Cosmic-scale superheroics
|
The decision to lump Dr Strange, Namor, Hulk, and the Silver Surfer together to form The Defenders was doubtless taken largely for commercial reasons: none of them were popular enough to consistently support their own titles. They form an odd team, with nothing much in common thematically; but these early Defenders stories manage to turn that very incongruity into a strength, emphasising the group's variety and differences even as they fight together against their common enemies. Unlike the rule-bound Avengers, The Defenders are always on the brink of just throwing up their hands and going their seperate ways.
As a fan of cosmic-level stories, I was intrigued by the idea of combining four of Marvel's most powerful characters; after all, Strange alone can take on gods, so what would it take to threaten him AND Namor AND the Surfer AND Hulk? The answer turns out mostly to be 'recycled Dr Strange villains': Dormammu, the Nameless One, and a criminally misused Yandroth. (Why should The Scientist Supreme, master of techno-magic and one-time ruler of a vast interplanetary empire, spends years travelling to Earth, of all places? Why can't he even manage to build a machine capable of blowing up one measly planet on his own? Why does he then die by FALLING UNDER A BUS?) Battling Dr Strange's otherworldly foes, plus the Asgardian sorceress Casiolena and a few of the mega-aliens who appear to infest the Marvel universe, allow The Defenders to retain a sense of universe-spanning grandeur, a gathering of some of the most powerful heroes in the cosmos. Here, at least, they had not yet dwindled into Just Another Marvel Super-Team. The final Defenders/Avengers crossover, where Dormammu attempts to absorb the entire universe, really underlines the point: the Defenders play for very high stakes indeed!
This volume also sees the introduction of Valkyrie, a ham-fisted but clearly well-meant attempt to create a feminist superheroine. Was there really a time when women shouted 'Male chauvinist pig!' at people? Maybe I'm just too young to remember it...
Overall, this collection rates 4 stars, although a lot of that is reflected glory due to its borrowings from Dr Strange. Sadly, the series would go sharply downhill once that particular spring started running dry.
|
|
Marvel's mightiest combine in a great offbeat series.
|
Starting with a series of connecting tales that old Marvel fans or those who have read the Essential Hulk & Dr. Strange volumes will be well aware of, Doctor Strange, The Sub-Mariner and the Hulk are drawn together to fight the two headed Nameless One and form a loose alliance The Defenders. They are soon joined by the Silver Surfer as they battle the Avengers to stop the Earth being destroyed by a faulty weather controlling device.
With all these factors in place the time was right for the founding 3 members to have a shot at their own title, it started off with a weaker tale in Marvel Feature # 1 with Yandroth, an old foe of Doctor Strange, seeking to destroy the Earth. Strange's old foes were to become a staple for the early Defenders tales.
The next two Marvel Feature tales were far better, a mystical fight against Dormammmu in Rutland (guest-starring writer Roy Thomas and his first wife Jeanie) and then the brilliant alien creature Xemnu the Titan, like a teddy bear with a grudge. Xemnu is out to capture humans to re-populate his dead planet.
Their own title series started with a series of visually stunning mystical tales, with the Surfer returning that led to the re-appearance of the Nameless Ones. Dr. Strange rescues the woman who had volunteered to be their prisoner, not knowing she had allied with the two-headed beast. The Defenders defeat the newly formed three-headed monster, Barbara's is now the third head. Strange rescues the girl Barbara only to find the shock of separation has driven her insane. From hereon in it gets even better.
The Asgardian Executioner under the control of an evil witch captures the Defenders, his old flame The Enchantress is also imprisoned with the Black Knight. The Enchantress uses Barbara's body to set free her newest incarnation of the Valkyrie, she also turns her present love interest the Black Knight to stone before leaving with her old ally the Executioner.
The Valkyrie joins the team after she assists in destroying Yandroth's doomsday machine. The Surfer re-appears as the Defenders are under siege by magician Cyrus Black. Both these are visually great but lack a little something. Then ex-Avenger Hawkeye appears in a much better tale as the Atlantian warlord Attuma attacks, aided by the Red Ghost.
The Defenders now at 6 members are used by Dormammu and Loki to try and help the Black Knight by finding the Evil Eye. Loki warns the Avengers leading to a great series of set-pieces as the teams battle it out in a seven issue cross-over series with the Avengers. In the end the Black Knight saga is settled in a very surprising but apt way. It also sees the end of Hawkeye's brief stint as a Defender.
Not slowing down one iota, the series stays on top form as the Titan Xemnu returns and then a great tale with the Squadron Sinister appearing as well as the introduction of Nebulon the Celestial Man. Nighthawk joins the Defenders at the end. I remember these tales first time round, you can still catch glimpses of how stunning they looked in colour on some comic web-sites.
These are, bar the Yandroth stories (my personal opinion), pretty solid tales written by Roy Thomas, Steve Engelhart and later Len Wein and superby drawn by Ross Andru and especially Sal Buscema, and a bonus with the inclusion of the likes of Gene Colan's Turneresque artwork included amongst the early set-up tales.
With such a solid grouping of anti-heroes allied to Dr.Strange as The Hulk, Namor, the Silver Surfer, Valkyrie and Nighthawk collected together it's not hard to see why it was such a success and it is great to be able to read them again over 30 years later. The next two collections have some great stories to look forward to, and all at a bargain basement price.
|
|
|
Essential Defenders Vol 1
|
This was one of the most anticipated titles of the Essential collections so far.The Defenders mainly concentrate around the Hulk, Dr Strange and the Sub-Mariner, three vastly different characters who by fate end up frequently fighting on the same side.They are a non-team of heroes,(unlike the Avengers) with kind of a renegade status who have no rules or regulations.
It starts off with linked stories from their individual titles and eventually their own comic book. The main villains are demons and mystical tyrants, who as usual in the Marvel universe are hell bent on world domination. The highlight of the book is the Avengers/Defenders battle which has some great fight scenes between them. The variety of different characters and the interplay between them is fun, especially with the Hulk. Anybody who enjoys superhero team books will love this.This was one of the best comics of the seventies and displayed some of Sal Buscema's best artwork. If you like offbeat superhero stories, give this one a whirl. Roll on volume 2 !.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada