Next is AVENGERS: QUICKSILVER, reprinting the mutant (?) speedster's solo series from the late nineties. In the aftermath of the "Onslaught" crossover, Marvel tried out several new ongoings. I read some of them, but never gave QUICKSILVER a chance. I look forward to rectifying that.
We also have IRON FIST: RETURN OF K'UN L'UN, a grab-bag collecting all the various one-shots and mini-series which starred the character throughout the nineties and early 2000s. I've read some, but not all of this, though I'm interested to check it all out.
Lastly is the big one: the AVENGERS BY KURT BUSIEK AND GEORGE PÉREZ OMNIBUS, Volume 1. Readers may recall that I threw a tantrum over the book's contents last year, but that didn't stop me from selling my old AVENGERS ASSEMBLE hardcovers and pre-ordering this to replace them. Regardless of what I think of the logic (or lack thereof) applied to this collection, I couldn't pass up getting the Busiek/Pérez run in the best possible reproduction. And, on the plus side, Marvel is at least fast-tracking Volume 2, which has popped up as an Amazon ghost listing for release later this year (probably to coincide with AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON on home video, in the same way Volume 1 has come out just in time for the film's theatrical release).
That's it for this month, but watch for an expanded review of the Busiek/Pérez Omnibus just one short week from today.
I've never read that Quicksilver series either, oddly enough given my love of both the Avengers & the X-Men. I obviously didn't read all of them, but I really liked the crop of new series that popped up in the wake of "Onslaught". The results were mixed, but it was nice to see Marvel try some new things and give some different characters their own series.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was happy to see them take a few chances after "Onslaught". I remember that I checked out THUNDERBOLTS, HEROES FOR HIRE, MAVERICK, KA-ZAR, and MARVEL TEAM-UP. I dropped TEAM-UP pretty quickly when I realized Spider-Man wasn't going to be the main headliner like in the old days. I don't think it lasted much longer. I stuck with the other four until they were cancelled, which ranged anywhere from a year later (MAVERICK) to 75 issues later (THUNDERBOLTS)!
DeleteI'm pretty sure that at the time, I liked HEROES FOR HIRE the best. It was a perfect mix of action, continuity, and humor. I was really disappointed when it ended. I also liked MAVERICK more than I would've expected. THUNDERBOLTS, of course, needs no further praise from me (though I'm sure it'll get some here someday). It was pretty much universally known to be excellent.
I think I mainly grabbed KA-ZAR for the Andy Kubert artwork, because I've never been a big fan of the character. I stuck with that to the end too, though I was not at all a fan of Mark Waid's handling of Thanos. But then, I tend to believe that no one other than Jim Starlin has ever written the character correctly.
Funnily, I didn't get on board with DEADPOOL right away, knowing nothing about the character. It was issue 10, the "crossover" with an old Lee/Romita AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, that got me to start reading it, and after that I stuck with it to the end, even through some pretty crummy runs between Joe Kelly and Gail Simone.
Given that I read all these, it's kind of odd in retrospect that I never gave QUICKSILVER a chance. I didn't even pick up his portions of the "Live Kree or Die!" crossover or the later crossover with HEROES FOR HIRE!
That wasn't the MARVEL TEAM-UP with the Scott Kolins art, was it? The one with an extended arc involving an insane alternate reality Tony Stark? I really loved that series, but I think it must have been a later iteration of the series.
DeleteTHUNDERBOLTS, of course, was a favorite. I stuck with that all the way up through the Norman Osborn post-Secret Invasion iteration, after which I switched over to trades/Marvel Unlimited to follow it.
Looking over your list, I realize I sampled very few of those post-Onslaught titles. Though I was still on a pretty tight budget those days, getting ready for college. I didn't get into DEADPOOL until the Simone/Udon run, and really just stuck with it through CABLE & DEADPOOL. The rest, nada.I think Marvel has a HEROES FOR HIRE collection coming at some point; I'll have to check that out.
No, this was the late nineties MARVEL TEAM-UP, which ran for like seven issues. I liked the mid-00s version too, mainly because it brought Moon Knight back into circulation after a couple years out of the picture. Though it didn't go much longer; I think it ended after issue 12.
DeleteI think I gave up THUNDERBOLTS during the Warren Ellis run. It was just too grim for me, and I didn't like the revamped premise where they were like a "black ops" team for Osborn. I much preferred the Busiek and Nicieza runs to anything that came after.
I hope there's a collection of the nineties HFH series! It only ran about 18 issues or so, so could work in a thick "Epic"-sized trade. It was a lot of fun.