(These binds take place at the same time as the recently updated Avengers vol 5-6 Dark Reign).

Dark Reign: Mercs

Most fight for money, some fight for power or fame. Others fight for the thrill while some have to fight just to stay alive. In the deadly new Marvel Universe Norman Osborn’s reign reaches far and wide. The New Thunderbolts are his Black Ops squad while rogue elements such as Deadpool become a constant thorn in his side.

Others such as Elektra and Spider-Woman whose lives have been devastated by the Skrull imposters try to find their place in the new Marvel Universe. As the only person to be studied and experimented on by the remnant Skrulls Elektra finds herself the center of Norman’s attention. While Spider-Woman leans on her rage, hate and self destruction as she hunts Skrulls for S.W.O.R.D. Can either women find the answers to their lives?

Follow the Thunderbolts in Secret Warriors and Deadpool in his series of binds!

Secret Warriors: Agents of Chaos

Nick Fury was the first person to discover the Skrull infiltration but threats to the world does not end there. Hydra has resurfaced and Fury has learned just how powerful the organization really is. With S.H.I.E.L.D dismantled and Norman Osborn in his old position Fury begins an intricate plot to protect the free world. But a third power has surfaced and may destroy both Fury and Hydra. Can the teenage Secret Warriors tip the scale in Fury’s favor? And once the battle begins how many of them will survive?

(Secret Warriors was supposed to run around 60 issues. But writer Jonathan Hickman decided to kick his story in high gear and end the series with issue 28. Since I went all out with volume 1 and included all kinds of related material it left volume 2 with very little material in comparison.  I would have bound it in one volume.)

You can also include the Mighty Avengers issues #13 and #18 from Secret Invasion which shows how Nick Fury recruited the team.

Thunderbolts appear in Agents of Atlas while the Secret Warriors go to war in Siege.

Agents of Atlas: 

hen Federal enforcers under the hand of Norman Osborn bust into an armory under control of the Atlas Foundation, Jimmy Woo’s Agents go head-to-head with the new powers that be.  Then as disturbing visions plucked from the malignant mind of Norman Osborn lead the intrepid Agents to the darkest depths of the Atlantic Ocean, where Namora must have words with her infamous cousin – The Sub-Mariner! What happens next shocks her team, who must prepare to say goodbye to their aquatic avenger!

Dark Reign: War Machine/Black Panther 

The Black Panther is back… and she’s badder than ever! That’s right – she! What happened to T’Challa? Who is the new Black Panther? Find out why the female is the deadliest of the species! Wakanda has been attacked on every front. Heroes have fallen, old alliances have been betrayed, the country is in turmoil.

After stopping mercenaries from using a re-purposed Sentinel to slaughter innocents, Jim Rhodes decides that for his next mission, he’ll do what no court in the land will: bring the corrupt conglomerate responsible to justice! But before he can do that, Norman Osborn introduces the Dark Avenger known as Ares into the mix to take on War Machine!

Incredible Hercules: Incredible Adventures

In the wake of World War Hulk, the Mighty Avengers are hot on the heels of unrepentant renegades Hercules and Amadeus Cho. Driven into a mindless berserker rage by Ares, Herc has become the critical piece of Cho’s plan to utterly destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. What is Cho’s master plan to wipe out the spy agency…and is he willing to get Herc killed to do it? Follow Hercules and Amadeus through their many incredible and perilous adventures! Witness the creation of the most powerful super-team ever assembled to counter-attack the Skrull gods! Marvel as the Prince of Power takes the fight to his villainous stepmother Hera and the forces of the Olympus Group as she unleashes the most terrifying threat the Marvel Universe has ever seen! And when terrible threats rise in Svartalfheim, the land of the Dark Elves, only Mighty Thor, Son of Asgard, can hope to triumph! But what happens if the Odinson is temporarily…unavailable? It’s Hammer Time for Hercules as the Lion of Olympus gets his thunder on!

Dark Reign: Ms. Marvel / Dark Wolverine 

WAR OF THE MARVELS begins! Karla Sofen battles for her life in the streets of Los Angeles as an exciting new chapter in the history of Ms. Marvel begins! Guest starring the New Avengers and…someone we can’t tell you about.

He’s got the costume. But not the character. He’s got the claws. But not the compassion. He’s got the healing factor. But not the heart. He’s everything his dad feared himself capable of being, but never wanted to be — the inverse of the real Wolverine: Cold. Ruthless. Clinically savage. And now he’s Norman Osborn’s shiny new toy in the Dark Avengers, with unbelievable power at his command — all the way to the tips of his razor-sharp claws.

Captain Britain & the MI-13

The Skrull Invasion isn’t restricted to the US. When the Skrull Invasion hits England, only Captain Britain and MI13 stand in their way. Can they find out what the Skrulls are after before it’s too late?  Then the king of the vampires is back! As if the hoards of demons that Pete Wisdom let out in order to defeat the Skrulls in England weren’t enough, now DRACULA has entered the scene. What does he want with Spitfire? And how will an election help his cause? You better hope that Captain Britain and the rest of MI13 have a way to defeat him!

Dark Reign: Dark Reflections

The Melter, The Executioner, The Enchantress, Egghead, Big Zero, and Coat of Arms: they call themselves the Young Avengers, teenage rebels, on the run from the authorities, hated and feared by a world they’ve sworn to protect. Their interests include interspecies romance, modern art, and bloody murder. Everything is permitted, and so are they. Until they meet the original Young Avengers. And then their grey areas will come home to roost.

Mr. Negative has carved out a substantial slice of the big apple for himself over the past year. But when the super-villain mastermind The Hood strikes at the heart of Mr. Negative’s criminal operations with a whole horde of classic Arachno-Foes (including The Scorcher, Speed Demon, The Squid and the long awaited return of the White Rabbit), Spider-Man is left to clean up the mess between these two violent nemeses.

He ain’t friendly and this ain’t your neighborhood! Yes, Mac Gargan, America’s favorite sociopath-turned-symbiote-host-turned-hero-hunter now takes the spotlight as Norman Osborn’s sinister Spider-Man. Now, Mac’s a beloved hero, but nobody wants to run into him after midnight because the symbiote is still pretty darn hungry.  Plus more stories from the Dark Reign era!

Continues in Siege!

Back to Avengers Volume 5-6: Dark Reign!

Back to Secret Invasion!

Volume 4: Revolution

In the wake of the Super Human Civil War the Avengers have been torn in two. Each fraction from the Civil War decides to carry on with the name Avengers which ultimately leads into conflict. As Iron Man and his Registered Mighty Avengers hunt the underground Luke Cage and his New Avengers both teams are blind to the real situation at hand. When the New Avengers travel to Japan to save Ronin from the Hand it unravels the threads to a plot that has been brewing for years!

The Initiative: Recruited the 50 State Initiative

After the Civil War, the Initiative is the new face of the Marvel Universe! As pro-registration super teams populate the 50 states, Yellowjacket, War Machine, She-Hulk, Justice and Gauntlet train the heroes of tomorrow for the confl icts of today! But as the recruits fall in, who will graduate, who will flunk out – and who will die?! Worry not, because for every soldier that doesn’t make it, there are plenty more waiting in line! And when a vacancy arises at the Camp Hammond training ground, the new drill instructor will be a real Taskmaster! But as the Skrulls’Secret Invasion is revealed, the fate of the Initiative, the United States, and Planet Earth hang in the balance!

Someone is gift-wrapping super-villains for the police. Someone is defacing Super Human Registration posters. Someone is raising eyebrows all around town – from City Hall to Tony Stark’s war chamber. And the only clue to their identity? Two spray-painted letters: N.W. Who are these mysterious young upstarts that have dared to fight the powers-that-be? And what do they want from a de-powered mutant named Sofia? Are the New Warriors truly back from the dead? Or has something new risen from the ashes of Stamford?

The Initiative: Avengers Prime

The Civil War is over and the Marvel Universe has changed. The 50 State Initiative is in full swing requiring all super powered individuals to register with the Government. As repercussions ripple outward, the Winter Soldier finally chooses a side – his own. But what are the Red Skull and his minions up to behind the scenes?

Tony Stark – Iron Man, billionaire industrialist, and now director of S.H.I.E.L.D. – faces the most overwhelming challenge of his lie. Ezekiel Stane, the son of Tony’s last business rival and archenemy Obadiah, has set his sights, his genius and his considerable fortune on the task of destroying Tony Stark and Iron Man. What’s worse, he’s got Iron Man tech, and he’s every bit Iron Man’s equal and opposite – except younger, faster, smarter and immeasurably evil!

Finally the Intiative sends the Thunderbolts to New York to take down Spider-Man! Spidey’s a villain? Norman Osborn’s a hero? What kind of crazy, mixed-up world is this? Next thing you’ll tell us is that black is white and white is black…or maybe that has something do with Venom, Mister Negative, and the birth of an all-new Spider Villain! Or would that be an all-new Spider-Hero?

Thor: Asgardian Rising

Explore the early ears of the God of Thunder in this adventure full of Marvel myth and magic! Join young Thor and his godly companions, Balder and Sif, as they travel the mystical land of Asgard on a quest of cosmic proportions. When Odin, the All-Father, sends his favorite son to gather four mystical elements that he will use to craft a powerful new weapon, not even Ragnarok will be able to stop the boy who would be king!

Then witness the return of Thor! The Asgardian God of Thunder is reunited with the mortal form of Dr. Don Blake. Together, they must recon with the legacy of the mythic Norse kingdom and the awakening of its immortal heroes–but in a world that may not want them back!

The Initiative: The Drafted & The Enlisted

As part of the post Civil War world all super humans are required to register with S.H.I.E.L.D as part of the 50 state Initiative. However the U.S.
Government has also brokered deals with the Super Villains in return for their support during Civil War. Enter a new and deadly team of Thunderbolts! Longtime members Songbird, Moonstone and Swordsman are joined by Venom, Bullseye, Penance and Norman Osborn as their leader. This public team (minus secret weapon Bullseye) is the face of redemption and second chances in the eyes of America.

On the other end of the spectrum we have the California team of the Initiative. Recruited and given powers to serve a short tenure the Order are a group of upstarts who wish to show that government training can create responsible heroes. Namor also has problems as a terrorist cell of Atlanteans decides to attack the surface world. How far will he go to protect his kingdom? And Penance also decides it’s time to take action and escapes from Thunderbolts Mountain!

Continues in Secret Invasion!

Back to World War Hulk

Back to Civil War  

Back to the Bendis Era (volumes 1-3)

Volume 1 The Worthy

Do you know fear?  Truly feel the psychological edge of uncertainty and ignorance that leads one into a state of phobia and unreasoning?  In this time of global anxiety, economic turmoil and mass hysteria, Sin, the new Red Skull, has made an awesome discovery – a revelation that will divide father and son, turn friend against friend and herald the rise of Fear personified.  Who is the Serpent? And how could he cause Odin and the Asgardians to leave the Earth to fend of itself?  The Avengers and the world’s remaining heroes battle the unstoppable tide of terror!  And when the Serpent’s Hammers fall who shall rise up and join the Serpent as Worthy?  And how can the Avengers respond…to fear itself?

Volume 2 World Wide Blitzkrieg

A new crisis has arisen…the Asgardian god of fear continues to gain power as his Worthy send shock waves of fear throughout the world.  Prisons are compromised, rioting is rampant and chaos runs free!  With the Avengers pushed to their limits Captain America puts out the call for help to the other heroes of the Marvel Universe to defend the people of the world. Can the X-Men, Thunderbolts, X-Force, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer and even Namor rise to defend the world against the Worthy?  And witness the return of the 50 State Initiative!

Volume 3 Blood Tied and Doomed

The God of Fear has come to Earth and the only thing standing between it and world domination are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Can the Avengers stand against an evil older than time itself? Or will even the strongest heroes on the planet fall? Does Loki hold the key to stopping the the Serpent? With Asgard mistrustful of the young reincarnated god of mischief, Loki takes what help he can get and journeys to the underworld. There he hopes to best the Serpent’s devious machinations and undermine the god of fear’s plan for world domination even though no one on Earth will know it! Even then it won’t take some of the Avengers to fight the madness of Fear Itself–it will take ALL OF THEM! Plus: amidst the ashes of what is left of the Marvel Universe, and during the battles throughout New York, an all-new Avengers romance blossoms.

Follow Loki and Thor in Everything Burns 

Back to Avengers vol 11  

]]> https://comicbinding.com/mapping/fear-itself-3-volume-set/feed 3 https://comicbinding.com/mapping/siege-2-volume-set https://comicbinding.com/mapping/siege-2-volume-set#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:15:11 +0000 http://comicbinding.com/?p=1648 The end of an Avengers Era.  Things have come full circle as writer Brian Michael Bendis mends what he reaped.  Years ago when he started writing the Avengers he effectively disassembled them.  Now years later events fall into place that finally brings Captain America, Iron Man and Thor back together as a team!  This two volume set ends the Dark Reign Era of the Marvel Universe and includes every tie in as well as the epilogue Thor story arc.

I have adjusted the reading order of the books from my chronological listing of Siege for pacing purposes since I also split it into two volumes.

Volume 1 First Blood

Beginning with the ravaging effects of Avengers Disassembled and following the aftermath of House of M, Civil War and Secret Invasion, culminating with the evil Reign of Norman Osborn, the Marvel Universe has been left with its greatest villains holding more power and control than ever before. On the brink of madness, Osborn, in his final bid to take total control, targets the final obstacle in his mission…Asgard.

Events are set in motion forcing our heroes to put aside the deep rifts that have grown over the past seven years. Opposing them stand a horde of evil that has begun to take down the gods of the Golden Realm! SIEGE will rock the foundations of every super hero, villain and team in the Marvel Universe. Witness the end of an Avengers era as the clouds start to part and the Dark Reign comes to a close…

Volume 2 Fall of Asgard

The storm that is Dark Reign intensifies as Norman Osborn rallies every single super power at his disposal to invade Asgard. He has ruled the Marvel Universe with an iron fist but this time he may have gotten in over his head. The warrior race that is the Asgardians will not yield nor surrender and when the heroes join the battle things actually get worse. It all ends here! Plus: A lingering menace created by fiendish Loki as an afterthought returns to wreak havoc on the Asgardians! Can Thor and his unlikely allies defeat this devastating force of destruction?! Or in their weakened state after the battles of Siege, will this new, ancient enemy prove too strong?

Onto Avengers vol 7-12 the Heroic Age 

Back to Avengers vol 5-6

Back to Dark Reign Marvel Universe!

Volume 5: The Dark Avengers

From the ashes of Secret Invasion Norman Osborn has risen to power and has now been proclaimed the protector of the world.  What plans does his Cabal have in store?  What will the heroes of the Marvel Universe do now that the villains are on top?  Can Norman keep the Green Goblin in check?  And who are his Dark Avengers?  As the dark clouds cover the Marvel Universe his reign has begun.From here you can take a tour of the Marvel Universe in Dark Reign: Marvel Universe

Dark Reign: Avengers Prime

Tony Stark has lost everything. The Avengers, his fortune and his position as lead of S.H.I.E.L.D. However he does not leave Stark Tower empty handed. After storing the S.H.R.A. (Super Hero Registration Act) Database in his mind he goes on the run from Norman Osborn to protect the identities of the registered super humans. As he slowly erases the database from his mind he is also erasing his mind…

Loki’s schemes begin to build as Thor is banished from Asgard! Can he find Sif in die before the body she inhabits expires? And as Dr. Doom’s continues his twisted experiments it ultimately leads to a confrontation with the Asgardians and Thor!

Finally the new Captain America settles into his new uniform when someone from his past forces him to lay down his shield. The Winter Soldier has returned! And what has Sharon Carter remembered? A figure in the light?

Dark Reign:  Mighty Avengers Initiative

Hank Pym picks up the pieces of his life after Secret Invasion but where does he belong? The woman he loved is gone and a Skrull imposter has been living his life everything has changed. But when the return of an old enemy threatens all life on the planet Pym forms his own Avengers, the Mighty Avengers! But what is the Scarlet Witch up to?

The 50 State Initiative promised to train young heroes and put a Super Hero team in every state. However Norman Osborn has some plans of his own as he takes over and adds known villains to the roster! And wait until you see who he puts in charge! Will the Initiative recruits take a stand against the corruption? And what is the Avengers Resistance?

Volume 6: The New Avengers Strike Back

Lines have been crossed. As Osborn tries to strengthen his grip on the Marvel Universe things and people begin slipping through his fingers. As new laws are drafted to restrict mutant rights Norman finds an opportunity to boost his public standing. However he faces the mutant militia known as the X-Men and their leader Cyclops. Forming a mutant group of his own Norman unveils his Dark X-Men. It’s a chess game of war but who will be the victor?

Then New Avengers find themselves once again facing off against the Hood’s crew but where is the Hood? Things go from bad to worse as the Avengers are stripped of their powers and then the Dark Avengers arrive! A ray of light shines through Norman’s reign as the greatest Avenger is reborn! And what exactly is going on with the Sentry?

I mainly put Mighty Avengers 34 here as the round table discussion talks about recent events that are in this volume. If I put it with the rest of Mighty it would spoil things that happen before you get to this volume. If you’re not binding Mighty Avengers then you can leave it out.

Continues in Dark Reign Marvel Universe!

Or jump to Siege!

Back to Secret Invasion!

back to Avengers Vol 4 The Initiative Era 

Back to Avengers Vol 1-3 Bendis Era