Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders, Vol. 1

Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #1

by Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Ross Andru (Illustrator)

Collects the Sub-Mariner Nos. 34-35, Marvel Feature Nos. 1-3 & The Defenders Nos. 1-6

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2008

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The promise of great stories eludes me. I wanted so much more, spoiled by more recent comics, wanting back stories, glorious beginnings, and splendiferous space and alternate realities. What I got was strained stories that were rarely brilliant in idea, and never in how it was pulled off. It was very hard to get through the old art, as well.

(Waits patiently until a fanboy froths at the mouth at me).

When it's good, it's very good. When it's bad, as most of the early stuff is, it's really bad. I cannot believe I got through it all. I found myself rewriting it all in my head as I plowed through them, paraphrasing much, and drawing out others. It was hardly worth the effort, especially since so much of the work had been done for me in more recent attempts.

The joke is on me, though, because I'm planning on continuing the tales to get to the tantalizing glimpses of those old epic tales I had missed.

[Mhorg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another so so team

The Defenders! Hulk, doctor strange, sub mariner, silver surfer, valkyrie. Another team that really didn't make it. For me, one of the problems is, none of them wanted to be together. Another is mostly lame or grade c villains. Not really even worth a read to me.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Defenders was one of my favorite comics series growing up in the '70s. I loved that the team included the Hulk, but it also introduced me to other cool characters like Valkyrie, Hellcat, and Nighthawk. I've always wanted to go back and explore the roots of the team, even though the Doctor Strange, Namor, and Sub-Mariner line-up isn't as exciting to me.

One thing that always confused me was the team's insistence that it's a "non-team." By the time I started reading their adventures, they very clearly were a team by every definition I knew. Their origin makes sense of their denial though and it's pretty fun. The seeds of their earliest adventures are planted in the individual series of each character with some shared villains and then especially in the pages of Sub-Mariner (the first adventures to be collected in this volume) where Namor, Hulk, and the Silver Surfer team up for the first time.

In the Marvel Feature anthology series, Doctor Strange contacts Namor for help on a mission and Namor suggests also getting Hulk and Surfer. Surfer excuses himself, but for three issues of Marvel Feature, Strange, Namor, and Hulk help each other out on various challenges. They're very much not a team, but just acquaintances who occasionally get each other's back. During their first team up, Namor uses the word "defenders" to describe what they did and Strange likes the word. He proposes it as a name if they should ever have to team up again, but Hulk makes it clear that he doesn’t want to. After his experiences with the Avengers, he hates being on a team. Namor also doesn't seem interested.

After three successful issues of Marvel Feature, The Defenders got its own series, continuing the occasional team-up pattern, but with Surfer quickly being brought back into the mix. Valkyrie is also introduced much earlier than I expected her to be.

While trying to help Surfer escape Galactus’ barrier around the Earth by taking him through another dimension, Strange accidentally takes the group into the realm of an old enemy and finds a woman that he'd abandoned there on a previous adventure in his own series. He rescues her, but her separation from the godlike being causes her to go insane. I'll get back to that in a second, but it's funny that Strange realizes that the entire endeavor has been a massive failure and questions his leadership ability. Not that anyone has ever actually appointed him leader. He just seems to have assumed it.

When the group returns to Earth, they're immediately whisked into another adventure involving a magical realm ruled by a ruthless queen. They're imprisoned by the Thor/Avengers villain, the Executioner, who has fallen under the queen's spell and has also imprisoned his usual partner, the Enchantress, and her latest conquest the Black Knight.

Enchantress’ magic can’t help her escape directly, but she’s able to imbue Strange's insane rescued woman with the spirit of the Valkyrie so that Valkyrie can escape and take the others with her. The heroes (and Enchantress) overthrow the queen, Enchantress and Executioner renew their former alliance, and when Black Knight complains about that, Enchantress turns him to stone and leaves with the Executioner. Strange returns the others to the normal world and vows to one day figure out how to restore the Black Knight. Valkyrie - still inhabiting the insane woman's body - wins over the Black Knight’s winged horse Aragorn and asks to join the Defenders.

Namor protests that the Defenders aren’t actually a thing and he's right. Strange is the only one who keeps using the name. Even so, he condescendingly questions Valkyrie’s usefulness to them and I don’t really like Strange in the series so far. He seems for some reason not only to need the team to exist, but also to be in charge of it.

He does at least invite Valkyrie to stay at his place until she figures out what to do, so she participates in the last couple of adventures collected in this volume and solidifies her place on the team. Which is a team now, more or less headquartered at Strange's mansion. Even Namor has started to come around to the idea by the end.

With Valkyrie now on board, I'm fully invested in these adventures and am looking forward to Volume 2.

[Davidus1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This particular series contained one title from The Sub-Mariner and the first 6 Defenders comics. It was fun to re-read these. The stories were simple but fun. I haven't read the Defenders comics in many years. Recommended!

[Teddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defenders

Enjoying reading Marvel Masterworks because it brings back the time when comics were an even combination of action and storytelling.. The Defenders is no exception and this unique super-team undoubtedly clicked on so many levels..

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are decent comics for the early 70s and are interesting as the genesis for the team, but the book gets much more interesting and weirder as it continues. This is groundwork and not much more.

[Tony Romine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is volume of the Marvel Masterworks series collects the first 6 issues of The Defenders comic as well as their origins captured in two issues of Sub-Mariner and three issues of Marvel Feature. The Defenders was a concept originally started because Doctor Strange's comic was cancelled mid story arc and writer Roy Thomas had to finish it in other comics that he was working on at the time. So he had Doctor Strange cross-over into the Sub-Mariner's and the Hulk's comics. This initial story-arc is omitted from this collection ostensibly because it involves 4 issues of Doctor Strange as well as the two follow-up issues from the other and the story itself isn't necessarily the Defenders origins, it was just the first time these three particular characters all shared the same pages together.

A second shared storyarc of potential Defenders members is in a two issue 1971 Sub-Mariner story, which opens this collection. In it Sub-Mariner enlists the aid of The Hulk and The Silver Surfer to stop a weather control experiment happening in the midst of civil war on a small island nation. The Avengers get involved in the second issue and there is a battle between the two teams. These stories are decent enough and paved the way for the first true appearance of the Defenders later that year. The second issue where the Avengers battle the Defenders (not called that just yet) is the real draw here.

The Defenders officially made their debut later that same year in three issues of Marvel Premiere. The Silver Surfer makes a cameo here and was originally supposed to be part of the team, but Stan Lee didn't want him included in any comic he didn't have absolute control of, so he was eventually replaced by Doctor Strange. The first two issues are pretty good, but the third about a furry alien who wants to steal Earth's kids via a TV show was pretty trite.

A year later The Defenders finally got their own comic going with Strange, Hulk, and Namor as the core members of their "non-team" (frequently during these issues it's made very clear they aren't a team) and will have members join and leave throughout it's run. The first six issues collected here are a decent blend of Doctor Strange psychedelic weirdness and that unique campy Marvel action. In issue four we are introduced to Valkyrie who will become the fourth core member of the team. I like the idea of the Defenders, but I'm not a huge fan of the Sub-Mariner and his presence in these comics is kind of grating to me sometimes as he is very negative and very bland as a character.

Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart are the two writers you'll be reading in this collection, their work is excellent here. Steve tried to keep some of the classic trippy Doctor Strange tone that Roy was famous for while putting his own stamp on things. Sal Buscema's art (he did the majority of this collection with the exception of the three Marvel Premiere issues) is classic Marvel goodness, I especially love the use of color in these comics. It's the kind of quality you'd expect from Marvel in the early 70s.

I highly recommend this collection, it's so much fun and really their selection of characters for the team is just top notch (with the exception of Namor, but that's just a personal preference of mine). It's a nice alternative to The Avengers and a wonderful piece of nostalgia. Great reading!

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 'classic' Defenders line-up always feels like it was the result of some internal Marvel bet - ten bucks says you can't put these four cantankerous sods together in ways that make sense! And yes, basically, you can't. It feels like a chunk of story space has to be spent every time on contriving to get the band together. Like Marvel's later Champions book, Defenders is a comic which has no reason to exist and which spends a puzzling amount of time emphasising the fact.

That's the bad element. The good side is that after a few try-out issues by Roy Thomas, Marvel put Steve Englehart onto the book - only his second regular Marvel gig - and Englehart rapidly gets stuck into the freaky mystical stuff which would become his Marvel stock-in-trade. He also quickly realises the book needs some exclusively Defenders characters to stop it becoming absurdly repetitive, and brings in Valkyrie, the comic's signature hero from the get-go.

Valkyrie's Stockholm-syndrome-demon-sex origins have not aged well, and like a lot of 70s Marvel women she suffers from being a comics dude's idea of a feminist, but having introduced the caricature Englehart starts to row it back at once, and even with it she's easily the most interesting thing about the comic. Part of that is her willingness to just behead stuff rather than let it rant at her - there's a couple of panels which make me think the Comics Code was already rapidly loosening.

By the final issue here Valkyrie is settled in, so is Stainless Steve, and this volume saves its best story until last - a nice done-in-one about a schmuck of a rival magician to Dr Strange who takes possession of some 'unusually strong Jamaican incense' which lets his dreams manifest as reality. By this point there's a steady artist too - the indefatigable Sal Buscema, whose solid storytelling makes the going far easier. He doesn't have the psychedelic touch needed to be a great Dr Strange artist - his demonic entities manifest as lovable chonksters - but his punching game is strong, and with the Hulk, Namor and Valkyrie in tow that probably counts for more.

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects Issues 34 and 35 of Sub-mariner, Marvel Feature 1-3 1-3, and Defenders 1-6 and introduces Marvel’s novel non-team of Superheroes. The Sub-mariner story is kind of a backdoor pilot that sees Namor recuring the Silver Surfer and the Hulk to save humanity from an ill-advised experiment. Then the Marvel Feature stories are more full-blown that has Doctor Strange calling for aide fro m Sub-mariner and the Hulk. Those three issues ended on a note that could have wrapped up the Defenders, but instead we got the full series which stars Strange, Namor, and the Incredile Hulk, but also an occasional from the Silver Surfer. The most important issue in this book may be Issue 4 which introduced Valkyrie who joined the Defenders as much as anyone can.

Of course, the Defenders is a non-team, and I didn’t fully grasp what that actually meant until reading the book. They have no secret headquarters and communicators. If one of them runs into a crisis they can’t handle, they call on as many of the others as they can. The book features a combustive mixture of personalities that makes the 1977 Yankees look tame by comparison with Namor being the second most level-headed member of the group. The Defenders are so entertaining and fun to read together that it makes the book worth reading. The art is well-done and manages to give the team a lot to do. You get to see some of the most combustible characters in the Marvel Universe let loose in glorious four colors.

Probably the worst thing to say about the book is that the villains are obscure, and I think that’s almost inherent with the format. Though one villain they face twice almost destroys the world, so it’s not the villains are weak, so much as they are little known.

Overall, I enjoyed this and will definitely check out Volume 2.

[Silas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough one. For the most part, it is some solid comics from an earlier era, but that comes with both good and bad sides. The good comes in classic stories, with a lot more writing and wider-ranging stories than modern comics, but it also comes with casual cruelty and in at least one instance in this book, racism, as well as repetitive elements like Doctor Strange being a jerk to the Hulk and nobody wanting to be a team. There is quite a bit of text here, and foreshadowing of later stories, even though these stories range widely. For the most part, I found this enjoyable, and it brought together an interesting assemblage of characters from an era where a lot of what made characters special was that they were very strong. Still, there is enough variety to make it interesting, and it does touch on some of the weirdness of '70s Marvel, which I really appreciate. I expect further adventures will prove even more interesting, since Valkyrie and the Black Knight showed up near the end of this book, so the characters on this team are from all over the map, which I tend to enjoy in a comic book team. Do know going into this that it will be a longer read, and there will be some elements that would not show up in modern comics because social norms have changed quite a bit, but if you can live with that, there are some fun stories here.

[L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible, terrible writing. Everyone spoke in Grandiose. The adventures weren't very interesting.

The Defenders are made up of second string Avengers, mainly The Hulk, Namor the Sub Mariner, and Doctor Strange, with the Silver Surfer dropping in once in awhile. None of these heroes have any real reason to be teaming up. They're always going on about, "We need the Hulk for this mission!", yet when they do manage to talk him into working with them, they're mean and insulting and looking down their noses at him. No wonder the big guy doesn't like people. I don't blame you, Hulk.

There are very few female characters in this collection. When a woman finally does ask to be in the Defenders the boys are like, "We don't really need you even though you just saved our lives and we haven't bothered to thank you for it. No girls allowed!" Myself, I thought the story didn't pick up until Valkyrie was introduced.

I would recommend you skip this forgettable franchise.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading so many comics where Hulk is alone, misunderstood, and betrayed, it is such a joy and a relief to read a story where he has people who consistently trust him and appreciate his contributions.

Of course, the Defenders don't always get along, that's one of the joys of the series. These 4 strong headed, big personalities continue to clash with one another even as they save the world. Tempers run hot, but it's balanced by a sense of loyalty, creating one of the most entertaining dynamics I've read in comics so far.

[Lee Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed The Defenders first time round so i thought I'd find out what they were about, after all a team with Silver Surfer, Dr Strange and Hulk has got to be interesting. And they most certainly are, it's great to see Hulk in a team as he's such a solo kind of hero and he doesn't play well with others, the constant clashes with Strange and Namor are highly entertaining.

The artwork and storytelling in these early issues are top class.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Defenders, Marvel's famous "not a team" team. Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Namor teaming up to take on various powerful threats while not formally being a team. They're together out of necessity more than anything, and have their own person problems with each other that make the team-ups questionable. Still, it's pretty fun. Towards the end Valkyrie is introduced (and Silver Surfer takes a bigger role) and it starts shaping up into interesting.

[LordSlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book showcasing the origin and early adventures of The Defenders. The whole volume is quite good, but for my tastes, the issues written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Sal Buscema are really top-notch. Lots of mystical weirdness, lots of good fun.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes these books seem to have lost their charm but not this one. I always loved this non-team team [even though I felt Dr. Strange has slipped back into his arrogant surgeon persona whenever he spoke to or about the Hulk].

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

A non team?

Good color artwork. The creation of the Defenders. A random collection of powerful heros who deal with a threat and then go their separate ways. Hulk, Dr strange, Namor, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie. Wong , Clea, Namorita and Black Knight play bit parts.

[JW David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sub-Mariner Nos. 34-35, Marvel Features Nos. 1-3 & The Defenders Nos. 1-6