By Marc Strom
Every week we'll pick a handful of awesome comics from the thousands available through Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. From creator spotlights to editor's picks and more, this'll be your spot to find something new and cool.
Sure, the Skrull threat has ended, but now the Avengers have a whole new danger facing them—and you can learn all about it this week with SECRET INVASION: DARK REIGN #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. With the rosters of both the New and Mighty Avengers seeing major shakeups in the coming weeks, and the debut of an all-new team in the Dark Avengers, we're digging into the Digital Vault to take a look at some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes' greatest lineups!
Now kick back and enjoy a trip through the hallowed halls of the Avengers' history with these five digital gems, all available right now on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
AVENGERS (1963) #4
Captain America joins the Avengers! After the team discovers the WWII super soldier frozen in a chunk of ice, they must help him come to terms with the fact that he's waking up in a world very much changed from the one he left. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought the Living Legend back to Marveldom in this heartbreaking story revealing
Bucky's fate, as well as setting Cap's path for years to come! And when the Avengers go missing, can Captain America prove he's still got what it takes and save them?
AVENGERS (1963) #66
After more than a few shakeups in the lineup—including the addition of the
Vision and Hawkeye's transformation into
Goliath—the new team faces their first dire threat with the return of
Ultron! When it looks like the Vision has betrayed the Avengers, they must get to the bottom of the mystery as Ultron attempts to steal enough of the newly-minted adamantium to make himself unstoppable! But hey, all the action, adventure and intrigue is really just the icing on the cake, because this issue also boasts art from the incomparable Barry Windsor-Smith, marking some of his earliest work in comics! Check out his dynamic page layouts, and learn what happens when you "walk thru something that isn't" in this Avengers classic!
AVENGERS (1963) #167
The Avengers proved themselves truly a family with this roster, which included Wonder Man, the
Scarlet Witch, the Vision,
Thor,
Iron Man, Captain America and the bouncing
Beast! No group of Avengers had gotten along better, and together they were a formidable fighting unit, each member always knowing that at any given moment at least three of their teammates had their back! This issue kicks off the legendary "
Korvac Saga," bringing the Avengers face-to-face with another super team from the far future, the original
Guardians of the Galaxy! From the minds of Jim Shooter and George Perez, this tale proves why the Avengers truly are Earth's Mightiest Heroes!
AVENGERS FOREVER #1
Rick Jones assembles a rag-tag group of Avengers pulled from different periods in time to help him stop Immortus from gaining control of the Destiny Force! Pulling together
Clint Barton from his Goliath days, a disillusioned Captain America, an unbalanced
Yellowjacket, and the then-present day Giant-Man and
Wasp along with future Avengers Captain Marvel and
Songbird, Jones has his work cut out for him if he hopes to keep this team together long enough to stop whatever mad scheme Immortus has cooked up. This issue kicked off a 12-part, time hopping saga that sent the Avengers into the past, present and far future, all courtesy of writers Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern and artist Carlos Pacheco!
NEW AVENGERS #1
With the Avengers disassembled, Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch set about reforming Earth's Mightiest Heroes in one of the most daring lineups yet! This issue brought
Luke Cage and Spider-Woman together just in time for an attack on the Raft, the high-security prison built especially to house super villains. The following series of events would bring the likes of Captain America, Iron Man,
Spider-Man and
Wolverine into the mix, putting all of Marvel's biggest names on one team for the first time in history! Plus, this issue also began the buildup to 2008's biggest storyline, Secret Invasion!
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