Customer Reviews

Essential Defenders, Vol. 3 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 3)

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In the Marvel Universe, there have always been three classic superhero teams: the Fantastic Four, the X-Men (including the New Mutants, X-Factor, etc.), and the Avengers. Somewhat late to the game, and with a more erratic history, was the non-team called The Defenders. They were initially a "non-team" because they were more just a group of loners: Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, the Sub-Mariner and the Hulk. By the issues featured in Essential Defenders Volume 3, however, the non-team is much more of a team.

I have a real affection for the stories in this volume, which has the issues that first introduced me to the team. These stories have the characters who really define The Defenders: Nighthawk, Hellcat and the Valkyrie (along with founding members, Dr. Strange and the Hulk). The villains are often much more offbeat than found in the other superhero team comics.

The stories then not be single issue affairs. The first set of stories pits the Defenders against the twin threats of Nebulon and the Headmen. They later contend with the Zodiac, the Presence and a boatload of demons. There is also a murderous elf who seems to be forgotten somewhere along the line. Other heroes helping out include Luke Cage, the Moon Knight, the Red Guardian and the Devil-Slayer.

What makes The Defenders so much fun in this book are the strange villains and the humor that pops up from time to time, like when the Valkyrie tries to enroll in college or much of the Hulk's dialogue and nicknames (like Cat-Girl for Hellcat or Bird Nose for Nighthawk). For some classic comics featuring The Defenders at their best, this is a great read.

After a long wait, Marvel finally publishes the "meat" of Steve Gerber's run on Defenders. When people talk about Gerber as being the 'Grant Morrison of the 70s' (as they do, occasionally), this is the sort of stuff they're talking about.

Gerber is mostly remembered today for his quirky work on non-superhero titles like Man-Thing, Howard the Duck and Omega the Unknown. But this volume shows that he could write intelligent, exciting superhero comics that were on a par with the best of Marvel's 70s output.

Ten years before Dark Knight Returns or Watchmen, Gerber was exploring the sort of "superheroes in the real world" themes that are commonplace today. One hero, Valkyrie, gets locked in prison for wrecking a restaurant while fighting a super-villain with her sword. The villains are less concerned with destroying buildings and killing people than they are with gaining power through sociological and political means: Nebulon sets himself up as a self-help guru while the Headmen run one of their members as a presidential candidate.

All of this takes place over the course of an epic storyline that takes up the first eleven issues printed here. Unlike today's "decompressed" comics, however, each individual issue still presents you with a complete episode in its own right. This isn't a case of pacing a storyline to meet the publishing requirements of the company's trade paperback division, but rather, of a complex story that Gerber developed subtly throughout a year's worth of comics, each chapter flowing smoothly from the preceding one. Along the way, he throws in some unforgettably quirky touches -- Nighthawk carrying his own brain around in a dish, Bambi the killer fawn and, of course, the legendary Elf with a Gun -- until he brings the whole story to a satisfying climax in Defenders Annual #1.

Unfortunately, Gerber left the title shortly thereafter (after issue #41) and left a few loose ends hanging around. The remainder of the book is written by Gerry Conway and David Kraft, and while it isn't up to the high standards of Gerber's material, it does represent the best of the post-Gerber era (especially Kraft's inaugural "Who Remembers Scorpio?" storyline).

About half the book is drawn by the always-sublime (and underappreciated) Sal Buscema (often inked by Klaus Janson). The rest features work by up-and-comer Keith Giffen and industry legend Carmine Infantino, who had recently left his publisher's post at DC to draw at Marvel. The volume also includes a handful of covers drawn by another legend, Jack "King" Kirby.

In short, if you only want to read one volume of The Defenders, this is the one to get. These are some of the best superhero stories Marvel published in the 70s.

Oh yes, the Defenders, my favorite Marvel non-team. At least they're a non-team for the first half of the book. From Issue 31-40 something they are still meeting in Dr. Strange's rumpus room instead of a place like Avenger's mansion and using New York's back alley's as a Danger Room. Eventually they take up residence in one of Kyle Richmond's equestrian estates, settle down, become domesticated, gain a few pounds and lose a little of that special Defenders "something". They become more of a formal super-group and less of an informal collection of loose-knit fly -by-the-seat-of-your-pants heroes thrown together to halt off the wall menaces that no single hero could stand against. But there are till some pretty engaging and involved stories in the back end of this volume with writing chores shared by Steve Gerber, Gerry Conway, Chris Claremont and Dave Kraft. Pencils are pushed by the likes of Carmine Infantino, Klaus Janson, Keith Giffen and Sal Buscema.

This book never got the credit for being a bit more of a thinking man's super-team, but it proves it here. You've got some social issues, some mysticism, some psychological drama, marital and friendship issues, all wrapped up in superhero spandex. It's a nice mix. Plus you get the mighty Marvel 70's flavor to spice things up even more.

Here's a peek at what you get in Defenders 31-60 and Annual #1.

Defenders # 31***Nighthawk's Brain!*** A lot happens. Valkyrie goes to a carnival, Hulk stumbles onto some drunken deer hunters, an elf with a lugar kills some tourists and the fabulous Headmen (All have "Head" related powers) put Nighthawk's brain in a bowl. And that's just for starters.

Defenders # 33***Webbed Hands, Warm Heart*** Only Steve Gerber would give Bambi super-powers! Also, the Headmen keep transplanting brains(where's Nighthawk's?), aliens invade Central Park, the fourth Headman shows her "face"(with tentacles) and Nebulon the Celestial Man tips the scales in a whole other direction.

Defenders # 34***I think we're all Bozos in this book*** Nebulon has the best hair in the business, Nighthawk may finally get his brain back in his body and the Defenders attend a self-help seminar entitled "Celestial Mind Control"

Defenders # 37***Evil in Bloom!*** The Defenders take on the Plant Man. Really?....the Plant Man? O.K. The Plant Man...Luckily Luke Cage is around to save them. Plus, why are the Eel and Porcupine smiling like that?

Defenders # 46***Who remembers Scorpio?*** Dr. Strange gets sick of Nighthawk and the Hulk crashing on his couch every night and Valkyrie constantly leaving the toliet seat up so he resigns from the Defenders, kicking the non-team out of his sanctum sanctorum. If finding a new pad isn't enough, Scorpio strikes with his cadre of Zodiac themed henchman. And it's got Nick Fuuury!

Defenders # 50***Scorpio Must Die!*** The final, and I mean FINAL resolution to the Scorpio Saga. Keith Giffen honors Jack Kirby with his artwork. And Nick Fury offers a super villain a beer, a Schlitz to be exact. You remember Schlitz, don't ya? Sure ya do. It was the Zima of the 70's, bunky.

Defenders # 52***Defender of the Realm***Super-herodom's answer to Beavis and Butthead, the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner, are together again! This story also features a nuclear explosion that may rip Europe in half, and Valkyrie going to the theater with some new friends to see "Death Wish" and "The Man Who Fell to Earth".

You've got some prime Defenders action on your hands here. Gerber's stories are the best, the most satisfying and the most revealing of character (Millionaire Nighthawk tips his paperboy 5 bucks at Christmas. 5 bucks! And with a check yet! Sheeesh! No wonder he got killed off. Several times!!!) But the quality of any serialized fiction will ebb and flow, and in this volume even the slow spots are still kind of interesting. If your taste in super heroes runs to the somewhat offbeat and Marvel 70's-ish, then it doesn't get much better than this book.

This third collection of stories from the Defenders finds the team in an odd place. The original guard is all but gone and the new faces take over. Namor and Silver Surfer are already gone (though Namor shows up again for a few issues toward the end here), Doctor Strange leaves, and who can really count the Hulk as a member of any team? Still Nighthawk, Hellcat, Val, and the Red Guardian step up nicely to keep the pace moving. There are some nice moments wrapped up in here, including a cool Nighthawk solo story against the Ringmaster (not the greatest villain, but at least we have a story).

Unfortunately, taken as a whole this collection shows the weaknesses of the group as well. For one, Nighthawk spends literally over a dozen issues held captive or brain-swapped at some time or another, making this the only team in Marvel history whose leader is actually its weakest link. It gets laughable after a while when almost every time he gets into battle he's captured by someone. Val changes costumes three times in this collection. Jack Norriss either is or isn't a traitor or a SHIELD agent or a double agent posing as a SHIELD agent or a wannabe secret agent of his own making (you figure it out and let me know). Prince Namor uses a superpower he'd only used once before and it's never been mentioned since. And for several issues we have this little elf killing folks at random...and then suddenly his story ends with no explanation of any kind. Why was he in there? It's like the writers said, "Why were we doing this again? You don't remember either? Well, just forget it and we'll see if anyone notices".

But even with the weak points, this is great storytelling. When the team fights together (it does happen every so often), the dynamic is great. I couldn't be happier to see these stories collected together and look forward to the next volume.

The Defenders was never a top-line title among comics but it has maintained a sizable cult following and this collection shows why. On one level it is a collection of straight-forward superhero team adventures featuring a nice variety of classic heroes like the Hulk, the Submariner and Dr. Strange and colorful B and C (and even D) listers like Luke Cage, Hellcat and the Valkyrie.

On second glance it is a delightly off-kilter, oddball take on the superhero genre with warped tales like the efforts of the nefarious Headmen and their theft of one hero's brain and the all-powerful cosmic villian Nebulon setting himself up as a self-help guru (His motto "No Bozos!" Seriously). Meanwhile an Elf with a gun goes on a serial killing spree ...

I wouldn't go so far as to call this groundbreaking but it definitely has a spark you don't see in a lot of other comics. The art is solid too with the pencils mainly done by the underrated Sal Buscema and very early work by Keith Giffen, who here appears to be alternately aping Jack Kirby and JIm Starlin.

The only caveat is that you're likely to be a little lost if haven't read the preceeding volume.

i always rejected the defenders due to the fact that the hulk was a member of the team. after all, that doesn't jibe with continuity. well, i'm glad i picked this tome up. i now have to get volume 2. this is worth getting for the steve gerber penned issues alone. some other reviewer docked this book points for having the feel of being written by someone that was tripping... exactly!! except, for me, that added points. it was good, weird fun, from a time when comic books weren't morose slogs through boring attempts at making comic books high brow literature. it was fun 70's style marvel comics... and a title i had always neglected to bother with. give it a whirl.

Hellcat, Nighthawk and the Red Guardian?


Not exactly the Silver Surfer, Submariner and Doctor Strange. However, those are characters you get at times here, after Doc decides he needs a leave of absence to get his mystic mojo back to the top level.

Clea appears a bit as a stand-in, and you have guest stars such as Moon Knight and Nick Fury in the latter half.

The artwork with Janson, Buscema etc. in the earlier issues is certainly superior.

In general, this is a whole lot of crazy madcap never stopping superhero stuff, especially with the 'Headmen' - a guy with a gorilla body and a human head, someone whose headbones have shrunk, a woman with a malleable android head, and you get the idea.

Very silly, with plenty of Hulk smash, Hulk hate water, Hulk crush bad man who hurt friend, Hulk bash friend if he feels like it. Along with the Valkyrie and the soap opera between her and the husband of the woman whose body she now inhabits.


3.5 out of 5

I'm a die-hard Hulk fan so I like to pick up some of these Essentials to see the classic Hulk in action but they really lost me with this one. I was starting to lose interest with Vol II but they hit rock bottom with this one. All of the added characters were boring and repetitive. It seems like they added characters to the team for no other purpose than just keeping a filled out roster. The stories and villains were a total borefest with junk sorcery that was just plain foolish. There were a few entertaining stories in there (written by Gerry Conway/Chris Claremont) but the rest were totally forgetable and quite ridiculous. I honestly got the vibe that the writers were tripping when they wrote some of those whacked out stories. What was the deal with that Elf or Scorpio offering everyone a beer? If those were attempts at humor, they fell flat. The Hulk nailed it when he said, "Hulk always thought team was a dumb idea." He's smarter than people give him credit for. As a matter of fact, if he wasn't even in the issues, I don't think I could have forced myself to finish it.