Dark Avengers: The Patriot List: A Marvel: Untold Novel

Marvel Aconyte Novels

by David Guymer

S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, the Avengers have fallen. All that stands in defence of the world are its greatest villains, the Dark Avengers, in this high-octane adventure from the Marvel Untold line

Under Norman Osborn’s jurisdiction, the Avengers have been secretly re-formed with a cabal of deadly super villains. This is Osborn’s chance to finally put the Green Goblin behind him and become the Iron Patriot the world needs him to be. But villains aren’t easy to wrangle into the place of heroes – doing damage control for his new line-up constantly puts his empire at risk. When S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists break into Avengers Tower and steal the secret list of replacements for his team of maniacs, the threat to his reign becomes intolerable. Osborn unleashes the worst of the worst to crush those responsible… It’s hard to be a hero!

Genres: Marvel, Science Fiction, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Action

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2021

About the author

David Guymer is a freelance author, PhD in molecular microbiology (which still comes in more handy than you might think), and tabletop warlord based in the Yorkshire East Riding. He has written for Black Library, Marvel, Aconyte Books, Asmodee, Mantic Games, Cubicle 7, Creative Assembly, and Mongoose Publishing.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This era of the Avengers was so much fun. Norman Osborn has recently become a world wide hero after the end of Secret Invasion. He disbands SHIELD, replacing it with HAMMER, and takes over the leadership of the Avengers as Iron Patriot. He's secretly replaced all of the heroes with villains, so you have Venom as Spider-Man, Bullseye as Hawkeye, Moonstone as Ms. Marvel, Daken as Wolverine, the schizophrenic and all powerful Sentry along with the God of War, Ares, as your Avengers. Osborn is struggling to keep the Green Goblin persona under control while pinning the world under his thumb. The impetus for this story is a former SHIELD member attempting to perform a coup as they instigate the Avengers to screw up and show their true selves to the world. While I certainly don't want the bad guys in charge in real life, it's a lot of fun to read about it in the Marvel universe.



Received a review copy from Aconyte Books and NetGalley

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, international travel ... long flights (made longer due to a rerouting around the Russian volcano ash cloud), jet lag, etc.... The perfect setting for reading great literature ... or, I dunno, maybe enjoying a graphic novel novelization ... that might not require high degrees of concentration, helps pass the time, and, as an added bonus, amuses and entertains.

I saw this on the shelf at Midtown Comics when I was up in NYC last week and figured that it would be good travel (airport and hotel) reading for my upcoming international trip. Granted, my expectations were (relatively) low, but ... by any standard, the book met, and to some extent exceeded, them.

Didn't know what to expect, didn't necessarily love any of the characters (but I'm not sure I was supposed to anyway), didn't really buy into the plot line, ... and yet, ... and yet ... it was perfectly entertaining. The right book at the right time in the right place.

Full disclosure: As I've indicated previously, over the years, I've increasingly enjoyed (and, hence, looked for, bought, and consumed/read) novelizations of superhero stories. Maybe it reflects my aging (and, I dunno, overdeveloped) imagination, but I frequently find that the novels - when handled properly - not only compare favorably with, but can be even more entertaining than, even the most visually appealing graphic novels. This one was no exception.

[Kid Ferrous · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the real Avengers gone, Norman Osborn, the erstwhile Green Goblin, has assembled his own Avengers, made up of supervillains masquerading as their heroic counterparts, to step up and protect the world…kinda. This is his chance to be a hero and put the Goblin to rest for good. But he has a hard job trying to keep his team members in check, inclined as they are to senseless violence, murder and wisecracks. When a list of their possible replacements is stolen by S.H.I.E.L.D. sympathisers, putting his power at risk, he unleashes the full force of his twisted team of heroes to get it back…preferably without telling them what’s on the list.
“Dark Avengers: The Patriot List” is a new novel from the Marvel Untold line, written by David Guymer, relating a hitherto unknown tale based on the Dark Avengers comic storyline. And oh my goodness…it is SO good. Sparking writing, sassy dialogue and some of the best-written action scenes I have ever read. Concise, punchy prose propels the story forward with not a word wasted. Guymer gets the tone just right with a story pitched in that sweet spot between serious and crazy, with blistering action scenes and a pacy plot.
One of my favourite things about “Patriot List” is that there are darkly funny moments aplenty - I mean pitch-dark, even during scenes of brutal violence. Memorably, there is an hilarious “Friends” (the TV show) reference which we can all relate to. Or maybe that’s just me… Anyway, you’ll find yourself flinching, chuckling then flinching again, and enjoying every minute of it.
I cannot and will not get over how good “Dark Avengers: The Patriot List” is. Author David Guymer absolutely nails each of the diverse characters, from the gloriously shameless Bullseye, the god-like but troubled Sentry and especially Venom, who possibly has never been so sympathetically depicted. Whilst the reader may not exactly care about the characters in the regular sense, you do find yourself rooting for them in a weird way - they are so damned entertaining! This book is a joyous celebration of bad guys pretending to be good guys, and doing what comes naturally.

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I received an advanced reading copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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© MARVEL 2021
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[Martin Maenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under Norman Osborn’s jurisdiction, the Avengers have been secretly re-formed with a cabal of deadly super villains. This is Osborn’s chance to finally put the Green Goblin behind him and become the Iron Patriot the world needs him to be. But villains aren’t easy to wrangle into the place of heroes – doing damage control for his new line-up constantly puts his empire at risk. When S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists break into Avengers Tower and steal the secret list of replacements for his team of maniacs, the threat to his reign becomes intolerable. Osborn unleashes the worst of the worst to crush those responsible… It’s hard to be a hero!


Dark Avengers: The Patriot List is another novel set in Marvel Untold line, to be published in October of 2021. I was graciously allowed an early preview galley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of super-hero fiction and a long-time follower of the Marvel Universe. More so, though, I love good villain stories. Something about tales that put these complex characters into interesting situations truly fascinates me, and author David Guymer delivers on all those counts. The story is fast-paced, full of action and mayhem as well as characters struggling with their own inner demons. Some handle it better than others! Guymer is also very well-versed in Marvel history, drawing from many aspects to tell his story which can easily fit within published issues of the comic book lines. That makes this "untold tale" work so well.

This one is recommended for Marvel fans and action/adventure fans.



About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Has a pleasant wit and sense of humor. Was a nice way of getting introduced to the Dark Avengers since I never read the Dark Reign-era comics. I would enjoy Guymer doing another book with them.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this has made me interested in rereading the Dark Avengers omnibus collection at the very least; I appreciated the author mentioning the mission facing the Molecule Man as it somewhat places where this story would have taken place before the Siege storyline occurred. I thought the author did an excellent job with these characters (based on my dim recollections of them when they were posing as the Avengers) and portrayed them fairly accurately. While the book moves at an overall fast pace, there were moments where I did wish it was over and ended sooner than it did.

One thing that did surprise me was the character development for some of the characters; I did not expect that to happen. It is quite difficult to introduce any kind of character development in novels for characters that have been around for years (even decades) in comic books (or even fictional books involving certain "action heroes"). That being the case, I thought the author did a nice job developing some of the characters further in the story (in my opinion, mainly Dr. Karla Sofen aka Moonstone/Ms. Marvel, and Mac Gargan aka Venom/Spider-Man. Daken, maybe a little bit). I do vaguely remember that Dr. Sofen having thoughts about becoming "a true hero" in both the original Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers runs but her constant need to manipulate others and being on control getting in the way of any real change towards being "a true hero." So it was both cool and interesting to read about Sofen's inner thoughts and desires to actually be (become) a hero made manifest under Lightbright's influence. I did not expect that to happen.

I cannot really explain why I felt Mac Gargan also had the "greatest character development" amongst the Dark Avengers except for the end of the book when he has enough meds placed in his body to keep the symbiote in check and he suddenly realizes that he enjoys being a hero "again" and wants to be seen as a hero. That, and Lindy (Sentry's wife) wanting Mac to take her "her" home in . . . New Jersey (or wherever it was) instead of Avengers Tower (or whatever their HQ is called) and her trusting Mac to keep her safe also inspired him "to want to be better" and strive to fight more against the symbiote. So that was pretty cool, too, overall.

I really am not that familiar with Bullseye/Hawkeye, so I must admit I did enjoy some of the "insight" into why Bullseye/Hawkeye does what he does - how he strives to earn the approval of Norman Osborne and the rest of the team even if he does not want to admit it. It was also funny how he was ripped on more than once about how he always takes on non-powered heroes and civilians because he secretly knows he would get the crap kicked out of him if not be killed if he was truly dumb enough to attack a more highly skilled, more powerful character. I guess at least the guy knows his limitations in that regard. It is like he wants to be highly respected for his skills, such as they are, and acts out accordingly but is constantly frustrated and disappointed because he can and will never get the true respect and accolades that he so desperately desires.

I did not know there was a super group of Middle Eastern superheroes called Desert Sword. That was pretty cool to find out. I kinda wish they had done a better job of holding their own against the Dark Avengers, but I really did not expect that to happen. Granted, I was also kinda surprised they lasted as long as they did against the Dark Avengers, too, considering how "small" the group was.

Obax Majid aka Lightbright was awesome in this book; I did not know she even existed as a character. So it was a lot of fun to learn about her and her abilities when she appeared. I also loved that she kicked the crap out of Moonstone; Moonstone deserved it and more in my opinion and it was great seeing her getting smacked around like she was.

I also enjoyed reading about Navid Hashim aka the Arabian Knight. I did not know there had been two other characters prior to Navid; I remember the character introduced in the first Incredible Hulk series and then showing up in Marvel's first miniseries, The Contest of Champions. So it was also fun to learn a bit more about this character and his skills and abilities over the course of the novel. I also liked that he basically defeated Ares, God of War, and humiliated Ares in the process. That was priceless. I was also glad that neither character (Majid and Hashim) were killed in the novel (especially with their being captured by H.A.M.M.E.R.).

Finally, I thought it was hilarious how angry Bullseye was over his replacement being Fred Meyers aka Boomerang. I was laughing pretty hard about that revelation. I also did not realize that Fred Meyers was born in Australia, so I at first thought that Bullseye was referencing Captain Boomerang of DC fame (as I knew he'd been born in Australia). Good times!

Actually, there are two other moments I enjoyed, both involving Moonstone. The first is early on in the book when Osborne orders her to go and practice her skills on the Sentry. While she is speaking with him, the Void appears and threatens to kill her. He convinces her that this will happen and she nearly craps her pants over what happened and nearly happened to her. A great moment. The other "great moment" is when she shows up in Kuwait City to assist the Arabian Knight and the Black Raazer in fighting the Void. She thinks everything is under control until Black Raazer tells her that his spell only worked because Robert Reynolds had been of two minds and now his mind was only "one mind" - that of the Void, and she has another "holy crap, what have I gotten myself into!" moment/look on her face (as described by the Arabian Knight). It was priceless!

One thing that irked me was Bullseye/Hawkeye. Can't stand that character and wish somebody would just kill him. He did have his moments of morbid humor (like when he must have been watching Friends and wishes Ross would just kill Rachel instead of mooning over her like he does in the show). There is a 'scene' in the book where Daken is using Bullseye's body as a shield for protection against over twenty soldiers firing either submachine guns or heavier guns at the two of them, and Daken can feel the hundreds of bullets impacting Bullseye's body. Daken momentarily has a thought about Bullseye having the adamantium-laced skeleton as if that should have provided some kind of protection. This was one of the weaker and dumber moments in the book. If Bullseye was truly being struck by hundreds of bullets fired by high-caliber weapons, he should have been shredded worse than cheese and been torn to pieces. The man does not have any kind of healing factor, and the adamantium lacing his skeleton only protects and supports his bones. Unless something has changed I don't know about (which I freely admit could be the case), he does not have an adamantium endoskeleton or sheath or shield or any kind of protective layers under his skin that would protect his innards from bullets. The man is not bulletproof. We know this because earlier in the book, the Countessa had shot him ten times - once in the head (too bad she didn't shoot him in one of his eyes and turned his brain into soup, putting him and the reader out of his misery) and nine more times in the gut (or was it eleven times with ten shots to the gut?). The guy was laid up in the infirmary because of the wounds he received; they nearly killed him based on how it was described in the book. And yet he survives being shot at by multiple rapid-fire heavy weapons being used as a human shield? I cry "BS!" about that moment in the book.

Another moment that irked me to no end was when Venom went on a rampage and killed several Secret Service personnel as well as multiple H.A.M.M.E.R. agents. I mean, seriously!?! He killed members of the President's protective detail and there are no consequences for that?!? I did not believe that in the slightest bit. I think the author should not have had Venom behaving like that, go out of control like that, because for not one bit did I believe that Venom could have gotten off like he did with no real punishment, and I did not believe that the President would have not demanded more serious repercussions than what happened (which was exactly nothing). I do not believe that the President would have tolerated Venom eating members of his personal protective detain, nor do I believe he would have accepted any excuses as to how or why this happened. I mean, it clearly shows that Osborne did not have these people under control like he claimed he did, and it should have created second thoughts about his remaining in charge of protecting the free world (well, the whole world) and in charge of H.A.M.M.E.R.

I also do not believe that any member of H.A.M.M.E.R. would be okay with the way Bullseye killed hundreds of H.A.M.M.E.R. security personnel or other employees like he did regardless of the security breach that occurred. Nor do I believe that any member of H.A.M.M.E.R. would be okay with the number of their members that Venom killed and/or ate. Nor do I believe that Osborne would have been okay with it, either. I know they are portrayed as sociopaths or whatever in terms of being cold-blooded killers, but at some point H.A.M.M.E.R. is going to run out of security personnel let alone highly-trained personnel you are going to want to keep around for whatever reason. I just thought it was garbage the way the various members of Osborne's security forces were killed by members of the Dark Avengers and it was somehow "okay" because, you know, madmen and mass murderers are in charge and it's somehow okay.

Finally, I thought the Sentry attacking Kuwait was bogus, too. Or the Void. Or Robert Reynolds while having some kind of massive fit of whatever. I think the problem, though, is that the author kept referring to the Sentry as being the attacker when it was actually the Void persona who was attacking Kuwait. So initially in my mind there should have been footage of the Sentry tearing the city apart when it actually was the Void. Be that as it may, there should have been enough footage of the Void's attacking and devastating Kuwait to have alerted the Fantastic Four or some other group that there were serious problems with Osborne's team of "Avengers". I mean, seriously! Reed Richards is always portrayed as having as many satellites if not more than Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. orbiting the Earth at any given time. It should have been made pretty clear that Osborne was doing nothing to save the city and people in Kuwait City and that it was Robert Reynolds attacking as the Void.

I also really hated Ares' demanding that every single man, woman, and child in the compound they were going to attack be killed merely because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That just did not sit well with me. I don't care that Ares is supposed to be "the God of War" or any crap like that, that he has no mercy or compassion at all. That is clearly not the case because he has a half-human son that he loves dearly and has entrusted into the care of Nick Fury in the comics; if he had zero compassion, then he should not give two rips about his half-human son. And yet, despite his "special hit squad" knowing his expectations, fail to kill everybody in the compound. I know it sounds like I'm complaining out of both sides of my mouth, but I did not believe that Ares would have tolerated his order not being completely obeyed that there be zero survivors. It was another stupid moment in the book, in my opinion.

There are parts of this book that are "really good" (in terms of how well it is written, how well the author captured the characters throughout the story). I also think he did a good job a good chunk of the "fight scenes" throughout the book as well. There were also moments I extremely disliked about the book and really cannot condone (such as the murderous tendencies of both Bullseye and Venom) even thought it is a book about villains pretending to be heroes. I'll rate it three stars (I'd probably rate it 3.3 - 3.5, rounded down), and despite its weaknesses, I am still glad I took a chance and read it. I may not ever read it again, but I am glad I at least gave it a chance.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Marvel: Untold range from Aconyte Books, David Guymer’s The Patriot List turns the tables on the usual Marvel norms and tells a tale of villains pretending to be heroes, featuring the Dark Avengers under the leadership of the brilliant but troubled Norman Osborn. In the wake of a Skrull invasion and the failure of SHIELD, Osborn is now in control of a new team of Avengers, which sees – unbeknown to the general public – hand-picked (and, unsurprisingly, difficult to manage) super-villains masquerading as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Despite the incredible power he wields, Osborn isn’t exactly the most stable of characters, and when a list detailing potential replacements for his faux-Avengers is stolen from under his nose, his response is somewhat less than subtle.

The plot itself is pretty straightforward, with the theft of the list having somewhat unintended consequences but primarily generating a lot of snarky bickering, a lot of fighting (and infighting), and a lot of collateral damage. That’s almost the backdrop though – anyone looking for superpowered action will find plenty of it, but the main draw of the book is the enjoyable back and forth of watching anti-heroes work and remembering that they’re really not anti-heroes, but rather out and out villains. Variously described as “small boys in capes” or “the Earth’s greatest team of surly teenagers”, none of them are exactly likeable, and they’re certainly not admirable, but it’s never less than entertaining to watch them work, fight, complain, plot against each other, and generally be despicable.

Read the full review here: https://www.trackofwords.com/2022/07/...

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good popcorn lit, aka. fun easy reading.

A untold story about Norman Osborn and the Dark Avengers dealing with an attempted coup d'etat and smear campaign, culminating in mass murder and calamity. It showcases the villainy of the team, their lack of morality and delight in that very fact, even as a few members of the team struggle with to concept of heroism and falling woefully short of it. Mostly it's fast-paced violence and some dark comedy provided by Bullseye, in a comparably straightforward plot that sets up a story of no heroes and all misguided hopes of a better world in the face of murderous nihilism.

Still, it manages to keep that action movie romp feeling and just enough comic extravagance that it avoids bleakness and tragedy. It's fun and funny, even if it could have done more with its cast and their canon relationships. It feels very in tone with the original main run of Dark Avengers, even it it doesn't quite calm down enough for us to have breakfast and bickering with the team, which was oddly enough always a fun highlight in the comic.

A recommend read for fans if the Dark Avengers

[Елена · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Aconyte Books for giving me a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Avengers: the Patriot List is a fast-paced, action-packed novel.

This is the second installment from the Marvel Untold line and I'm sad to say that I haven't read the first one. Nonetheless, I didn't need to be familiar with the first one because getting into the storyline of the second one was easy and I didn't feel lost at all.
However, the readers need to have basic knowledge of the world of Marvel with its heroes and villains. Because the story is filled with so many characters and it will be hard to keep track of all of them if you don't have basic prior knowledge of any of them.

With that being said, Dark Avengers: the Patriot List follows the story of Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers. S.H.I.E.L.D is no more and the Avengers are gone, allowing the Dark Avengers to seize control. But there are still heroes who want to expose the Dark Avengers for what they truly are.
Many familiar and well-loved characters appear in this novel. Their characterization is strong and the story oozes with personality.

It's fun, it's gritty and it's incredibly film-able. It would be perfect for the silver screen.
There is no idle moment and our heroes and villains have a lot to lose.










#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

[Adrian Montanez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if the Suicide Squad took over for the Justice League. Dark Avengers, that's what!

I want to thank Aconyte and NetGalley for the chance to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brief Overview:
The Avengers have been fired, S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen, Marvel's version of the Suicide Squad has taken over as the new Avengers (unknown to the masses), and Norman Osborn is in charge.

Looking to put his past as the Green Goblin behind him, protect the world, and be seen as the American hero he knows he is; Norman recreates the Avengers team with a wide range of deadly super-villains. Sadly, he soon finds this task to be downright maddening; due to having to deal with problems ranging from worldwide damage control to wrangling up a team composed of clashing personas, Norman finds himself edging the line between "Genius" and insanity. When S.H.I.E.L.D loyalists decide to break into the Tower and steal his secret list of replacement heroes (read as maniacs and killers), Osborn’s reign reaches a precipice. Norman is forced to release the worst of the worst, to find those responsible for the theft and have them dealt with.

This is an action-packed novel, that has you cheering for the bad guys to win. Guymer's way of writing in this book is top-notch. All his fighting scenes, his character interactions, and his character dynamics mix together to make this a pulse-pounding blockbuster of a novel. One of the biggest attractions of this novel is the fact that the main cast are all villains; what makes it even better is the wide range of personalities these villains possess. The wonderful thing about how Guymer wrote them is that he gave every one of them their chance to shine. I left this book with an even deeper understanding of these characters than I had from Brian Michael Bendis' Dark Avengers run.

Everyone loves a good villain, right? Well, this book delivers. It also just so happens to make them heroes. These characters do some of the most brutal things possible, but Guymer's writing makes it, so you are cheering them on while they do it. It really reinforces the idea "that being evil might be fun", which most people have thought of at least once in their lives.

You can read this book while having basic knowledge of the Marvel Comic universe. Sure, being a long-time fan will help with the enjoyment of this novel, but Guymer explains everything so well that any kind of superhero fan can enjoy the story. It starts with a brief introduction to the Dark Avengers and why they exist, and then just goes into full-on superhero comic book action.

I want to thank Mr. David Guymer for this masterful work, and I hope that he deigns to share more of his abilities with the comic book community.

4 stars out of 5.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2021 MARVEL

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review.

[Crystal Saldana · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank Netgalley, Marvel, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The story begins with S.H.I.E.L.D. being dismantled, the Avengers are no more, and Norman Osborn has taken over and is assembling his own team of "Avengers." This story was SO action packed! It definitely had the pacing of a Marvel movie, and had me wishing it was an actual film. While there were plenty of mentions to our iconic heroes (Stark, Rogers, and Strange to name a few), this story follows the villians of these comics. We get to see a different side to the villians that we don't typically see in films. I loved Venom and Daken's POV the most! I felt like we got a better understanding of why these characters are the way that they are. We also get introduced to plenty of new characters that we never see in the films, which I loved!

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. ©

[Adrian Montanez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if the Suicide Squad took over for the Justice League. Dark Avengers, that's what!

I want to thank Aconyte and NetGalley for the chance to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brief Overview:
The Avengers have been fired, S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen, Marvel's version of the Suicide Squad has taken over as the new Avengers (unknown to the masses), and Norman Osborn is in charge.

Looking to put his past as the Green Goblin behind him, protect the world, and be seen as the American hero he knows he is; Norman recreates the Avengers team with a wide range of deadly super-villains. Sadly, he soon finds this task to be downright maddening; due to having to deal with problems ranging from worldwide damage control to wrangling up a team composed of clashing personas, Norman finds himself edging the line between "Genius" and insanity. When S.H.I.E.L.D loyalists decide to break into the Tower and steal his secret list of replacement heroes (read as maniacs and killers), Osborn’s reign reaches a precipice. Norman is forced to release the worst of the worst, to find those responsible for the theft and have them dealt with.

This is an action-packed novel, that has you cheering for the bad guys to win. Guymer's way of writing in this book is top-notch. All his fighting scenes, his character interactions, and his character dynamics mix together to make this a pulse-pounding blockbuster of a novel. One of the biggest attractions of this novel is the fact that the main cast are all villains; what makes it even better is the wide range of personalities these villains possess. The wonderful thing about how Guymer wrote them is that he gave every one of them their chance to shine. I left this book with an even deeper understanding of these characters than I had from Brian Michael Bendis' Dark Avengers run.

Everyone loves a good villain, right? Well, this book delivers. It also just so happens to make them heroes. These characters do some of the most brutal things possible, but Guymer's writing makes it, so you are cheering them on while they do it. It really reinforces the idea "that being evil might be fun", which most people have thought of at least once in their lives.

You can read this book while having basic knowledge of the Marvel Comic universe. Sure, being a long-time fan will help with the enjoyment of this novel, but Guymer explains everything so well that any kind of superhero fan can enjoy the story. It starts with a brief introduction to the Dark Avengers and why they exist, and then just goes into full-on superhero comic book action.

I want to thank Mr. David Guymer for this masterful work, and I hope that he deigns to share more of his abilities with the comic book community.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Avengers: The Patriot List by David Guymer is a superhero novel based on the characters of Marvel’s comics Dark Avengers, and the second book in the Marvel Untold Series.

The book takes place well within the Dark Reign comics line, with Norman Osborn having been in charge of HAMMER for some time now and his Dark Avengers team having gotten used to their roles; with some early members of the team having left by this point.

Of course I have to back up and explain who the Dark Avengers are. They are super villain team consisting of former Green Goblin Norman Osborn in the Iron Patriot armor, Scorpion with the Venom Symbiote posing as Spider-Man, Ares the God of War posing as Thor, the psychotic Moonstone posing as Ms. Marvel, the schizophrenic omnipotent Sentry, Wolverine’s son Daken, and most terrifyingly Bullseye posing as Hawkeye who have taken on the role as Earth’s mightist heroes.

The story begins with Norman Osborn having been contacted by an investigative journalist who claims to have something that could be damaging to him; having chosen to approach Norman for a quote on the incident before running the story. This moment of journalistic integrity gives Norman the heads-up he needs, and he sends several of his Avengers to steal the sensitive information from the newspaper offices in the dead of night. Unfortunately, they're not the only people there, and an armed group starts a fight with the 'heroes' that leads to destruction across the city.

Dealing with the fallout of the previous operation, Norman leaves Avengers Tower open to infiltration, and the same mystery group breaks in and steals some highly classified documents; including a list of potential candidates to replace his Avengers if the need arises. Knowing that most of his dirty secrets are close to being laid out in the open, Norman has to use his Dark Avengers team to try and stop their opponents and retake the information. All without the Dark Avengers finding out what's on the list.

One of the best things about Dark Avengers, The Patriot List is just how well David Guymer manages to capture the characters from the comics in such vivid ways. The characters who make up the Dark Avengers aren't your average group of heroes; they're not heroes at all. They all deeply flawed, awful people who snipe at each other, mock each other, put their own agendas and interests first, yet somehow manage to form a competent team; and Guymer brings that wonderful energy from the comics into the book.

A lot of the times with comics people will say that they love the action, that they're there to see the costumed heroes and villains fight in over the top and explosive ways; and whilst there's nothing wrong with liking that, and this book does deliver that, the real highlight of this novel is the smaller character moments. Instead of looking forward to seeing Ares throw someone through a wall I was eager to see what sly moves Daken was going to pull, instead of wanting to see the Sentry unleash his amazing powers I wanted to see how petty and weird Bullseye was going to be. Some of the best moments of this book are the scenes where several of the Dark Avengers are forced to be in the same room together just interacting. It was pure chaos and bitchy drama and I loved every moment of it.

The book also dove into some of the characters in ways that I can't really remember seeing in the comics, and led to some wonderful new insight into their motivations that changed the way I thought about them. The two biggest examples of this are Moonstone and Venom. Moonstone is a very complex character right from the start; we see her working with the Sentry as a psychologist, using the things from her past to try and help him, and we learn more about what drove her to become a villain. As the book progresses we see that despite being a villain, and a murderer, this is very much not what she wants to be, and there are several moments where her desire to do good, to be better, shine through and push her to do genuinely decent things that put her life on the line.

Equally, Venom has similar moments across the course of the book, though these are a bit more complex. Venom is already a harder character to understand due to him essentially being two different entities in the same body, and the influence that the symbiote has over the host changing the way the host thinks. At the start of the book Mac Gargan is fighting against eh symbiote's influence, trying not to eat people and the such. Over the course of the book Venom goes through some trauma and some changes, and the lines between the two personalities blur a little; but towards the end we see Gargan fighting back and fighting to be better, to do better, and this gives us a glimpse into the man he was before he even became Scorpion, let alone Venom, and how he wants to try and be better once again.

Possibly the stand out star, however, is Norman Osborne. How could it be anyone else? As fans of the comics will know, Norman isn't the most stable of people, and his shift into crazy towards the end of Dark Reign is some great stuff, and Guymer brings some moments of this to the book. The small glimpses we see at the deeply unwell man under his professional veneer are actually quite frightening at times, an the moments when he begins to slip into a mania that's close to the Green Goblin make for some wonderfully tense, stand out moments in the book. I could have spent so much longer following Norman like this, and I really hope that this won't be the last time Guymer gets to write the character.

Overall, Dark Avengers, The Patriot List is an action packed, dark, and wonderfully fun book that takes readers back to a unique time in the Marvel universe. It has reignited my desire to read more of this period, and to delve into some of these characters again. Whether you have read anything from the Dark Reign or not, I'm sure that a lot of readers are going to love this latest addition to the Marvel Untold line.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started getting into comic books properly, having always been something of a fan of the genre since being a little kid, I remember walking into my local comic shop (an absolute amazing thing for my tiny, backwards town) and seeing posters for The Dark Avengers. Secret Invasion had just happened and now Norman Osborne, the man behind the mask of the Green Goblin, was put in charge of protecting the world with his own team of Avengers. I remember the excitement and intrigue around the event, especially as people were trying to put together who was going to be on his team thanks to the small clues Marvel were giving out.

Whilst I only dipped my toes in and out of this series thanks to spending a lot of time in that shop, and eventually coming to work there, I got to see most of the bog moments such as the murder of Frank Castle, and the eventual Siege finale. Over the years I've gone back and read up on bits of this era that I missed at the time, and have really enjoyed it. It was a wonderfully different time, to see the bad guys in control, yet having to pretend to be heroes, and the real heroes on the run. It felt different and unique to other eras in Marvel, and I wish it could have had more stories.

Luckily for me, and everyone else, Aconyte Books have just released their first novel set within this time period, Dark Avengers, The Patriot List. The book takes place well within the Dark Reign, with Norman having been in charge of HAMMER for some time now and his Dark Avengers having gotten used to their roles; with some early members of the team having left by this point.

The story begins with Norman having been contacted by an investigative journalist who claims to have something that could be damaging to him; having chosen to approach Norman for a quote on the incident before running the story. This moment of journalistic integrity gives Norman the heads-up he needs, and he sends several of his Avengers to steal the sensitive information from the newspaper offices in the dead of night. Unfortunately, they're not the only people there, and an armed group starts a fight with the 'heroes' that leads to destruction across the city.

Dealing with the fallout of the previous operation, Norman leaves Avengers Tower open to infiltration, and the same mystery group breaks in and steals some highly classified documents; including a list of potential candidates to replace his Avengers if the need arises. Knowing that most of his dirty secrets are close to being laid out in the open, Norman has to use his team to try and stop their opponents and retake the information. All without the Dark Avengers finding out what's on the list.

One of the best things about Dark Avengers, The Patriot List is just how well David Guymer manages to capture the characters from the comics in such vivid ways. The people who make up the Dark Avengers aren't your average group of heroes; they're not heroes at all. They all deeply flawed, awful people who snipe at each other, mock each other, put their own agendas and interests first, yet somehow manage to form a competent team; and Guymer brings that wonderful energy from the comics into the book.

A lot of the times with comics people will say that they love the action, that they're there to see the costumed heroes and villains fight in over the top and explosive ways; and whilst there's nothing wrong with liking that, and this book does deliver that, the real highlight of this novel is the smaller character moments. Instead of looking forward to seeing Ares throw someone through a wall I was eager to see what sly moves Daken was going to pull, instead of wanting to see the Sentry unleash his amazing powers I wanted to see how petty and weird Bullseye was going to be. Some of the best moments of this book are the scenes where several of the Dark Avengers are forced to be in the same room together just interacting. It was pure chaos and bitchy drama and I loved every moment of it.

The book also dove into some of the characters in ways that I can't really remember seeing in the comics, and led to some wonderful new insight into their motivations that changed the way I thought about them. The two biggest examples of this are Moonstone and Venom. Moonstone is a very complex character right from the start; we see her working with the Sentry as a psychologist, using the things from her past to try and help him, and we learn more about what drove her to become a villain. As the book progresses we see that despite being a villain, and a murderer, this is very much not what she wants to be, and there are several moments where her desire to do good, to be better, shine through and push her to do genuinely decent things that put her life on the line.

Equally, Venom has similar moments across the course of the book, though these are a bit more complex. Venom is already a harder character to understand due to him essentially being two different entities in the same body, and the influence that the symbiote has over the host changing the way the host thinks. At the start of the book Mac Gargan is fighting against eh symbiote's influence, trying not to eat people and the such. Over the course of the book Venom goes through some trauma and some changes, and the lines between the two personalities blur a little; but towards the end we see Gargan fighting back and fighting to be better, to do better, and this gives us a glimpse into the man he was before he even became Scorpion, let alone Venom, and how he wants to try and be better once again.

Possibly the stand out star, however, is Norman Osborne. How could it be anyone else? As fans of the comics will know, Norman isn't the most stable of people, and his shift into crazy towards the end of Dark Reign is some great stuff, and Guymer brings some moments of this to the book. The small glimpses we see at the deeply unwell man under his professional veneer are actually quite frightening at times, an the moments when he begins to slip into a mania that's close to the Green Goblin make for some wonderfully tense, stand out moments in the book. I could have spent so much longer following Norman like this, and I really hope that this won't be the last time Guymer gets to write the character.

Dark Avengers, The Patriot List is an action packed, dark, and wonderfully fun book that takes readers back to a unique time in the Marvel universe. It has reignited my desire to read more of this period, and to delve into some of these characters again. Whether you have read anything from the Dark Reign or not, I'm sure that a lot of readers are going to love this latest addition to the Marvel Untold line.

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: The Patriot List by David Guymer

Dark Avengers: The Patriot list is one of the newest additions to Aconytes’ Marvel Untold line. The Untold series runs along the side of Marvel Heroines, Marvel Xavier’s Institute and Marvel Legends of Asgard as well as the Marvel: Crisis Protocol which tie in to the epic and popular game of the same name. The focus of the Untold Line see both heroes and villains from across the marvel range revealing secrets and lost chapters on their rise to power. The Patriot List deals with the Dark Avengers whose comic storyline drew critical and popular acclaim for casting villains in the ‘hero’ spotlight – well at least they were trying to be heroes!

David Guymer has done wonders at taking that premise and bringing it to life! I have to say, although I’d love to see a lot if not all of the Marvel titles put out by Aconyte on the big screen, I was constantly thinking how I wanted this to be part of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but then I back tracked, worried that no movie could do it just the justice it deserved, but first let's discuss the plot. As with most of my ARC reviews I will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible.

The Avengers have fallen, S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone. All that the world has left to defend itself is its Villains, The Dark Avengers.

Under the jurisdiction of Norman Osborn, the Avengers have been secretly re-formed with a cabal of deadly super villains. Osborn’s focus is more on the chance to finally put the Green Goblin in the past and take up the mantle of the Iron Patriot. Tasking himself with nearly the impossible , Osborn is left doing more damage control for his new line-up, fully understanding villains are a lot harder to wrangle than heroes, and even heroes can be a handful. When S.H.I.E.L.D loyalists decide to break into the Tower and steal his secret list of replacement maniacs and killers. Osborn’s Empire is always at risk but this puts his reign on the precipice. Finally, Osborn released the worst of the worst to crush the opposition and those responsible. It’s hard to be a hero but as we learn throughout the novel it’s so good to be bad!

Action-packed and high-octane don’t do enough justice for this novel. From the first page I was hooked. The writing style, the fight scenes, the character dynamics – everything is just perfection for a pulse pounding read. You laugh, you cry (usually from laughing) and you get a tiny bit jealous of Guymer’s ability to write action THAT well. As I said I will keep spoilers light, but it was so refreshing to see some of the villains in this; Ares, Moonstone and Bullseye to name a few. Not only does each villain have a time to shine their powers, skills and in some of their cases sass but the interactions we get between them is in short, perfection. You actually get to the point of feeling just a little bit sorry for Osborn trying to deal with all these conflicting and clashing personalities in one place.

I found myself actually cheering for the bad guys. Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D has always been questionable, but Guymer makes the villains so likeable that you really do want to see them succeed. Really reinforcing the fun, you can have being the bad guy.

On top of this the novel has good representation and on several levels dealt with issues surrounding mental illness. I find representation like this is always refreshing and welcomed since it showcases even heroes (or villains) have their own demons to battle. It’s dealt with respectfully and shows how even the strongest person can still be suffering on the inside - I can’t go into this too much before the release of the novel but needless to say it was refreshing and welcomed as someone who suffers with mental illness myself to see genuine and good representation.

I highly recommend this novel for any marvel fan but more importantly for any marvel villain fan. That said you don’t need a great knowledge of all the storylines or their origins since Guymer captures them all perfectly. If you are looking for an action-packed book that rivals the comics and the movies you need look no further than Dark Avengers: The Patriot List.

The ebook of this fantastic title will be out on the 5th October 2021 with paperbacks following on the 12th October for the US and 25 November 2021 for the UK (which I’ve already pre-ordered!) As always I want to thank Aconyte and Netgalley for the chance to read this e-ARC and for David Guymer for creating this masterpiece!

[Michael Botterill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Marvel Untold book Dark Avengers: The Patriot List by David Guymer published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am also friends with David on Facebook, although thats probably more about him connecting with fans than him being my best bud!

I am going to try my best to not let these things cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

Also I won’t lie, I have looked at other reviews to see what others think, so there may be some influences from them in this book review. If I am going to quote them, I will attribute them. But if I forget to, or something is highly influenced by them, and you think I ought to attribute someone, let me know so that I can.

What is Marvel
Look at this point I would bore you with a bit of background to the game/universe, but lets not, you all know the Marvel Universe, if you don’t have you been living under a rock!

The Dark Avengers were a iteration of the avengers which contained several members who were supervillains disguised as stablished superheroes.

In this iteration, we have Mac Gargans Venom as Spider-Man, Moonstone as Ms Marvel, Bullseye as Hawkeye, Daken as Wolverine and the superheroes, Ares and The Sentry. The team is lead by Norman Osborn who wears a Stark armour which is known as Iron Patriot.

The Story
So I will start off by saying that this is a book in which you really do need a bit of knowledge of the Marvel universe to really get on and enjoy it, because its not a book that explains the characters and background in a great amount of detail.

But if you have a the basic understanding of the universe, you are gonna really enjoy this book.

This story is set in the aftermath of the Secret Invasion storyline, when Norman Osborn has seized control of S.H.I.E.L.D. and reformed it into H.A.M.M.E.R. and rebuilt the avengers with psychopaths. maniacs and killers.

The story revolves around a plot by S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists to steal a secret list of potential replacements for the Avengers known as the Patriot List, which involves a plot to embarrass Norman Osborn a man with a real obsession with his public image.

So Osborn releases the worst of the worst to prevent any threat to his leadership of the world security.

Conclusion
This is a very good story, its high octane and filled with amazing dialogue that sassy and at the same time a little horrifying.

The action scenes are frankly some of the best I have ever read, just well written and balanced.

The character dynamics are a highlight, and each of the teams members are given their own chance to shine, with everyone getting a reasonably equal bit of time to show themselves off.

As well as being a very good action novel, it also has an amount of depth as it also focuses on the mental health of the Dark Avengers, because as you can imagine, the villains have their own daemons to battle.

I really enjoyed that for the antagonists, David has gone deep into the Marvel lore and brought up some superheroes/villains from deep down that you rarely see, and perhaps may not know about at all.

The Dark Avengers are a pretty nasty bunch, some more so than others, but David really has got you rooting for them and wanting them to win, and given the way he doesn’t hide what they really are, that’s not a mean feat.

This gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me and frankly is a near perfect Marvel novel.

[La librairie de Charron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concernant les Dark Avengers, l'équipe est composée de plusieurs méchants que Norman Osborn utilise à sa guise, méchants qu'il déguise avec les costumes de super-héros ; d'ailleurs, à ce propos, il y a eu plusieurs équipes de Dark Avengers. Je vous mets le titre de la vidéo ci-après, le youtubeur en question explique et résume très bien la situation : Le Lore - L'origine des Dark Avengers

L'histoire débute avec une mission dans laquelle Venom et Daken sont envoyés en mission par Norman Osborn. Ils surveillent les lieux jusqu'à ce que des hommes en costard et armés jusqu'aux dents (et qui leurs sont inconnus) débarquent et entrent dans les bureaux dans lesquels ils étaient censés entrer et fouiller. Par la suite, l'histoire avance et on voit que Norman commence doucement à faire une rechute, à redevenir un peu schizophrène. Bref, comme dit dans le résumé, lorsque le bâtiment des Avengers, normalement contrôlé par Norman Osborn, est infiltré par quelqu'un du SHIELD, ça part en sucette et l'espion en question souhaite montrer le vrai visage des Avengers actuels, que je citerai plus bas. Norman Osborn voyant cela comme un danger, il va tout faire pour traquer cet espion car il veut garder le monde sous son emprise ; il n'a pas envie qu'on sache que ses « Avengers » sont des méchants et criminels.

En fait, les évènements dans ce tome se déroule après Secret Invasion, avec l'invasion des Skrull. Le lien de la vidéo explique bien tout. Bref, Norman devient un héros, dissout le SHIELD, crée HAMMER, qui remplace le SHIELD du coup et remplace l'équipe des Avengers par des méchants, et comme je le disais, les habille avec des costumes de super-héros : Venom est Spider-Man, Bullseye est Hawkeye, Daken est Wolverine, Arès et Sentry ne sont que quelques exemples.

Enfin, ce fut une histoire riche en rebondissements, ça fait plaisir de voir un changement au niveau des Avengers de Norman Osborn, revoir le Bouffon Vert. Pour le coup, vu que Secret Invasion est prévu dans l'une des phases de Marvel, avec tout ce qui est Kong le Conquérant et autres, je serai curieux de voir comment ça va se dérouler. Néanmoins, ça sera peut-être difficile avec les X-Men, vu que Logan est censé être mort, et que les X-Men auraient dû être présents dans Civil War et d'autres films Marvel avec les Avengers. Mais soit, vu que les films Marvel ne sont qu'une adaptation parmi d'autres ... En conclusion, un tome intéressant sur différents aspects et cela reste à voir pour une adaptation possible.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's here! The next Marvel book is here, and I couldn't be more excited for it. Dark Avengers: The Patriot List is a bit of a long title – yet it is an evocative one for anybody paying attention. Written by David Guymer, it's a quintessential Dark Avengers novel.

What happens to the world after S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers fall? Are they left to face the dangers of the universe without any heroes? Or does a new team step up? Naturally, in the Marvel universe, there's always somebody ready to step up.

However, sometimes the person that steps up to the plate can bring quite the shock. Take the Dark Avengers. They're Earth's defenders now. Led by Normal Osborn, this is a team made up of villains, which begs the question? Just who (or what) are they trying to protect?

Dark Avengers: The Patriot List lives up to the name – this is a novel full of action, adventure, and just the right balance of dark humor. It's perfect for any Marvel fan, especially the die-hard ones that can appreciate the nuance in the characters portrayed within these pages.

Okay, so you guys know that I'm a sucker for characters with sassy comebacks, right? Well, let's just say that I absolutely adored how David Guymer wrote many of the characters in this book. Not only did they feel accurate to their comic book versions, but the sass! Oh, so much sass, and I loved every minute of it.

The action was extremely satisfying, which is excellent. I swear, half the reason I read Dark Avengers plots is to get a dose of action and carnage. So if that is what you're looking for here, you will not be disappointed. Promise.

I should mention that you really need to have a basic understanding of these villains to appreciate their portrayal here. Guymer does not waste time holding hands, so I imagine it would be a bit difficult to dive right in knowing nothing. However, if you are a fan, you're going to love what you find.

Thanks to Aconyte and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for an advanced copy of this new Marvel adventure.

David Guymer has done something amazing and spectacular in his book Dark Avengers: The Patriot List: A Marvel: Untold Novel, a prose novel set in the Marvel Comic Universe. Mr. Guymer has taken a storyline, the replacing of the Avengers with the Dark Avengers, criminals and reprobates led by ex(?)-Green Goblin villain Harry Osborn pretending to be heroes, one that I never enjoyed, and made we want to know and read more. My. Guymer has a real skill in taking comic book characters and making them see more vibrant and alive while reading than they ever did on any splash page during this run. The plot is interesting, the characters are all written differently with unique voices, and though most of them are mass murderers in every sense, the reader has an interest in what happens to them, and each bit of action is different for every one of them.

Having more than a working knowledge of the Marvel Comic universe will help in the enjoyment, but things are explained well so the layperson can enjoy the story. There is a brief introduction to the Dark Avengers and what they stand for, and the story drops into full on comic action. Mr. Guymer mixes classic, new and underused characters, and makes them all seem important.

I really enjoyed this book, far more than I expected. I would love to see what Mr. Guymer would do in the comic world. As it is I can't wait to read more by him. Highly recommended for and Marvel Zombie, even if like me you found the Seige storyline not that interesting. Though I know if Mr. Guymer had been writing, it would have been a storyline appearing on my top ten. I'm excited to have found a new author to follow.

[Christopher Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Marvel Untold novel

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Aconyte Books via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book takes place during the Dark Reign storyline of the Marvel Universe, where Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) formed his team of Dark Avengers to help him enforce his authoritarian rule.

The Patriot List sees Osborn's Assistant Director, Victoria Hand, struggling to tone down the Dark Avengers most violent tendencies as she sees Norman descend into madness. I think this was probably the most action-packed of any of the Marvel prose novels that I've read so far. Even though the members of the Dark Avengers are villains who will kill at the drop of hat, the author did a good job of showing readers that even villains sometimes harbor non-villainous instincts.

I gave The Patriot List five stars. I would definitely read more volumes from this author featuring these characters. Even without any of the better-known heroes of the Marvel Universe involved, it was still a very enjoyable read.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
© 2020 MARVEL

[Nikki 🎯 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Avengers has been my favorite comic run since I was 11 years old. That being said, I am more than aware of all the numerous flaws in that comics writing. Such as the needlessly edgy writing (as par for the course of mid 2000s comic writing), the complete butchering of the characterization of Moonstone, Bullseye, and Daken, the plot relevant butchering of Gargan, and, and probably more that I can't come up with at the moment.

What makes this book an automatic 5 star is that it is also aware of this . The author expertly returns care and characterization to these characters while navigating the preset events and boundaries Brian Michael Bendis created years ago.

Out of the literary analysis nerd territory and into the comic nerd territory; This book is sooooo fun. Legitimately, I would have to pause often because I was laughing so hard. The best part is that every jokes, every jab or stupid instance is 100% in character for all these little freaks, and god did I miss them. This team is one of the most fun teams to read and it was such a breath of fresh air to get to read them running around and making a mess again.

[Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very good. I liked the fact we got to see the more darker side of the marvel characters. As they try to take the place of the avengers as Shield was disbanded.
I did really enjoy reading this book and i thought the action and humor was great.
This book was however, heavily reliant on the know of characters from the old marvel comics which I had never read so I did have to Google them to learn about there characters as there seemed to be little back story provided in the novel. This did make me feel like I was missing out on something. So it would of been nice to feel a connection with the characters which is why my star rating is lower on this book. That said anyone with prior knowledge is going to absolutely love this novel as they could easily relate to the story.
I must been a natural goody as I know more about the heroes and all my marvel knowledge spans from the movies and TV series.

Many thanks to the author and publishers for creating this enjoyable story. That will fantastic for those who love the darker side of marvel.

[bwain_twauma · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as comic book tie-in novels go, I'd say this one is actually pretty good. I was a little shocked to see that a novel was recently written for a comic that came out over ten years ago, especially a comic that wasn't very popular, but I'm glad it was published. It seemed like everyone was in character, which I find pretty rare in these kinds of books, the only exception being the Sentry, but he's definitely a hard one to nail as even most comic authors have trouble writing him. By the end of the book I was also surprised by what seemed like a sudden improvement in the quality of the writing, which is something that is also usually subpar in these novels. The story itself also felt like something that could've easily happened during Dark Reign, and it was even easy to envision what Deodato's artwork for this story might have looked like. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of the Dark Avengers 👍

[Tyson Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Era of Marvel. I really enjoyed the Dark Avengers comic run. I was looking to reading another story featuring this interesting and unique super hero team. The plot was solid, the characters were entertaining, and the transition between the narratives was smooth. The Dark Avengers inner thoughts were further in this tale. While the story itself was interesting, the ending was kinda anti-climatic. However overall the Patriot List was pleasant to read.

I also enjoyed how they made Spider-man AKA Venom useful. I think he was under utilized during his time in Dark Avengers. I also liked that the story used little known marvel characters such as from the Desert Sword team. On the other hand, I was disappointed we did not get to see the name sake Patriot List. I wanted to see who the replacement Avengers could have been.

[Swapnil Dalal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own." I would like to thank the publisher Aconyte Books and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this novel.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book is fantabulous.
I really enjoyed this book, far more than I expected. It's my strongly and highly recommended novel for this year.

"The Avengers have fallen, S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone. All that the world has left to defend itself is its Villains, The DARK AVENGERS."
Highly recommended for those who have already watched the Zombie Avengers episode of What If....?. Go for this novel 🤟

"It's a taut, compulsively readable and elegantly plotted thriller"

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was huge fun! After the glut of 'regular' Marvel movies, shows and everything else, it's a pleasure to see a different take on the traditional 'heroes', and this was such a treat.

I was caught up in the alternate Avengers from the first, figuring out who filled what role and what each brought to (and took from) the table. I'd absolutely be up for a movie of this version, particularly featuring the familiar Venom - who is himself, no matter which side he's on!

As dark and engaging as Watchmen or The Boys, this will be a recommendation for me to other Marvel fans.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Aconyte books for a copy of this book.

This novel was such a fun read with the focus on the dark avengers. So the heroes we know and love are actually villains masking as the heroes. And Norman Osborn as basically a well loved and successful and over the avengers? Wow just a wild ride! I recommend this for anyone who likes to see these alternate “what if” versions of the Marvel universe and who want to expand their Marvel reading.

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: A-

[Rishu Harpavat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is convoluted and the prose isn't the best, but the story picks up in the last act and imagining Willem Dafoe as Norman really makes the last bit work

[Ricky's Rockin' Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Patriot List by David Guymer ...a Marvel Untold prose novel.

I have always been a huge fan of the Dark Avengers. Norman Osborn as the Iron Patriot is the perfect leader for the villainous team masquerading as heroes. I love the Iron Man suit he wears. The rest of the team consists of Bullseye as Hawkeye, a heavily medicated Venom as Spider-Man, Moonstone as Ms. Marvel, Daken as Wolverine, Sentry and Ares.

The novel begins with a mission that goes sideways for the Dark Avengers. Norman is using the team to try to retrieve stolen secrets that could bring him down if the public is made aware of them.

The rest of the novel deals with the fallout from that and the rivalry between Norman and the saboteurs. What I liked the most about this novel was the feeling that the team would crumble at any moment. The violent and psychopathic personalities were constantly clashing. The characterization was pitch perfect for most of the team, especially Bullseye (he was my favorite).

The other thing I loved and which quickly got me hooked was all the references to the rest of the Marvel universe, I'm talking some deep cuts!

I do have a couple of things I wish could have been done better. One was that although the rest of the Marvel world was referenced, there were zero heroes around to challenge the team. Two, there should have been at least one section of the book where the entire team fought together.