After his run on the Fantastic Four and a few years before taking over The X-Men, Jonathan Hickman became the main writer on The Avengers titles of the Marvel Now era after Brian Michael Bendis left in 2012.
With the Avengers (Volume 5), Hickman introduced new threats, but also expand the roster and sphere of influence of the team to a global and even interplanetary level. This will lead to a cosmos-threatening event. In New Avengers (Volume 3), he focused more on the members of The Illuminati (Black Panther, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic, Sub-Mariner, and the Beast) who are armed with the six Infinity Gems against an infinite legion of parallel realities.
Here is the official synopsis: As threats to Earth mount, the Avengers expand! And while Iron Man and Captain America assemble their Avengers World and strive to decipher the meaning of the White Event, Tony Stark secretly tries to solve the biggest crisis of all, along with his influential allies, the Illuminati! While they seek to prevent the collapse of reality itself, the Avengers face a war on two fronts! Protecting Earth from the Builders may only hand it to…Thanos!
Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers Reading Order
Before Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers: As the Avengers is active since 1963, you can obviously explore the team’s past, with our Complete Avengers reading order.
Being a popular run, Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers has been collected in multiple formats.
Omnibus Editions
The ultimate oversized hardcover edition.
- Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Vol. 1
Collects Avengers (2012) #1-23, New Avengers (2013) #1-12, Free Comic Book Day 2013: Infinity #1, Infinity #1-6, Infinity: Against The Tide Infinite Comic #1-2, Astonishing Tales: Mojoworld #1-6, Material From Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung Fu (2009) #1. - Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Vol. 2
Collects Avengers (2012) #24-44 and New Avengers (2013) #13-33.
The Complete Collection
The big paperback edition.
- Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 1
Collects Avengers (2012) #1-5, New Avengers (2013) #1-6, material from Astonishing Tales: Mojoworld (2008) #1-6. - Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 2
Collects Avengers (2012) #6-17, New Avengers (2013) #7, material from Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu (2009) #1. - Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 3
Collects Infinity (2013) #1-6, New Avengers (2013) #8-12, Avengers (2012) #18-23. - Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 4
Collects Avengers (2012) #24-34, New Avengers (2013) #13-23. - Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 5
Collects Avengers (2012) #35-44, New Avengers (2013) #24-33. Also collected in Avengers: Time Runs Out Collection.
The Regular Collection
You know, the standard size paperbacks.
- New Avengers Vol. 1: Everything Dies
Collects New Avengers (2013) #1-6. - Avengers Vol. 1: Avengers World
Collects Avengers (2012) #1-6.
- Avengers Vol. 2: The Last White Event
Collects Avengers (2012) #7-11. - Avengers Vol. 3: Prelude to Infinity
Collects: Avengers (2012) #12-17.
Alert Event! This is when the Infinity crossover event started, and you can find the reading order of the event here. Including how to read Avengers and New Avengers in order. The event is about the Mad Titan Thanos who makes his world-shattering return, and his armies fire the opening shots of a galactic war that will be fought both on Earth and in deep space – with our heroes caught between both battles!
- Infinity
Collects Infinity #1-6, New Avengers Vol. 3 #7-12, Avengers Vol 5. #14-23.- New Avengers Vol. 2: Infinity
Collects New Avengers (2013) #7-12. - Avengers Vol. 4: Infinity
Collects Avengers (2012) #18-23.
- New Avengers Vol. 2: Infinity
- Avengers Vol. 5: Adapt or Die
Collects: Avengers #24-28. - New Avengers Vol. 3: Other Worlds
Collects: New Avengers 13.INH, 14-17. - Avengers Vol. 6: Infinite Avengers
Collects: Avengers #29-34. - New Avengers Vol. 4: A Perfect World
Collects: New Avengers #18-23.
- Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 1
Collects: Avengers #35-37, New Avengers #24-25. - Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 2
Collects: Avengers #38-39, New Avengers #26-28. - Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 3
Collects: Avengers #40-42, New Avengers #29-30 - Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 4
Collects: Avengers #43-44, New Avengers #31-33
Alert Event! It’s the end of Hickman’s Avengers run, but also of an era for Marvel with the 2015 Secret Wars (find the full reading order of the event here). The interdimensional Incursions have eliminated each and every alternate universe one by one. And now – despite the best efforts of scientists, sages and superhumans – the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe have collided…and been destroyed! All that exists in the vast empty cosmos is a single, titanic patchwork planet made of the fragmented remains of hundreds of devastated dimensions: Battleworld!
- Secret Wars
Collects Secret Wars #0,#1-9, Free Comic Book Day 2015.
After Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers
With a new Marvel Universe taking form after the Secret Wars, Mark Waid took over with the All-New, All-Different Avengers title and Al Ewing started to write New Avengers. As for Hickman, he came back to Marvel with X-Men.