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Essential Defenders #2
Essential Defenders, Vol. 2
There's nothing the non-team can't handle when mutants, gods, demons and miscreants of the 1950s all get their crack at the sensational super heroes of the seventies With Luke Cage The Guardians of the Galaxy The Son of Satan vs. the Sons of the Serpent Brain transplants, foreign intrigue and the tumultuous terror of Tapping Tommy Daredevil, Yellowjacket, Bambi And introducing... an Elf ? Featuring the first appearance of the ever-reliable Wrecking Crew Collects Defenders #15-30, Giant-Size Defenders #1-5, Marvel Team-Up #33-35, Marvel Treasury Edition #12, and Marvel Two-in-One #6-7
616 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 1976
2 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Len Wein
944 books154 followersLen Wein was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men (including the co-creation of Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen.
Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 29, 2022
Steve Gerber definitely improves the story quality and introduces the likes of Ruby Thursday, The Headmen, Michael Korvac, Red Guardian II and Starhawk, as well as seeing Luke Cage and Red Guardian II join the non-team. In addition Len Wein debuted the Wrecking Crew! 5 out of 12
Marvel legend, Steve Gerber, back in the day:
I read the comic books collected in this volume, The Defenders #15-41, Giant Sized Defenders #3-5 and King Sized Annual #1.
2017 read
Marvel legend, Steve Gerber, back in the day:
I read the comic books collected in this volume, The Defenders #15-41, Giant Sized Defenders #3-5 and King Sized Annual #1.
2017 read
June 13, 2025
The Defenders have always had a special place in my heart. I'm not sure why. But some of the oldest comic books in my collection, purchased from the spinner rack at the local drugstore when I was in elementary school, are reprinted in this volume–specifically a coverless copy of Marvel Two-In-One #7, Marvel Team-Up #33, and Defenders #24, 25, and 26. How kindergarten Stewart managed to buy three consecutive issues of the same title is a mystery to me. I was a pretty random buyer in those days.
Anyway, my point is that clearly I was drawn to these characters. Steve Gerber was a wonderfully quirky writer who really gave the book a distinct identity. That story with the harmonica? I mean, who else would have written that? And, while he may not have created the Sons of the Serpent or the Guardians of the Galaxy, he wrote versions of them that, to my young mind, were definitive. It's almost alarming how relevant the former seem to be in recent years.
Of course they aren't all gems. Defenders #30 is the very definition of a filler issue. It tries for a light, zany tone, but fails miserably. Just … they tried. Let's leave it at that. The book finishes up with a lovely Gerber-written sequence from the Howard the Duck Treasury Edition of all places.
I really love the Marvel Essential editions. Sure, there's no color, and the paper is cheap. But it's so satisfying to read huge chunks of classic continuity without having to wrangle with bags and tape and backing boards and whatnot.
Anyway, my point is that clearly I was drawn to these characters. Steve Gerber was a wonderfully quirky writer who really gave the book a distinct identity. That story with the harmonica? I mean, who else would have written that? And, while he may not have created the Sons of the Serpent or the Guardians of the Galaxy, he wrote versions of them that, to my young mind, were definitive. It's almost alarming how relevant the former seem to be in recent years.
Of course they aren't all gems. Defenders #30 is the very definition of a filler issue. It tries for a light, zany tone, but fails miserably. Just … they tried. Let's leave it at that. The book finishes up with a lovely Gerber-written sequence from the Howard the Duck Treasury Edition of all places.
I really love the Marvel Essential editions. Sure, there's no color, and the paper is cheap. But it's so satisfying to read huge chunks of classic continuity without having to wrangle with bags and tape and backing boards and whatnot.
March 6, 2024
Volume 2 is a mixed bag of Defenders issues 15-30, the first 4 giant size issues, other Bronze Age issues featuring members and a rather quirky Howard the Duck/Defenders mash-up from a Treasury mag.
The highlights were issues 26-29 with the original Guardians of the Galaxy and our non-team in the far flung future battling the scaly Badoon race.
The highlights were issues 26-29 with the original Guardians of the Galaxy and our non-team in the far flung future battling the scaly Badoon race.
September 14, 2008
First...a disclaimer. I gave this book an extra star simply from nostalgia. If I look at the rating system as how much I enjoyed the book, rather than the book's overall quality, then it was simply unavoidable to give that extra star. C'mon, the Defenders team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight the friggin' Badoon! Awesome! I'm twelve again!
And the Guardians of the Galaxy are precisely why I was reading this material. I'm writing a sequence with them in Age of Sentry # 5, upcoming from Marvel, and needed a little refresher course. What a strange group they were.
Steve Gerber authored many of the stories in this collection, and while he wasn't yet exactly at his best, his playful side did begin to emerge, and the growth of an engaging oddball writer is apparent. All in all, not a brilliant work, but sooooo much better than most comics of the time period, that it's hard to knock it very hard.
And the Guardians of the Galaxy are precisely why I was reading this material. I'm writing a sequence with them in Age of Sentry # 5, upcoming from Marvel, and needed a little refresher course. What a strange group they were.
Steve Gerber authored many of the stories in this collection, and while he wasn't yet exactly at his best, his playful side did begin to emerge, and the growth of an engaging oddball writer is apparent. All in all, not a brilliant work, but sooooo much better than most comics of the time period, that it's hard to knock it very hard.
December 25, 2007
Really really low grade 1970s Marvel. Nearly unreadable. The art (in most parts) makes it viewable, at least. This is probably Steve Gerber at his nadir (Howard the Duck is his apex).
February 4, 2019
The Defenders really finds its stride here with Len Wein scripting and Sal Buscema art. Nighthawk, Dr. Strange, Valkyrie, the Hulk, and various guest stars face-off against the racist Sons of the Serpent, with a nice double twist at the end. Then they team with Guardians of the Galaxy against a race who will invade Earth in the future.
They throw in a couple of goofy tales at the end, one of which features the infamous Howard the Duck. If you are in the right mind frame they are pretty entertaining.
Overall, lots of fun.
They throw in a couple of goofy tales at the end, one of which features the infamous Howard the Duck. If you are in the right mind frame they are pretty entertaining.
Overall, lots of fun.
May 25, 2020
Sure the stories are a little dated and a little crazy, but there's some great writing and art here and some serious issues such as class & race divisions are addressed along the way.
January 13, 2025
I’m nostalgic about comics from my youth, but the Defenders just aren’t that great, even through rose-tinted glasses. Two stars is generous…
November 6, 2011
Better than the first volume, but again not recommended for people who are not already fans of the genre.
Most of the stories are by Len Wein or Steve Gerber (who appears to take over when Wein moves up to editorial, but follows through on plots laid out by Wein). Exceptions are a throw away story by Tony Isabella with gorgeous art by Jim Starlin (a framing sequence for several reprints followed by a short conflict derived from those reprints), a few Marvel Team-up stories by Gerry Conway, and a truly weird, awful story by Bill Mantlo (confession--with the exception of Micronauts, I don't much care for Mantlo's stories).
Most of the art is by Sal Buscema, whom I'm not a particular fan of, though a couple of stories feature unusual inks over Buscema by Bill Everett or Klaus Janson, which gives Buscema a bit more interest. Other artists include the aforementioned Jim Starlin, Don Heck, and Gil Kane.
The Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner are mostly gone by this volume, and the core of the group is established as Dr. Strange, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, and the Hulk. Daredevil, Luke Cage, Yellowjacket, and Damian Hellstrom feature in several stories as accomplices, and the Thing, Spider-Man, and Human Torch each team-up with a solo Defender or two in the Two-In-One and Team-Up stories reprinted herein that lead into stories in the regular title.
While there are several mediocre stories in this volume (and, as noted, the truly awful Mantlo fill in), there are also several bright spots. Wein, Conway, and Gerber weave an odd, complicated back story for Val that provides a nice springboard for future plots and makes her characterization interesting. An extended story pits the Defenders against the Sons of the Serpent, a white supremacy group, which is both an unusual topic to tackle in super-hero comics, and managed to have a double twist ending that actually caught me off-guard. An unusual story has an old Ant-Man villain attacking his niece, who aided Ant-Man against him in the past, injuring her and Nighthawk, whom she was dating. The Defenders misinterpret the attack as being directed at Nighthawk, and immediately head out to confront Nighthawk's previous teammates, the villainous Squadron Supreme. And an extended story near the end of the volume teams the Defenders and the Guardians of the Galaxy, providing several unexpected bonuses for this reader--a nice summary of Marvel's "future history" as laid out in the '70s, showing how the features Deathlok, Killraven, and Guardians of the Galaxy lined up (and probably one or two others I didn't recognize. Also jarring was seeing global warming (though not under that name) play a role in that history, as well as seeing a reference to the planet's population as "three billion". Have we really doubled the Earth's population in just 35 years? One last shining moment--the introduction of the head men. Gerber's Defenders were definitely unlike any other team book around at the time, and were probably unrivaled at strangeness till Grant Morrison got his hands on the Doom Patrol.
Most of the stories are by Len Wein or Steve Gerber (who appears to take over when Wein moves up to editorial, but follows through on plots laid out by Wein). Exceptions are a throw away story by Tony Isabella with gorgeous art by Jim Starlin (a framing sequence for several reprints followed by a short conflict derived from those reprints), a few Marvel Team-up stories by Gerry Conway, and a truly weird, awful story by Bill Mantlo (confession--with the exception of Micronauts, I don't much care for Mantlo's stories).
Most of the art is by Sal Buscema, whom I'm not a particular fan of, though a couple of stories feature unusual inks over Buscema by Bill Everett or Klaus Janson, which gives Buscema a bit more interest. Other artists include the aforementioned Jim Starlin, Don Heck, and Gil Kane.
The Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner are mostly gone by this volume, and the core of the group is established as Dr. Strange, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, and the Hulk. Daredevil, Luke Cage, Yellowjacket, and Damian Hellstrom feature in several stories as accomplices, and the Thing, Spider-Man, and Human Torch each team-up with a solo Defender or two in the Two-In-One and Team-Up stories reprinted herein that lead into stories in the regular title.
While there are several mediocre stories in this volume (and, as noted, the truly awful Mantlo fill in), there are also several bright spots. Wein, Conway, and Gerber weave an odd, complicated back story for Val that provides a nice springboard for future plots and makes her characterization interesting. An extended story pits the Defenders against the Sons of the Serpent, a white supremacy group, which is both an unusual topic to tackle in super-hero comics, and managed to have a double twist ending that actually caught me off-guard. An unusual story has an old Ant-Man villain attacking his niece, who aided Ant-Man against him in the past, injuring her and Nighthawk, whom she was dating. The Defenders misinterpret the attack as being directed at Nighthawk, and immediately head out to confront Nighthawk's previous teammates, the villainous Squadron Supreme. And an extended story near the end of the volume teams the Defenders and the Guardians of the Galaxy, providing several unexpected bonuses for this reader--a nice summary of Marvel's "future history" as laid out in the '70s, showing how the features Deathlok, Killraven, and Guardians of the Galaxy lined up (and probably one or two others I didn't recognize. Also jarring was seeing global warming (though not under that name) play a role in that history, as well as seeing a reference to the planet's population as "three billion". Have we really doubled the Earth's population in just 35 years? One last shining moment--the introduction of the head men. Gerber's Defenders were definitely unlike any other team book around at the time, and were probably unrivaled at strangeness till Grant Morrison got his hands on the Doom Patrol.
June 7, 2014
Pretty similar to the Avengers of the similar early-mid 70s era, well known heroes (in this case, Dr. Strange, Hulk, and people introduced in the Defenders magazine like Valkyrie and Nighthawk) beating up large groups of supervillains over and over again. What makes this book so much better is the writing, in particular Steve Gerber.
While not all the stories can have the brilliantly eccentric nature of the included issue of "Marvel Treasury", where the Defenders meet Howard the Duck and a bunch of Gerber "parody heroes" (the fat Brunhilda character and the guy whose power is to suck people into a void in his chest were among the genius), Gerber is always good at riding the line between Superheroes and social commentary (the racism of the Serpent Squad, the nostalgic vendetta of Tapping Tommy, the gritty criminals of the Wrecking Crew), and the more or less arbitrary and inevitable danger of techology/mysticism (Enchantress and her hold over Valkyrie, the magic crowbar of the Wrecker, the apocalyptic warning from the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Defenders getting caught in a game of intergalactic battle chess, etc.)
While I wouldn't say that Steve Gerber writes comics that make people think, he is able to challenge the clear notions of right vs. wrong and the lack of imagination that most comic book scribes felt limited by in this era.
The art was really good too. Jim Starlin only got to work on a couple of issues, but his game of intergalactic battle chess was able to mix his personal tendencies for irrational magic and transgalactic scale with Gerber's own sense for irrational behavior and what amounts to a fetish for threatening characters with death or serious maiming. And Sal Buscema is not the greatest artist of all time, but his characters have a crispness to them that makes the action feel exciting.
The Defenders are a must read for any Marvel fan (at least Silver age fan). They are second only to the Avengers in terms of raw excitement, and may be close to being the most emotionally engaging of the main superhero mags. A couple of main challengers to the title, Incredible Hulk and Dr. Strange, represent themselves well here.
While not all the stories can have the brilliantly eccentric nature of the included issue of "Marvel Treasury", where the Defenders meet Howard the Duck and a bunch of Gerber "parody heroes" (the fat Brunhilda character and the guy whose power is to suck people into a void in his chest were among the genius), Gerber is always good at riding the line between Superheroes and social commentary (the racism of the Serpent Squad, the nostalgic vendetta of Tapping Tommy, the gritty criminals of the Wrecking Crew), and the more or less arbitrary and inevitable danger of techology/mysticism (Enchantress and her hold over Valkyrie, the magic crowbar of the Wrecker, the apocalyptic warning from the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Defenders getting caught in a game of intergalactic battle chess, etc.)
While I wouldn't say that Steve Gerber writes comics that make people think, he is able to challenge the clear notions of right vs. wrong and the lack of imagination that most comic book scribes felt limited by in this era.
The art was really good too. Jim Starlin only got to work on a couple of issues, but his game of intergalactic battle chess was able to mix his personal tendencies for irrational magic and transgalactic scale with Gerber's own sense for irrational behavior and what amounts to a fetish for threatening characters with death or serious maiming. And Sal Buscema is not the greatest artist of all time, but his characters have a crispness to them that makes the action feel exciting.
The Defenders are a must read for any Marvel fan (at least Silver age fan). They are second only to the Avengers in terms of raw excitement, and may be close to being the most emotionally engaging of the main superhero mags. A couple of main challengers to the title, Incredible Hulk and Dr. Strange, represent themselves well here.
April 24, 2016
This second Essential Defenders volume collects #15–30, Giant-Size Defenders #1–5 (yes, that despite what the front cover states, #5 is included in this volume), Marvel Two-in-One #6–7, Marvel Team-Up #33–35 and Marvel Treasury Edition #12. The material is primarily written by Steve Gerber and Len Wein, whereas Sal Buscema is the most recurrent name among the artists represented.
For the most part of this volume, the Defenders (Marvel's primary non-team) consists of a core group of heroes: Doctor Strange, Valkyrie and Nighthawk with a very frequent contribution from the incredible Hulk. Apart from these, the team also hosts a variety guest Defenders (as it were): Daimon Hellstrom, Luke Cage a.k.a. Power Man, the Thing, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Daredevil, Yellowjacket, Spider-Man, the Human Torch, Guardians of the Galaxy and, last but not least, even Howard the Duck. Together, in different constellations they fight Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (and the mutate Alpha), the Wrecker and his Wrecking Crew, the Enchantress and the Executioner, the Grandmaster, Korvac, Squadron Sinister, the Meteor Man, Jeremiah, the racist organisation known as the Sons of the Serpent, the future alien conquerors of Earth – The Brotherhood of Badoon, the gangster Tapping Tommy, and last, in the most weird tale in the volume, Sitting Bullseye, Tillie the Hun, the Spanker and Black Hole, united by Dr. Angst.
All in all, a very enjoyable read, full of all the things that make the Defenders a very fun (non-)team to begin with.
For the most part of this volume, the Defenders (Marvel's primary non-team) consists of a core group of heroes: Doctor Strange, Valkyrie and Nighthawk with a very frequent contribution from the incredible Hulk. Apart from these, the team also hosts a variety guest Defenders (as it were): Daimon Hellstrom, Luke Cage a.k.a. Power Man, the Thing, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Daredevil, Yellowjacket, Spider-Man, the Human Torch, Guardians of the Galaxy and, last but not least, even Howard the Duck. Together, in different constellations they fight Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (and the mutate Alpha), the Wrecker and his Wrecking Crew, the Enchantress and the Executioner, the Grandmaster, Korvac, Squadron Sinister, the Meteor Man, Jeremiah, the racist organisation known as the Sons of the Serpent, the future alien conquerors of Earth – The Brotherhood of Badoon, the gangster Tapping Tommy, and last, in the most weird tale in the volume, Sitting Bullseye, Tillie the Hun, the Spanker and Black Hole, united by Dr. Angst.
All in all, a very enjoyable read, full of all the things that make the Defenders a very fun (non-)team to begin with.
March 5, 2013
Unterhaltsam, aber nichts besonderes
Die Defenders sind eine lose Gruppe von Superhelden, die sich mehr oder weniger freiwillig treffen, um das Böse zu bekämpfen, sozusagen Anti-Avengers (mit ihrem Clubheim, Clubregeln und Kleingärtnergehabe). Eine interessante Mischung aus Kraft und Geist trifft hier zusammen, und das Zusammenspiel zwischen Dr Strange und dem Hulk (der hier in seiner dümmsten Form auftritt) ist schon köstlich zu betrachten. Leider tritt der Submariner praktisch nicht mehr auf in diesem Band, und der m.E. schon sehr uninteressante Batman-Abklatsch Nighthawk nimmt seine Stelle ein, die Valkyrie darf zu Beginn des Bandes ihre Identitätskrise nochmal richtig fett ausleben. Dr Strange wirkt über große Teile des Buches wie ein Vater für die anderen Team-Mitglieder (er erinnert doch teilweise zu arg an Professor Xavier von den X-Men), er hält das Team zusammen und davon ab, sich gegenseitig umzubringen.
Der Hauptteil der Zeichnungen stammt von Sal Buscema, den ich als Spider-Man und Thing-Zeichner sehr schätze; leider ist sein Hulk doch eher zweitklassig, was durch das Skript noch weiter unterstützt wird.
Insgesamt eine nette Lektüre für Zwischendurch, leider aber weder zeichnerisch noch vom Skript her so gut wie der erste Band der Defenders.
Die Defenders sind eine lose Gruppe von Superhelden, die sich mehr oder weniger freiwillig treffen, um das Böse zu bekämpfen, sozusagen Anti-Avengers (mit ihrem Clubheim, Clubregeln und Kleingärtnergehabe). Eine interessante Mischung aus Kraft und Geist trifft hier zusammen, und das Zusammenspiel zwischen Dr Strange und dem Hulk (der hier in seiner dümmsten Form auftritt) ist schon köstlich zu betrachten. Leider tritt der Submariner praktisch nicht mehr auf in diesem Band, und der m.E. schon sehr uninteressante Batman-Abklatsch Nighthawk nimmt seine Stelle ein, die Valkyrie darf zu Beginn des Bandes ihre Identitätskrise nochmal richtig fett ausleben. Dr Strange wirkt über große Teile des Buches wie ein Vater für die anderen Team-Mitglieder (er erinnert doch teilweise zu arg an Professor Xavier von den X-Men), er hält das Team zusammen und davon ab, sich gegenseitig umzubringen.
Der Hauptteil der Zeichnungen stammt von Sal Buscema, den ich als Spider-Man und Thing-Zeichner sehr schätze; leider ist sein Hulk doch eher zweitklassig, was durch das Skript noch weiter unterstützt wird.
Insgesamt eine nette Lektüre für Zwischendurch, leider aber weder zeichnerisch noch vom Skript her so gut wie der erste Band der Defenders.
October 27, 2008
I love the Defenders. Marvel tried to repeat the success of the Avengers, by creating a team made up of some of their most anti-social characters they owned, and then padded it out with some second string heroes and a couple characters they didn't seem to know what to do with.
They hang out on the fringes of the marvel universe and fight some of the most bizarre bad guys marvel ever produced.
Plus, the Hulk is on the team, but he never seems to turn back into Bruce Banner. So, he's the Hulk for weeks at a time and is hanging out in the middle of New York.
It's all wonderfully surreal and goofy with the odd bit of 70's social activism thrown in and some great art.
They hang out on the fringes of the marvel universe and fight some of the most bizarre bad guys marvel ever produced.
Plus, the Hulk is on the team, but he never seems to turn back into Bruce Banner. So, he's the Hulk for weeks at a time and is hanging out in the middle of New York.
It's all wonderfully surreal and goofy with the odd bit of 70's social activism thrown in and some great art.
July 29, 2013
The Defenders aren't as well known a superhero team as the Avengers or X-Men, but there were some great stories here. They handled big religious issues with Dr. Strange, Daimon Hellstrom (Son of Satan), and Patsy Walker (Hellcat). Features good early work from J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, and David Anthony Kraft.
December 26, 2014
If you want to see how times have changed and also want to be entertained by excellent story telling then this is for you.
February 12, 2016
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
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews