The Avengers

The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents the origin stories, seminal tales, and characters of the Marvel Universe to explore Marvel’s transformative and timeless influence on an entire genre of fantasy

Collects The Avengers #1-4, 9, 16, 26, 28, 44, 57, 58, 71, 74, and 83. It is impossible to imagine American popular culture without Marvel Comics. For decades, Marvel has published groundbreaking visual narratives that sustain attention on multiple levels- as metaphors for the experience of difference and otherness; as meditations on the fluid nature of identity; and as high-water marks in the artistic tradition of American cartooning, to name a few. Starting in 1961, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and their collaborators transformed the Super Hero genre with a series of new creations, including the Incredible Hulk, the Mighty Thor, and the Invincible Iron Man. In 1963, Lee and Kirby brought these characters together for the first time in a new magazine called The Avengers-adding a resurrected Captain America shortly after. Over time the Avengers’ roster would frequently change, mirroring transformations in the Marvel Universe and the society that it reflected. This unique collection gathers key issues from the first few years of the series. A foreword by Leigh Bardugo, a scholarly introduction and apparatus by Jose Alaniz, and a general series introduction by Ben Saunders offer further insight into the enduring significance of The Avengers and classic Marvel comics.

Author Biography

Stan Lee (1922- 2018) and Jack Kirby made comic book history in 1961 with The Fantastic Four #1. Lee oversaw the creations for over a decade before handing over the editorial reins at Marvel to others. Jack Kirby (1917-1994) cocreated Captain America with Joe Simon in 1940. Over the next decade, Kirby and Stan Lee would introduce new characters that formed the foundation of the Marvel Universe. Roy Thomas (1940- ) scripted Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Thor, and X-Men. In 1972, he succeeded Stan Lee as Marvel’s editor-in-chief. John Buscema (1927-2002) followed his long run on The Avengers with the first Silver Surfer series. Sal Buscema penciled Captain America, Defenders, and Incredible Hulk. His 1970s work ranged from Ms. Marvel to Sub-Mariner. Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology. Jose Alaniz, professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, has published several works on comics history. Ben Saunders is a professor at the University of Oregon. He has curated museum exhibitions of comics art, including Marvel- Universe of Super Heroes.