Customer Reviews

Essential Defenders, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Silver Surfer has flown off and Sub-Mariner has nearly floated out of the story lines, but this eclectic squad still packs a punch in this hefty volume of 616 pages that covers 1974-1976.

Hulk, Nighthawk, Valkyrie and Dr. Strange comprise the roster, though "free agents" like Daredevil, Guardians of the Galaxy and Howard the Duck make appearances to provide quirky twists while ridding the universe of individuals with evil intent in their deeds.

The collection includes The Defenders #15-#30, Giant-Size Defenders #1-5, Two-in-One #6-#7, Team-up #33-#35 and Treasury edition #12. This team may have their issues in the "clubhouse," but they work as one when a tough task needs to be done.

Essential Defenders Volume II: from the very start (the confrontation with Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in issues 15 and 16, by far the best ones there) to the ending (Tapping Tommy and the Maggia goons in issue 30) it's a hit!!! Fine storytelling and artwork (especially by a certain Mr. Buscema), rather interesting characters and the "non-team status" that made this a supergroup different from all the others catch your attention and manage never to lose it. Looking forward to Volume III.

In the Marvel Universe, the big three superhero teams are the Fantastic Four, the Avengers (including various incarnations like West Coast Avengers) and the X-Men (with related teams X-Force, Excalibur, etc.). There were other teams also, and of those, my favorite has always been the Defenders, the "non-team" that had its heyday in the 1970s and `80s and is probably the biggest second-tier team (the Champions and Infinity Watch are definitely less memorable).

Essential Defenders Volume 2 begins to really give the team its identity. In previous issues, it featured several heavy hitters (the Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Hulk and Dr. Strange), all of whom were not team players. Eventually, as this volume kicks in, the Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner have gone their separate ways and have been replaced by Valkyrie and Nighthawk. It's these new heroes who help give the team more character. Also, this volume features the beginning of Steve Gerber's writing run; Gerber, also the creative force behind Howard the Duck, would give the Defenders a little bit of an off-beat quality (although, admittedly, this happens more in later issues).

In this set, the Defenders take on several big villains like Magneto, the Enchantress and the Badoon, along with lesser know villains like the Sons of the Serpent and Tapping Tommy. There are plenty of guest heroes too, including Son of Satan, Luke Cage, Spiderman, the Human Torch, the Thing, Daredevil and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

While it might be too much to say that this is really great writing and art, most of the material is at least good and it's all fun reading. For another look at what made Marvel entertaining thirty years ago, this is a good book to pick up.

When I was a kid, the issue that the Defenders ran up against the Wrecking Crew was priceless. The story continued and I never was able to find that crucial next issue to finish the story. Buying this book, I finally got to finish the story and what a story it is. If you want non stop action, check this storyline out! The Wrecking Crew line-up consists of the Wrecker, Bulldozer, Thunderball and Piledriver. These four characters are my favorite bad guys next to the Red Skull. They lack his intelligence but any one of the foursome can knock the Hulk around! There are many other stories in this volume which are very good. I would recommend this volume over the next two due to the strength of the stories. The Defenders had the best looking female team members (Valkryie and Hellcat) but it's good having a rich guy around (Nighthawk) and when things get boring, there's always Dr. Strange and the Hulk to stir the pot. Comic fans, don't hesitate to buy this one.

I absolutely love these volumes of classic comics. The Defenders were one of my favorites. Thanks to marvel I am now able to go back and cheaply plug in the holes of missing issues from my actual comic collection and not spend a fortune. The only drawback on these Essential volumes is the lack of color illustration, but I understand that its why they can combine so many issues in one book for such a great price.

I wasn't sure why I bought Volume 2 of the Defenders since the first one was disappointing. I'm glad I did though, as the team comes together better once the Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner disappear from the pages. Nighthawk becomes a big part of the team, and the ongoing plot of Valkyrie finding herself isn't overdone too much. My favorite part is the crossover with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was an interesing look at the "future" of the Marvel Universe, especially since parts of the history involved the 1980s through today! The giant-sized issues are enjoyable and probably stood well on their own, but better integrated in the ongoing continuity. It was interesting too to see the racial tones in the Sons of the Serpent storyline, including the near use of the N word. The best part of the whole volume? Sal Buscema's consistant art - good stuff!

Essential Defenders Volume 2 is good fun, nicely mixing straight-up 1970's superhero stories with a peppering of the strange and offbeat. Highlights include a reprint of an actual 1940's-era Submariner story (embedded within an issue of Giant-Size Defenders that appears early in the volume), and a classic team-up with Howard the Duck. I liked the fact that, as I moved through this 500-plus page collection, I never knew what I was going to get... a quirky one-part adventure highlighting one team member, a multi-part science-fiction epic with a couple of guest stars, a story heavy on horror elements, a satire with a talking duck, etc. I got all that and more. And I enjoyed lots of great art along the way, too (shout outs to Sal Buscema and Klaus Janson). Fun, fun stuff. In fact, I think I'm about ready for Volume 3 now.