5 Graphic Novels to Excite Your Young “Avengers” Fan
by Tom Burns
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” comes out this May and you can bet that it’s going to inspire a renewed interest in the comic book superteam from young readers (and about a million Halloween costumes, too). But The Avengers have been around since 1963, so it can be hard for parents and kids who aren’t familiar with comic books to know where to start when they seek out The Avengers at their local bookstores and libraries.
If your junior heroes want to read more about the exploits of Earth’s mightiest heroes, here are some suggestions that should delight any “Avengers” movie fan.
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The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes!
Buy from:This beautiful visual encyclopedia of Avengers lore allows kids to explore the team’s fifty-two year history in detail. They can marvel at the gorgeous art that brought some of The Avengers' most iconic moments to life and enjoy breakdowns of Avengers' history, memorable storylines, and their membership rosters, which show off the best (Captain America, Thor) and the worst (Dr. Druid, Gilgamesh) Avengers of all time.
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The Infinity Gauntlet
Buy from:Were you wondering about that evil purple guy with the weird chin who popped up in “The Avengers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy”? That was Thanos, one of Marvel Comics’ most dangerous villains, and The Infinity Gauntlet is considered to be THE definitive Thanos story. When the Mad Titan gets his hands on an object with the power to destroy the entire universe, the Avengers, the X-Men, and more head into space to stop him … if they can. An epic, truly cosmic story that is rumored to be the basis of (the already announced) “Avengers 3” and “4”.
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Civil War
Buy from:The next “Captain America” movie will loosely adapt this popular Marvel story, a dramatic tale of hero versus hero. When an inexperienced group of young superheroes accidentally cause the death of hundreds of innocent people, the U.S. Government (supported by Iron Man) calls for all heroes to abandon their secret identities and register themselves as government agents. But Captain America and many others refuse, kicking off a morally complex debate and a tense battle that pits former friends against each other.
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Avengers: Ultron Unlimited
Buy from:Want to know why one measly robot is such a threat to a group as powerful as The Avengers? This is the story that will really make your kid understand how evil Ultron can be. A malevolent force of artificial intelligence with a huge disdain for human life, Ultron decimates an entire Eastern European country just to show The Avengers how serious he is. Widely considered to be one of the best Ultron (and Avengers) stories ever published.
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Avengers: Under Siege
Buy from:A fantastic story that shows off what it really means to be an Avenger. The Masters of Evil — basically, the bad guy equivalent of The Avengers — decide to go on the offensive and attack Avengers headquarters. It’s a simple story, packed with great action, suspense, and moments where The Avengers find themselves in the unfamiliar role of underdogs as they suffer a strangely personal assault. A truly fun read.
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One Word of Warning: There is an excellent (and very popular) Avengers series called The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch that has been extremely influential to the Avengers movie franchise. However, it is decidedly R-Rated in tone and isn’t really appropriate for anyone younger than high-school age.
Interested in more great comic books for young readers? Check out 7 Comics for 7-Year-Old Girls.