this is a comic from the 1980’s, it would probably be four stars if you read it then, but since we read this with tired, jaded sophisticated eyes, it’s a three.

[Sophia]

Actual rating 3.8 stars.
I loved that this collection of issues still dealt with the last major storyline (the Masters of Evil plot).
There were repercussions, severe injuries and mental exhaustion.

Some major changes to the team as we see Wasp take a leave of absence and Captain Marvel takes on the role as chairwoman!
I love Monica; she’s a fierce character who is also kind. Though, one might say she’s a little too powerful.

Right before the story for which this collection is named begins, there is an issue all about Jarvis.
Again, I love Jarvis. He’s one of those constants in this series that creates depth and gives so much personality in every appearance.

The main story begins when Hercules is abducted from his hospital bed.
As the team is looking for clues as to who could have done this, Thor spots a shadowy figure and decides to follow it.
That begins the Avengers interaction with the Olympian gods!

Caught unawares, the heroes are captured and taken to the mythical place.
It is there they learn that Zeus has declared them responsible for Hercules’ condition and they must die for it!
But not just active members, any being who has called themselves an ‘Avenger’ is guilty.

Blinded by rage and guilt, the monarch does not listen to reason but sends the ‘guilty’ party to Hades (the name these issues called the place I know as the ‘Underworld’).

Namor was snatched from his home by Neptune (not sure why they were sometimes using the Roman names for these gods) and also taken to Hades. Luckily for the Avengers, Namor survives the dangerous rivers and is able to free them from their shackles.
Not wanting to leave anyone behind, Thor uses all of his Norse strength to recreate a path out of Hades.

With the help of a few open-minded Olympians and Prometheus, who had been helping them the whole time, the Avengers were able to distract Zeus ('distract' meaning being beaten by him) while the Titan healed Hercules.

After not realising who was trying to save Thor from his fists, Zeus beats his own son.
Thankfully, Herc is okay enough to ensure his father knows it was through his own actions that led to his downfall and not his team’s fault.

Regretful and full of shame, Zeus decrees that no Olympian shall ever set foot on Earth again.
However, Prometheus (having called the gods ‘much like children’) believes the heroes have not seen the last of their friend.

I’m glad this story didn’t end with the heroes memories having been wiped. Though, this was really just another excuse for the heroes to go up against seemingly impossible odds and have a whole bunch of ‘epic’ fights.

For me, a good story is when a character goes on an emotional journey and grows. I’m not saying I’m against fighting but what did these characters learn from this experience?

Links to individual status updates:
Issue #278│Issue #279│Issue #280│Issue #281│Issue #282│Issue #283│Issue #284│Issue #285

[Calista]

Marvel has bound in one volume 6 issues from 1987 of a run they did featuring the gods of olympus.

The dialogue is silly and a little stale. These are comics for kids. Many of these characters are new to me and I enjoyed them some. Captain Marvel seems very different here than who she is later. She is pretty interesting being someone who can turn into light or power or energy or something.

I didn't really know what this would be like and it had it's fun moments. I find it so weird that like they sit around having meetings as a team and things like that. It's not modern comics. The druid character seems very similar to Doctor Strange and I wonder why not just use doctor strange.

It's neat to see them go up against the olympic gods I suppose. I do feel they should have chosen, Greek or Roman gods as they mixed them. This would be good for Marvel comic book fans who appreciate history.

[Scott]

This volume deals with the aftermath of the catastrophic siege on Avengers Mansion by the Masters of Evil, which put multiple Avengers in the hospital. Hercules is in a coma and Zeus is not at all happy about it. He wants the Avengers punished and has them all spirited off to Hades. Their only hope is to convince the king of the gods that he's mistaken about what really happened.

It's a decent story by one of the best creative teams on any book but I felt it ran a little too long for something that ends up just being a huge misunderstanding. Still a good read, and best read following Avengers: Under Siege for full context.

[Sarah]

I just read Roger Stern's run on Captain America (Captain America: War & Remembrance) and really enjoyed it, so went looking for more of his stuff from the same era. My library just so happened to have this one in, and it was well worth the read, despite the fact that it lacked several of my favorite members of the Avengers.

I particularly enjoyed the issue that featured Jarvis reflecting on his time with the Avengers and deciding whether or not to stay with them. Good stuff.

[Brian Poole]

After Under Siege, the team relocated to Hydrobase, while Wasp departed. She-Hulk and Thor returned to active duty, Doctor Druid joined and Captain Marvel became the new chairwoman. A special issue from the team of Bob Harras, Bob Hall and Kyle Baker focused on Jarvis, struggling with his recovery in the hospital, as he thought back on his time supporting the Avengers and made a decision about his future. A comatose Hercules mysteriously disappeared and the Avengers soon found themselves in conflict with the gods of Olympus. Zeus, mad with grief over his favorite son’s state, blamed the Avengers and wanted revenge. By the end of the arc, Cap and Thor took off again, while Sub-Mariner returned to the team with his new wife in tow.

Avengers: Assault on Olympus was a well-done arc that made good use of the developments of Under Siege. It was stunning to see Wasp leave active duty after more than a decade as the most consistent point of continuity in the team’s membership. Ancient mythology was used effectively, though the wanton mixing of the gods’ Greek and Roman names will rankle purists (that wasn’t Roger Stern’s fault, he was stuck with the names previous writers picked when they introduced the characters piecemeal into the Marvel Universe). The Jarvis spotlight was especially effective and the creators didn’t shy away from his PTSD. All in all, this is a strong arc, worth seeking out after you’ve read Under Siege.

A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com

[Greg Trosclair]

Roger Stern was one of the best writers of the Avengers, and John Buscema and Tom Palmer were one of my favorite art teams on the book as well. This book is the second to last arc that they did together and while not my favorite it was mighty good. I enjoyed the usage of more of the Roman pantheon of gods. I enjoyed the lineup of the Avengers at the time(Cap, Thor, She-Hulk, Sub Mariner, Black Knight,Captain Marvel, Dr. Druid, wasp and Hercules). I feel like this was a precursor to a longer running story format that did not happen too much prior to Stren's run on Avengers but persisted and persists even today. I liked the longer story and greater detail to character and plot. It made the reading a bit easier. All in all a fun story that I recommend.

[Neil]

This was a fun compilation to read. I had forgotten that it picks up where Under Siege left off (right after the Mansion is destroyed and the Masters of Evil are defeated). It continues to build up the prior storyline and has good character development. I loved the artwork, and I still love it now. I enjoyed the group dynamics as the team had changed its membership (yet again) due to some of the events that transpired in the prior eight issues). The best part, though, was when the Avengers fought the gods of Olympus! That was the best part of this bit of the series!

This batch of stories starts out in an interesting fashion. Jan is trying to get things going in terms of rebuilding/repairing the Mansion, getting their various government clearances taken care of, and the team roster back up to strength. However, she is quite frustrated and tired, what with the constant stress of dealing with so many different individuals and their accompanying issues, the interplay amongst the team and the issues that created, and then the 'greater issues' of the events the team was having to deal with over the course of the Wasp's tenure as Chairperson and leader of the Avengers. She is also tired of having everybody on the now relying upon her too much instead of coming up with ideas and solutions on their own. Even Captain America comes across as being 'guilty' of this when he tells her how much he has come to depend on her (in so many words). She probably has some of the greatest growth for her at this point, because she gives herself permission to take a vacation, an extended leave of absence, so she can recharge, find herself, and heal. She needs to take a break, as things are beginning to catch up with her. That was one of the more poignant moments of the book, in my opinion (when she said 'good-bye' and flew out of their lives for "good" [a short period of time]).

I also liked how Captain Marvel developed even further as a character. She is nominated for the Chairperson role by Cap and the Black Knight seconds the nomination. After much soul-searching and asking different people for help and advice (including Karla Sofen, aka Moonstone, of all people!), she decides to step up and accept Cap's nomination. Granted, it is shortly after this occurs that the Avengers are captured by the Olympians and taken to Olympus to be punished for what happened to Hercules. Despite being taken captive and subsequently freed, Captain Marvel proves herself a worhty and capable leader as well as a doughty fighter in their 'battles' against the Olympians. She essentially wipes out Pluto's war machines, takes on Zeus by herself, and is able to hold her own against the other Olympians once she gets their measure. I loved her character and wished she had remained Chairperson for longer than she did.

I never liked that Doctor Druid was added to the team, to be honest. It is not like he really brought anything to the table with him. He was more of a bargain-basement Doctor Strange wannabe and he developed bad designs upon the Avengers that reminded me of what Moondragon tried to do (by controlling the Avengers via mind-control), except she did it better than Druid and was sexier than Druid, to boot! Despite being some kind of 'hero,' he starts off this part of the series with obviously ill-intent in mind; he plays a poor joke upon She-Hulk which in turn creates bad blood between them (only, he is apparently too stupid to realize it at the time), he rues not being able to put his name out for nomination to being Chairperson (his thoughts showing he clearly had no good in mind for the Avengers), and he's really a wasted use of space in battle (in my opinion). He's on part with Dane Whitman, I guess, in that both are 'normal' humans with some advanced fighting skills and training; it still seems hilarious to think that either of these two men could stand up to and oppose any kind of Olympian in battle, considering how much trouble Olympians tend to give the stronger, more indestructible, members of the Avengers in pitched combat.

I did laugh at She-Hulk's bickering with Thor when Thor offered to step in as Chairperson. I guess it was amusing to me especially because some of the 'recent' issues of the Avenges have Thor and She-Hulk having a kind of 'dating relationship' going on. In any case, She-Hulk hates Thor's attitude and the way Jennifer perceived Thor as trying to run roughshod over Monica Rambeau, which is kinda funny to me, as I do not remember her 'hating' Hercules's attitude towards women. In any case, I do not remember how those dynamics between Thor and She-Hulk grew or changed over the run of the series (especially as the series got closer to issue 300 and Druid's actions essentially tore the team apart; there was no team of "Avengers" for about three issues, there, during the Inferno maxi-series crossover event). But, I am getting ahead of myself. In these issues, she was portrayed as fun-loving and serious; she had no hesitation in getting in people's faces if she did not agree with their words or actions. She was fiercely loyal to her friends. I always liked She-Hulk for the longest time; loved her character; loved that she had brains, brawn, and beauty; loved that she was an attorney.

There are so many beautiful images in this collection of the Avengers in battle against the Olympians. I wish I could share some of them, but I am no longer able to do so, for some reason. In any case, there is one image of where it is Thor, Namor, She-Hulk, and Captain Marvel facing off against Zeus, Artemis, Dionysus, and Ares. I love Thor's "speech": Zeus, we did not come in search of war, but you have forced our hand! Olympus shall know our wrath! Yea, and you shall learn why we be called Avengers!!! One of the best lines in the compilation, hands down! Or, the shot of Thor standing behind Captain Marvel with his hand on her shoulder, supporting her and having her back, she tells Thor she hit him with everything she had and is not sure she can hit him again like that; he tells her that she has done something no mortal has ever been able to do and she has nothing to apologize about. Another 'great moment' in the story, in my opinion. When the Avengers are walking through Olympus in disguise with their new allies leading the way, I loved the 'pomp and circumstance' of their passage - it was beautiful work, in my opinion.

I loved this compilation, this collection of stories of my favorite team. Little did I know how far the stories would plummet between issue 286 and 300, at the soonest! I felt it was definitely a 'high point' for the Avengers, and I wish it had continued its rapid ascent. In any case, I love the artwork in this compilation. I loved the stories in it (especially the one that one that focused on Jarvis and his initial period of recovery and recuperation from the events of Under Siege, how the reader gets an interesting perspective of the team's history through the eyes of the butler). It was a fun collection to read, and it does make me want to read the rest of the story-arc (until its bitter end ca 296 or so). As much as I disliked Doctor Druid and his addition to the team, I 'hated' what he did to the team over the course of the next fifteen to nearly twenty issues or so. It was fun revisiting one of my other 'favorite storylines' from the 80s involving the Avengers.

[Dankwa Brooks]

Excellent follow up to the "Avengers: Under Siege" story. (My review of that at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) that I also read when it was orginally published in 1987. The Avengers just came off getting their asses kicked by the Masters of Evil and then have to battle the freekin gods of Olympus. The ensuing battles were epic and some hard hitting Avengers who weren't around for the first fight come to battle here. Well worhty "sequel" to my favorite Avengers story of all time.

[Devero]

Non è esagerato considerare questo ciclo di storie la vetta più alta della lunga e ottima gestione anni 80 del trio Roger Stern John Buscema Tom Palmer. Per oltre 4 anni essi condussero il gruppo dei Vendicatori attraverso saghe classiche ed innovative allo stesso tempo, con ottime idee, trame non banali e una grande attenzione alla caratterizzazione degli eroi e dei loro avversari e comprimari. Degli anni 80 si ricorda troppo spesso Watchmen e troppo di rado queste storie.

[Kris Shaw]

This is another great Stern/Buscema/Palmer era collected edition. This picks up right after the Avengers: Under Siege Premiere Classic Hardcover, so I would recommend reading that one first. While it is not necessary to read it in order to understand what is going on in this book, it will greatly enhance your reading experience. This is possibly the most powerful line-up the Avengers ever had: Captain America, The Wasp, Captain Marvel (II- Monica Rambeau), the Black Knight, Thor, the Sub-Mariner, the She-Hulk...and Dr. Druid. Okay, they were not all heavy hitters.

Issue 280 is a fill in issue and not a fill in issue. It does not have the book's regular creative team, but it is a well written story about Jarvis. Jarvis reminisces on his tenure as the team's butler while convalescing in the hospital after the beating he received at the hands of Mr. Hyde during the Under Siege story arc. Fill in issues in the '80s were typically self contained one shots, but this ties into the events in the current events of the series.

Like nearly all Marvel Premiere Classic hardcovers from the last few years, this boasts sewn binding, nice paper stock and decent restoration. This is a good package at a decent price.

[David]

Normally I'm not a huge fan of the Greek and Roman mythology-centric Marvel stories, like the ones set in Olympus or Asgard. I tend to find them a little boring, especially when the majority of the God and Goddess characters feel so similar and one-dimensional.

However, when reading Assault on Olympus this time around I found it far more interesting than before, perhaps because I had read the rest of Roger Stern's run leading up to it and was used to how he wrote the characters.

It's not perfect, but Stern's writing is good and John Buscema's wonderful artwork certainly helps.

[Daniel Santos]

recem publicada no Brasil pela Panini na Saga dos Vingadores 6 e 7
esse arco reune drama, aventura e reviravoltas na medida certa, tudo sob uma lógica oitentista mas ainda assim dinâmico apesar do texto excessivamente expositor, a arte de Buscemaé elegante e nos entrega paines bem divertidos
Vingadores contra Deuses com Thor do lado dos mortais e Hercules entre a vida e a morte temos um belo crossonver digno dos heróis mais poderosos da terra

[Jdetrick]

An amazing follow up to the Masters of Evil plotline, and a rarely seen chance to watch the team cut loose on a cosmic scale. Once this plot gets going, the action really doesn't let up. The last great Roger Stern storyline on this title.

[Tim Pieraccini]

3.5 stars, in actuality. (Not that anyone cares!) It's nice that by this stage there are three women (She-Hulk, Captain Marvel and Wasp) involved in the action, as for pretty much all of the first 100 issues they couldn't manage more than one!

[Brent]

A fun collection with some great moments for everyone, even Jarvis.

[tammy (eskel's version)]

this was amazing. first of all i loooved the jarvis focused issue, seeing the origins of the avengers and how he always has been there with them 🥺 and then the olympian storyline was super fun and cool.