I know there are a lot of anniversaries these days in comics, but this one is a BIG one! In January of 2026, Avengers #34 will be released, and thanks to legacy numbering, it will be the 800th issue featuring the premiere Marvel team!
THE BIG TEAM CELEBRATES!
The Avengers will hit a major milestone when their 800th issue hits the stands! It will also be an important issue in the current storyline from Jed MacKay and Farid Karami’s current run, so it will be a “must have” for fans of this long-lived team!
So, what’s going on? Here’s part of the news release talking about this book:
“This January, AVENGERS #34, part of superstar writer Jed MacKay and acclaimed artist Farid Karami’s current hit run, will mark the 800th issue of the AVENGERS ongoing series. To celebrate this mighty milestone, the issue will be a giant-sized spectacular with special backup stories by legendary past creators. AVENGERS #34 will also mark a critical turning point in MacKay’s era on the title as various overarching plot threads, including Kang and Myrddin’s battle across space and time, the secrets of the Impossible City, and more collide in epic fashion!”
The issue will feature a wraparound cover by artist Russell Dauterman that will show heroes throughout the Avengers’ history. This cover will connect with the ones featured on three issues, from #34 through #36.
Given how the House of Ideas has been celebrating big events these days (such as the recent Deadpool Batman #1), I expect there will be several shorter stories focusing on certain teams and/or certain team-ups.
Not a bad way to turn 800!
WHAT ARE THEY AVENGING, ANYWAY?
Naming teams of heroes is always a tricky thing, and to this day, I don’t understand the name of this group. The name “avengers” should mean they are “avenging” or making something right. To this day, I still don’t get the “avengers” name!
What I think happened back in the early days of Marvel was that there was a British TV show that also was called The Avengers. It had Patrick McNee as John Steed (known for wearing his hat and carrying an umbrella he would use in fights) and several partners, including likely the most famous of them being Mrs. Emma Peel, played by Diana Rigg. They even had a follow-up program called The New Avengers in which Steed had not one, but two partners.
This show had come to American TV about that time, airing on ABC. Just for the record, I don’t understand why THAT group was called “avengers” either! They took on the craziest and most challenging of bad guys and gals. My favorite episode featured the group poking fun at what was a big superhero show at the time, now called Batman ’66. They took notice of pop culture around them, and enjoyed lampooning it.
By the way, these shows are STILL enjoyable watching on the tube, although that latter program has been much harder to find on streaming channels!
IT’S EASIER TO NAME WHICH MARVEL HEROES ARE NOT ON THE TEAM!
People who know me realize my favorite Avenger was the Black Knight, the descendant of a bad guy who was trying to reform that name. The sad thing about that guy was that he carried a sword that was enchanted, and exactly what it did when is still a mystery. That made him less popular (or understandable), so he’s been in the Avengers off and on over the years. I have a thing for the lesser-known heroes in the House of Ideas!
If you look at what we’ve seen of that wraparound cover, it’s almost a who’s who of Marvel characters (please pardon the pun). I haven’t always kept up with the group, but I was surprised to see the Red Hulk among them. I must have missed that one!
The Avengers, like all good comics teams, have had their good days and their bad ones. The time that always frustrated me when I first read them was when Captain America was the only original member left, and he brought in three at-the-time villains, including Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. What a huge comedown in power that was from Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man, and the Wasp! It wasn’t long before the team brought Giant Man and the Wasp back, and Hercules became a member—before he was an important part of another Marvel team, the Champions!
For a very long time, Spider-Man used to make a big deal out of the fact that he was NOT a part of the Avengers. But he eventually joined that team (and also became part of the Fantastic Four for a while), so he became a team player, so to speak.
There have been several variations of the team, such as the Great Lakes Avengers, the West Coast Avengers, and the time that each of the 50 states in the U.S. had their own Avenger assigned to protect it.
As I sit here writing this, I am hard pressed to think of just who isn’t an Avenger in the Marvel Universe. Granted, only Thor is an Avenger from Asgard, but that certainly should be enough. Even members of the FF have been Avengers at times, so I guess it depends on how popular you are at the moment as to whether you are offered that Avengers card and access to their headquarters.
I’m a big fan of Alfred, Batman’s butler (who is currently a hologram, of all things), but I also liked Jarvis, who has been the butler for the Avengers. He’s had his chances to shine over the years, so I hope we’ll see some kind of tribute to him in this special issue.
MY FAVORITE AVENGERS STORY!
Over the years, there have been many classic Avengers tales, including the Grand Master’s challenge that encouraged the team to add the Black Knight to their ranks. It’s obvious why that story is a favorite of mine.
But the best story, the one that really stands out to me, was the Kurt Busiek/George Perez crossover with the JLA. The comparing and contrasting of the various members of both teams was really outstanding. I’ll always love the sparring between Batman and Captain America, then their discussion about losing teammates in the Batcave. That was very profound and something that I really enjoyed!
In fact, I hope we’ll see something like that again someday given the current crossover mania! It will have to be truly GREAT, though, to hold up to the Avengers/JLA team-up we’ve already experienced!
Still, reaching 800 stories is quite the accomplishment, so hats off to the Avengers! Long may you “avenge” and keep the MCU safe from perils of all kinds!
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