To battle a would be king and a monarch.
The Avengers have returned from their last mission with a bloated team roster. They hold a meeting with all of New York watching as they change their roster with new additions and bid farewell to others. Once the line up is selected, a ghost from the past appears at their doorstep. The dead super being Wonder Man arrives leaving the team whom remembered him with questions. -summary
Written by Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Bill Mantlo, and a few others back in the late 70's. The Private War of Dr. Doom is the follow up to Avengers: The Serpent Crown. Although at some point it was adapted into animation form during the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series. It's one of the more forgotten storylines in the Avengers mythos, and it's mainly remembered for bringing Wonder Man on to the team. This TPB collects Avengers issues 150-156, Annual #6, and Super-Villain Team Up #9.
The opening two issues are great reads for someone unfamiliar with the Avengers history as it delivers a short recap on the team's origin and upbringing. This part will definitely bring new readers up to speed, plus greatly appeal to older fans whom were around for that time period and read those stories. It's a really good start and things begin at a good pace with the return of Wonder Man, whom made his debut during that era with the original team. Wonder Man's return leads the Avengers to Louisiana in order to learn more, and from here the story begins to build up into a longer running arc, as well as provide some after math to The Serpent Crown affair.
In regards to the handling of its characters, the story does develop some well enough while others merely feel brushed upon. I was never a fan of the Beast and up until this day I still pretty much hate the character. Fortunately I was able to appreciate him more here, and I highly respected his flee and fight later attitude. The appearance of Wonder Man also heavily effects the Vision, but this is lightly brushed upon and is cleared up more in later stories. Still, there's enough to rope in readers because they are such likable characters. The story arc shines most when a mutual enemy of the Avengers and Sub-Mariner surfaces by the name of Attuma. He puts together a plan to attack the team which later on makes it into Dr. Doom's presence. Despite the title of this book, it's really Attuma at center stage in regards to villainy, with Dr. Doom's story continuing over from Super-Villain Team Up. One issue I can think of here is the crossover feel coming into play. Those additional story elements may feel kind of awkward at first, thankfully it does smooth out rather quickly.
There's lot to like here despite the quick pace though. It really does feel like things are just happening as one new threat after another surfaces. However, it's a good thing these villain clashes are very entertaining, and this is where George Perez and Jim Shooter's artwork stands out. The slug-fests aren't exactly high octane but they get the job done in a way, such as Namor being painfully crushed against a wall. There's some nice detail that still holds up even for 70's artwork, with Dr. Doom coming off looking real powerful, plus the backgrounds and destruction look pretty nice.
When compared to some Avengers storylines the writing does feel quite average; but it's the artwork along with newer story elements introduced that earns this story some extra points. Now is this among the best early Avengers stories to choose from? Not at all, I would definitely recommend Bride of Ultron and the Korvac saga way before this. I would also toss in Avengers: Under Siege and Assault on Mount Olympus. Those storylines should not be missed. The Private War of Dr. Doom is good, but give this a shot only if it really piques your interest.
*Side note, pick up Avengers Epic Collection: The Final Threat instead of this, since it collects these issues and plenty more*
Pros: Very nice artwork with some good action, not a bad starting point for new readers
Cons: Quick pace kind of hurts character development