Got into the Avengers via the MCU, what comics are good reads?

[SaF]

Hey everyone, this is pretty much what it says on the tin.

I've only ever read spider-man comics/trades for some reason, but having watched all the Marvel movies (IM, IH, IM2, T and CA) I've really got into those characters and the avengers via the upcomin movie and the current cartoon series.

I'd love to read some great comics featuring the characters from these movies, but I have no idea where to start! There are just so many, not to mention different realities and versions of them (especially the avengers, there are loads of different teams!), and I literally know nothing about the marvel world outside of spider-man and what the movies have in them. So knowing where to start is... difficult.

So I'm looking for any suggestions for good books to read about the avengers, or any of the characters that make up the movie avengers (I have managed to gather that hulk is not normally on the team for some reason... but I'd still like to read about him!)

thanks guys

[The Morningstar]

For Avengers stuff? Busiek's work is the best i think. Kang Dynasty and Ultron Unlimited are great.

For stuff that isn't necessarily Avengers, Annihilation. Best comic book ever written. True story.

[CaptainStacy]

A good and cheaply priced way to learn all about the Avengers is probably the Essential Avengers volumes...

They are in black & white format, and the dialogue is a bit dated as the story begins nearly 50 years ago, but they are lots of fun, full of great characters, you can start from the very beginning, and as i already mentioned; relatively cheap.

[R_Hythlodeus]

Originally Posted by CaptainStacy

A good and cheaply priced way to learn all about the Avengers is probably the Essential Avengers volumes...

This. I own every single one of hem and love it. way better than most of the stuff writen in the last ten years.
Annihilation included.

[The Morningstar]

Incorrect!

[SaF]

Originally Posted by The Morningstar

For Avengers stuff? Busiek's work is the best i think. Kang Dynasty and Ultron Unlimited are great.

For stuff that isn't necessarily Avengers, Annihilation. Best comic book ever written. True story.

I know of Kang and Ultron from the cartoon series, so would be great to read about them as well as the avengers! It looks like I can get the Ultron Unlimited book but not the Kang one (I live in the UK) will have to watch on ebay for it or something.

The annihilation series looks interesting, I've always wanted to read more about silver surfer, the visuals in his books must be great too. Are there three TPB in total?

Originally Posted by CaptainStacy

A good and cheaply priced way to learn all about the Avengers is probably the Essential Avengers volumes...

They are in black & white format, and the dialogue is a bit dated as the story begins nearly 50 years ago, but they are lots of fun, full of great characters, you can start from the very beginning, and as i already mentioned; relatively cheap.

**looks up on amazon** wow so it goes right back to the first issues by stan lee and jack kirby! thats awesome, thank you! There are 8 volumes in all?

[Gamma Ra]

Originally Posted by The Morningstar

For Avengers stuff? Busiek's work is the best i think. Kang Dynasty and Ultron Unlimited are great.

This and I'll add the Avengers/Defender War and any time the Squadron Sinister/Supreme appeared.

[Gamingboy]

Another great thing to check out would be to check out Busiek's JLA/Avengers (actually, read everything Busiek writes, Avengers or not).

Basically every Avenger from before Disassembled, as well as their various headquarters, eras and such, shows up.

There's the built-in cool factor of the Marvel and DC's best heroes fighting alongside each other (and against each other).

And (this is built in with the last point), it shows the Avengers in a great way: their strengths and their flaws, by way of comparing and contrasting them with the Justice League.

[SaF]

**adds avengers/defenders war to the amazon wishlist** thanks Gamma-ra!

Gamingboy, that sound awesome but I've never read anything DC... will I get lost with all their characters?

hmmm wonder which one of these two is the right one, will go with the one with more pages I guess!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Avengers-Jus...5132416&sr=1-2 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/JLA-Avengers...5132416&sr=1-1

[CaptainStacy]

Originally Posted by SaF

**looks up on amazon** wow so it goes right back to the first issues by stan lee and jack kirby! thats awesome, thank you! There are 8 volumes in all?

Yes, currently.

[Gamingboy]

Gamingboy, that sound awesome but I've never read anything DC... will I get lost with all their characters?

Busiek does a reasonably good job explaining the more important characters and concepts to readers without getting too obstructive, mainly because the DCU characters are new to the Marvel U and vice-versa.

You probably wouldn't get lost with all of the characters. While it is a cast of hundreds, in reality only about 15 of them are truly important with the rest only appearing for a few pages at most (in fact, many characters literally show up in just one panel). And most of them are relatively well-known so you'd recognize and know about them even if you'd never read a comic in your life (this is especially true with the JLA, since, well, it's Superman, Batman etc.). And those that aren't are either explained/introduced, self-explanatory (The Justice Leaguer named Zatanna is dressed like a magician because, guess what? She's a magician!) or would just require a quick wiki-run.

[3 Dev Adam]

To get into THIS MOVIE in particular, Ultimate Avengers 1 + 2

To get into Avengers as a whole, I agree on Busiek.

[SaF]

Thanks guys, will have to check out the Busiek stuff especially after so many recomendations. Also... look what came in the post today!



now to stay up all night reading it before I go see the movie tomorrow.

Will read this and see how I get on, then will go onto the other stuff you guys have said.