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Defenders by Al Ewing #2
Defenders: Beyond
Acclaimed creators Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez follow up their mind-bending first DEFENDERS arc with a brand-new saga — and an all-new lineup, including everyone’s favorite trickster: Loki, God of Stories! When the dearly departed Doctor Strange sends a dire warning from beyond the grave, America Chavez, the Blue Marvel, Tigra and Loki assemble alongside Taaia — mother of Galactus — to defend reality itself!
COLLECTING: Defenders: Beyond (2022) 1-5
COLLECTING: Defenders: Beyond (2022) 1-5
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 26, 2022
This book may be the most meta and wild marvel cosmic story that I have ever read. While being incredibly fun throughout, not everything worked for me. Ultimately, the parts that didnt work were still fun 8/10
March 14, 2023
Great art but a muddled trippy story that mashes together bits of continuity but doesn't feel like it is "about" anything. Weird stuff just happens for a hundred pages then it ends.
Read
December 1, 2022A pretty loose sequel in some respects, with Doctor Strange's death meaning it's left to a magical legacy AI he set up to assemble a new iteration of the non-team. But the creative team remains the same, and that's the important thing, meaning we get another smart, gorgeous and deeply meta dig through the structure and assumptions of the Marvel Universe. Not to mention its Distinguished Competition:
'And what the – when your new timeline doesn't "make the grade"?! "Reboot after reboot," you said!! And each sooner than the last – always hunting for the "perfect fix" – until not even we know if we're the "true story" – or your latest "Maybe-verse"!!!'*
Basing the team's journey around the Tree of Life also means inevitable comparisons with Promethea, which would leave most comics looking sheepish, but not this one, operating on a scale which these days only Ewing can reliably bring to comics. Sure, it's not without its flaws: while it's great to see Al writing America Chavez again, sadly this does incorporate America's nerfed powers and boring new origin from her last, terrible solo series, which I was hoping everyone else would politely ignore. More generally, it was never going to be able wholly to replicate the shock of the new from the first miniseries, but we still get insanely high-level cosmic adventure and much balls to the wall talk of "going beyond the Beyond", so I'm not complaining too much. Here's hoping many further outings in the same vein will follow, and if not, well, this is as close as I think we'll get to finding out what would happen if Marvel characters read All Of The Marvels.
*Please don't mind the frankly painful punctuation in that – the character speaking, who incidentally is Galactus' mum, always gets dialogue written to recall the awfulness of sixties Marvel prose. So this is in fact really smart, and not utterly stupid like you thought, aaaaaah.
'And what the – when your new timeline doesn't "make the grade"?! "Reboot after reboot," you said!! And each sooner than the last – always hunting for the "perfect fix" – until not even we know if we're the "true story" – or your latest "Maybe-verse"!!!'*
Basing the team's journey around the Tree of Life also means inevitable comparisons with Promethea, which would leave most comics looking sheepish, but not this one, operating on a scale which these days only Ewing can reliably bring to comics. Sure, it's not without its flaws: while it's great to see Al writing America Chavez again, sadly this does incorporate America's nerfed powers and boring new origin from her last, terrible solo series, which I was hoping everyone else would politely ignore. More generally, it was never going to be able wholly to replicate the shock of the new from the first miniseries, but we still get insanely high-level cosmic adventure and much balls to the wall talk of "going beyond the Beyond", so I'm not complaining too much. Here's hoping many further outings in the same vein will follow, and if not, well, this is as close as I think we'll get to finding out what would happen if Marvel characters read All Of The Marvels.
*Please don't mind the frankly painful punctuation in that – the character speaking, who incidentally is Galactus' mum, always gets dialogue written to recall the awfulness of sixties Marvel prose. So this is in fact really smart, and not utterly stupid like you thought, aaaaaah.
March 23, 2024
A weird romp through the cosmos. Fantastic art, some really cool story moments, tho I also spent a fair amount of time confused.
For Beyonder fans, this presents them in their most Beyonder selves since SW2, small appliances and all. I look forward to what’s next for them in Avengers beyond.
For Beyonder fans, this presents them in their most Beyonder selves since SW2, small appliances and all. I look forward to what’s next for them in Avengers beyond.
January 12, 2023
If you made it through 'Defenders: There Are No Rules', this is more of the same.
At its best, it's a cosmic story dealing with metaphysical concepts and archetypes. Hitting its worst, it's a confusing cluster F**K that you have to have massive amounts of comic knowledge to make it through.
Here's the list of issues needed to get the backstory:
Just a little light reading. Heh.
Bonus: What team has Blue Marvel been on that hasn't been a part of cosmic disaster recovery?
Bonus Bonus: The Eternity Mask is still a crazy plot device (super cheat)
At its best, it's a cosmic story dealing with metaphysical concepts and archetypes. Hitting its worst, it's a confusing cluster F**K that you have to have massive amounts of comic knowledge to make it through.
Here's the list of issues needed to get the backstory:
Just a little light reading. Heh.
Bonus: What team has Blue Marvel been on that hasn't been a part of cosmic disaster recovery?
Bonus Bonus: The Eternity Mask is still a crazy plot device (super cheat)
November 27, 2023
Just as bonkers as Ewing/Rodriguez's first Defenders tour of the Marvel cosmos, only this time with Agent of Asgard Loki and a new band of "Defenders." Also, I really don't think there's a plot here. Strange's last spell before he died reaches out to Blue Marvel, who is anointed a "Defender" and tasked with...saving Eternity?
It's eminently unclear. Our heroes are cast between cosmoses/universes/multiverses/planes like skipping stones. Each issue features a fun throwback to another cosmic entity. Everyone speaks in high-falutin' terms about love and knowledge and what really is, man. There's a page in the back noting where in Marvel all of Ewing's easter eggs come from - that's kind of a sign that the actual plot got second billing here.
Rodriguez's art is still fantastic, and despite being nonsensical, Defenders: Beyond is a generally fun read. Certainly pick this up if you liked the previous Defenders volume - it's more of the same.
It's eminently unclear. Our heroes are cast between cosmoses/universes/multiverses/planes like skipping stones. Each issue features a fun throwback to another cosmic entity. Everyone speaks in high-falutin' terms about love and knowledge and what really is, man. There's a page in the back noting where in Marvel all of Ewing's easter eggs come from - that's kind of a sign that the actual plot got second billing here.
Rodriguez's art is still fantastic, and despite being nonsensical, Defenders: Beyond is a generally fun read. Certainly pick this up if you liked the previous Defenders volume - it's more of the same.
July 10, 2023
Gostei muito da primeira minissérie dos Defensores desenvolvida por Al Ewing e Javier Rodriguez. Diferentemente do que a Panini Comics Brasil está vendendo, essa não é bem uma continuação da primeira minissérie. Ela pode ser lida muito bem sem que se tenha lido a outra. E, embora eu ache que a primeira minissérie desenvolvida pela dupla criativa seja melhor e mais redondinha que a segunda, Além (Beyond) também tem os seus méritos. Um deles é trazer de volta o polêmico personagem Beyonder, de Guerras Secretas II, que até hoje não foi republicada no Brasil. Aliás, Dona Panini, pensa em trazer essa saga de volta na íntegra e no formato original pra nóiz! De toda forma, essa minissérie é legal, divertida e quem gosta daquelas minisséries do Jim Starlin e do lado existencial, cósmico e metafísico da Casa das Ideias provavelmente também vá adorar Defensores: Além.
November 25, 2025
Os Defensores não são uma equipe. Eles se reúnem quando existem ameaças grandes de mais ao universo. E aqui não é diferente. Mesmo morto, o Doutor Estranho reúne os membros dessa equipe improvável, para combater uma ameaça maior do que todas as outras: Beyonder e outras entidades perigosas e poderosas. Mas como esse inusitado grupo vai ficar depois dessa aventura? Esse gibi é lindo. O Javier Rodriguez tem um traço marcante e único. Ele faz toda a arte da edição, incluindo as cores, que são o ponto alto aqui. Esse gibi todo parece uma viagem de ácido, o que deixa tudo bem diferente. Não sou o maior fã do Al Ewing, e aqui ele não compromete. A história é viajandona e divertida.
April 23, 2025
El guión de la anterior historia no era gran cosa pero tenía un cierto sentido... superheroico. Aquí Ewing ya ni lo intenta y sólo abre las puertas a una serie de situaciones donde Javier Rodríguez pueda dar de sí gran parte de la creatividad que lleva dentro: en la composición de las viñetas, en la puesta en página, en el diseño de los personajes, en la aplicación del color... Desde este aspecto estético he disfrutado mucho de esta nueva historia de Los defensores donde apenas conocía a Tygra... y al Todopoderoso. Supongo que de ahí el nombre del arco.
November 24, 2022
The first installment of Ewing and Rodriquez’ road trip across time and space was one of my favorite Marvel books of the past decade — how could I not love an even more ambitious sequel?
January 3, 2023
Art is great. A fun metatextual story that is meta even for Ewing. Not as good as the predecessor but still enjoyable.
June 2, 2024
The previous Defenders project by Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez involved killing off the Sorcerer Supreme, leaving a void in the leadership role of the Defenders. But Strange left behind some artefacts in the care of Adam Brashear, the Blue Marvel. Along with Loki, Blue Marvel assembles a new team which includes America Chavez, Tigra and Taaia, the mother of Galactus. Together, this new team takes on another reality ending threat and save Eternity.
The story is pretty much in line with the oddities that accompanied There Are No Rules . Ewing's storytelling is grandiose and ambitious, reaching the heights of his Ultimates run whereby the concept of firmaments and celestial cycles first came forth. But it's also really about nothing, because nothing here really matters in the direction of contemporary Marvel comics. I respect Ewing's thrust towards steering the House of Ideas into a more ambitious, sci-fi space, but it's clear that when all he's given are these short miniseries to flesh this out that no one else seems to really care for these ideas. It's conceptual stuff with a fun cast of characters, but it also makes for an overly dry read. Sure the sporadic references to now classic comics are entertaining in bursts, but Ewing is definitely taking things too far given the long index of references included at the back of this trade.
A positive here is Rodríguez's art which continues to work within Ewing's ambitious scope, and the pages are simply bursting with color. It's a gorgeous comic to look at, even if most of the narrative is forgettable nonsense.
The story is pretty much in line with the oddities that accompanied There Are No Rules . Ewing's storytelling is grandiose and ambitious, reaching the heights of his Ultimates run whereby the concept of firmaments and celestial cycles first came forth. But it's also really about nothing, because nothing here really matters in the direction of contemporary Marvel comics. I respect Ewing's thrust towards steering the House of Ideas into a more ambitious, sci-fi space, but it's clear that when all he's given are these short miniseries to flesh this out that no one else seems to really care for these ideas. It's conceptual stuff with a fun cast of characters, but it also makes for an overly dry read. Sure the sporadic references to now classic comics are entertaining in bursts, but Ewing is definitely taking things too far given the long index of references included at the back of this trade.
A positive here is Rodríguez's art which continues to work within Ewing's ambitious scope, and the pages are simply bursting with color. It's a gorgeous comic to look at, even if most of the narrative is forgettable nonsense.
June 15, 2025
I saw another review saying Al Ewing's story "took a backseat" in this volume to Javier Rodriguez' gorgeous artwork. It's more like the story is bound and gagged in the trunk. It's more like we forgot the story at the last rest stop. It's more like we left the story behind at home and now the story needs to boobytrap the house to keep Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern from stealing the family jewels.
I digress...
Rodriguez really is one of the finest talents in the industry right now. He composes these beautiful layouts and fills them full of lavish detail. Ewing cuts him loose and lets him realize-- get this-- the central column of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, with each issue representing a stop at Malkuth, Yesod, Tiphareth, Da'at, and Keter, respectively. As for Ewing, he picks up a couple of his favorite characters from his last decade or so at Marvel and ties up their loose plot threads: the Blue Marvel, Taaia, America Chavez, and-- this is super important!-- sexy young adult Loki from Agent of Asgard. But as one book closes, another opens, and within these same pages Ewing tees up his run on Thor as well the X-Men's Fall of X slate.
Really far out. The plot is not the most accessible for newcomers but I guarantee that anybody can enjoy the artwork. Keep a close eye on Loki in the first issue. Is it just me or did Taaia do their makeup while they were hanging out in the Sixth Cosmos?
I digress...
Rodriguez really is one of the finest talents in the industry right now. He composes these beautiful layouts and fills them full of lavish detail. Ewing cuts him loose and lets him realize-- get this-- the central column of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, with each issue representing a stop at Malkuth, Yesod, Tiphareth, Da'at, and Keter, respectively. As for Ewing, he picks up a couple of his favorite characters from his last decade or so at Marvel and ties up their loose plot threads: the Blue Marvel, Taaia, America Chavez, and-- this is super important!-- sexy young adult Loki from Agent of Asgard. But as one book closes, another opens, and within these same pages Ewing tees up his run on Thor as well the X-Men's Fall of X slate.
Really far out. The plot is not the most accessible for newcomers but I guarantee that anybody can enjoy the artwork. Keep a close eye on Loki in the first issue. Is it just me or did Taaia do their makeup while they were hanging out in the Sixth Cosmos?
May 19, 2023
The thing I love about Al Ewing is how his writing and his characters and his set pieces cause the cylinders in my brain to ignite. Javier Rodriguez is a match made in heaven for these kinds of stories where the Defenders travel behind the scenes of the universe and examine the parts that keep reality chugging along.
Blue Marvel is forced to lead this new iteration of the Defenders on a mission all the way to the House of Ideas while the Loki of the Seventh Cosmos struggles with the future of their identity after the Incursion of Earth-616 and 1610 left them a cosmic castaway (there’s a good little Titan AE joke right there), completely and literally disconnected from who they became when the universe reset. Taaia struggles with the truth of what her son will become in the Eighth Cosmos, America Chavez searches for her missing sister, and Tigra just wants to pick her kid up from daycare. It’s a solid, sympathetic crew that’s rounded out by the Beyonder, the omnipotent enemy from the original Secret Wars, trapped in “a narrative arc” and forced to follow the crew. The idea of a story being what limits the abilities of the Beyonder is made even cooler when he starts to destroy the very pages you’re reading.
Absolute fun, and filled to the brim with comic concepts that feel comic, Defenders Beyond better not be the last collaboration between this writer and artist powerhouse.
Blue Marvel is forced to lead this new iteration of the Defenders on a mission all the way to the House of Ideas while the Loki of the Seventh Cosmos struggles with the future of their identity after the Incursion of Earth-616 and 1610 left them a cosmic castaway (there’s a good little Titan AE joke right there), completely and literally disconnected from who they became when the universe reset. Taaia struggles with the truth of what her son will become in the Eighth Cosmos, America Chavez searches for her missing sister, and Tigra just wants to pick her kid up from daycare. It’s a solid, sympathetic crew that’s rounded out by the Beyonder, the omnipotent enemy from the original Secret Wars, trapped in “a narrative arc” and forced to follow the crew. The idea of a story being what limits the abilities of the Beyonder is made even cooler when he starts to destroy the very pages you’re reading.
Absolute fun, and filled to the brim with comic concepts that feel comic, Defenders Beyond better not be the last collaboration between this writer and artist powerhouse.
April 13, 2023
This is essentially the second part of Defenders: There Are No Rules, so that is required reading before this volume; even then, new readers might be confused by non-stop references to decades of Marvel comics lore. (There is a handy guide at the end that references past comics, recent and less recent.) I enjoyed this a lot more than the previous volume, precisely because it's not trying to make as much sense. It's a romp through multiple levels of the comic book Marvel universe, although it often focuses on content from the author Al Ewing's previous series. It reminds me a lot of Alice in Wonderland; if you need it to make sense, and need to understand every reference, you won't enjoy it. But if you enjoy interesting characters bouncing from dimension to dimension, learning about themselves and the multiverse -- and perhaps wonder where certain elements of Marvel deep lore ended up -- this is a fun ride. The Defenders have always been Marvel's "not a team" problem solvers, journeying into the unknown and the bizarre, and this lives up to that tradition.
February 20, 2023
Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez reunite to bring their Defenders saga to a close, throwing a new team of heroes across the Firmaments and back through the incarnations of the Marvel Universe to get to the source of stories once and for all.
God, I love it when Ewing goes meta like this. Everything here has a double meaning, for the characters and for the reader, and yet it's still a fun adventure story with ridiculous jokes, witty dialogue (the Beyonder and Loki having a go at each other is hilarious) and a story thread that follows through, so even if you're not here for all the weirdness (althugh why wouldn't you be?) you can still follow along up to a point.
But if you take the time to dig beneath the surface, you'll find something well worth finding. Ewing finishes a story he started writing years and years ago, back before Secret Wars, and Rodriguez' insane panel layouts and levels of detail bring everything to a crescendo. Comics gold.
God, I love it when Ewing goes meta like this. Everything here has a double meaning, for the characters and for the reader, and yet it's still a fun adventure story with ridiculous jokes, witty dialogue (the Beyonder and Loki having a go at each other is hilarious) and a story thread that follows through, so even if you're not here for all the weirdness (althugh why wouldn't you be?) you can still follow along up to a point.
But if you take the time to dig beneath the surface, you'll find something well worth finding. Ewing finishes a story he started writing years and years ago, back before Secret Wars, and Rodriguez' insane panel layouts and levels of detail bring everything to a crescendo. Comics gold.
March 15, 2023
A book you cannot skim.
Ewing proves time and time again that he can write just about anything, and make it equally thought-provoking and insane.
As a fan of the 'Defenders: There are no Rules', and the 'Immortal Hulk' run, seeing Ewing and Javier dive back into the deep cosmos/mythology of the Marvel multiverse is captivating. They manage to provide retcons and explanations for questions that have been unanswered since Lee's and Kirby's time on Marvel comics. The psychedelic art is beautiful and a perfect match for the concept and scale that this narrative tries to capture, and a lot of the paneling is really creative and well done.
Though it can be said that this book lacks a definitive conclusion and feels as though it will not receive a conclusive follow-up, I can't deny that I really enjoyed reading through the book, and I doubt there's anything Ewing can write that I won't enjoy.
90/100
Ewing proves time and time again that he can write just about anything, and make it equally thought-provoking and insane.
As a fan of the 'Defenders: There are no Rules', and the 'Immortal Hulk' run, seeing Ewing and Javier dive back into the deep cosmos/mythology of the Marvel multiverse is captivating. They manage to provide retcons and explanations for questions that have been unanswered since Lee's and Kirby's time on Marvel comics. The psychedelic art is beautiful and a perfect match for the concept and scale that this narrative tries to capture, and a lot of the paneling is really creative and well done.
Though it can be said that this book lacks a definitive conclusion and feels as though it will not receive a conclusive follow-up, I can't deny that I really enjoyed reading through the book, and I doubt there's anything Ewing can write that I won't enjoy.
90/100
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2023
Chock full of big ideas, this is a sequel, perhaps part 2 might be a better description to Defenders: There Are No Rules. Al Ewing is one of the more interesting writers that Marvel have at the moment, and he is in his element here.
Characters here include one of Ewing's favourites, Blue Marvel, serial B Grade team book joiner, America Chavez, one of my faves Tigra, Galactus' Mom and Loki, to tie in with time variance authority (Loki is a character I can take or leave).
Art by Rodriguez is pretty good and deals with the trippy stuff really well.
Personal thing - I have had enough of Phoenix being bonded to people outside of X-Men.
Characters here include one of Ewing's favourites, Blue Marvel, serial B Grade team book joiner, America Chavez, one of my faves Tigra, Galactus' Mom and Loki, to tie in with time variance authority (Loki is a character I can take or leave).
Art by Rodriguez is pretty good and deals with the trippy stuff really well.
Personal thing - I have had enough of Phoenix being bonded to people outside of X-Men.
August 12, 2024
Cada vez tengo mas claro que una de las cosas que mas me gustan de marvel es ese lado cosmico/espacial/trippy/lisergico, y en años recientes hemos tenido una buena dosis gracias a comics como los Silver Surfer y Doctor Extraño de Tradd Moore o este comic y su predecesor.
Esto es puro viaje por rincones poco explorados del universo marvel con mil referencias para disfrute de los "gafas", o en mi caso intento de (me falta mucho bagaje aun). Agradezco respecto a esto último que en la última página incluyan una serie de referencias a otros comics en los que se presentan varios personajes/conceptos con los que juega el comic.
En fin, que en esta casa se espera con ansia la próxima historia que traigan estos dos titanes desatados que son Ewing y Rodríguez
Esto es puro viaje por rincones poco explorados del universo marvel con mil referencias para disfrute de los "gafas", o en mi caso intento de (me falta mucho bagaje aun). Agradezco respecto a esto último que en la última página incluyan una serie de referencias a otros comics en los que se presentan varios personajes/conceptos con los que juega el comic.
En fin, que en esta casa se espera con ansia la próxima historia que traigan estos dos titanes desatados que son Ewing y Rodríguez
September 19, 2023
I sometimes question what value these “cape stories”- Ewing’s phrase- still hold, particularly whenever one of the big, often bad, movies come out. A few authors still keep me coming back to them, still find new stories to tell, still have the ability to make the most of working in a shared universe with such a convoluted history, and Al Ewing is definitely one of them. Since his amazing run on Immortal Hulk, he has become an author whose work I always at least check out, but this book has inspired me to go back and read some of his earlier work that I missed.
July 22, 2024
The follow-up to Defenders: There Are No Rules, this takes the characters on a tour of the realms outside of the Marvel multiverse, including some interesting meta-commentary. That said, there's even less of a story here than the previous installment, which can make it a little hard to stay into at times. The result isn't quite as strong as There Are No Rules, but there are still merits. (B+)
January 30, 2025
This book is truly special. Like its predecessor the experience is greatly improved by having knowledge of previous Al Ewing works and it work really well as an epilogue to all Ewing has done at the company previously. This book really feels like a victory lap. The art continues to be spectacular and I love this group of characters Ewing has assembled. Getting to see Ewing’s Loki for one last ride was both special and needed. This book does spend a lot of time setting up a future villain so I’m excited to see that manifest. I would read thousands of defenders stories from this creative team.
November 11, 2023
Some trippyass shit. I liked that it was a followup to Loki Agent of Asgard. It had a lot of crazy fun stuff, I especially loved the Beyonder and the bits with the Phoenix. I could tell it was full of references, and was real happy to discover annotations at the end! Truthfully, I didn't know a whole lot that was going on continuity wise, but it was still really fun. Great art, super colorful. Very enjoyable!
October 20, 2023
Whereas Ewing's first Defenders was a wild ride through time, this one is a wild ride through ... well, places at least. It's a neat look at many of the more esoteric and abstract corners of the Marvel universe, accompanied by absolutely gorgeous art and fun wackiness by Ewing. (It's a darned shame that complete collection of his somewhat connection Ultimates work is now out of print.)
December 31, 2024
Al Ewing following the previous Defenders run with a new team with barely a slither of connective tissue beyond them being favourites of his - so Blue Marvel, Loki and America Chavez turn up. Rodriguez still goes for the big splashes, and the whole iterations of the Marvel universe is bizarre nonsense but hey Glactuses Mum kick butt so go with it.
March 15, 2023
Wow
Could I give you a summary of Defenders: Beyond? No, not in any way. Did I enjoy is cascade of one upmanship with its self, and it’s waterfall of Marvel allusions? Yes! Art it gorgeous too.
Could I give you a summary of Defenders: Beyond? No, not in any way. Did I enjoy is cascade of one upmanship with its self, and it’s waterfall of Marvel allusions? Yes! Art it gorgeous too.
July 23, 2024
It's like Al Ewing was reading the encyclopedia of Marvel and decided to try to write a story that would connect almost everything. There really isn't a "story" here, per se. The art is the real draw, simply outstanding.
November 24, 2022
So this is not spiritual, but actual sequel to Loki Agend of Asgard. Hella wierd. Meta on meta on meta.
February 9, 2023
I think I understood it, and I love Al Ewing, but honestly this is just too weird for most readers. Very very high-concept, so much cosmic stuff, just don't know if I can recommend...
March 19, 2023
finalmente um final digno pro Loki do Al Ewing. no mais, é muito difícil uma história do Ewing sobre personagens encontrando Deus não me pegar. muito bom, mas faltou a conclusão do volume anterior.
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