West Coast Avengers question...

[Tony Starkz]

Was this series any good?Is it better off buying the trade if there is one,or the single issues?

[mattbib]

I enjoyed most of the run, as well as the original limited series.

The issues in trade are #42-46, in the Vision Quest tpb, and 80-81, part of the Operation: Galactic Storm tpb.

[XPac]

Was this series any good?Is it better off buying the trade if there is one,or the single issues?


I liked the book early on, and during Byrne's run a descent arguement could be made that the West Coast book was actually superior to the main Avengers title.

But towards the end there I did think the book declined in quality.

There aren't a whole lot of West Coaster trades, but the Vision Quest arc is certainly a pretty solid read. Beyond that if you really want to check out the book you really don't have any choice but to pick up the singles.

[DDM]

Buy West Coast Avengers #1-4 (limited series) then buy the John Byrne West Coast Avengers. I'm indifferent on the Steve Englehart issues for the ongoing West Coast Avengers.

[Kirk G]

I enjoyed most of the run, as well as the original limited series.

The issues in trade are #42-46, in the Vision Quest tpb, and 80-81, part of the Operation: Galactic Storm tpb.
I hadn't realized that only the first five issue were collected into the Vision Quest storyline. I would think that one could follow to the logical revealation of the Human Torch in issue #50... however, the cross=over into Acts of Vengence would be very difficult to collect.

I would like to see some sort of a trade collected that not only featured the Avengers portion of Acts of Violence but more importantly, the few pages here and there that clearly lead into the Darker than Scarlet storyline.

Do you think there might be a market to reprint the Darker than Scarlet storyline that Byrne wrote, perhaps under a banner of pre-Dissembled?

Would you invest in such a trade collection, if it could be done logically (and it ends with Magneto and family walking out arm in arm at the end of #57?) :confused:

[Starkicker]

I followed the Wackos on and off until Byrne left. I didn't read much of the later half of the series.
It was a fun book, I liked Englehart's run. I wish Hawkeye and Mockingbird were still together, they made a great couple. The Vision Quest story is fantastic.
I would think you can get the single issues pretty cheap.

[mattbib]

I really enjoyed some of the later Roy Thomas issues.

[GreatLakesAvengers]

This series was just a total blast. As a big Hawkeye fan, I loved the series. (not to mention it introduced the Great Lakes Avengers!)

when it was coming out, I remember looking forward to reading this title more than the Avengers each month.

[Giant Guy]

West Coast Avengers is the whole reason I am an Avengers fan. This is one awesome series. Really great from start to finish. Loved it.

Major high points:
The Original Limited Series WCA 1-4
Avengers lost in Time - WCA 17-24
John Byrne's Entire Run - WCA 42-46, AWC 47-57
Hawkeye vs. USAgent - AWC 69
Ultimate Ultron - 89-91 + 92 for wrap up
Avengers vs. Lethal Legion - 97-100

GREAT STUFF! That is a great start on the series. I loved it. And thinking of it again I am going to go home and dig these old issues out. I loved them.

[Zero Hunter]

The Vision Quest trade collects issues 42-50.

I think one of the big things against the early issues of the series is the art. The stories were all very good, but the art really hurt alot of them to me.

[Kirk G]

when it was coming out, I remember looking forward to reading this title more than the Avengers each month.
I found that also!
Gee I wish I could go back to that level of excitment about comics.
I haven't felt that way again until Brubaker's Captain America! :D

[GreatLakesAvengers]

yep... it's too bad they felt they had to change things and turn it into Force Works.

[Shellhead]

As a serious Avengers fan, I was automatically interested in West Coast Avengers. Also, Hawkeye and Iron Man are two of my favorites, plus I liked Mockingbird from her solo adventure involving SHIELD and from the Hawkeye limited series. And I first started reading Avengers during the Englehart run, so I was thrilled to see that he was writing West Coast Avengers.

Despite all that, I didn't enjoy West Coast Avengers. Except for the Byrne issues, the artwork was generally a little below average. The stories were okay at best, except that Englehart created some really corny villain teams. Gradually, I realized that I had to separate my love for the characters from my disappointment with the actual comics. So I dropped West Coast Avengers, around issue #62. Later, I caught the fight between Hawkeye and USAgent, which I hated, and the crossover issues from Galactic Storm, which were just awful.

[XPac]

yep... it's too bad they felt they had to change things and turn it into Force Works.

I actually liked the concept and idea for Force Works... I just didn't like the exectuion of it. It sounded like a cool book on paper, but the end result was too mediocre to really sink your teeth into.

[Kirk G]

As a serious Avengers fan, I was automatically interested in West Coast Avengers. Also, Hawkeye and Iron Man are two of my favorites, plus I liked Mockingbird from her solo adventure involving SHIELD and from the Hawkeye limited series. And I first started reading Avengers during the Englehart run, so I was thrilled to see that he was writing West Coast Avengers.

Despite all that, I didn't enjoy West Coast Avengers. Except for the Byrne issues, the artwork was generally a little below average. The stories were okay at best, except that Englehart created some really corny villain teams. Gradually, I realized that I had to separate my love for the characters from my disappointment with the actual comics. So I dropped West Coast Avengers, around issue #62. Later, I caught the fight between Hawkeye and USAgent, which I hated, and the crossover issues from Galactic Storm, which were just awful.

How similar our experiences were with the WCA, Shellhead!
I also started with WCA about issue #42, and left about issue #62... for the same reasons... :eek:

[david r]

Buy West Coast Avengers #1-4 (limited series) then buy the John Byrne West Coast Avengers. I'm indifferent on the Steve Englehart issues for the ongoing West Coast Avengers.

What are your feelings on the Roy Thomas issues? That follow Byrne's run?

[StoneGold]

There was some good stuff in the Thomas run. Quite memorable was when USAgent beat the living crap out of Hawkeye. Just pulverized him.

[DDM]

What are your feelings on the Roy Thomas issues? That follow Byrne's run?

I didn't read enough of the Roy Thomas issues to have an opinion.

[spoon_jenkins]

I strongly agree with the other's recommendations of both the original 4-part mini-series and the Byrne run. Both are good stuff.

I have a few Thomas/Ross issues (70-something, 80-something). I thought they were solid; you might like them.

The early issues of the ongoing series weren't very strong.