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Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Avengers Vol. 10

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Quick Summary

Pros: The stories here are fantastic and have great levels of action and excitement. This volume contains several interesting moral messages that give a window into society at the time. The stories here mark a change in the comic book industry and even reflect on this change with some meta commentary. The artwork looks great in every chapter.

Cons: Small aspects of the story feel out of place and disrupt the narrative’s flow.

Overall: This collection of Marvel stories contains two classic Avengers adventures that still hold up to this day. The exploits here contain exciting feats of action, wonderful messages, and an overall expansion of the importance of this particular series. This comic stands out as a high quality story but also an important moment in comic book history. Anyone interested in classic Avengers comics should look here because this volume is well worth the read.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 10, by Roy Thomas, contains two excellent story arcs that help usher in a new era for the Avengers and for comic books as a whole. The first arc is the famous “Kree-Skrull War”, a storyline that, even from a modern perspective, deserves all of the praise it has received over the years. It is compelling, exciting, and positions the Avengers comic series as the center of the Marvel Universe by utilizing much of what the publisher had to offer at the time. The second arc continues the same levels of compelling adventure and overall high quality. Together, these two stories help create an absolutely excellent read that both new or old readers can jump right into and appreciate.

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Avengers Vol. 10 starts out with the now famous Kree-Skrull War. This story arc is kicked off by a reintroduction of the Kree, mostly accomplished through their ties to Captain Marvel. Then, once the Kree have established themselves as threatening opponents, the story arc shifts to reintroducing the Skrull. This jump starts an adventure in outer space that feels like one of the largest and most significant adventures the Avengers have been involved with yet. The way it incorporates previously introduced characters and various aspects of the Marvel Universe adds to the excitement and makes this event feel more significant. It also helps that the action here is simply well written and is handled in a way that helps build excitement and tension.

The volume’s second story arc picks up some of the pieces from the end of the Kree-Skrull War and also contains a battle with the Greek god Ares. This works well as a continuation of the previous arc, especially in regards to Hawkeye’s journey and Vision’s romantic feelings, but also works well as a solid adventure on its own.

Though the action in Avengers Vol. 10 is thrilling and the story is interesting, the best part about this book is the way it incorporates messages regarding the moral and political landscape of the time. Aspects of the Kree-Skrull War are clear condemnations of America’s actions during the Red Scare, the Ares plotline takes a stance against xenophobia, and the entire volume has a general anti-war message to it. The volume’s focus on Vision even dips into the science fiction side of morality by pondering if an artificial intelligence can love/be loved. All of this is handled very well and ends up being just as interesting to read from a modern perspective as I imagine it was when it was published.

Alongside shifts in morality, Avengers Vol. 10 also showcases shift in the comic book industry. This comic marks a change from the fantastic and lighthearted tales of the Silver Age to the more serious and thought-provoking tales of the Bronze Age. At one point, Rick Jones even reflects on these changes and comments on how the morality of heroes and villains seems like an antiquated concept. This meta commentary on the industry as a whole is interesting and will be particularly worthwhile for readers with more comic experience.

Despite its many successes, there are a few places where Avengers Vol. 10 goes off the rails. Ant-Man’s journey into Vision’s mechanics is entertaining but feels pretty out of place in a storyline with an otherwise large sense of scope. In addition, the second story arc spends a lot of time on exposition, enough to dull the story a bit. However, in the end, the successes in Avengers Vol. 10 are still far more significant than its failings.

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Art

The artwork in Avengers Vol. 10 comes from three separate artists, all of whom do a great job throughout this book. Sal Buscema’s work in the volume’s early chapters brings the same dynamic energy and high quality work that has been seen in the last several volumes of the Avengers series. Then, later on, Neal Adams enters the scene and brings even more detail to the characters and backgrounds than before. It makes emotions stand out more significantly and also makes the scenes in space look really worthwhile. Finally, Barry Smith closes the volume with a few chapters that look more gruff and grim, which matches the tone of these particular issues. All in all, the artistic quality of this book is high and contributes to the resounding success of this reading experience.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 10 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 9 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 11.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

Previous Volume Review

All Avengers Reviews

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