(I originally read these comics between late February/early March 2016)
So here's four retro tales from the early years of the Avengers, all written by Joe Casey. The 'Origin' series is actually the most recently published and is a retelling of the events of 1963's Avengers # 1, padded out to five issues. The story's been given a modern sheen, but it's a somewhat dull read.
The two 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' series are much better. The first retells events in Avengers history around the time of the first major line-up change in Avengers # 16, when Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp left and were replaced by Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to form 'Cap's Kooky Quartet.' The second takes place around the time just after the induction of the Vision to the team, with coverage of the Black Panther's assumed civilian guise as a Harlem school history teacher and Hank Pym's (first) mental breakdown and assumption of his 'Yellowjacket' persona. Both series go into (perhaps too) much detail about the behind-the-scenes red tape and dealings with government and S.H.I.E.L.D. bureaucracy. I don't recall having read too much from Casey in the past, but these two are the stories I've enjoyed most.
'Enter the Mandarin' is a retelling of Iron Man's first encounter with his premier foe, padded out to six issues. I found the art style unusual and interesting, but it probably put a lot of readers off. The story is long-winded and a bit of a drag.
Casey has also done retellings of the X-Men's and Fantastic Four's origin stories, so he was obviously the go-to guy for this kind of thing at the time.
Avengers: The Origin (2010) # 1-5 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Softcover:
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2005) # 1-8 and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007) # 1-8 are collected in:
Softcover:
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2005) # 1-8 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007) # 1-8 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin (2007) # 1-6 are collected in:
Softcover:
