By early 1963 the foundations of the Marvel Universe had been laid.
Following the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961 came the
amazing (Spider-Man), the astonishing (Ant-Man), the strange (Doctor,
that is), the incredible (Hulk), the invincible (Iron Man) and the
mighty (Thor). Still, Marvel editor in chief Stan Lee realized something
was missing. "I was writing these characters and I thought it would fun
to put them together in a team," he recalled. So Lee and artist Jack
Kirby assembled Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor, and the Hulk to
create the Avengers.
Right away it was clear this team was different. If the Fantastic Four
were family, then the Avengers were the co-workers you didn't choose.
Not everyone got along--the Hulk fought with everyone--but working
together they could defeat the baddest of Marvel's bad guys, like Loki,
Kang the Conqueror, the Masters of Evil, and Immortus. The lineup was
ever changing: The Hulk departed, Captain America joined, and Ant-Man
grew up to become Giant-Man. Then, remarkably, villains Hawkeye,
Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch became heroes--and Avengers--and the
group's founding members shockingly departed, leaving Captain America to
lead the newly-minted heroes.
Relive the classic early adventures of Avengers Nos. 1-20 in an
XXL-sized edition that's bigger than the Hulk's fist, weightier than
Thor's hammer, and with more extras than Iron Man's armor. TASCHEN has
attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as they were
produced at the time of publication. The most pristine pedigreed comics
have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close
collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page
has then been digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to
correct problems with the era's inexpensive, imperfect printing--as if
hot off of a world-class 1960s printing press.
Accompanying the stories are an original foreword by Marvel Studios
President Kevin Feige and an in-depth history by the Eisner
Award-winning writer Kurt Busiek that's illustrated with original art,
little-seen photographs, and rare documents. This mighty collection
about Earth's Mightiest Heroes is worthy of Tony Stark's library--or
yours.
Also available in a Collector's Edition of 1,000 numbered copies.
(c) 2022 MARVEL
About the series
MARVEL COMICS LIBRARY is an exclusive, long-term collaboration between
TASCHEN and Marvel. The rarest classic comics, including Spider-Man,
Avengers, and Captain America are meticulously reproduced in their
original glory, in extra-large format. The library offers collectors a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay their hands on the world's most
desirable comics. Each volume includes an essay by a comic book
historian along with hundreds of photos and artifacts, including rare
original comic book artwork.
