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Avengers Forever #1-12
Avengers Legends, Vol. 1: Avengers Forever
Follows the continuing adventures of the Avengers, including Goliath, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, Warbird, and Wasp.
264 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
70 people are currently reading
578 people want to read
About the author
Kurt Busiek
1,859 books627 followersKurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
July 8, 2018
Immortus wants Rick Jones dead. The Kree Supreme Intelligence empowers Rick to summon an all-star team of Avengers from throughout time to stop them. But will even Hawkeye, Giant-Man, Wasp, Yellowjacket, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Songbird be enough to stop Immortus, even with Kang on their side?
There are rumors that Avengers Forever will be the basis for the fourth Avengers movie so I snapped this up on the cheap when I stumbled upon it at MightyCon a few weeks ago. It was easily worth my ten bucks.
Avengers Forever feels a lot like one of the episodes of Doctor Who when multiple Doctors team up or a Michael Moorcock book when aspects of the Eternal Champion meet. In short, serious shit is brewing and it takes a specific crew to settle things. Yellowjacket is snatched before he marries the Wasp. Hawkeye is plucked from just after the Kree-Skrull War. Captain Marvel and Songbird are from points in the future. Captain America is from just after witnessing the Secret Empire head kill himself in the White House. Giant-Man and the Wasp are from a point after their divorce when Wasp is leading the team.
I thought it was weird having two versions of Hank Pym on the team but I was confident Kurt Busiek would show me the way. The scribe of Astro City has recently risen quite a bit in my esteem. Anyway, a lot of timey-wimey stuff goes down. The Avengers are scattered across three time periods and encounter Skrulls, Space Phantoms, and betrayal by one of their own before saving the day.
It turns out Immortus has been manipulating the Avengers quite a bit since their inception, which serves to iron out some weird loopholes and paradoxes in Avengers history, like Iron Man turning heel in the 1990s and being replaced by a teenage version of himself, and whether or not Vision was created from the original Human Torch's body. It also sorts out some of the continuity of Rama Tut, Kang, and Immortus' appearances in 50 years of Marvel history at that point.
The ending was pretty satisfying, a battle royal featuring thousands of Avengers. It also served to launch Peter David's Captain Marvel series and bring the 1950s Avengers into canon as the Agents of Atlas. My only real gripe is that it wound up being more of a Kang vs. Immortus story rather than an Avengers story. Still, it was a lot of fun and some of the better straight-up super hero comics of the time period. Four out of five stars.
There are rumors that Avengers Forever will be the basis for the fourth Avengers movie so I snapped this up on the cheap when I stumbled upon it at MightyCon a few weeks ago. It was easily worth my ten bucks.
Avengers Forever feels a lot like one of the episodes of Doctor Who when multiple Doctors team up or a Michael Moorcock book when aspects of the Eternal Champion meet. In short, serious shit is brewing and it takes a specific crew to settle things. Yellowjacket is snatched before he marries the Wasp. Hawkeye is plucked from just after the Kree-Skrull War. Captain Marvel and Songbird are from points in the future. Captain America is from just after witnessing the Secret Empire head kill himself in the White House. Giant-Man and the Wasp are from a point after their divorce when Wasp is leading the team.
I thought it was weird having two versions of Hank Pym on the team but I was confident Kurt Busiek would show me the way. The scribe of Astro City has recently risen quite a bit in my esteem. Anyway, a lot of timey-wimey stuff goes down. The Avengers are scattered across three time periods and encounter Skrulls, Space Phantoms, and betrayal by one of their own before saving the day.
It turns out Immortus has been manipulating the Avengers quite a bit since their inception, which serves to iron out some weird loopholes and paradoxes in Avengers history, like Iron Man turning heel in the 1990s and being replaced by a teenage version of himself, and whether or not Vision was created from the original Human Torch's body. It also sorts out some of the continuity of Rama Tut, Kang, and Immortus' appearances in 50 years of Marvel history at that point.
The ending was pretty satisfying, a battle royal featuring thousands of Avengers. It also served to launch Peter David's Captain Marvel series and bring the 1950s Avengers into canon as the Agents of Atlas. My only real gripe is that it wound up being more of a Kang vs. Immortus story rather than an Avengers story. Still, it was a lot of fun and some of the better straight-up super hero comics of the time period. Four out of five stars.
February 24, 2023
I liked this when it first came out, but honestly upon rereading it's rather incomprehensible. Avengers writer at the time Kurt Busiek's attempt to fix time travel plotholes, which has it's moments. Honestly though, I just cannot recommend to new readers now interested in filmic villain Kang. Oh, and the art by the late great Carlos Pacheco is indeed excellent!
September 15, 2023
Immortus vs. Kang with some Avengers from across time stuck in the middle. This was Busiek's attempt at fixing all of the time travel shenanigans that had occurred over the decades with Kang, Immortus and Kang's other incarnations like the Scarlet Centurion. The middle issues get seriously complicated as Busiek tries to make sense of it all. It did all make sense when Busiek first laid this out. At this point though 25 years later, I've forgotten a lot of this especially as Marvel has moved away from a lot of this complicated, timey-wimey stuff.
Carlos Pacheco's art is still terrific. He was taken from the comics world way too soon.
Carlos Pacheco's art is still terrific. He was taken from the comics world way too soon.
March 18, 2023
I knew when I was buying this originally in single issues every month almost two decades ago that this story by Busiek and Pacheco was going to be a modern classic. This story would place in the top five of most Avengers' list of essential stories.
This was a story full of great scenes and iconic images. One inedible cover was that of issue four; a disillusioned Captain America on the verge of defeat kneeling in front of damaged statue of the original founders.
This story has remained for me an evergreen tale. Busiek really sought to streamline the inconsistencies of past Avengers tales and I'm sure most of it is still in place. This was a retcon that has not yet been retconned yet.
This was a story full of great scenes and iconic images. One inedible cover was that of issue four; a disillusioned Captain America on the verge of defeat kneeling in front of damaged statue of the original founders.
This story has remained for me an evergreen tale. Busiek really sought to streamline the inconsistencies of past Avengers tales and I'm sure most of it is still in place. This was a retcon that has not yet been retconned yet.
February 21, 2021
5.1/10
Feels like a missed opportunity for something great.
Το Avengers forever θα έπρεπε να μου αρέσει. Είναι γραμμένο από τον άνθρωπο ( Kurt Busiek ) που μας έδωσε μια από τις καλύτερες, αν όχι την καλύτερη ιστορία της Marvel ( Το Marvels ) και έχει τους Avengers, μια εκδοχή τους και πιθανόν όχι αυτούς που ξέρουν όλοι, να σκορπίζονται σε διαφορετικές χρονικές περιόδους. Τι καλύτερο να ζητήσω;
Δυστυχώς όσο και αν προχωρούσε η ιστορία, δεν μπόρεσε ποτέ να μου κεντρίσει ιδιαίτερα το ενδιαφέρον.
Ευτυχώς έχει που και που ωραία σημεία, οπότε δεν είναι κάτι που θέλεις να το παρατήσεις.
Feels like a missed opportunity for something great.
Το Avengers forever θα έπρεπε να μου αρέσει. Είναι γραμμένο από τον άνθρωπο ( Kurt Busiek ) που μας έδωσε μια από τις καλύτερες, αν όχι την καλύτερη ιστορία της Marvel ( Το Marvels ) και έχει τους Avengers, μια εκδοχή τους και πιθανόν όχι αυτούς που ξέρουν όλοι, να σκορπίζονται σε διαφορετικές χρονικές περιόδους. Τι καλύτερο να ζητήσω;
Δυστυχώς όσο και αν προχωρούσε η ιστορία, δεν μπόρεσε ποτέ να μου κεντρίσει ιδιαίτερα το ενδιαφέρον.
Ευτυχώς έχει που και που ωραία σημεία, οπότε δεν είναι κάτι που θέλεις να το παρατήσεις.
July 31, 2021
Avengers Forever is an excellent
next step for casual fans of comics who enjoyed the Loki show.
The plot involves 7 Avengers from across time being brought together by Kang to defeat Immortus, Kang’s older version of himself.
Loki lovers will get more of the Time Keepers, and the time-travelling shenanigans of the Disney + series.
Of course, the comic is considerably more bonkers than the TV show, with a cast of thousands and the combination of occasionally hokey dialogue and occasionally profound reflections on the nature of free will.
Available as a 12 issue trade paperback, you don’t need to have done a tonne of background reading to enjoy it.
next step for casual fans of comics who enjoyed the Loki show.
The plot involves 7 Avengers from across time being brought together by Kang to defeat Immortus, Kang’s older version of himself.
Loki lovers will get more of the Time Keepers, and the time-travelling shenanigans of the Disney + series.
Of course, the comic is considerably more bonkers than the TV show, with a cast of thousands and the combination of occasionally hokey dialogue and occasionally profound reflections on the nature of free will.
Available as a 12 issue trade paperback, you don’t need to have done a tonne of background reading to enjoy it.
February 11, 2015
It may have started slow, and confusing in the beginning - which makes complete sense since the first four issues was a set up to explain the purpose of the story - but in the end, everything came to together and it was awesome.
October 23, 2014
As I re read his I couldn't figure why I thought it was so awesome. In issue 6 things pick up and Busiek ties up neatly a lot of Avengers history. The art by Pacheco is beatiful.
November 13, 2019
Time-fuckery & shenanigans lead to the concept of the Avengers never dying and even possibly leading to problematic future timelines. What is so damn special about Rick Jones? I find his character so annoying...ugh.
June 12, 2014
Oh, dear. I shouldn't have put off writing this review for so long. There is a lot going on in this book, because of the complexity of the storyline. It revolves around Rick Jones, a sort of honorary human sidekick of the Avengers who has some very traumatic moments, as well as having saved the Avengers himself a time or two. Immortus, a villain from the future fixates on him Rick Jones with the intention of killing him, and Rick uses his mental abilities to pull various Avengers from different time periods to help him, because helping him will save time itself.
This is my first official Avengers comic book. That was a good and a bad thing. It was good in the sense that it gave me a crash course in Avengers history. It was bad in the sense that there was so much information, I can't really say what is canon and what is specifically part of this storyline and the fact that Immortus can manipulate timelines.
This was a long book. I checked this out of the library, but regardless, I can definitely say I got my money's worth. The stories are quite different from my exposure to the Avengers from movies and TV shows, and I ended up getting introduced to a lot more members than I would have if it focused solely on the traditional team.
Honestly, I feel like it's a full time job for Marvel comics developers to keep track of the massive Marvel universe. So much happens, and it impacts the Marvel characters more or less across the board. I think writing this book was probably a huge challenge and it may have caused some serious migraines as the authors worked to keep it straight. At the same time, it was clearly a labor of love and a loving homage to the Avengers to people who really care about the stories and the characters.
The artwork is bright and descriptive, a bit dated looking compared to newer books, but still appealing. Clearly a lot of effort was put into drawing the same characters from different timelines as related (as in same character), but different due to their different experiences. There are some scenes that must have taken a long, long time to draw in all the characters, so that was a wow for me. Also, I like that there were footnotes that described the characters involved in the panels and when they first appeared and referenced which book they were featured in; as well as and the major events related to the various panels. That why I said earlier that this was like a crash course in Marvel history, Avengers and otherwise.
While I am quite sure that I prefer the newer artwork, and I think I will probably stick with the newer graphic novel publications for that reason, this book energized me to dive in headfirst (even more) into the Marvel Universe. I'm quite happy my library had this and I gave it a chance, even though it was a bit older book.
This is my first official Avengers comic book. That was a good and a bad thing. It was good in the sense that it gave me a crash course in Avengers history. It was bad in the sense that there was so much information, I can't really say what is canon and what is specifically part of this storyline and the fact that Immortus can manipulate timelines.
This was a long book. I checked this out of the library, but regardless, I can definitely say I got my money's worth. The stories are quite different from my exposure to the Avengers from movies and TV shows, and I ended up getting introduced to a lot more members than I would have if it focused solely on the traditional team.
Honestly, I feel like it's a full time job for Marvel comics developers to keep track of the massive Marvel universe. So much happens, and it impacts the Marvel characters more or less across the board. I think writing this book was probably a huge challenge and it may have caused some serious migraines as the authors worked to keep it straight. At the same time, it was clearly a labor of love and a loving homage to the Avengers to people who really care about the stories and the characters.
The artwork is bright and descriptive, a bit dated looking compared to newer books, but still appealing. Clearly a lot of effort was put into drawing the same characters from different timelines as related (as in same character), but different due to their different experiences. There are some scenes that must have taken a long, long time to draw in all the characters, so that was a wow for me. Also, I like that there were footnotes that described the characters involved in the panels and when they first appeared and referenced which book they were featured in; as well as and the major events related to the various panels. That why I said earlier that this was like a crash course in Marvel history, Avengers and otherwise.
While I am quite sure that I prefer the newer artwork, and I think I will probably stick with the newer graphic novel publications for that reason, this book energized me to dive in headfirst (even more) into the Marvel Universe. I'm quite happy my library had this and I gave it a chance, even though it was a bit older book.
August 24, 2014
Kurt. Kurt, my man. You let me down. I am so disappoint.
I am not a fan of time travel stories. I mean hypothetically, they could be done right, but I've yet to find a single case where there aren't at least tiny flaws in logic present. Most of the time there are huge gaping holes in the logic. Sadly, Avengers Forever falls into that latter category.
The premise is interesting - Avengers from different time periods are assembled to rectify dangers further down the time stream. As humanity spreads among the stars and activate the "Destiny Force," they turn into a conquering menace to the rest of the multiverse and a group of self-appointed time guardians employ Immortus to stop humanity in its tracks. While the guardians want humanity expunged from all time streams where they pose a threat, Immortus, who at one point was human, attempts less radical measures and opts for more non-invasive surgical strikes to the time period, spawning a cross-millenial game of catch and mouse that ultimately centers upon the key human who first manifests the Destiny Force: Rick Jones, longtime Avenger buddy pal and adventure bro.
Probably I'm not immersed enough in the lore of the Marvel Universe to really see how cool this story is, but I just can't get over a ton of objective flaws. The whole inside-outside the time stream business and the whole Immortus/Kang paradox was really just too much for me to take. Not only is it confusing as hell, but it just doesn't make any sense at all. For example: at one point the Avengers feel it necessary to escape the time stream (I don't know what that means, but ok), so that they can be safe from Immortus and his masters who have complete control over time. Alright, seems logical. They escape and can finally take a breather unpursued by Immortus who can't see outside the time stream. BUT. If Immortus is smart, (which he'd kind of have to be, right?), why wouldn't you just go back in time to the moment before the Avengers left the time stream and then just prevent them from doing it and yourself from losing them? OR. If Rick Jones and humanity are a colossal threat to the multiverse, why would you attempt to take them out the day that Rick manifests the dangerous Destiny Force? Why not pick a point in time (because you can, right? Isn't that the point of being master of time?) where Rick is defenseless, say as an infant, and take him out then? Why not step on the amoeba that would turn into humanity several millennia down the evolutionary path? Why wait and try to take them out when the most powerful humans can act as guardians for their weaker brethren? I could seriously go on forever on ways you could reduce this story to like five pages, but let's move on to more pressing concerns.
The writing here is just atrocious. I know Busiek is better than this. This is the man who gave us Astro City, Vol. 1: Life in the Big City and Superman: Secret Identity, Marvels and Trinity, Vol. 1. This pile of garbage is unacceptable. Just two of the innumerable examples of shitty dialogue that mars an otherwise beautiful and expansive picture book:
"Uh-oh! My senses are back on-line [GEE WHAT A COINCIDENCE CAPTAIN MARVEL], Wasp -- and I see the problem! They're not seeing us as we truly are! To their eyes, we're THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!" Completely out of left field and 100% to serve whatever zany plot development was supposed to happen next. Powers turn on and off with perfect timing and zero explanation.
"Whatever you say, Kang Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang!" Do I need to editorialize this one? I thought not.
And that's the other thing about the dialogue in this series - there's way too much of it. There're great pages of brilliant and colorfully emotive artwork ruined by walls of text. Completely and unnecessarily overwritten.
Way too much telling instead of showing. In a visual medium, that's inexcusable.
I am not a fan of time travel stories. I mean hypothetically, they could be done right, but I've yet to find a single case where there aren't at least tiny flaws in logic present. Most of the time there are huge gaping holes in the logic. Sadly, Avengers Forever falls into that latter category.
The premise is interesting - Avengers from different time periods are assembled to rectify dangers further down the time stream. As humanity spreads among the stars and activate the "Destiny Force," they turn into a conquering menace to the rest of the multiverse and a group of self-appointed time guardians employ Immortus to stop humanity in its tracks. While the guardians want humanity expunged from all time streams where they pose a threat, Immortus, who at one point was human, attempts less radical measures and opts for more non-invasive surgical strikes to the time period, spawning a cross-millenial game of catch and mouse that ultimately centers upon the key human who first manifests the Destiny Force: Rick Jones, longtime Avenger buddy pal and adventure bro.
Probably I'm not immersed enough in the lore of the Marvel Universe to really see how cool this story is, but I just can't get over a ton of objective flaws. The whole inside-outside the time stream business and the whole Immortus/Kang paradox was really just too much for me to take. Not only is it confusing as hell, but it just doesn't make any sense at all. For example: at one point the Avengers feel it necessary to escape the time stream (I don't know what that means, but ok), so that they can be safe from Immortus and his masters who have complete control over time. Alright, seems logical. They escape and can finally take a breather unpursued by Immortus who can't see outside the time stream. BUT. If Immortus is smart, (which he'd kind of have to be, right?), why wouldn't you just go back in time to the moment before the Avengers left the time stream and then just prevent them from doing it and yourself from losing them? OR. If Rick Jones and humanity are a colossal threat to the multiverse, why would you attempt to take them out the day that Rick manifests the dangerous Destiny Force? Why not pick a point in time (because you can, right? Isn't that the point of being master of time?) where Rick is defenseless, say as an infant, and take him out then? Why not step on the amoeba that would turn into humanity several millennia down the evolutionary path? Why wait and try to take them out when the most powerful humans can act as guardians for their weaker brethren? I could seriously go on forever on ways you could reduce this story to like five pages, but let's move on to more pressing concerns.
The writing here is just atrocious. I know Busiek is better than this. This is the man who gave us Astro City, Vol. 1: Life in the Big City and Superman: Secret Identity, Marvels and Trinity, Vol. 1. This pile of garbage is unacceptable. Just two of the innumerable examples of shitty dialogue that mars an otherwise beautiful and expansive picture book:
"Uh-oh! My senses are back on-line [GEE WHAT A COINCIDENCE CAPTAIN MARVEL], Wasp -- and I see the problem! They're not seeing us as we truly are! To their eyes, we're THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!" Completely out of left field and 100% to serve whatever zany plot development was supposed to happen next. Powers turn on and off with perfect timing and zero explanation.
"Whatever you say, Kang Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang!" Do I need to editorialize this one? I thought not.
And that's the other thing about the dialogue in this series - there's way too much of it. There're great pages of brilliant and colorfully emotive artwork ruined by walls of text. Completely and unnecessarily overwritten.
Way too much telling instead of showing. In a visual medium, that's inexcusable.
January 13, 2015
Not a bad series. A lot of reviewers noted that, if someone didn't know all the history of the Avengers, they'd be lost in this book, as various Avengers from various timelines are brought together to fight for the sake of time itself. But I didn't find the Avengers themselves confusing. Busiek gives enough information to understand which Hank Pym we're getting, for instance.
Instead, like most time travel stories, this one gets a bit bogged down in bringing too many timelines together and trying to make sense of it all. It's not a mess, but not really necessary for the story.
I thought the work by Pacheo was really good, and he reminded me of Geo. Perez in many places.
Apparently, this book is kind of a kickstart to the Marvel Universe of the 21st century. I'll be looking forward to reading more of Marvel to understand why this is so.
Instead, like most time travel stories, this one gets a bit bogged down in bringing too many timelines together and trying to make sense of it all. It's not a mess, but not really necessary for the story.
I thought the work by Pacheo was really good, and he reminded me of Geo. Perez in many places.
Apparently, this book is kind of a kickstart to the Marvel Universe of the 21st century. I'll be looking forward to reading more of Marvel to understand why this is so.
July 29, 2015
THE AVENGERS GREATEST STORY EVER!!
Perhaps the best Avengers tale ever told. Probably not the best choice for the uninitiated. But for long-time Avengers fans this one's pretty hard to beat.
Perhaps the best Avengers tale ever told. Probably not the best choice for the uninitiated. But for long-time Avengers fans this one's pretty hard to beat.
March 28, 2023
Honestly it wasn’t very good
December 26, 2016
I honestly expected more from this. I'm starting to think that maybe Busiek helming the Avengers is simply not for me.
This is a story about time travel and avoiding a catastrophe. Rick Jones is the piece that will decide humanity's future, so there are big names interested in him, either to kill him or protect him. A bunch of assorted Avengers, Rick himself, Kang and Immortus battle it out while doing a very handy tour through Avenger's history, both "actual" and alternate. One thing that Busiek does right is integrating all retcons into a tight narrative, which is not at all easy. I'm sure I missed a trillion references, but everything is explained well enough so that I never felt lost. On the other hand, his dialogue is stilted and the story really doesn't make much sense until the last three issues. And even then I can see some plot holes if I think it carefully, but I'm just gonna roll with it in name of fun.
Regarding the art: the panels are crowded. It might seem cool to stuff a lot of Avengers and their alternate versions into a panel, but the trick grows old quickly. It's just tiring to try and make sense of what you are seeing, specially when both good and bad Avengers look so similar. So I ended up skipping the art and just reading the bubbles.
Note for future self who will want to keep track: Avengers Forever is also the Destiny War.
This is a story about time travel and avoiding a catastrophe. Rick Jones is the piece that will decide humanity's future, so there are big names interested in him, either to kill him or protect him. A bunch of assorted Avengers, Rick himself, Kang and Immortus battle it out while doing a very handy tour through Avenger's history, both "actual" and alternate. One thing that Busiek does right is integrating all retcons into a tight narrative, which is not at all easy. I'm sure I missed a trillion references, but everything is explained well enough so that I never felt lost. On the other hand, his dialogue is stilted and the story really doesn't make much sense until the last three issues. And even then I can see some plot holes if I think it carefully, but I'm just gonna roll with it in name of fun.
Regarding the art: the panels are crowded. It might seem cool to stuff a lot of Avengers and their alternate versions into a panel, but the trick grows old quickly. It's just tiring to try and make sense of what you are seeing, specially when both good and bad Avengers look so similar. So I ended up skipping the art and just reading the bubbles.
Note for future self who will want to keep track: Avengers Forever is also the Destiny War.
May 7, 2019
1.5 Stars
I think I was in the minority on this one but I just couldn't get into it and ended up giving up about 1/3 of the way through. It was just too wordy and overwritten for me. I prefer it when the comic allows the art to tell at least part of the story, but this was so text heavy it felt like the art was almost unnecessary. Plus all of the time traveling just made it confusing for me. I wasn't overly thrilled with the Avengers cast chosen as the core group either, or at least the time periods they were taken from. I'm sure that all played a part later but I couldn't get there.
On the plus side, the art was great so that brought up the rating a little.
I think die hard Avengers fans, especially fans of the Silver and Bronze Age would enjoy this one more than me, but I personally didn't care for it.
I think I was in the minority on this one but I just couldn't get into it and ended up giving up about 1/3 of the way through. It was just too wordy and overwritten for me. I prefer it when the comic allows the art to tell at least part of the story, but this was so text heavy it felt like the art was almost unnecessary. Plus all of the time traveling just made it confusing for me. I wasn't overly thrilled with the Avengers cast chosen as the core group either, or at least the time periods they were taken from. I'm sure that all played a part later but I couldn't get there.
On the plus side, the art was great so that brought up the rating a little.
I think die hard Avengers fans, especially fans of the Silver and Bronze Age would enjoy this one more than me, but I personally didn't care for it.
February 2, 2021
Confirma mi buen recuerdo de hace veinte años. Guion muy bueno, Carlos Pacheco rules: excelsior!
May 11, 2019
El cirio temporal presentado en la película Avengers Endgame, plagado de incoherencias, podría calificarse, desde cierto punto de vista, como un acierto más en la adaptación de su universo comiquero. Hay mucho de eso en los tebeos Marvel, y, como ocurre con la película, a los aficionados nunca ha parecido importarnos mucho. La serie clásica que aquí nos ocupa no da ocasión, en todo caso, para buscarle esas cosquillas. Estamos hablando de una de las grandes historias de superhéroes en las que el protagonista es el tiempo, pero el ritmo es tan acelerado, se cuentan tantas cosas y de forma tan laberíntica, que no apetece pararse a atar cabos. Como ocurre tantas veces con las grandes historias, todo pivota en torno a un supervillano, que resulta ser el auténtico protagonista. Aquí ese papel les corresponde a Kang y a su futura encarnación, Inmortus.
Dadas las posibilidades que plantea el escenario, Kurt Busiek y Carlos Pacheco dan rienda suelta a su devoción por el trabajo de Steve Englehart, quien inició, para muchos aficionados entre los que me cuento, la mejor etapa de los Vengadores. Tanto las visitas a distintos puntos del pasado como los soliloquios del gran supervillano vuelven una y otra vez a aquella época. Busiek intenta cerrar todos los hilos sueltos que se han ido acumulando, desde su primera aparición, en la enmarañada progresión del señor del tiempo, y Pacheco, apoyado en Jesús Merino, su mejor entintador de siempre, se luce con la amplia gama de personajes y situaciones clásicos a su disposición.
Lo cierto es que este cómic a veces me parece un tres estrellas, por la pesante densidad en guión y dibujo, y a veces un cuatro, por lo bien que presenta a los personajes, lo entretenido de la epopeya y el congruente cierre de toda la trama.
Un tebeo que, como aficionado, me divierte de verdad, porque no dejan de ocurrir cosas, porque los personajes elegidos dan muy buen juego y porque es, en sí mismo, un guiño continuo al lector viejuno. No sé si un recién llegado se enterará de mucho, pero a este aficionado de la generación Vértice, años después, la lectura, segunda ya o tercera, le ha vuelto a gustar.
Dadas las posibilidades que plantea el escenario, Kurt Busiek y Carlos Pacheco dan rienda suelta a su devoción por el trabajo de Steve Englehart, quien inició, para muchos aficionados entre los que me cuento, la mejor etapa de los Vengadores. Tanto las visitas a distintos puntos del pasado como los soliloquios del gran supervillano vuelven una y otra vez a aquella época. Busiek intenta cerrar todos los hilos sueltos que se han ido acumulando, desde su primera aparición, en la enmarañada progresión del señor del tiempo, y Pacheco, apoyado en Jesús Merino, su mejor entintador de siempre, se luce con la amplia gama de personajes y situaciones clásicos a su disposición.
Lo cierto es que este cómic a veces me parece un tres estrellas, por la pesante densidad en guión y dibujo, y a veces un cuatro, por lo bien que presenta a los personajes, lo entretenido de la epopeya y el congruente cierre de toda la trama.
Un tebeo que, como aficionado, me divierte de verdad, porque no dejan de ocurrir cosas, porque los personajes elegidos dan muy buen juego y porque es, en sí mismo, un guiño continuo al lector viejuno. No sé si un recién llegado se enterará de mucho, pero a este aficionado de la generación Vértice, años después, la lectura, segunda ya o tercera, le ha vuelto a gustar.
October 2, 2024
They'd been plucked from various times, to save Rick Jones from death at the hands of Immortus. But there was more to it than that. Rick Jones, apparently, was fated to bring a great power to humanity, a power known as The Destiny Force--and Immortus, by killing Rick, was attempting to save humanity from his masters, the enigmatic Time-Keepers--and the Time-Keepers, in turn, were trying to save the universe from humanity and the destiny force. They thought they'd understood. But now they find themselves here--and Rick is missing, as is Yellowjacket, one of their number...
I like Kurt Busiek--love Astro City, Marvels, etc. But this is...not so great. There's interesting moments, sure, but the basic plot--delineated above this review--doesn't really go anywhere. I had the impression Busiek wanted to keep piling significance on Avengers lore, keep digging deeper into their rich history in order to bring new insights into past events. In the end, the comic is not so much revelatory as pedestrian. Busiek unearths too many characters and events from the past and fails to clarify who they are and why they are relevant and why the hell I should give a damn. I just did not care enough about the iteration of these characters to care about the stakes--which, of course, is the fate of the universe (when is that not the case with an Avengers epic anyway?).
What hurt the most was that the overall concept could have worked so well. But Busiek, in these pages, is too much of a comic nerd to leave continuity alone in order to tell a great story. Nope. It's mainly wink-wink, nudge-nudge for other comic nerds to pause and note, "Yep, I see what you did there." Cause what I "see what you did there" was neglect to tell an engaging story.
October 6, 2025
Years ago one of the shopping malls in my area had a Virgin Megastore nestled smack in the middle of it. I didn't go to that mall often, but when I did I gravitated to that store and perused the shelves to see what was on offer. At that time I hadn't read comic books in years and the collections that were increasingly available offered a convenient way of getting caught up on what I had missed, so when one caught my eye I skimmed it and got a crash course on what had transpired in the worlds I hadn't visited in a long time. Three of these stand out in my memory today; Jeph Loeb's brilliant Superman: Emperor Joker, and two Avengers titles from the late 1990s; The Kang Dynasty and Avengers Forever.
The two Avengers collections had a few things in common. Both featured Kang the Conqueror, who is one of my all-time favorite Marvel villains even if he had never been employed as well as he could have been (Kang Dynasty is the one that did it best). The other is that they were both written or co-written by Kurt Busiek, who may not enjoy the reputation of legendary superhero comic book writers like Alan Moore or the modern-day fame of a Brian Michael Bendis or a Geoff Johns, but who wrote some of the best stuff Marvel had going in the 1990s.
The best way of describing Avengers Forever is that it's the ultimate fan service for longtime readers of the series. The plot itself is so complicated so as to defy easy explanation, but it involves two time-traveling villains engaged in a struggle over the fate of humanity, with a team of Avengers pulled from various eras to save it from being eradicated from existence. The beauty of the series is threefold: the pulling together of an eclectic collection of people (including two different versions of the same character), the interweaving of their storyline into classic adventures, and an effort to resolve longstanding continuity errors by setting them as episodes in a longer conflict. The last requires long stretches of exposition and flashback; from a narrative perspective these are the weakest parts of the story and they don't always work, but Busiek does an impressive job with what he has, and his effort is more successful than one might expect.
Some people have referred to as a useful introduction to the Avengers comics. Yet the opposite is true; this is a collection that readers ought to turn to only after they are familiar with the classic run of the Avengers, something that is easier to do than ever thanks to the proliferation of bound collections and digital comics. While people new to the Marvel universe might still enjoy Busiek's tale, only those with a good command of the history of the Avengers can appreciate the genius of his effort, one that treats fans and the superhero team they love with respect. That's an achievement that is far more rare in comic books series than it should be.
The two Avengers collections had a few things in common. Both featured Kang the Conqueror, who is one of my all-time favorite Marvel villains even if he had never been employed as well as he could have been (Kang Dynasty is the one that did it best). The other is that they were both written or co-written by Kurt Busiek, who may not enjoy the reputation of legendary superhero comic book writers like Alan Moore or the modern-day fame of a Brian Michael Bendis or a Geoff Johns, but who wrote some of the best stuff Marvel had going in the 1990s.
The best way of describing Avengers Forever is that it's the ultimate fan service for longtime readers of the series. The plot itself is so complicated so as to defy easy explanation, but it involves two time-traveling villains engaged in a struggle over the fate of humanity, with a team of Avengers pulled from various eras to save it from being eradicated from existence. The beauty of the series is threefold: the pulling together of an eclectic collection of people (including two different versions of the same character), the interweaving of their storyline into classic adventures, and an effort to resolve longstanding continuity errors by setting them as episodes in a longer conflict. The last requires long stretches of exposition and flashback; from a narrative perspective these are the weakest parts of the story and they don't always work, but Busiek does an impressive job with what he has, and his effort is more successful than one might expect.
Some people have referred to as a useful introduction to the Avengers comics. Yet the opposite is true; this is a collection that readers ought to turn to only after they are familiar with the classic run of the Avengers, something that is easier to do than ever thanks to the proliferation of bound collections and digital comics. While people new to the Marvel universe might still enjoy Busiek's tale, only those with a good command of the history of the Avengers can appreciate the genius of his effort, one that treats fans and the superhero team they love with respect. That's an achievement that is far more rare in comic books series than it should be.
December 7, 2014
Busier knows his Avengers history and does a great job of playing with it here, by combining together 7 Avengers from a variety of eras and facing them with many classic events. He also makes great use of Kang and Immortus, two of the Avengers' best foes.
The story really shines through the first seven issues but then it starts to hit some bumps. Issues #8 + 9 are way too heavy on retcons, producing stories that are more about the past than the present (and not really updating the Avengers in any way that was necessary), then the last couple of issues end up being a massive, extended slugfest.
Despite its slight weaknesses, this is a very enjoyable walk through Avengers history.
The story really shines through the first seven issues but then it starts to hit some bumps. Issues #8 + 9 are way too heavy on retcons, producing stories that are more about the past than the present (and not really updating the Avengers in any way that was necessary), then the last couple of issues end up being a massive, extended slugfest.
Despite its slight weaknesses, this is a very enjoyable walk through Avengers history.
June 5, 2023
It was cool to see the a different Avengers team alongside a central Kang and Immortus storyline, but so many timelines converged that it was a bit confusing at the beginning. You get used to each of the heroes and where they are in their own time stream, because it helps define their characteristics.
I also really liked the art style, it was beautiful to take in. But the story itself was unfortunately just fine, so I’ll say 3.5 stars rounded down.
I also really liked the art style, it was beautiful to take in. But the story itself was unfortunately just fine, so I’ll say 3.5 stars rounded down.
December 30, 2018
Great big time travelling, reality hopping, universe spanning fun!!
December 13, 2022
What in the world was this story? I mean that in all the right ways.
So I'm not normally a huge fan of time travel in books or graphic novels, just because of how problematic it can be and how confusing things can get. This was really no exception, because things start a bit slow and confusingly while the Avengers try and figure out exactly wtf is going on. It really isn't until we start getting infodumps (and boy are they infodumps) about halfway through that I finally started to really catch onto what was going on. I also wouldn't recommend this to someone new to Marvel comics, because I spent an inordinate amount of time looking up unfamiliar characters.
But I mean, this was still great fun. The reveal of the Supreme-Cycle made me let out an audible "what the fuck lol", because I mean who wouldn't when you see . There was also a lot of character interplay across the generations that I really liked.
So I'm not normally a huge fan of time travel in books or graphic novels, just because of how problematic it can be and how confusing things can get. This was really no exception, because things start a bit slow and confusingly while the Avengers try and figure out exactly wtf is going on. It really isn't until we start getting infodumps (and boy are they infodumps) about halfway through that I finally started to really catch onto what was going on. I also wouldn't recommend this to someone new to Marvel comics, because I spent an inordinate amount of time looking up unfamiliar characters.
But I mean, this was still great fun. The reveal of the Supreme-Cycle made me let out an audible "what the fuck lol", because I mean who wouldn't when you see . There was also a lot of character interplay across the generations that I really liked.
September 7, 2023
Desde su primera edición, esta maxi serie nació con gran expectación. Una gran conjunción de talentos de La Casa de las Ideas en el momento más necesario. Una reivindicación de una de las grandes formaciones de Marvel (que sustentaría todo un Universo Cinematográfico) que había caído en desgracia a lo largo de los años. La década de los 90 suponiendo el momento más oscuro de la historia de la editorial, extendido a los propios comics y personajes que palidecían con cosas como el infame "Heroes Returns". Pero Siempre Vengadores se alzó como un faro de esperanza y rara avis previa al refrescamiento de toda la editorial mirando con más ahínco la realidad del nuevo milenio y post 11-S que derivaría en el Universo Ultimate, el sello Marvel Knights y los enfoques y sagas actuales como Civil War.
Kurt Busiek (con la clave participación de Roger Stern) planifica una ambiciosa épica espacio temporal para la cual, el dolorosamente desaparecido Carlos Pacheco (también ayudado en lo gráfico por Jesús Merino) consagró su formación como dibujante en La Casa de las Ideas. No solo ilustrando la narración de los maestros Busiek y Stern como si fuese un mero encargo. La huella de Pacheco es intrínseca a Siempre Vengadores en rediseños o ideas gráficas que han quedado para las aras de la editorial.
Siempre Vengadores es una vuelta a destapar el tarro de las esencias de Marvel cómics y sus personajes e historias de puro sense of wonder. Buscando reflejarse en la saga de la Guerra Kree-Skrull, la trama no solo evoca ese tipo de enfoques clave para el género de superhéroes. Los acordes de estas historias se tocan de una forma idéntica o cuanto menos con la mejor de las mañas, aunque los instrumentos sean nuevos. Las reminiscencias nostálgicas no solo parten de las miles de referencias y evocaciones a tantos queridos momentos y rincones de la historia de este multiverso de ficción, no solo de los Vengadores. Parece que es el canto de cisne de una forma de contar historias que podían volver a brillar de verdad por última vez antes del arrollo de cambio de siglo. Con dinámicas que chocaban con perspectivas y formas de afrontar el género no tan puras pero ingenuas. De hecho, es este punto el que puede que a día de hoy y en nuevos lectores, Siempre Vengadores puede que no funcione como la increíble lectura que es en su planteamiento y prácticamente todo su conjunto. Los mimbres argumentales conforman una miríada de elementos que realmente defienden uno de los eventos, amenazas y aventuras que ponen en peligro el mismo tejido de la realidad y en el que los Vengadores se han visto nunca enfrentados. Pero al final, todo es un pretexto para concatenar esa forma de narración de evasión pura. Si bien, Kurt Busiek y Stern desde el guion tienen a bien a hacer una exploración, si no total, sí que más que decente en su planteamiento de trama general y personajes. Con ejes centrales en Rick Jones y Inmortus/Kang. El 1º, se presenta como una figura clave no solo para la historia de los Vengadores (al fin y al cabo, su amistad con Hulk motivó de cierta forma la 1º reunión de los Héroes Más Poderosos de la Tierra), los años empezaron a otorgarle habilidades o implicaciones en las grandes tramas Marvel que vuelven a aparecer en estas páginas. Sí que tanto la ausencia total del Goliath Esmeralda como ese popurrí de habilidades, hacen perder algo del punch emocional y autenticidad de la historia que se nos presenta en las primeras páginas con esa reminiscencia a la misma Muerte del Capitán Marvel. Un nexo de unión más humano se echa en falta. Y desde luego no lo busco en Inmortus/Kang. Este particular personaje que se vertebra en el espacio tiempo en mil encarnaciones de sí mismo. En esta saga, el Conquistador/Tirano/Faraón/Pensador/Héroe/Juez... encuentra uno de sus mayores momentos. Enlazándose también a la misma historia de los Vengadores. Pero su conflicto antagónico interno de ser su peor enemigo (ni Kang quiere convertirse en Inmortus, ni Inmortus quiere volver a ver su belicoso Yo pasado. Pero ambos están ligados por el mismo Tiempo a convertirse en lo que más odian) se ejemplifica como nunca en esta maxi serie.
Otro gran elemento es la conjunción de integrantes Vengadores de esta aventura. La frase "Vengador una vez vengador por siempre" se ha usado de pretexto para que más de medio panteón de (anti)héroes del Multiverso Marvel pasase por este grupo. Y en este cómic tiene su relevancia capital. Pero lo que podrías temer como un desconcertante "Avenger Mash" no es así. Se reúne a un selecto y concreto grupo conformado por integrantes de los Vengadores del Pasado, "presente" e incluso futuro. Con decisiones tan audaces como tener a dos Hank Pym´s a la vez (y uno siendo la conflictiva personalidad de Chaqueta Amarilla), el Capitán América en el momento en el que menos se siente Centinela de la Libertad, un Capitán Marvel futuro creado expresamente para esta aventura, el Ojo de Halcón más improbable de todos, la aún Thunderbolt Pájaro Cantor... Más alguna sorpresa más en forma de antagonista redimido o conocidas enemistades de la humanidad teniendo que colaborar por el bien del Universo. La ecléctica formación llega a tener unos buenos momentos de ingenio y personalidad a favor de la trama. Pero sí que mantiene un enfoque que además de ser "hija de su tiempo" noventero, se desvirtuaba aún más con la búsqueda de replicar dinámicas más "oldies". Como esas aventuras con la formación desperdigada en diferentes momentos o universos que sí que ofrecían contextos diversos entre lo pulp y referencial. Pero que a un lectore curtide a partir de los dosmil, pues puede llegar a hacerle resentir la lectura (esto está en el meridiano justo de la obra) o saberle a poco. Sí que es un cómic que se debe de leer con cierta perspectiva, contexto no solo de la historia ficticia del Universo Marvel y los Vengadores, y abrazando una ingenuidad que realmente era lo que por mucho tiempo otorgó el éxito a los cómics y sus artífices.
Kurt Busiek (con la clave participación de Roger Stern) planifica una ambiciosa épica espacio temporal para la cual, el dolorosamente desaparecido Carlos Pacheco (también ayudado en lo gráfico por Jesús Merino) consagró su formación como dibujante en La Casa de las Ideas. No solo ilustrando la narración de los maestros Busiek y Stern como si fuese un mero encargo. La huella de Pacheco es intrínseca a Siempre Vengadores en rediseños o ideas gráficas que han quedado para las aras de la editorial.
Siempre Vengadores es una vuelta a destapar el tarro de las esencias de Marvel cómics y sus personajes e historias de puro sense of wonder. Buscando reflejarse en la saga de la Guerra Kree-Skrull, la trama no solo evoca ese tipo de enfoques clave para el género de superhéroes. Los acordes de estas historias se tocan de una forma idéntica o cuanto menos con la mejor de las mañas, aunque los instrumentos sean nuevos. Las reminiscencias nostálgicas no solo parten de las miles de referencias y evocaciones a tantos queridos momentos y rincones de la historia de este multiverso de ficción, no solo de los Vengadores. Parece que es el canto de cisne de una forma de contar historias que podían volver a brillar de verdad por última vez antes del arrollo de cambio de siglo. Con dinámicas que chocaban con perspectivas y formas de afrontar el género no tan puras pero ingenuas. De hecho, es este punto el que puede que a día de hoy y en nuevos lectores, Siempre Vengadores puede que no funcione como la increíble lectura que es en su planteamiento y prácticamente todo su conjunto. Los mimbres argumentales conforman una miríada de elementos que realmente defienden uno de los eventos, amenazas y aventuras que ponen en peligro el mismo tejido de la realidad y en el que los Vengadores se han visto nunca enfrentados. Pero al final, todo es un pretexto para concatenar esa forma de narración de evasión pura. Si bien, Kurt Busiek y Stern desde el guion tienen a bien a hacer una exploración, si no total, sí que más que decente en su planteamiento de trama general y personajes. Con ejes centrales en Rick Jones y Inmortus/Kang. El 1º, se presenta como una figura clave no solo para la historia de los Vengadores (al fin y al cabo, su amistad con Hulk motivó de cierta forma la 1º reunión de los Héroes Más Poderosos de la Tierra), los años empezaron a otorgarle habilidades o implicaciones en las grandes tramas Marvel que vuelven a aparecer en estas páginas. Sí que tanto la ausencia total del Goliath Esmeralda como ese popurrí de habilidades, hacen perder algo del punch emocional y autenticidad de la historia que se nos presenta en las primeras páginas con esa reminiscencia a la misma Muerte del Capitán Marvel. Un nexo de unión más humano se echa en falta. Y desde luego no lo busco en Inmortus/Kang. Este particular personaje que se vertebra en el espacio tiempo en mil encarnaciones de sí mismo. En esta saga, el Conquistador/Tirano/Faraón/Pensador/Héroe/Juez... encuentra uno de sus mayores momentos. Enlazándose también a la misma historia de los Vengadores. Pero su conflicto antagónico interno de ser su peor enemigo (ni Kang quiere convertirse en Inmortus, ni Inmortus quiere volver a ver su belicoso Yo pasado. Pero ambos están ligados por el mismo Tiempo a convertirse en lo que más odian) se ejemplifica como nunca en esta maxi serie.
Otro gran elemento es la conjunción de integrantes Vengadores de esta aventura. La frase "Vengador una vez vengador por siempre" se ha usado de pretexto para que más de medio panteón de (anti)héroes del Multiverso Marvel pasase por este grupo. Y en este cómic tiene su relevancia capital. Pero lo que podrías temer como un desconcertante "Avenger Mash" no es así. Se reúne a un selecto y concreto grupo conformado por integrantes de los Vengadores del Pasado, "presente" e incluso futuro. Con decisiones tan audaces como tener a dos Hank Pym´s a la vez (y uno siendo la conflictiva personalidad de Chaqueta Amarilla), el Capitán América en el momento en el que menos se siente Centinela de la Libertad, un Capitán Marvel futuro creado expresamente para esta aventura, el Ojo de Halcón más improbable de todos, la aún Thunderbolt Pájaro Cantor... Más alguna sorpresa más en forma de antagonista redimido o conocidas enemistades de la humanidad teniendo que colaborar por el bien del Universo. La ecléctica formación llega a tener unos buenos momentos de ingenio y personalidad a favor de la trama. Pero sí que mantiene un enfoque que además de ser "hija de su tiempo" noventero, se desvirtuaba aún más con la búsqueda de replicar dinámicas más "oldies". Como esas aventuras con la formación desperdigada en diferentes momentos o universos que sí que ofrecían contextos diversos entre lo pulp y referencial. Pero que a un lectore curtide a partir de los dosmil, pues puede llegar a hacerle resentir la lectura (esto está en el meridiano justo de la obra) o saberle a poco. Sí que es un cómic que se debe de leer con cierta perspectiva, contexto no solo de la historia ficticia del Universo Marvel y los Vengadores, y abrazando una ingenuidad que realmente era lo que por mucho tiempo otorgó el éxito a los cómics y sus artífices.
May 26, 2022
So, I am not a nerd. I gave up on Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Never saw or read any of Twilight or Tolkien’s stuff. And Spiderman and Batman need to take a five-year sabbatical across any medium according to my saturation meter. The proliferation of Star Trek spinoffs is greedy and gross. I love zombies but The Walking Dead graphic novels and all the shows were brutal. Soap operas with terrible acting and a few bites of interest.
I digress. Let me bring it back to why a 57-year old man would even read this graphic novel/extended comic book. I recently discovered it on my iPad having ordered it about a decade earlier (so, yeah, a 47-year old man). Growing up, I was a Batman and DC guy. Marvel always felt too out-there. I did not like cosmic and inter-galactic heroes and adversaries. I enjoyed the Dark Knight solving realistic crimes. Early Batman was the coolest.
Still, I enjoyed the recent takes from the Marvel Universe on screen. Captain America and the Winter Soldier characters compel. But when it gets to Thanos and all that, I glaze over and reach for the remote. I am like Triumph the Comedy Dog at Comicon. He once visited and said he was into comics…when he was eight.
I have nostalgia for comics. They were escapes. We all wondered what powers we would like to possess. Flight, invisibility and super strength for me! This collection is a cool premise. Avengers from different times being united to combat a massive threat. However, you would have to be a super nerd to get all of the references and back stories. Thus, this is for super nerds only and I have since removed this “ancient” download from my iPad. You have to be 47 to remotely enjoy it.
I digress. Let me bring it back to why a 57-year old man would even read this graphic novel/extended comic book. I recently discovered it on my iPad having ordered it about a decade earlier (so, yeah, a 47-year old man). Growing up, I was a Batman and DC guy. Marvel always felt too out-there. I did not like cosmic and inter-galactic heroes and adversaries. I enjoyed the Dark Knight solving realistic crimes. Early Batman was the coolest.
Still, I enjoyed the recent takes from the Marvel Universe on screen. Captain America and the Winter Soldier characters compel. But when it gets to Thanos and all that, I glaze over and reach for the remote. I am like Triumph the Comedy Dog at Comicon. He once visited and said he was into comics…when he was eight.
I have nostalgia for comics. They were escapes. We all wondered what powers we would like to possess. Flight, invisibility and super strength for me! This collection is a cool premise. Avengers from different times being united to combat a massive threat. However, you would have to be a super nerd to get all of the references and back stories. Thus, this is for super nerds only and I have since removed this “ancient” download from my iPad. You have to be 47 to remotely enjoy it.
August 31, 2021
My summer beach read this year was Avengers Forever.
First of all, the colors on a lot of pages were off register and muddy. I don't know if this was a printer issue or a colorist issue, if it was just my copy or every edition, but this definitely hurt my reading experience.
Immortus decides to kill Rick Jones for something he will do in the future. The Supreme Intelligence awakens the Destiny Force in Rick which allows him to call Avengers from the past, present, and future to his aid. Kang gets involved and we end up on a lengthy adventure through time.
I say this with love: This is a book for Avengers nerds, not for noobs. Busiek taps into the history of the Avengers and the time travel experiences throughout the Marvel Universe. I mean, there's appearances from characters from What If stories.
This is an epic 12-issue series from back in the days of single issues. There's narration and a ton of dialog. The art, when I can see it, is busy and detailed. I loved this type of thing as a teenager, but my tastes have changed a bit.
First of all, the colors on a lot of pages were off register and muddy. I don't know if this was a printer issue or a colorist issue, if it was just my copy or every edition, but this definitely hurt my reading experience.
Immortus decides to kill Rick Jones for something he will do in the future. The Supreme Intelligence awakens the Destiny Force in Rick which allows him to call Avengers from the past, present, and future to his aid. Kang gets involved and we end up on a lengthy adventure through time.
I say this with love: This is a book for Avengers nerds, not for noobs. Busiek taps into the history of the Avengers and the time travel experiences throughout the Marvel Universe. I mean, there's appearances from characters from What If stories.
This is an epic 12-issue series from back in the days of single issues. There's narration and a ton of dialog. The art, when I can see it, is busy and detailed. I loved this type of thing as a teenager, but my tastes have changed a bit.
April 22, 2023
This was a reread, though I originally read it in single issues as they came out. I know much more about the history of the Avengers now than I did back then, so I really felt like I was reading it with fresh eyes. It's an epic story of time travel and alternate realities written by one of my favorite super-hero writers, so I'm an easy mark. This type of story feels like it should have George Perez art, but the was working on the regular title with Busiek at this time. If you can't have Perez, having Carlos Pacheco (with Jesus Merino on inks) is the next best thing. The artwork is glorious and appropriately epic. What a comic!
April 24, 2016
I am a huge fan of Kurt Busiek's writing. I absolutely adore his Astro City and have read three out of the five hard cover collections of his run on The Avengers (the part of the run he did with George Perez, and the remaning two volumes await my attention) with great enjoyment. So, naturally I wanted to read his Avengers Forever miniseries (which originally came out simultaneously with some of those early Avengers issues of his and Perez's). Unfortunately the volume proved difficult to find, but a couple of months back I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy, and now finally got a round to reading it.
So, what is it all about? It is a twelve issues miniseries about seven time tossed Avengers (Captain America, Yellowjacket, Giant Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel and Songbird from different eras in Avengers history) trying to save Rick Jones from annihilation at the hands of Immortus (who in turn is trying to stop his masters the Timekeepers from more or less exterminating most timelines involving humanity). And to help them they have the aid of the mysterious Libra, the Supreme Intelligence and Kang the Conqueror (all known Avengers villains).
Does it sound complicated? It is and it isn't. What it most definitely is, is one tremendous time travelling tale with lots of good tidbits from Avengers history, but told in a manner that anyone can hop on and enjoy the ride. And for the very curious there are some notes for each chapter.
So, what is it all about? It is a twelve issues miniseries about seven time tossed Avengers (Captain America, Yellowjacket, Giant Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel and Songbird from different eras in Avengers history) trying to save Rick Jones from annihilation at the hands of Immortus (who in turn is trying to stop his masters the Timekeepers from more or less exterminating most timelines involving humanity). And to help them they have the aid of the mysterious Libra, the Supreme Intelligence and Kang the Conqueror (all known Avengers villains).
Does it sound complicated? It is and it isn't. What it most definitely is, is one tremendous time travelling tale with lots of good tidbits from Avengers history, but told in a manner that anyone can hop on and enjoy the ride. And for the very curious there are some notes for each chapter.
February 18, 2016
Avengers Forever is a pure expression of the fun of magnificent superhero madness. It's dense with allusions that are fun if you know them, but even more fun if you don't. They contribute to the overwhelming sense that this is a wide world and you are only seeing a small glimpse of it. The story is shockingly modern, as is most of the style with the exception of a narrator and non-naturalistic dialogue.
Some of my favorite parts were the scenes with the 1950s Avengers, the take-charge take on the Wasp and the evil emperor being named Rickard (which I'm assuming is an oblique to Prez Rickard from DC's Prez). On the negative side, issues 8 and 9 are all flashbacks designed for continuity repair. They are quite dry and don't have the great action of the rest of the series. The art is unimpeachable classic super hero.
Some of my favorite parts were the scenes with the 1950s Avengers, the take-charge take on the Wasp and the evil emperor being named Rickard (which I'm assuming is an oblique to Prez Rickard from DC's Prez). On the negative side, issues 8 and 9 are all flashbacks designed for continuity repair. They are quite dry and don't have the great action of the rest of the series. The art is unimpeachable classic super hero.
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