Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963), and was developed by author-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, following the trend of super-hero teams after the success of DC Comics' Justice League of America.
Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the Avengers originally consisted of Iron Man (Tony Stark), Ant-Man (Dr. Henry Pym), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Thor, and the Hulk (Bruce Banner). The original Captain America was found out by the team in issue #4, trapped in ice, and he joined the group when they revived him. The rotating roster has become a hallmark of the team, even though one theme remains constant: the Avengers battle "the foes no single superhero can withstand". The team, well known for its fight cry of "Avengers Assemble!", has featured humans, mutants, robots, gods, aliens, supernatural beings, and even former villains. An animated television series, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, premiered on October 20, 2010. A feature film is set to be released May 4, 2012.
Publication history
The titular team debuted in The Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963), using existing characters developed first and foremost by author-editor Stan Lee with penciler and co-plotter Jack Kirby. This initial series, published bi-monthly through issue #6 (July 1964) and monthly thereafter ran through issue #402 (Sept. 1996), with spinoffs including multiple annuals, miniseries and a giant-size quarterly sister series that ran quickly in the mid-1970s.
Other spinoff series include West Coast Avengers, initially published as a four-issue miniseries in 1984, and then a 102-issue series (Oct. 1985 -- Jan. 1994), retitled Avengers West Coast with #47;and the 40-issue Solo Avengers (Dec.1987 -- Jan. 1991), retitled Avengers Spotlight with #21.
Between 1996 and 2004 Marvel relaunched the main Avengers title three times. In 1996, the "Heroes Reborn" line, in which Marvel contracted outside companies to create four titles, included a new volume of The Avengers. Taking place in an go back and forth universe with a revamped history unrelated to mainstream Marvel continuity, The Avengers vol. 2 was written by Rob Liefeld and penciheaded by Jim Valentino, and ran 13 issues (Nov. 1996 -- Nov. 1997). The final issue, which featured a crossover with the other "Heroes Reborn" titles, returned the characters to the main Marvel Universe.
Relaunched with a new first issue, The Avengers vol. 3 ran 84 issues (Feb. 1998 -- Aug. 2004). To coincide with what would have been the 500th issue of the original series, Marvel changed the numbering, and The Avengers #500-503 (Sept.--Dec. 2004), and then the one-shot Avengers Finale (Jan. 2005), became the "Avengers Disgatherd" storyline and final issues. In January 2005, a new version of the team appeared in the ongoing title The New Avengers, and then The Mighty Avengers, Avengers: The Initiative, and Dark Avengers. Avengers vol. 4 debuted in 2010.