File: DEF_42_01.png (3.29 MB, 900x1360)

3.29 MB PNG

We begin with spontaneous combustion! Now, this isn't out of the ordinary for the Sanctum Sanctorum. On any given day, you'll probably find a lot of fire popping out of nowhere in this house. It's not often, however, that such fire will be found on a person!

Poor Nighthawk is one of the Defenders' newer members at this point, having joined the team in issue #14, but he's not THE newest. No-- that honor goes to Luke Cage, better known for his membership in the Netflix Defenders, who's joined the team on-and-off as a temporary member since issue #17. He's been hanging around since issue #39, and he'll last through this entire arc, but he won't stick around for long and will leave the team for a very long time immediately after this arc ends. The other members should be more familiar to you all-- Dr. Strange, The Hulk, and Valkyrie. All three are extremely long-term members that are here as normal.

The creative team needs little introduction: Gerry Conway on writing, Keith Giffen and Klaus Janson on art. They won't be too consistent, but they do a fine enough job while they're around.

File: DEF_42_02.jpg (1.07 MB, 1600x1158)

1.07 MB JPG

They're already flexing their muscles by page two! Sweet. This spread is quickly-paced: you see Nighthawk healed, the reveal of the perpetrator, and several team members' reactions to the culprit. There's even some brief explanation of Valkyrie's convoluted origins, in case you're curious.

File: DEF_42_03.png (3.3 MB, 906x1358)

3.3 MB PNG

The culprit of this crime brings with him an ally...

(If you think you've missed anything in regards to wanted macguffins-- you haven't. The Star of Capistan didn't exist before this issue. This demand for it is its first "appearance.")

File: DEF_42_04.png (3.25 MB, 906x1352)

3.25 MB PNG

Give it up for the RHINO! What's he doing here? Who knows!

Get used to Strange jobbing, by the way. It happens a looooot. This isn't even the first instance in the book, and it sure as hell won't be the last.

File: DEF_42_05.png (3.28 MB, 916x1369)

3.28 MB PNG

Oh, yeah, Cage used to speak in jive. That's not going away, either.

File: DEF_42_08.png (3.31 MB, 904x1368)

3.31 MB PNG

Ah, that explains the jobbing... kind of.

File: DEF_42_09.png (3.12 MB, 912x1368)

3.12 MB PNG

The big boss is revealed! For those not in the know, Egghead is... an Ant-Man enemy. He has some beef with the Defenders, due to an issue I'll be storytiming this Friday, and it seems that he'd like revenge.

How he got ahold of these two to be his lackeys is beyond me.

File: DEF_42_10.png (3.2 MB, 906x1352)

3.2 MB PNG

If you're curious about that vendetta's origin, the top panels here are a decent enough recap. That Giant-Size story was written by Gerber, and is actually quite good, so Conway's recap here doesn't really do it justice unfortunately. But it works well enough for new readers like you anons.

It also sort of, kind of, maybe if you squint a bit explains how these three came together. This is all a bit contrived, but it works fine enough.

File: DEF_42_11.png (3.31 MB, 902x1366)

3.31 MB PNG

(Omar Karindu did not exist before this issue. He's still somewhat believable, though, because this issue was published during the stretch of Dr. Strange in which he still semi-regularly consulted a group of Middle Eastern Mystic friends [ala Rama Kaliph].)

File: DEF_42_12.png (3.15 MB, 906x1346)

3.15 MB PNG

The second panel here makes for both pretty art and ominous foreshadowing. :)

The last two, however... did someone somehow misremember Rama Kaliph's name? The issue being cited here, Strange Tales #136, doesn't have a single Omar Karindu in its pages. There's a Rama Kaliph, there's an Abu Ben Hakim... but there's no Omar Karindu, anywhere. The aide's name is also completely different-- if that's supposed to be Abu, Rama's disciple, then he's completely changed his appearance and taken on a completely new name. "Bundu" never appears again.

File: Spoiler Image (3.23 MB, 906x1362)

3.23 MB PNG

Anyways, here's Hulk sitting on a bench in a trenchcoat. Why didn't he look like this in the 90s? Just imagine it: Hulk, hard-boiled detective.
I like the little detail of him bending the poor bench just by sitting on it.

File: DEF_42_15.png (3.35 MB, 906x1386)

3.35 MB PNG

More exposition...

File: DEF_42_16.png (3.28 MB, 923x1362)

3.28 MB PNG

...and a conclusion!

Conway's an okay writer, but don't expect his issues to be too stellar. This arc only really kicks off when Kraft joins us in the issue after next.

File: DEF_43_00.png (3.45 MB, 992x1504)

3.45 MB PNG

Suddenly: Kirby! King Jack technically worked on the last issue's cover, too, but this one is a lot more noticeably his work. It's good stuff, too-- he's clearly improved his Doc, and his Cobalt Man strikes a nice balance between the detail of the chainmail and the shinier parts of his armor.

This issue is the one I would have storytimed on its own today-- if that'd have made any sense! It was published exactly 50 years ago, and unfortunately exists to carry this arc. It's really not standalone at all. Therefore, the entire tale of the Red Rajah must be told!

File: DEF_43_01.png (3.18 MB, 918x1310)

3.18 MB PNG

This page is maybe the only exception, with a lengthy recap of last issue stuck in these text boxes, but there are at least two very important aspects of last issue that this page doesn't cover so it wouldn't've been a good introduction anyways.

File: DEF_43_02.png (3.17 MB, 904x1362)

3.17 MB PNG

>as POWER MAN sends the irate citizen sailing towards safety--
Sure, that's what he's doing. :)

File: DEF_43_03.png (3.3 MB, 924x1354)

3.3 MB PNG

By invoking the spirit of his inspiration, Nighthawk calls upon the power of bullshit to have some idea of how nuclear physics works. He also manages to sneak a swear word into this issue, albeit censored well enough that I needed a double-take to realize what was written.

File: DEF_43_04.png (3.31 MB, 903x1364)

3.31 MB PNG

I know absolutely nothing of nuclear physics, although I do recall water having some importance, so we're just going to have to accept this explanation for now. I doubt Gerry Conway is any more educated, but also can't say I know enough about the man to confirm. Just a hunch, lol.

File: DEF_43_06.png (2.97 MB, 901x1354)

2.97 MB PNG

Pretty solid work from Giffen and Janson in panel 4, there.

The Red Guardian's back, too, in a twist that I genuinely did not remember occurring. I was quite sure that she either didn't return past Gerber or didn't leave until the Power Principle. Oops.

File: DEF_43_07.png (3.18 MB, 898x1336)

3.18 MB PNG

Nighthawk, smart enough to have working knowledge on basic nuclear physics, is dumb enough to ask a Soviet neurosurgeon to fix someone who's been manhandled by the Hulk, drowned, and mind-controlled within the span of 24 hours. And hasn't been moving or breathing for at least ten minutes.

Conway's writing is honestly a bit of a slog. He's very rote, very generic. I think he gets better later on, but these issues feel a bit stuck in the Silver Age in largely bad ways. They're still curious, but more as an interesting novelty than as good entertainment. Kraft's stuff, starting next issue, is much better.

File: DEF_43_08.png (3.23 MB, 906x1354)

3.23 MB PNG

So arrives the star of the show! Wielding a Star of his own, the Red Rajah makes his entrance with aplomb! Apparently, he's already disposed of Dr. Strange! Scary indeed. Would be scarier, had Strange not jobbed four pages into the first issue, but still appropriately horrific.

I like the Red Rajah's design. It's got an interesting balance between all the Middle Eastern garb and the typical metal plating you'd expect an earlier supervillain to have. A lot of the armor bits are stylized gold, adding to the Middle Eastern aesthetic, and those foreign silks and gloves add an exoticism to the existing plating that meshes surprisingly well with the rest of the outfit. The little Tutankhamun beard is an odd choice, but it's a good way of invoking royalty while sticking with the theme. I will say that it's maybe a bit overcrowded, especially near the top, but the heavy emphasis on shadow makes that crowding a lot easier to swallow.

File: DEF_43_10.png (3.27 MB, 896x1354)

3.27 MB PNG

Is that a Godfather quote in the bottom right? Or am I drawing connections where there aren't any? I don't even remember when that movie came out, so I could be off by a few years.

File: DEF_43_11.png (3.28 MB, 907x1354)

3.28 MB PNG

Back to the Sanctum with us. I forgot to mention-- the Sanctum Sanctorum was the Defenders' default headquarters for a very long time. The team sort of flip-flopped between it and another base you'll be acquainted with in a few days, depending on the writer and/or the situation, for a very long time.

As to what is going on in the plot... I don't know, honestly. Why would joining the brains of these two work to achieve anything? If Cobalt Man's brain-damaged, as this page implies, wouldn't his thoughts essentially be unreadable? How would linking the Red Guardian up with them help repair his brain? Tania's not a telepath, so this isn't some Xavier-style "shut off the retarded parts of Cobalt Man's brain so he can be cured" thing. I really don't know why Clea isn't just using her own telepathy to numb the guy's pain receptors while Tania actually operates on him.

File: DEF_43_12.png (3.3 MB, 905x1360)

3.3 MB PNG

Oh, wait, it's for the purposes of exposition. Silly me; I should have known.

File: DEF_43_14.png (3.18 MB, 894x1360)

3.18 MB PNG

I do like the paneling on these last three pages, I'll give them that much. Egghead's intrusion into the Sanctum gets the top 2/3 while Cobalt Man's backstory remains in the bottom 1/3. It makes for a nice contrast-- you see progression in the top bits of the page, with members contemplating their places on the team or jobbing to Egghead, while the romp through Cobalt Man's past remains undisturbed and linear beneath all that.

File: DEF_43_15.png (3.25 MB, 928x1346)

3.25 MB PNG

Luke Cage, of all people, saves the day! And spoils a bit of the Giant-Size stuff I was going to do later this week! Booo. Bad sport.

This story really does read better as a follow-up to that one, but I can't say it reaches anywhere near the same heights.

File: DEF_43_16.png (3.25 MB, 896x1360)

3.25 MB PNG

The past and present begin to merge! Battle and backstory alternate, all the way until the final panel finally brings them together!

File: Spoiler Image (3.2 MB, 906x1346)

3.2 MB PNG

What an ending. All that build-up... for this. Lol.

Right, enough complaining-- the next issue is where this arc starts becoming a whole lot more interesting.

File: DEF_44_00.png (3.25 MB, 998x1514)

3.25 MB PNG

King Kirby contributes yet another cover, complete with some krackle for your troubles.

File: DEF_44_01.png (3.22 MB, 908x1338)

3.22 MB PNG

BAM! New creative team! BAM! Kraft is on writing! BAM! The Hulk is the first thing we see, and he's not happy!

It's sweet to see that he cares about Strange. This has actually been a long time coming-- throughout the previous ~50 issues, the green giant has slowly (but surely!) been warming up to Dr. Strange after the latter's continued efforts to accommodate and soothe him. Hulk used to be just as hostile to the Defenders as Namor was.
Many later stories seem to miss this, unfortunately, and have reverted the Hulk back to being just as upset with the team's existence as Namor and the Surfer often were. I really think it's tragic-- the Hulk practically considered the team his only real friends near the end of the series, and all that was wiped away for no real reason. I guess it wouldn't gel well with events like World War Hulk or all the Worldbreaker stuff the 2000s had going on.

File: DEF_44_02.png (3.22 MB, 910x1342)

3.22 MB PNG

God, I am not missing Conway at all. This page has actual dialogue! Dialogue that isn't just exposition! It's like a breath of fresh air. It's also one we'll be having until the end of this whole story, as Conway doesn't return at all. Kraft and Roger Slifer will be finishing up the entire rest of the Red Rajah arc.

File: DEF_44_04.png (3.22 MB, 911x1346)

3.22 MB PNG

All the exposition Kraft needs is contained to one panel... and is completely necessary, due to Karindu's aforementioned lack of existence prior to this arc. The rest of the page is dedicated to far more important things: team dynamics, villainous threats, and strategizing!

File: DEF_44_05.png (3.2 MB, 912x1340)

3.2 MB PNG

Nighthawk isn't kidding, by the way. He did actually pay Jack Norriss to fuck off. (This did not work, even though $300,000 back then now equates to $1,776,485 today.) I'm pretty sure he does actually try to leave the Defenders alone after this story, but the two inevitably cross paths again in somewhat comedic ways later on.

File: DEF_44_08.png (3.22 MB, 912x1342)

3.22 MB PNG

Karindu! He's *really* looking like Rama Kaliph here. Maybe they were trying to rename him.

Those bottom-left panels should clue you in to what's really going on, but there's something more interesting we've got to focus on coming up...

File: DEF_44_09.png (3.2 MB, 902x1340)

3.2 MB PNG

...on this very page!

HELLCAT makes her Defenders debut! She's already been a superhero for some time now, as recapped in the bottom-right, but she didn't have much of a career before joining this team (and I'd like to pretend that she doesn't have one afterwards). She's also known as Patsy Walker-- the very same star of Marvel's popular old romance comics-- and I recapped her history a bit more extensively yesterday, during the Power Principle storytime. In short: she's a romance star turned superhero fangirl turned actual superhero turned long-time Defender. She has not been seen since the 2000s and any other books claiming otherwise are all lies.

File: DEF_44_10.png (3.25 MB, 904x1348)

3.25 MB PNG

More exposition on this page, mainly to get everyone up to speed on Patsy's backstory (sans the romance comics and shitty parents). Some decent art, too, though nothing standout amazing. Just nice panels and decent shading.

File: DEF_44_11.png (3.26 MB, 902x1344)

3.26 MB PNG

The Curse of the Ruby, you say? Which Ruby, exactly? :)

Yeah, even back in the 70s these fangirl/fanboy-type characters had a problem with gushing over their favorites. I suppose it makes sense, but I've always found it patronizing. "Wowie zowie, I'm really meeting the real [x]!" This is a more restrained version of that, of course-- Patsy's idolization lasts about two minutes, and she's back to business within the same speech bubble, and remains background radiation for the most part. If she were introduced today, however, I have a feeling she wouldn't get to develop much of a character beyond that kind of cooing adoration. Her addition to the Defenders is well-timed.

File: DEF_44_12.png (2.88 MB, 912x1340)

2.88 MB PNG

Kraft's paneling trickery begins to bleed through the page-- as does the backstory of the Red Rajah! Was any of this intended by Conway? Who's to say? It's certainly an interesting thing-- seeking to end all conflict through absolute harmony... it's essentially looking to make a hivemind of humanity through world peace, achieved by way of a pawn. Its chosen host, however, is far more relevant...!

File: DEF_44_13.png (3.02 MB, 902x1344)

3.02 MB PNG

Before anything more can be said, Karindu goes the way of the passerby!

File: Spoiler Image (3.26 MB, 916x1348)

3.26 MB PNG

And the mystery of the missing mage is solved... though the answer is none too pretty!

File: DEF_44_15.png (3.17 MB, 916x1346)

3.17 MB PNG

Doc as an all-powerful New Age guru? I can't say it's not an inspired choice of heel turn! Having the Star of Capistan's power rely on its host body, too, makes all this make even more sense. It's essentially an immobile parasite hiding inside of a jewel...

Wait a minute. Something very valuable causes people who seek it to start spouting cultish hippie beliefs? It takes over their entire personalities by force, lives only to spread its gospel, and derives from a foreign land? Its first recorded possession was in... 1933?
What did Kraft mean by this?

File: DEF_44_16.png (2.98 MB, 902x1344)

2.98 MB PNG

It proclaims peace without end, but strikes first when threatened?

File: DEF_44_17.png (2.94 MB, 902x1340)

2.94 MB PNG

And... it outright calls for the death of the individual while wearing red and gold. Hmmmm.

Nevermind all that. The first team up of the De-femme-ders, though most certainly not the last, is here to save the day! All of the female members. Only the females. Hrm.

File: DEF_45_00.png (2.97 MB, 902x1391)

2.97 MB PNG

The conclusion of this arc comes-- but not the conclusion of this storytime!

This cover is also Kirby's doing, with help from Joe Sinott and John Romita Sr., and it's pretty interesting. It's the last cover King Kirby ever drew for the Defenders, and I think it might be one of the very (very) few times that he's actually drawn Hellcat or Valkyrie. Maybe the only time he's done them together. Take a look at Val's belt-- you can really tell that's Kirby's doing.

File: DEF_45_01.png (2.59 MB, 900x1310)

2.59 MB PNG

The grand finale begins! That little narration box down there is, in fact, referring to the rock band (comprised of Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart). Kraft was very open about his musical influences during his run, often crediting his favorites outright like he does so here. He was especially fond of Blue Oyster Cult, whom I think he's dedicated three separate issues to, and actually came into comics through rock and roll journalism. I think he went into greater detail in some old interviews and Comics Interview issues, but I've not been able to find the exact sources for them. You'll have to take my word for this.

File: DEF_45_02.png (2.68 MB, 900x1304)

2.68 MB PNG

The Red Rajah accuses the Defenders of bigotry and denies having any power over others. Hrrrrmmmmm.

File: DEF_45_03.png (2.87 MB, 900x1325)

2.87 MB PNG

It wears the face of an old friend, who's been similarly reduced to spouting the Rajah's psychobabble, and attempts to forcefully convince its enemies through their strongest connections. It decries any attempts to resist as ill-founded and evil, proclaiming itself a messiah and its opponents no more than uppity rebels.

I'm probably reading too deeply into this.

File: DEF_45_05.png (2.93 MB, 900x1318)

2.93 MB PNG

The mind control is referred to as "knowledge." "Teachings," even.

File: DEF_45_06.png (2.9 MB, 900x1312)

2.9 MB PNG

Oogh, right-- Hellcat's mask used to give her actual cat pupils. That was dropped somewhat fast, probably because it looked very creepy, and I think her pupils just went completely blank with the mask on after this arc. It was another remnant of The Cat's outfit, I think.

File: DEF_45_08.png (2.86 MB, 900x1309)

2.86 MB PNG

This car chase is here to set up the next arc, which is all about SHIELD and Nick Fury's brother. It's also just neat to watch.

File: DEF_45_09.png (2.69 MB, 900x1314)

2.69 MB PNG

"You struck only to STUN... not to KILL!" He said, as Nighthawk and Luke Cage were hit so hard that they fucking vanished. I guess having half of your bones broken in one go doesn't technically count as murder, but...

File: DEF_45_10.png (2.82 MB, 900x1310)

2.82 MB PNG

Patsy's ex-husband, whom Valkyrie is referring to here, is Buzz Baxter (not her other ex, Daimon Hellstrom).

The rest of this page... well, I can't exactly call it subtle, can I?

File: DEF_45_11.png (2.92 MB, 900x1335)

2.92 MB PNG

I was going to make a joke about Clea being slow, but I've only just realized that only the male Defenders found out that Stephen was the Rajah last issue. Karindu walked off before the girls could ever learn it for themselves.

File: DEF_45_12.png (2.99 MB, 900x1330)

2.99 MB PNG

Aragorn is here! As are Valkyrie, Hellcat, and the other women, but we've already seen them before! Aragorn is actually the Black Knight's horse, but Valkyrie keeps him for a large duration of this series's run due to Black Knight being, uh, occupied during this time.

File: DEF_45_14.png (2.95 MB, 900x1338)

2.95 MB PNG

Clea's the only one who's really helping, probably because she's not matched against THE HULK, but the other girls put in a good effort too. Still, look at that funky sixth panel-- that's where the real action is.

File: DEF_45_16.png (2.93 MB, 900x1317)

2.93 MB PNG

Ironically, love saves the day! Or, well, a huge barrage of psychic attacks from the combined force of a couple. That's close enough!

This isn't the last we'll be seeing of the Star of Capistan, contrary to what its outright destruction here implies, but it's the last we'll be seeing of it for today and the last we'll be seeing of it for a long while.

File: DEF_45_17.png (2.59 MB, 900x1318)

2.59 MB PNG

It's the last we'll be seeing of Stephen Strange, too, as he takes his leave from the Defenders and ends both this issue and this arc! Kraft does like him some epilogues, and the way this one is revealed is quite the stunner! (This whole page is great, really, but the title font is especially neat. And hard to read.)

We won't be storytiming the issue immediately following this one, so I'll lightly spoil it for the sake of continuity: Strange leaves the team for a long while, after this, coinciding with his very brief loss of the Sorcerer Supreme title in his own book. Marv Wolfman was writing him at the time, causing Strange to have been nerfed, which prompts Strange to abscond so that he can focus on studying and get himself back into sorcerous shape. He's back on the book by the time Ed Hannigan takes over writing duties, but he won't play any part in our next two issues...

>>155974602
I don't really "get" Red Guardian. Well, having someone who can put Nighthawk's brain in his body again was important, but beyond that. She can't exactly work for improving Russia thing while with the Defenders, her abilities as a trained athletic type don't really bring up new avenues, and her strongest group interaction was with Luke Cage over opposing world views, who already is a bit on the outside. You can't call her a "regular" person viewpoint either since that guy wouldn't go away already. Or the general calling yourself Red Guardian if you represent a very difference concept than the last guy. If Gerber wanted to use Black Widow, was told she was unavailable, and made a new character to fill a roughly similar niche I'd believe it. It's odd since I really like a lot else with what he did writing Defenders.

File: DEF_103_00.png (2.94 MB, 900x1351)

2.94 MB PNG

...the first of which will be turning 45 years old tomorrow!

File: DEF_103_01.png (2.78 MB, 900x1299)

2.78 MB PNG

CHECK OUT THIS INTRO! Yes-- this story is very appropriate for the spooky season, and Don Perlin illustrates it well. J. M. DeMatteis is on writing duties, and he'll be stuck on them until the end of this storytime. We've skipped ahead of a huge portion of Defenders history, so this member will be wholly unfamiliar to you all...

File: Spoiler Image (2.88 MB, 900x1316)

2.88 MB PNG

...making his reveal on this page all the more dramatic!

(Unless you read Universe X, and already know him from that.)

File: DEF_103_03.png (2.87 MB, 900x1319)

2.87 MB PNG

No, this isn't Etrigan! Say hello to Isaac Christians: the Gargoyle! He's one of the Defenders' less well-known members, but one of my favorites. This issue is all about him, and you'll be learning quite a lot about his past as we continue onward.

Clea is someone you've already met, but she's standing alongside another new member: Eric Payne, Devil-Slayer. He didn't stick around too long, and is significantly less interesting, but he'll be around for this issue. He's a swordsman with a cool teleporting cape.

This page may seem a bit weepy if you're just coming into it without any context, but this issue comes after a long and perilous arc involving doing battle with hell itself and a cult of powerful magicians. Someone's crippled, at least two people have been through serious sacrifice involving their families, and the remaining members are struggling to help. The entire team is worn out and reeling from what happened, but it's a testament to their friendship that they're still together and persevering regardless. Many of the members have been close friends for several years, now, so this is all hits a lot harder while you're doing a full series read-through.

File: DEF_103_04.png (2.92 MB, 900x1331)

2.92 MB PNG

Patsy and Val are still around, too, now lynchpins of the team and some of the longest-standing members. Patsy's one of the aforementioned unfortunates who's suffered some familial sacrifice as of late, but-- being the happy-go-lucky Hellcat that she is-- she's taking it much better than some other Defenders.

>>155975588
>From mission control to getting a corner box
Clea moving up in the world

File: DEF_103_05.png (2.74 MB, 900x1304)

2.74 MB PNG

One of whom... well, he doesn't call himself a Defender any longer, and a look at panels six and ten will show you exactly why. Kyle's fallen on hard times, and Clea's not going to be getting much help from him today.

File: DEF_103_06.png (2.74 MB, 900x1309)

2.74 MB PNG

Oh, I completely forgot Matt Murdock was visiting. I don't think Kyle actually knows he's Daredevil-- he's just hired him in his civvies, because Kyle's stinking rich and he needs a good lawyer.

The final panel finally gets the ball rolling on this issue's story...

File: DEF_103_07.png (2.37 MB, 900x1306)

2.37 MB PNG

...while the top panel of this page clues you into Isaac's story. It's a very unique one! Equal parts sacrificial and tragic, built on the foundation of a very grounded motivation that (as far as I'm aware) has yet to be duplicated. I'm honestly surprised there aren't more small-town senescents seeking to save their sleepy homes this way. It seems like as good a hobby as any to take up after retirement.

File: DEF_103_08.png (2.48 MB, 900x1304)

2.48 MB PNG

Beast's appearance here heralds the slow encroachment of a new era. He'll go on to lead the New Defenders in about 28 issues from now, but for now he's just a tease towards the future.

>>155975661
>lead
blue hands typed this

File: DEF_103_09.png (2.83 MB, 900x1320)

2.83 MB PNG

>>155975492
In all honesty, I don't really get her either. She's an interesting side character, but her position on the team is awkward. I doubt Gerber or Kraft disagreed, given how short her membership is, and I think Kraft gave her a good enough send-off in the Power Principle. If nothing else, it gave her something memorable all her own. (You also bring up a good point with the Black Widow thing. I hadn't even considered it, but I can see the parallels. I do wonder how she would've been introduced, though-- Tania's entire story hinges on a comedic mix-up with Strange.)

>>155975627
(Nice timestamp!)
Indeed she is! As I mentioned before, she really is quite important to the Defenders (especially by the time she'd gotten her own corner box). It's a shame her 2022 solo didn't reuse it for a Lenticular Homage variant. They could've referenced Master of the Mystic Arts #4 and everything.

File: DEF_103_10.png (2.64 MB, 900x1316)

2.64 MB PNG

>>155975682
Oh no! You've seen through my ruse!
Was he really not the leader of the New Defenders? I could've sworn he was. If nothing else, he certainly seemed to be leader-adjacent from the two issues I'd read.

>>155975701
Leader accent probably works. There is arguing over who actually is leader that may or may not have been influenced by a certain bald woman. Eventually you get a copout of making Angel's girlfriend the leader.

File: DEF_103_11.png (2.84 MB, 900x1305)

2.84 MB PNG

Believe it or not, Christiansboro isn't actually in New England... though, frankly, the events of this story might make you doubt.

File: DEF_103_12.png (2.73 MB, 900x1306)

2.73 MB PNG

>>155975719
Ah, of course. Moondragon. That makes sense, lol. I was wondering what she was doing on the team... but I'll abstain from finding out, since I do plan on actually reading the rest of the New Defenders at some point.

File: Spoiler Image (2.84 MB, 900x1318)

2.84 MB PNG

"Hey, Null, the Living Darkness, how did you come about?
"A bunch of flying moon people killed themselves in grief after failing to find any meaning in life, and their collective desire for revenge against life itself birthed me from a moon crater."
I don't mean this as an insult... I just want to point out that even the more serious issues of the Defenders are some level of insane. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

File: Spoiler Image (2.45 MB, 900x1304)

2.45 MB PNG

Case in point...

>>155975726
I'll just say that her headband that causes pain when misbehaving feels familiar to something else, and later developments abut her feel familiar to someone else in Marvel.

File: DEF_103_21.png (2.79 MB, 900x1319)

2.79 MB PNG

I've kept my commentary on this somber story sparse, on purpose, because I believe it'd have detracted from the actual content itself. It really has to be seen to be believed.

Our next issue has to be seen to be believed, too, but for an entirely different reason. Please brace yourselves for the greatest tonal whiplash you are likely to experience in the next 3-7 business days...

File: DEF_115_00.png (2.97 MB, 989x1524)

2.97 MB PNG

...as we end this storytime with one of the Defenders' least-serious stories yet.

This issue is turning 44 years old today, and it is probably one of my favorite standalone Defenders stories ever. I'm not sure I can adequately explain it, so I'm just going to get to posting and leave explanations up to the more insane among us.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention-- Beast joined the team an issue after the last one I storytimed, in #104. He's going to stick around until the team is eventually struck down by Shooter, but we won't be going that far today...

>>155975779
>Living Darkness
>Is pink

File: DEF_115_01.png (3.16 MB, 916x1358)

3.16 MB PNG

...although this page might clue you into *why* Shooter was keen to cancel the series. This story follows one of the most convoluted and confusing arcs in Defenders history, to which Nighthawk was central, and simply attempting to recall its events is giving me an actual headache. It seriously made me contemplate dropping the title altogether-- and I can't be the only one, as I'm pretty sure sales started declining around this period in the same way that they had during the Hannigan years. I'm glad I stuck around, though, as this issue was well worth the drudgery.

(Quick note: only four members of this ensemble will be joining us today. Strange is not among them-- my previous comments on his appearance still stand.)

File: DEF_115_02.png (3.13 MB, 919x1358)

3.13 MB PNG

Even this recap page is struggling to properly articulate what the fuck happened in that arc. I can guarantee you that it makes even less sense when read in sequence. (Or maybe it doesn't? I haven't reread the arc in about a year. Maybe it does actually make sense, and I'm remembering it improperly, but this page is giving me doubts...)

File: DEF_115_03.png (3.07 MB, 916x1358)

3.07 MB PNG

Yeah, this issue has a slow start. It's an unfortunate side effect of coming so soon after a big story, and has no bearing on what comes after this...

File: DEF_115_04.png (3.17 MB, 916x1358)

3.17 MB PNG

...which we'll be getting to right about now. That final exchange by Kyle and Strange actually hurts a bit if you've read the 115 issues preceding this, as the two grew to be very good friends in that time period (to the point that Nighthawk even started guest starring in Doc's own book), but I'm not expecting anyone here to have done that.

File: DEF_115_05.png (3.25 MB, 916x1358)

3.25 MB PNG

Yes, this plot is kicked off by a cockroach messing with a teleporter and committing suicide. That should set the tone nicely, shouldn't it? :)

File: DEF_115_06.png (3.15 MB, 919x1358)

3.15 MB PNG

Welcome to Wonderland, motherfuckers. Namor's delighted to be here.

File: DEF_115_07.png (3.31 MB, 927x1361)

3.31 MB PNG

*cue laugh track*

File: DEF_115_08.png (3.25 MB, 924x1358)

3.25 MB PNG

The homage here is rather blatant, but just in case you didn't get it... the mayor and his faithful assistant's names should tip you off.

File: DEF_115_09.png (3.18 MB, 923x1358)

3.18 MB PNG

It's the 80s, so that second panel might not be a stab at the sliding timeline... but I like to think it is, if only to add to the absurdity.

Anyways, if you weren't reading the mayor's lines in Billy Mays's voice before, you are now.

File: DEF_115_10.png (3.3 MB, 926x1358)

3.3 MB PNG

The villain of a Dr. Seuss homage literally being named "easy read" is the right combination of on-the-nose and absurd. It is doubly appropriate when you remember about the Midnight Collection, and makes me wonder how much research DeMatteis has actually done on the guy.

>>155975888
Oh yeah, this is after Val gets her original body so she towers most of them. I think they shortened her again at some point.

File: Spoiler Image (3.22 MB, 917x1358)

3.22 MB PNG

There isn't anything actually important on this page. I just need you to be as flash-banged by panel 2 as I was when I first read this.

File: DEF_115_12.png (3.27 MB, 917x1358)

3.27 MB PNG

The Gauls celebrate their latest victory over the Romans with a hearty feast... no, wait, wrong series.

File: DEF_115_13.png (3.08 MB, 920x1358)

3.08 MB PNG

You'll find no guns on this here page! No siree! Val's got something of an issue with them, you see-- really, these cute critters haven't got nearly enough of them!

File: DEF_115_14.png (3.12 MB, 920x1352)

3.12 MB PNG

This is probably the closest Namor's ever gotten to his own personal hell... which is very impressive, given what happened 15 issues ago.

File: DEF_115_15.png (3.24 MB, 920x1364)

3.24 MB PNG

Your opponent for today is a furry in a top hat. He wears neither shirt nor shoes and had rhotacism before it became "cute." This implies DeMatteis either had some familiarity with the taste of furries or an uncanny ability to predict their future proclivities. Neither option is particularly comforting.

File: DEF_115_16.png (3.23 MB, 935x1362)

3.23 MB PNG

>>155975931
It's more likely a future artist just forgot she was that tall at all and approximated her height from Barbara Norriss or someone they knew.

(Thank you for bumping the thread, btw.)

File: DEF_115_17.png (3.16 MB, 920x1358)

3.16 MB PNG

I do hope that stickiness is meant to be a play on this kind of speech being painfully syrupy, and not...

File: DEF_115_19.png (3.32 MB, 930x1361)

3.32 MB PNG

This is the best twist ending I've ever read. It waters my plants, brightens my day, and brings a tear to my eye.

File: DEF_115_21.png (3.13 MB, 926x1358)

3.13 MB PNG

And away we go! To home we return-- to sanity, to friends! Only one of whom might actually believe what the fuck just happened!

What a beautiful panel up top. Look at the way those orange clock hands encompass the rightmost panel, how the leftmost drags the lettering along a trail of light-- the first two panels are skewed, too, in ways that make them seem just as out-of-place on the page as the four Defenders seemed over There.

File: Spoiler Image (3.08 MB, 920x1363)

3.08 MB PNG

And, just in case Namor ever wants to forget this... he is granted a souvenir that shall remind him forevermore.

File: TheDefenders.png (1.87 MB, 900x1370)

1.87 MB PNG

Thank you all so much for reading these stories with me! I hope they've given you all a relatively understandable look at the Defenders: tight-knit, eclectic, and appropriately insane. You'll be seeing quite a lot of them this week. This Wednesday and this Friday, to be exact, will host two gigantic storytimes of their more famous storylines. It's a happy coincidence that I got to start off with the oft-underappreciated smaller stuff that Gerber's run sometimes buries.

If you want to read some more storytimes with my commentary, both on the Defenders and on Doctor Strange, mosey on down to this newly-baked link of mine: https://rentry.org/strangeanonstorytimes

If you'd rather read some more Defenders on your own, with whatever off-time you may have, I'll instead recommend giving this custom-made recommendation image a look. It covers every single Defenders story I believe to be worth reading, and it's quite the substantial thing!

I don't have a care package of stories for you all to download, unfortunately, as there doesn't seem to exist any dedicated DefendersAnon like there did the many StrangeAnons before I. I'll see if I can compile something before the next thread or two, but make no promises (I only have the digital versions of most stories to share, and really don't want those to be anyone's introduction to this series). For now, just use batcave.biz or getcomics.org to look up whichever titles you're interested in.

With all that said... thank you for very much for reading! May the Vishanti smile upon you, and may your day remain well-Defended!

bump, thank you OP

>>155975880
Ewwww, I HATE roaches!!

>>155975813
Clea's got a nice pair ngl

>>155978206
Hair got nerfed though.

Bump

>>155976176
Thanks

>>155978206
On both ends