“Avengers Forever” is one of those unexpected gems from the past worth finding.

Published in 12 installments in 1998-99, “Avengers Forever” throws a select group of Avengers against the time-traveling Kang the Conqueror.

That’s not too out of the ordinary. Almost every member of the Marvel Universe has been an Avenger at some time or other. And the revolving-door roster has faced Kang several times. Even the fact that one future Kang is battling an even-more-future version of Kang here isn’t that out of the ordinary.

No, the master stroke of “Avengers Forever” is that it teams up Avengers from various time points: the disillusioned Captain America of the Watergate era; the amnesiac, near-psychotic Hank Pym of the early Yellow Jacket days; but also the contemporary Hank Pym as Giant-Man; the Wasp as team leader; a villain who becomes an Avenger; Hawkeye still dressed in his Goliath costume but without his giant powers, etc.

Writer Kurt Busiek created a brilliant stroke in flinging these team mates together from different points of their lives and careers. It’s a joy for long-time Avengers readers. Long-time readers will wonder how they missed “Avengers Forever” 20-plus years ago and may well rejoice for finding it now.