Writer/Artist: Geoff Johns, Kieron Dwyer, Alan Davis, Mike Grell, Ivan Reis, Gary Frank, Rick Remender

Publisher: Marvel, $24.99ea

First of all, it’s about freakin’ time. While a hardcover format isn’t ideal simply because it draws in less casual readers, Marvel did do a nice job on these and I believe they are well worth the price tags. Considering for a while there the original soft cover printings were going for over $40 a pop on Amazon and Ebay for a while, this series of hardcovers is the fastest and easiest way to read the Johns run of Avengers. I really do believe that his run was one of the best and most promising runs over the past decade, only to be shot down too early before certain plot lines could be fully realized.

Starting immediately after the final war with Kang from the Busiek run, the capitals of every country on Earth suddenly disappear leaving the world in chaos. The United Nations calls upon the Avengers to lead the world, and Captain America answers without hesitation. Facing off against the In-Betweener and a new Scorpio, the Avengers including Thor, Black Panther, Namor, and many more have to restore the balance between chaos and order to save the world. This first volume highlights one of Johns strength perfectly as he reintroduces an older villain, make him a viable world threat, and leaves us with threads that could have developed into a whole new inventive branch of threats for the Avengers. Main art duties were by Kieron Dwyer (with Rick Remender) who I felt was perfect for this run. Dwyer had a great sense of pacing and action and offered a unique style that was dynamic but didn’t draw away from the plots at all and made for a great super-hero adventure. The final issue in the first volume is penned by Gary Frank, so if you’ve been enjoying his work over on Action Comics you should check this out at as well.

The next volume, Standoff, features heavily on the Thor sub-plots of the early 2000's where Thor had moved Asgard to New York and attempted to save the world by setting an example and basically ruling over it. It may feel a little choppy if you weren’t familiar with the Marvel Universe at the time, but the overall story is fun and is beautifully illustrated by Alan Davis. The sub-plots involving Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Jack of Hearts, and the Falcon were well handled and took a number of characters that we may never have been too interested in before and make them relevant and impressive. The Falcon being able to connect to every bird in the US so he can see anything anywhere? Pretty friggin’ awesome. Also, can’t go wrong with some good Dr. Doom action in the background. Writing duties were also split between Dan Jurgens and Mike Grell, and art also includes work by Gary Frank and Ivan Reis (Blackest Night). It was always a little tricky to find customers the other crossover issues that are collected in this volume, so it’s nice to have it in one handy reading here.

Next volume should be the Red Zone, which is well worth picking up.

If you like this then try: Flash, Green Lantern, Avengers Disassembled Thor Ragnarok, Avengers Disassembled