The Defenders Appreciation 2021

[Adam-X]

They were ... influenced to do so.

Shhhhh!

[Shadowcat]

Well, they did fight Namor, but he wasn't acting as a Defender. But yes, what Adam-X said -- different Order.




The Busiek Order was definitely a direct continuation of the Busiek Larsen run. And the original roster didn't exactly "decide" to take over. They were ... influenced to do so.

I miss this Pacheco. Merino no longer inking him to pencil did both of them a disservice. They’re magic when together.

[ed2962]

The Defenders is a fascinating book for me. I'm pretty well read in Marvel from Fantastic Four #1 on up but I have a few major black holes. Ghost Rider's whole universe is one. Most of Alpha Flight is another. And The Defenders, outside of the Avengers/Defenders War, is a huge black hole for me.

For a book that has such major characters in it initially and then transitions to a weird X-Men/Marvel Cast off hybrid in its later years, it hasn't left a visible footprint in the current Marvel Universe.

I'm excited to see what Al Ewing does with the property as there is obviously a ton of it that Marvel has not mined for all its worth. So it's ripe for someone like Ewing to excavate the book and modernize some of the stories.

What are some highlights of the Defenders original series? And was Busiek/Larson's reboot in the early 2000s any good? What about Fraction's version? What are some recommendations for someone new to The Defenders?

I mostly liked it. It wasn't earth shattering though. At first I had issues with the "Dr Strange as playboy" sub-plot, but played out in a more sobering way. I liked how Fraction tried to capture the loose feel of those late 70's comics ( down to the parody ads at the bottom of the pages) without simply copying the old line up.

[ed2962]

One of my favorite stories from the original run though was the "Who Remembers Scorpio" arc. You had a super-villain going through a mid-life crisis, Moon Knight, Hellcat had just recently joined, and a robot Nick Fury!

Ed Brubaker actually brought back robot Fury during his Secret Avengers run.

[Oberon]

One of my favorite stories from the original run though was the "Who Remembers Scorpio" arc. You had a super-villain going through a mid-life crisis, Moon Knight, Hellcat had just recently joined, and a robot Nick Fury!

Ed Brubaker actually brought back robot Fury during his Secret Avengers run.

That one always confused me for some reason. I had a hard time understanding what it was (I was around 20).

But I liked Moon Knight in that one too, if I recall right.

[Phoenixx9]

That one always confused me for some reason. I had a hard time understanding what it was (I was around 20).

But I liked Moon Knight in that one too, if I recall right.

Jack Norriss had some action in there too.

[Nomads1]

One of my favorite stories from the original run though was the "Who Remembers Scorpio" arc. You had a super-villain going through a mid-life crisis, Moon Knight, Hellcat had just recently joined, and a robot Nick Fury!

Ed Brubaker actually brought back robot Fury during his Secret Avengers run.

I liked the story in itself, but found a potentially great climax merely "meh". I mean, it was the 50th issue of the Defenders, going up against a new, powerful, LMD Zodiac Cartel (a concept I don't think Marvel ever put to a really good use. They've tried. A lot. But, IMHO, I don't think they've ever succeded), and the line up of one of the most powerful teams in the MU for that event is The Hulk, Val, Nighthawk, Hellcat and Moon Knight? It's like Bendis picked it. Okay, so the other Big Guns (Doc Strange, Namor, Silver Surfer, even Luke Cage) weren't avaliable for the aniversary issue, but, say, if they'd let Wonder Man continue to tag along for the reminder of the case, and added, I don't know, Son of Satan and Clea, you'd already have a much more powerful and Defendery line-up, even if (especially if), just for that adventure. As I've said, I liked the story, but was sort of disappointed with the climax.

Peace

[Phoenixx9]

It seemed like Wonder Man was going to be with the team past issue 47. I was excited for that. But then the next issue, WM was nowhere to be seen. This was a missed opportunity for the hero and for the Defenders who could have used his power, even if only for a handful of issues. WM was newly returned to life at that point and would have benefited from the additional, if minimal, exposure.

I LOVE the cover to 47 so much and thought the artwork, color and layout was Definitely Dynamic for our Demanding Defenders! Val's new costume was perfectly captured on it (as was Dragonfang). The inside look of Val's costume was so crude compared to the cover and inaccurate in its detail.

[Hypestyle]

Were the Classic Defenders a team in the HeroClix figures?

[Adam-X]

Were the Classic Defenders a team in the HeroClix figures?

I believe they're all represented now as HeroClix.

[kcekada]

I didn't mind when the Defenders was missing Dr. Strange in the David Kraft run, but when they lost Hulk as well -- they became a D list team. I loved non A-list Defenders, but come on! Thankfully, they did eventually beef up Valkyrie's powers again. I never understood why she went from someone who could trade punches with the Hulk (pre-Defenders appearances) to being slightly above Spider-Man level (strength-wise).

The Six-Fingered Hand story aspired to greatness, but was hampered by the mediocre and inappropriate choice of Don Perlin inked by Joe Sinnott. The story called for creepy/moody art -- not associated with Sinnott.

[stingray]

I believe they're all represented now as HeroClix.

Yeah, they've even done figures of Clea and Gargoyle, plus multiple versions of most of the others. I'm not sure which of those have the Defenders keyword though.

[Adam-X]

Yeah, they've even done figures of Clea and Gargoyle, plus multiple versions of most of the others. I'm not sure which of those have the Defenders keyword though.

Whoa - I know they did Clea - I wasn't aware they did Gargoyle too.

Been out of HeroClix for many, many, many years. My box of HC figures is just sitting in the garage.

[jackolover]

The Defenders is a fascinating book for me. I'm pretty well read in Marvel from Fantastic Four #1 on up but I have a few major black holes. Ghost Rider's whole universe is one. Most of Alpha Flight is another. And The Defenders, outside of the Avengers/Defenders War, is a huge black hole for me.

For a book that has such major characters in it initially and then transitions to a weird X-Men/Marvel Cast off hybrid in its later years, it hasn't left a visible footprint in the current Marvel Universe.

I'm excited to see what Al Ewing does with the property as there is obviously a ton of it that Marvel has not mined for all its worth. So it's ripe for someone like Ewing to excavate the book and modernize some of the stories.

What are some highlights of the Defenders original series? And was Busiek/Larson's reboot in the early 2000s any good? What about Fraction's version? What are some recommendations for someone new to The Defenders?

I didn’t give Fractions story much credence (it seemed like a throw-away piece), until I read Civil War 11 and realised Fraction just summarily concluded the whole purpose of super heroes being created in the first place. Fractions Defenders # 1-12, got completed by CW11 #1.

[Hcmarvel]

What is CW 11 #1?