Review by Frank Plowright
When introduced, the Defenders were a gathering of heroes pulled together to combat individual dire threats only the likes of Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner could overcome. That played out through most of Essential Defenders Vol. 1, but most of this selection is written by Steve Gerber, and as voiced through Nighthawk, he preferred a more formalised structure based around Doctor Strange, Hulk, Nighthawk and Valkyrie. He disguises that via feeding in plenty of guest stars. In fact his accumulation of them over a four chapter story about bigots Sons of the Serpent is astonishingly audacious. He uses everyone who’s guest starred individually in earlier stories.
Before Gerber arrives, though, there are other stories to work through. Len Wein’s battle against Magneto is ordinary and Wein’s finale is an overly-extended battle with the Wrecking Crew, who really shouldn’t pose such a great problem, never mind with Luke Cage also stopping by. Also sub-par is Wein’s story of the Defenders facing their own fears with uninspired Gil Kane art, and Wein, Gerber and Jim Starlin having them face stock fantasy creations. Starlin provides the layouts for other artists, and there’s a hunchback Daredevil on the splash page. The less said about Bill Mantlo’s creation of music hall threat Tapping Tommy, the better.
It takes Gerber a while to settle into the series. His earliest stories investigate the disturbing aspects of erasing the mentally ill Barbara Norris’ personality to create the Valkyrie, although the strong ideas don’t always survive the less capable treatment. However, what follows in the glorious Vol. 3 is prefaced by Gerber building a story around three unfortunates from 1950s short horror stories.
By contrast, the second half of the book is a selection of superhero stories that still read well. There’s a genuine shock near the start of the Don Heck illustrated rematch with the Squadron Sinister, but Sal Buscema draws most of the remainder. He’s stylistically bland, but an incredibly solid storyteller, and under-appreciated as such. That skill moves events along, while Heck on two stories obviously enjoys the civilian sequences and has no affinity for costumes.
Guardians of the Galaxy graphic novels Earth Shall Overcome and Tomorrow’s Avengers also feature the four chapter intervention in Earth’s future. These Guardians aren’t the now familiar movie stars, but the original incarnation from the 31st century, although a very different version of Yondu appears. Earth is over-run by Badoon invaders, and their sheer numbers are a problem, despite the combined power of the Defenders and the Guardians, while Gerber works toward an extremely offbeat solution.
Gerber’s last contribution here is the bizarre insertion of the Defenders into Howard the Duck’s satirical world. Gerber bemoans the necessities of superhero fiction with ridiculous villains, Howard becomes Master of the Mystic Arts, and the solution’s as inventive as the problem. It’s a lot of fun and a welcome bonus.
In colour, all-but the Howard the Duck appearance are spread over Defenders Masterworks Volume 3 and Volume 4
