Essential Defenders, Vol. 7

Essential Defenders #7

by Peter B. Gillis, Ann Nocenti (Text), Alan Kupperberg (Illustrations)

The age of the New Defenders begins here! The Beast assembles the infamous "non-team" into a real super-group, featuring members both old and new - from Gargoyle and Valkyrie to fellow ex-X-Men Iceman and Angel - and now the newly focused heroes must face some of their greatest challenges! Can the Defenders, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. stop the Secret Empire's Professor Power before he takes revenge on Professor X - and starts World War III ? Plus: Iceman takes on the villainous Void in a time-traveling existential adventure! Beast and Dazzler versus Doctor Doom and a mutant fight club! The menace of Manslaughter! The power of Odin! The redemption of Moondragon! The attack of...Frog-Man and the Walrus?! And much more! COLLECTING: Defenders (1972) 126-139, Iceman (1984) 1-4, Beauty and the Beast (1984) 1-4

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

528 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

About the author

Peter B. Gillis (born December 19, 1952) is an American comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and First Comics in the mid-1980s, including the series Strikeforce: Morituri and the digitally drawn comic series Shatter.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

The re-imagined team began with the Beast, Angel, Iceman, Candy Southern, Moondragon, Gargoyle and Valkyrie really shaking up and improving the storytelling, characterisations and overall drama of the series. I read the entire New Defenders run, 126-155! Despite a concerted effort to do better and X-Men members and foes, all the good done in 1984 is almost gone by the end of 1985, this is one team book that I never got to really like. 5 out of 12, Two Stars.

2017 read

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic! DeMatteis' storyline wraps up- Professor Power's clearly meant to be a type of neo-con Dr. Doom, and it's a good adventure, especially with the introduction of Cloud. His Ice Man story has the problem of sorta nothing really going on, lots of abstractions and illusion, though it does resolve Bobby Drake's issues with his parents in an interesting way. I love JM's work- it was going to get better!
I felt middle-of-the-road about the Beauty and the Beast mini-fundamentally better than Ice Man's, and there's some cool Anne Nocenti-style tics in its moments of poetry. But I didn't get very attached to anyone. The Son of Doom character didn't do much for me. The anti-mutant sentiment seemed to come out of nowhere, but it's the beginning of these problems growing in stature for the Marvel Universe. The Dazzler didn't hook me and the Beast was mawkishly unrecognizable.
But the Gillis stuff...man, is this a great run.
I look forward to finishing the last year of New Defenders. The problems and opponents Gillis cooks up rock. And the art? I didn't know Don Perlin and Kim DeMulder could draw like this! I would put it up against the work of darn near anyone at the time. I love Man-Slaughter's powers, Moondragon's inner dilemma, and the Gnostic demon possession of the Gargoyle- great twist at the end! Gillis can only be under-rated for this series. He took characters in which I wasn't deeply invested and made gripping stories with great dialogue (this was the one point where I had problems with JM's run- but hey, it was his first series, and it's not bad). Candy Southern made an unconventional addition, and this is as good as the Beast gets!

[Richard Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic stuff. Picked this up and had major flashbacks to being 10 and having an issue here and there of these storylines which I'd read and re-read over and over again. Loved being able to read Ann Nocenti's Beauty and the Beast in full as I was missing an issue as a kid, mind-blowing stuff for a ten-year old! Loved re-reading the trippy Iceman series and the amazing Manslaughter issue, still remember how creepy that was when I first read it and it's definitely held up!

[Kerri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Defenders issues only. Good art, light hearted stories, but not that interesting. Better when Angel and Ice Man reunite with the Beast. And also what’s up with Cloud??

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non sono mai stato un fan del supergruppo che non è un supergruppo, l’idolo delle tendenze anarchiche. Non ho mai gradito l’idea che si unissero per combattere una minaccia e poi si salutassero, e nemmeno le loro beghe infantili. In questo Marvel Essential le cose sono cambiate. J.M. De Matteis riunisce Bestia, i suoi vecchi compagni X-Men Angelo e Uomo Ghiaccio, con la Valchiria, Gargoyle, Dragoluna per dare una stabilità al gruppo, non al concetto. Se da un lato ciò è un sovvertimento dell’idea originale che ha di certo contribuito alla chiusura della testata, dall’altro è anche vero che queste storie di De Matteis sono tra le peggiori della sua carriera. Il punto più basso è forse la mini di 4 dedicata ad Iceman. Molto meglio va con Peter B. Gillis che ha portato avanti la serie inventando trame gradevoli, magari meno introspettive, ma comunque affrontando temi forti quali l’omofobia, il fanatismo religioso, l’eroismo della gente comune. Se la cava discretamente anche Ann Nocenti nella mini dedicata a Bestia e Dazzler, nonostante la sua solita pesantezza a livello di temi e dialoghi. I disegni sono per lo più di Don Perlin e Kim De Mulder, con un taglio molto classico, una narrazione lineare e priva di picchi, tutto sommato gradevole anche se stancante. Nel complesso le due stelle sono forse poche, ma non me la sento di arrivare alla terza.

[Alex Sarll]

Al Ewing's always bigging up Peter B Gillis as an underappreciated figure and an influence on his work, so I thought I'd check this out, and I can definitely see the connection. Gillis' stories here are fully aware of their own OTT and/or skewed nature, yet handled with conviction and flair nonetheless. So we get the secret origin of...the Walrus! Iceman's struggle with the most insidious foe of all - his own transphobia! And a surprisingly detailed understanding of Gnosticism for an eighties Marvel comic.
Sadly, the collection also contains lots of stuff that isn't Gillis. JM deMatteis sets up the status quo for Gillis, but his issues don't even possess what would later be deMatteis' signature flaws - they're just typical bad comics of their era, all flat hyperbole and painful exposition; I couldn't slog my way through it. He also contributes an Iceman miniseries, which has a little more character, and hilariously ends with cosmic entity incest. Then there's an Ann Nocenti Beast/Dazzler vs Doctor Doom miniseries. Like a lot of Nocenti's work, it sounds fun but proves too much of a struggle when actually attempted.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these comics way back when I was a kid. The Defenders are an iconic comic team. Great read and an important part of the Marvel comics mythos. Very recommended

[Evan Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.