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Backpack Marvels: Avengers #1 cover
Cover: Greg Horn

Backpack Marvels: Avengers #1

Jan 2001 · Marvel · 6.95 USD; 9.95 CAD
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About this Collection

This digest-sized collection reprints a classic Avengers saga from the 1970s, focusing on the team's investigation into the mysterious origins of the High Evolutionary and his hidden citadel on Mount Wundagore. The story delves into the connections between the Evolutionary, the villainous Man-Beast, and the tragic history of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, blending cosmic science with dark fantasy. Featuring work by writers Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart with art by John Buscema and George Pérez, it's a key chapter in the Avengers' lore that ties into the larger Marvel mythos.

In "On The Matter Of Heroes!", the Avengers confront Django Maximoff in his New York apartment, uncovering a mystical link that binds the spirits of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to him. With the Vision’s intervention shattering the talisman, the siblings—though with no memory of their past—are drawn into a journey across Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Written by David Michelinie and brought to life by John Byrne’s dynamic art, with inks by Klaus Janson and letters by Diana Albers, the issue’s cover by Greg Horn captures the mystery and stakes of a team on the edge of discovery.

Contains 9 stories
On The Matter Of Heroes!
17 pp · Superhero
Avengers [BeastBlack PantherBlack Widow [Natasha Romanoff]Captain AmericaHawkeyeHerculesIron Man [Tony Stark]JocastaMoondragonMs. MarvelQuicksilverScarlet WitchThor [also as Dr. Donald Blake]VisionWaspWonder ManYellowjacket [Hank Pym]]Captain Marvel [Mar-Vell]Django MaximoffEdwin JarvisGuardians of the Galaxy [Charlie-27MartinexNikkiStarhawkYondu]Henry Peter GyrichScott Lang

In "On The Matter Of Heroes!", the Avengers face a crisis of identity when a government bureaucrat demands they restructure or lose their security clearances, testing the limits of their unity. Meanwhile, the Guardians of the Galaxy return to the 30th century, and Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch fall under the influence of a mysterious old man, their fates hanging in the balance.

Honor Thy Father
17 pp · Superhero
Avengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]HawkeyeIron Man [Tony Stark]JocastaQuicksilverScarlet WitchVisionWaspWonder ManYellowjacket [Hank Pym]]Django MaximoffDr. Donald BlakeHenry Peter Gyrich

In "Honor Thy Father," the Avengers confront Django Maximoff in his New York apartment, where the Vision's destruction of a mystical talisman frees the spirits of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch—though they remember nothing of their past. Without clear memories of their origins, the two join Django on a journey to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth behind his claims.

The Redoubtable Return of Crusher Creel!
17 pp · Superhero
Absorbing ManAvengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]FalconHawkeyeIron Man [Tony Stark]Ms. MarvelQuicksilverScarlet WitchVisionWasp]Django MaximoffHenry Peter Gyrich
Death on the Hudson!
17 pp · Superhero
Inks Diverse Hands
Absorbing ManAvengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]FalconHawkeyeIron Man [Tony Stark]Ms. MarvelVisionWasp]Edwin JarvisHenry Peter Gyrich
The Yesterday Quest!
17 pp · Superhero
Avengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]FalconHawkeyeIron Man [Tony Stark]JocastaMs. MarvelQuicksilverScarlet WitchVisionWasp]Whizzer [Bob Frank] (flashback)Miss America [Madeline Joyce Frank] (flashback)BovaDjango MaximoffEdwin JarvisModred the MysticToad (flashback)

In "The Yesterday Quest!", the Avengers regroup after a clash with the Absorbing Man when the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver arrive in Transia with their brother Django. As Pietro struggles to piece together fragmented memories of his past, Wanda is suddenly taken by Modred the Mystic, now bound to the Darkhold’s dark influence.

Nights Of Wundagore!
17 pp · Superhero
Avengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]FalconMs. MarvelQuicksilverScarlet WitchVisionWasp]BovaChthonDjango MaximoffEdwin JarvisHenry Peter GyrichHigh Evolutionary (flashback)Jonathan Drew (flashback)Magda (flashback)Modred the MysticWhizzer [Robert Frank] (flashback)Miss America (flashback)

In "Nights Of Wundagore!", Bova, a humanoid cow forged by the High Evolutionary on Wundagore Mountain, pulls Quicksilver from danger and unveils the truth behind his and Wanda’s origins—just as Chthon’s influence consumes Wanda. With the Darkhold’s power spreading, Quicksilver calls the Avengers to the mountain’s shadowed heights, where ancient evils stir and fate hangs in the balance.

The Call of the Mountain Thing!
17 pp · Superhero
Agatha Harkness (flashback)Avengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]FalconMs. MarvelQuicksilverScarlet WitchWaspWonder Man]BovaCagliostro (flashback)ChthonGaia (flashback)Django Maximoff (D)Gregor Russoff (flashback)High Evolutionary (flashback)New Men (flashback)Magda (flashback)Modred the MysticMorgan Le Fey (flashback)St. Brendan (flashback)Taboo (flashback)

In "The Call of the Mountain Thing!" from *Backpack Marvels: Avengers #1*, the Avengers face an overwhelming threat as Chthon and Mordred conquer them one by one. When all seems lost and the Scarlet Witch's mind is on the brink of possession, the Beast returns with the New Men armor, disrupting Chthon’s plans just long enough for the team to fight back. Written by an unnamed creator and illustrated by an unnamed artist, the story delivers a tense, high-stakes clash where desperation and unexpected alliances turn the tide.

Elementary, Dear Avengers!
18 pp · Superhero
Avengers [BeastCaptain AmericaFalconMs. MarvelQuicksilverScarlet WitchVisionWaspWonder Man]Elements of Doom [CarbonChlorineCobaltPhosphorusRadiumVanadium]Inhumans [Black BoltCrystalGorgonKarnak]

When the Avengers journey through the Soviet Union to stop a mysterious threat, they encounter living embodiments of the elements—each a unique and unpredictable force. With Quicksilver recently left in Attilan and his wife Crystal expecting, the team faces a challenge that turns chemistry into chaos.

Wings and Arrows!
17 pp · Superhero
Avengers [BeastCaptain America [Steve Rogers]FalconHawkeyeIron Man [Tony Stark]JocastaScarlet WitchThorVisionWonder ManYellowjacket [Hank Pym]]DeathbirdEdwin JarvisHenry Peter GyrichMr. Keeshan of Cross Technology

In "Wings and Arrows!" from *Backpack Marvels: Avengers #1*, Hawkeye juggles his superhero duties with a new civilian job at Cross Technology, all while navigating Gyrich’s persistent meddling. His first week takes a sharp turn when he’s tasked with stopping a string of high-profile thefts—each one orchestrated by the formidable Deathbird.

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GOOD $3.88 Avengers Backpack Marvels by Marvel Books Staff (2000, Paperback) $8.7
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Full credits

artist John Byrne
letterer Diana Albers
cover pencils Greg Horn

Reprints

↩ Reprints The Avengers #181 (1979), The Avengers #182 (1979), The Avengers #183 (1979), The Avengers #184 (1979), The Avengers #185 (1979), The Avengers #186 (1979), The Avengers #187 (1979), The Avengers #188 (1979), The Avengers #189 (1979)

Reprinted in Avengers: Nights of Wundagore #[nn] (2009), Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection #2 (2017)

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