TASCHEN and Marvel Entertainment Announce ‘The Marvel Comics Library’;

AVENGERS Vol. 1. 1963–1965

Famous First Edition: First printing of 5,000 numbered copies

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

Assembling the definitive Marvel Age Avengers anthology

By early 1963 the foundations of the Marvel Universe had been laid. Following the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961 came the amazing (Spider-Man), the astonishing (Ant-Man), the strange (Doctor, that is), the incredible (Hulk), the invincible (Iron Man) and the mighty (Thor). Still, Marvel editor in chief Stan Lee realized something was missing. “I was writing these characters and I thought it would fun to put them together in a team,” he recalled. So Lee and artist Jack Kirby assembled Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor, and the Hulk to create the Avengers.

Right away it was clear this team was different. If the Fantastic Four were family, then the Avengers were the co-workers you didn’t choose. Not everyone got along—the Hulk fought with everyone—but working together they could defeat the baddest of Marvel’s bad guys, like Loki, Kang the Conqueror, the Masters of Evil, and Immortus. The lineup was ever changing: The Hulk departed, Captain America joined, and Ant-Man grew up to become Giant-Man. Then, remarkably, villains Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch became heroes—and Avengers—and the group’s founding members shockingly departed, leaving Captain America to lead the newly-minted heroes.

Relive the classic early adventures of Avengers Nos. 1–20 in an XXL-sized edition that’s bigger than the Hulk’s fist, weightier than Thor’s hammer, and with more extras than Iron Man’s armor. TASCHEN has attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as they were produced at the time of publication. The most pristine pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page has then been digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing—as if hot off of a world-class 1960s printing press.

Accompanying the stories are an original foreword by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and an in-depth history by the Eisner Award-winning writer Kurt Busiek that’s illustrated with original art, little-seen photographs, and rare documents. This mighty collection about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is worthy of Tony Stark’s library—or yours.

Also available in a Collector’s Edition of 1,000 numbered copies.

The author:
Kurt Busiek has been writing comic books since 1982. He has written several series for Marvel, including The Avengers, and won acclaim for his work on the four-issue miniseries Marvels. In 1995 he launched his own super hero multiverse with his series Astro City.

The contributing author:
Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios, and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel, has been the driving creative force behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is a hands-on producer, responsible for all 23 interconnected feature films in the MCU.

The artists:
Stan Lee (1922–2018) is known to millions as the man whose super heroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry. His co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and hundreds of others. While the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, he was also the Chief Creative Officer of POW! Entertainment, where he created numerous new characters and stories in areas including publishing, film, TV reality, stage, documentary, and multimedia.

Jack Kirby (1917–1994) was one of comics’ most legendary and prolific artists whose notable co-creations include Captain America, Avengers, X-Men, Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Thor.

Marvel Comics Library. Avengers. Vol. 1. 1963–1965
Famous First Edition: First printing of 5,000 numbered copies
Kurt Busiek, Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Edition: English

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ABOUT THE SERIES:

TASCHEN’s extra-large format, close in size to the original artworks, reveal startling new details in the work of Marvel’s most acclaimed artists. For each title in the series, the most pristine pedigreed comics (from the collection of our own SHELTON DRUM!) have been cracked open for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Rather than recolor the original production artwork (as has been done in previous decades’ reprints of classic comics), TASCHEN has attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as they were produced at the time of publication. Beginning with high grade, top-quality comics sourced with the assistance of the CGC, super-high-resolution photographs of each page were made as printed more than half a century ago, using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing. This included improved and balanced ink densities and color matching, proper registration of the four-color printing and correction of thick/thin lines resulting from the flexible plates “smudging.” The end result is a finished product — as if hot off a world-class printing press produced without economic or time-pressure constraints – tailored for readers, fans, artists and collectors alike.

Each volume features an essay by a comic book historian alongside hundreds of photos and artifacts. The books use three different paper stocks, including an uncoated and wood-free paper exclusively developed for this series that simulates the feel of the original comics.

The first 5,000 copies of AVENGERS Vol. 1 will be numbered and released as a ‘Famous First Edition’. The book is also available as a Collector’s Edition, limited to 1,000 copies featuring an aluminum print cover tipped into a leatherette-bound spine, foil embossing, and housed in a slipcase. Each book is individually numbered. The inaugural purchase of the Collector’s Edition entitles the collector to the selection of a personal favorite number between 1 and 1,000 on a first-come-first-serve basis. This will also secure a preemptive right to reserve a copy with the identical edition number for all forthcoming Collector’s Edition titles in ‘The Marvel Comic Library’.

The next title in ‘The Marvel Comics Library’ series will be Fantastic Four. Vol. 1. 1961–1963 and Captain America, all scheduled for release in 2022 and 2023.

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Shelton granted exclusive and unprecedented access to some of his most prized and beloved comics, and art, to assist in the creation of this comics tome.

“Working with TASCHEN and the CGC on these books has been an honor. The finished product FAR EXCEEDS any pre-conceived expectations I may have held! I just opened the box with the book, and I know the word might be overused, but it is AMAZING! The production quality is awesome. I love it!”

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We have a few copies available for purchase in-store NOW, or you can pre-order your copy today!
Pre-Orders should be fulfilled by September 2022!

The Marvel Comics Library AVENGERS Vol. 1. 1963–1965
Hardcover, 11 x 15.6 in., 9.76 lb, 630 pages
US$ 200.00
Famous First Edition: First printing of 5,000 numbered copies

Shipping is an additional $20.00 if you are unable to pick up in store.

If you would like to Pre-Order your copy, please send an email to: [email protected]

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Also available in a Collector’s Edition of 1,000 numbered copies
Hardcover with ChromaLuxe aluminum print cover tipped into a leatherette-bound spine.
11 x 15.6 in., 15.18 lb, 630 pages, in a slipcase

Please inquire about availability.
US$ 600.00

JUSTIN’S PICK :: UNCANNY AVENGERS #1: Another Marvel relaunch destined to inspire endless diatribes of Internet nerdsnark. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see a new iteration of the Avengers’ Unity Squad. Including a historical Avenger like the Vision on the roster only deepens this group’s significance, and throwing in a left field B-lister like Dr. (Brother) Voodoo is super cool (70s genre Marvel is kinda my jam). Also, Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña play well together, so let’s check the cynicism at the door and have a little fun, shall we?

JUSTIN’S PICKS: AVENGERS & X-MEN AXIS #1: I wasn’t a big Marvel reader in the Heroes Reborn days, and the subsequent emergence of the villain called Onslaught. But when promotional material started showing up for Marvel’s next big event – Axis – featured that iconic armor with the Red Skull’s head peeking out, I was intrigued. It’s been a while since the Red Skull was such a major threat, and Uncanny Avengers (the series that laid the foundation for Axis) has been one of Marvel’s more consistently entertaining titles. So this is an event I actually look forward to with some anticipation. With Rick Remender, one of my favorite writers, at the helm, I know I can count on a certain level of quality.

PUNKS THE COMIC #1: Speaking of Mr. Remender, my first exposure to the guy was an interview he did with Dog, a character from Punks, in a special that came out in the mid 2ks. The premise is simple: four roommates, Abe Lincoln, Dog, Skull, and Fist, share a domicile and engage in various shenanigans. It’s absurd and hilarious, and the art style Kody Chamberlain employs, an analogue collage approach, suits the subject matter perfectly. Now, Chamberlain and writer Joshua Hale Fialkov unleash new misadventures of this unlikely foursome via Image Comics, and I urge any fan of quality humor comics to give this one a go. Chuckles guaranteed.

RICO’S PICK :: AVENGERS 24.NOW: New comics will be on our shelves a day early this week since we’ll be closed on Christmas Day. So get in here tomorrow and do some last minute Christmas shopping for friends and family or even for yourself! We promise we won’t be as overcrowded as the mall!

I don’t know what kind of number “Now” is but this Avengers issues is 24.NOW. This issue’s release is accompanied by some great variants. One set featuring X-Men paying homage to classic Avengers covers and the other set showing Avengers paying homage to classic X-Men covers. I just wanted to call attention to these because they’re great looking covers and they would be easy to miss on a holiday week! My favorite is probably the Arthur Adams Avengers #92 homage!

SETH’S PICK(s) :: HELLBOY IN HELL #1/AVENGERS #1:  Yes, it’s a two pick week for me.  Hellboy In Hell #1 brings creator Mike Mignola back to full-time illustrating his most famous creation.  Yes, he killed Hellboy, but now he can take him through all the different realms of hell.  Now that HB’s free from the physical world, Mignola can draw whatever he’s always wanted to, without needing to be bound to continuity.  It says a lot to me that with all the things Mignola might have done (and it could’ve been anything from more movies to continuing to have other talented folks like Duncan Fegredo illustrate his creation), he really just wanted to get back to drawing Hellboy.  That’s something I respect, and have looked forward to seeing for quite a while.

Avengers #1:  When the Marvel Now books were announced, I said the two near-guaranteed most promising titles were Thor: God of Thunder and this book.  Writer Jonathan Hickman has proved countless times over that he can handle large casts (Fantastic Four and FF) and big concepts (S.H.I.E.L.D. and Manhattan Projects).  Now he’s tackling an enormous cast of over 18 characters, and returning the Avengers to big, cosmic stories.  Artist Jerome Opena really left an indelible mark on Uncanny X-force, and brought a visual dynamic to Rick Remender’s stories that I don’t think anyone else could’ve done.  On paper this title looks like a no-brainer, and I’ll be really shocked if this doesn’t end up being a great book.

It looks like departments stores are already setting up their Christmas displays so it’s not too early for me to remind you that Heroes is a great place to do some Christmas shopping while you’re picking up your own comics.  From an excellent All Ages section to art books to comic strip collections, there’s something for everyone on your list.  There’s also the annual Holiday Sale for the bargain hunters among us.  Keep an eye on the blog for that announcement.

Avengers #1 and #2:  Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena take on an expanded Avengers roster as the team entered the Marvel NOW! era.  This title will be shipping twice a month and the preview art is stunning.  (Marvel Previews, pages 4-8)

Amazing Spider-Man #700: While new titles are launching in the Marvel-verse, this long running Spider-Man series is coming to an end.  It’s ending in a big way with 104 pages and some great covers, including a variant with the names of the creators who have worked on the book appearing in the city skyline. (Marvel Previews, pages 47-50)

Monsters, Inc. #1: Marvel is bringing another hit Disney movie into comics with this adaption of Monsters, Inc. in a mini-series that follows the adventures of a human girl who has sneaked into Monstropolis. (Marvel Previews, page 67)

Hellboy in Hell #1: Mike Mignola returns to both writing and drawing duties as we join Hellboy after his sacrifice in Great Britain landed him in hell with both familiar faces and a throne that have been awaiting his arrival. (pages 31-33)

Rotten Apple: Heroes regular, Sanford Greene, teams with writer Chuck Brown on a hunt for a priceless relic in the dystopian city of Rotten Apple. (page 50)

House of Fun:  Evan Dorkin brings the fun in only the way he can with this issue that includes new Milk and Cheese strips, stories from Dark Horse Presents and much, much more.  (page 66)

Django Unchained #1 and #2: Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie hits comics as an adaption of his full screenplay that tells the story of a dentist turned bounty hunter and his partner a newly freed slave.  If that’s not enough, the art for the series is provided by Scalped‘s R.M. Guera and Charlotte’s own Jason Latour.   (page 137)

Sweet Tooth #40: The journey of Gus comes to an end in this final issue of Jeff Lemire’s acclaimed series.   (page 143)

Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition New Printing: If you missed out on the first printing of this beautiful artist’s edition, never fear, just in time for the holidays a new printing is available. (page 173)

MARA #1: Brian Wood and Ming Doyle tell the story of Mara Prince, a celebrity athlete with supernatural abilities that is now famous for all the wrong reasons.  Ming’s art is gorgeous and in Brian’s hands this is sure to be an interesting tale.   (pages 182-184)

Chew volume 6: Space Cakes TP : I’ve been reading Chew in trade and I am ecstatic that a new volume awaits me in December.  Collecting issues 26-30, plus the amazing Secret Agent Poyo one-shot, this trade is sure to make the Chew fan in your life have a very happy holidays indeed. (page 203)

Love and Rockets: The Covers: Fantagraphics has collected over 150 covers from Los Bros. Hernandez and brought them together in one glorious oversized art book for our viewing pleasure.  The covers are almost exclusively presented without cover logos or texts (page 296)

Mermin volume 1: Out of Water: Don’t miss the full color hardcover of the adventures of Mermin the Merman and his human friends after he washes ashore following his escape from the underwater kingdom of Mer.  Originally published by Joey Weiser in mini-comics, this new collection is sure to please comic fans of all ages. (pages 306-307)

Chu’s Day: A new children’s book from Neil Gaiman about a cute little panda with a giant sneeze is the only description anyone should need to pick up this adorable picture book.  (page 352)

Get a head start on holiday shopping with this month’s Previews order and don’t forget to throw in a little something for yourself!

Seth’s Pick :: Hawkeye #3: You’re a normal guy who happens to have a pretty high profile day job.  It just so happens it’s a high stress, high risk gig.  Your co-workers include a big guy who walks around like he’s a god, an old soldier who casts a shadow on everyone, and a rich man-child who can build or blow up whatever he wants.  After a long day, you go home to your modest little apartment, pet the dog, and maybe grab a bite to eat with some neighbors grilling on the roof.  You try to keep your head down, but you can’t help sticking your nose into other people’s business when you know they’re up to no good.  You’d like to kick back, have another beer, and ignore your conscience, but you can’t help yourself.  Sometimes you bring work home with you even when you’re out of the uniform.

Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye is a fine comic, plain and simple.  It’s not too late to read one of the best monthly comics (superhero or otherwise) on the shelves.

HEATHER’S PICK :: HAWKEYE #2: I read Hawkeye #1 at Seth’s insistence and wasn’t really expecting to enjoy it.  My forays into the Avengers are generally short with rapid retreats.  Color me surprised to not only enjoy Hawkeye #1, but to add it to my reading list each month.  David Aja’s art is beautiful, especially his covers, and Matt Fraction is crafting an interesting story about Hawkeye that seems to paint him a little in the vein of a modern day Robin Hood.  The first issue also managed to spin off at least two twitter accounts with @PizzaDog and @LandlordBro.  This issue promises the return of Kate Bishop, who is apparently a fan favorite I will need to learn more about.

SETH’S PICK :: HAWKEYE #1 : I catch a lot of grief from fellow staffers for my unabashed love for Hawkeye. Regardless of what you think of the character, it’s worth pointing out that this series marks the return of the Matt Fraction/David Aja creative team. Their Immortal Iron First series still stands up after a few years, and they should offer up a worthwhile take on the Avenging Archer.