Comic fans who grew up in the 1970s have a special place in their hearts for Steve Englehart’s Avengers run.
Englehart’s issues established much of the mythology that is still drawn on by today’s creators particularly in terms of setting up the way that the team interacts with each other as friends, teammates, unsteady allies, and sometimes lovers.
The latest Avengers Epic Collection collects the beginning of Englehart’s stint on the series, and also wraps the previous work of Roy Thomas. “A Traitor Stalks Among Us” collects Avengers (1963) #98-114 and Daredevil (1964) #99 and features art by Don Heck, Rich Buckler, John Buscema, Jim Starlin, and even Barry Windsor-Smith.
The Avengers battle long-time foes Ares, the Enchantress, the Grim Reaper, the Space Phantom, as well as Magneto (which naturally includes an X-Men team-up). The Epic Collection also includes a trip to the Savage Land, the return of the Black Panther and the Black Widow, Hawkeye’s resignation, the first appearance of the Mantis, and new member the Swordsman (and can you really trust a guy with a pencil thin mustache?). Fans of Disney+’s WandaVision will also be able to get a bird’s eye view of how the Vision and Scarlet Witch’s relationship blossomed in these issues.
The 400 page Avengers: A Traitor Stalks Among Us Epic Collection is currently available in comic shops everywhere and retails for $39.99. Be sure to keep checking back with Conskipper for all of your vintage comic news!
