A bit of something exciting for you today, folks–the crew out at Disney (yes, Disney, like with the mouse) sent out a copy of The Avengers Volume One for us to review, and thus, that’s what we’re bringing you today.

The Avengers Volume One gives us a whole lot of backstory, as we get a look at Earth’s mightiest heroes in all their glory. We’ll join Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Ant Man and The Wasp as they fight, regularly, to keep the world safe from various supervillains. The DVD package, meanwhile, gives you a whopping seven episodes of the assorted adventures of the components of the great Marvel team. This one won’t be so much about the Avengers as it will be about the individuals who make up the Avengers.

I didn’t follow this on the Disney Channel (mostly because it was Disney XD and I wasn’t in a mood to shell out the extra cash to step up for a channel that has maybe three or four things worth watching, tops), so getting the chance to catch it all at once without commercial interruption on DVD was an opportunity I could scarcely pass up. And am I glad I got the chance.

This really is some great stuff. It’s well drawn, well put together, the plots aren’t a complete joke and that means you’ve got an overall solid package here. Some purists will likely take issue with Nick Fury’s character (we’re clearly going with the Sam Jack version as opposed to the original), but there are plenty of happy surprises to make up for the lack of purity. For instance, pay close attention to the Grim Reaper’s voice. Yes, that’s none other than Lance Henriksen, one of my top five all time favorite actors. And you’ll see why he’s one of my favorites right here. See, it doesn’t matter what he’s in, it’s still good stuff. He’s been in some great movies and some godawful slop, but it doesn’t matter. He will always–ALWAYS!–turn in a good performance. And he’s not making this one an exception. Oh, and better yet, one of my other top five favorites, Jeffrey “Herbert West” Combs, will make an appearance as The Leader, which is even better news.

It’s hard not to recommend this one for any comic book fan who wants to see the fruits of Disney’s purchase of Marvel, and anyone who likes a little good old fashioned comic book dust-up should be happy here besides.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives The Avengers Volume One a nine out of ten–they did a fine job with this one, and it’s well worth your time to watch. Assuming of course you haven’t already seen it.