Wow, this is a hefty book! Coming in at a massive 528 pages, The Avengers Epic Collection: Court-Martial trade paperback is perhaps the longest Marvel Epic Collection book I have reviewed yet, and it certainly collects an interesting era of the eponymous Avengers. Compiling Avengers #210 – 226, Avengers Annual #11, and – excitingly – Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1 – 4, this massive trade covers a tumultuous period in Avengers history, with a shrinking cast, the demise of an iconic hero, and an exploration of one of Marvel’s most fascinating relationships.
This Epic Collection is subtitled Court-Martial because of issue #213, one of the most infamous issues in all of Avengers history, which depicts the horrible Hank Pym assaulting his wife Janet, sullying his heroic legacy forevermore. The majority of the issues in this collection were written by Jim Shooter and Bill Mantlo, with additional writing from J.M. DeMatteis, Steven Grant, David Michelinie, Alan Zelentz and Bob Hall. Alongside these talented writers are the artists Bob Hall, Greg LaRoque, and Rick Leonardi, with additional artwork from Gene Colan, Alan Weiss, Al Milgrom, Mark Bright, Alan Kupperberg and Don Perlin.
Marvel
This era of the Avengers is not considered to be a highlight, with the team desperately recruiting new heroes to join their ranks after many left, ending with the feline hero Tigra joining for a short while. Tigra only lasts several issues, staying on the team until she successfully defeats the Molecule Man but decides she is not right for the main Avengers team, eventually joining the West Coast Avengers in the coming years. Later, She-Hulk will join the time alongside the returning Hawkeye, but in general, this roster feels shaky, uninspiring, and not very iconic.
Hank Pym’s descent into an abusive jerk is a sight to behold… it is truly impossible to not cringe anytime the pathetic man opens his mouth, and it is such a blessing when Janet is finally able to stand up to him and demand a divorce. It is interesting to see Hank’s male teammates – Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America – slowly realize just how terrible he is, a realistic depiction of “boys club” mentality and how hard it can be to spot abusive relationships. This entire run is a controversial series of comics, and Hank’s domestic violence has left a permanent mark on his heroism, even more damaging than the creation of the villainous Ultron.
Marvel
Besides the mainline Avengers comics, this collection also includes Avengers Annual #11, which is a truly weird tale involving Nebulon, a sometimes hero, sometimes villain alien who debuted in The Defenders. This story is just very strange, as annuals often are, and ends with Nebulon and his wife Supernalia committing suicide to make up for their sins against Earth, choosing to die “the honorable way.” It is… an interesting read. However, the art is gorgeous, and the designs of Nebulon’s alien and humanoid form are both very cool, so I still enjoyed reading the story.
In a hilarious addition to the collection, halfway through the book, Marvel includes two pages of the Avengers Membership Manual, an incredibly dry document that details how Avengers members are meant to act, including rules around Meetings and the Punishment of Criminals. This is a fun behind-the-scenes look at how the Avengers work, and reminds me of when the X-Men included a detailed map of the Xavier Institute’s many rooms.
To be honest, I didn’t love a lot of the plots in this collection, including the entire Moondragon arc, or any of the issues featuring Fabian Stankiewicz or the Egghead. Just not that fun, and not very engaging. But… these lackluster issues are definitely made up for by the inclusion of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch limited series. This four-issue exploration of the two Avengers heroes’ life together starts out a bit rough – with a bit of a nonsense first issue and some clunky dialogue from Mantlo – but by issue number three, it has become a wonderful story. Finally, the last issue introduces the definitive (in my opinion…) history of Pietro and Wanda’s parentage, introducing Magneto as their father, in a dramatic and masterfully done story.
In my opinion, these issues of Avengers were a real low point for the franchise, with later plots in the 1980s elevating the team once again. Some of these stories were fun, but in general, they are not very memorable besides Hank Pym’s horrible behavior. Including the Vision & Scarlet Witch limited was a great choice, I loved the addition of the Avengers Membership Manual, and there are some cute mini “What If…?” strips collected in the back as well. If you are trying to collect every Avengers Epic Collection, this is clearly a necessary addition, but unless you are a diehard Avengers fan, this may not be the collection for you.
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