Non-Team vs. Faux-Team: Defenders 13

Defenders #13 (May 1974)
"For Sale: One Planet --Slightly Used!"
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Sal Buscema
Inker: Klaus Janson

Karen: Yup, we're actually doing a Defenders review. And not just one -we'll follow up with the conclusion of this tale next week. Looking back at this title, one realizes just how good it really was. Starting out with Steve Englehart at the helm, switching to Len Wein with issue 12, but with the fabulous Sal Buscema the whole way, providing a very solid look to the non-team. I have to say, I love Klaus Janson's inks on Sal. They give true weight and depth to the art. Sal Buscema's Hulk is the one I recall fondly from childhood, not Herb Trimpe's, and it's mostly because of the Defenders. I just wish Sal had done the cover. The Kane cover is OK but I'd like to see what Sal would have done.

Doug: As long as you raised the issue of Klaus Janson's inks, I've always felt that his embellishing provides a grown-up look to the pencil art. His feathery line is not unlike the work of some of the Filipino masters who would grace the pages of Savage Sword of Conan, for example. My source for this material is Essential Defenders, volume 1, so the B&W pages really lend themselves to a full appreciation of Janson's (and Sal's -- let's not leave him out!) work. I'd add that, for myself at least, while the absence of color can leave a somewhat "wanting" feeling when reading these Bronze Age tales, what is gained is a purity apart from the oft-muddy coloring techniques of that era. In an Essentials, one never has to worry about colors bleeding from page to page, or worse yet, being off-register.

Karen: I'll be scanning from the Masterworks, so the color may be a bit pumped up! This issue is notable for introducing a soon-to-be-Defender: Nighthawk. Created by Roy Thomas as a Batman-avatar for his JLA take-off, the Squadron Supreme (here it's Sinister), the character sported one of the funkiest get-ups ever, including a mask complete with a tiny little beak! Thankfully that would change in a matter of a few issues, and he'd get a very stylish dark blue outfit. The bodysuit is not too bad, except for the baby blue color, but that beak and the rust-brown cape are terrible. But we're going to have to persevere through this trainwreck of a costume for these two reviews.

Doug: Talk about standing out like a sore thumb! And I've always really enjoyed the rest of the Squadron's costumes. I particularly like the homage in color scheme of the Whizzer to his Golden Age forebear, and Dr. Spectrum's outfit always seemed very sleek and classy. Although Hyperion is the stand-in for the Man of Steel, his suit always evoked the Big Red Cheese in my mind. But all were solid creations, and I especially enjoyed when the roster expanded in Avengers #141, and again in Avengers #147.

Karen: I had never thought about that before, but you're right, Hyperion does look more like Captain Marvel than Superman. But with Lex Luthor's red hair! As far as I know the Squadron Sinister only had these four members, unlike their alternate universe counter-parts. If I recall correctly, Whizzer joined the Thunderbolts and became Speed Demon, but was still a lunatic.

Karen: Our story starts with a quiet night at Dr.Strange's place. It's a little too quiet for Valkyrie and Hulk, who are bored to tears by Doc's lesson on shrunken heads. Just in time, the front door comes crashing in, and Nighthawk appears, saying he has business with them. Of course, Hulk automatically lunges for "Bird-Nose." Nighthawk nimbly leaps out of the way, only to have Valkyrie attack him. But Nighthawk manages to trip Val up too. He tries to tell them he needs to talk with them, but the two hot-heads are having none of it. Finally Doc intercedes and wraps Hulk in the unbreakable Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Hulk finally calms down, as does Val. Then Nighthawk starts his tale.

Doug: Ah, yes, the ol' "I want to have a civil conversation with you so I 'm going to blow up the front of your house" routine. Sheesh -- talk about your comic book entrances! Question for the Hulkophiles out there: Can anyone inform me about the Hulk's status with Banner during this period? It seems to me that since the Hulk is just sitting in Strange's mansion, bored to tears, that his pulse rate would slow down and he'd revert back to his Banner form. Thoughts? And really, come to think of it, Banner was never really in any Defenders comics that I can recall -- seems like he was in full Hulk-mode all of the time. One last thought here -- the movie version of the Hulk that we witnessed earlier this summer would have caught Nighthawk and plucked him. Just sayin'.

Karen: Our mysterious bird-man received a letter that threatened to out his secret identity unless he went to an observatory at midnight. Flying there in his hawk-plane (really) he soon discovered who his blackmailers were: Hyperion, the Whizzer, and Dr. Spectrum -his former partners in the Squadron Sinister. All three of them were presumed missing or locked away. But they all got help, from the same source. And that 'help' suddenly appears in the room: a towering golden-skinned being who calls himself Nebulon, the Celestial Man. It turns out Nebulon is the one who freed the Squadron members and restored their powers. Nighthawk smells a rat and asks what's Nebulon's end of the bargain. A frantic looking Hyperion says that he sold him the world! At this point, Nighthawk has had it and starts to walk out on the group, wanting nothing to do with them. But Nebulon shoots a ray at him that paralyzes him. They say they need him back in the group, and Nebulon refuses to release him until he says he'll stay. Grudgingly, Nighthawk accedes. He asks the others, with all their super-powers, why they would need him. We don't hear the answer but by his shocked expression, and statement to the Defenders that it was the "most cold-blooded plan I'd ever heard" you know it's pretty terrible. Nighthawk's stunned look here is well-done, particularly with the coloring effects.

Doug: Nebulon's a good-looking, mysterious villain, and I liked the way his appearance and voice were described. I think so often we, in our own minds, try to "hear" how characters talk, sound, etc. It was certainly fine to get a little help with this guy -- I felt it enhanced his introduction. I have another question on Marvel history, and I guess I need to go back and read the Squadron's first appearances in the Avengers: when does the "alternate Earth" aspect of their history come into play? Certainly by the time we reach the #140's of the Avengers that's all there, but was it at this time? I find it missing here, unless I'm not being observant enough. I know Hyperion's from a sub-atomic world, but I also know that Dr. Spectrum was doing some facetime as an Iron Man baddie, too.


Karen: Well, between my memory and a little Google-based assistance, here's what I've put together: the Squadron Sinister appeared first in Avengers #69 (1969) and were created by the Grandmaster to serve as his champions against Kang's champions, the Avengers. The Squadron Supreme made their debut in Avengers #85 (1971). The Sinister guys were always on "regular" Marvel Earth, while the Supreme gang was always on an alternate Earth. But Marvel has had a distressing habit of confusing them on comic covers, like Avengers #141.

Doug: Well, I certainly appreciate that information -- and yes, it's indeed confusing. Offline, I even threw this out to Karen: The next appearance of the Squadron Sinister is in Giant-Size Defenders #5 (April 1975), which predates the already oft-mentioned tilt in Avengers #141 (November 1975). Further, come back next week to see what Hyperion says about alternate dimensions, et al. and how this adventure ends, and you may see why I am so confused!


Karen: But despite agreeing to the Squadron's plan, Nighthawk's conscience won't allow him to go through with it, which is why he's talking to the Defenders. You see, he'd tried going to the Avengers first -who wouldn't? - but that effort failed. It seems the Squadron, fearful of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, had arranged with Nebulon that they should become invisible and intangible whenever the Avengers were near. But even though Nighthawk couldn't speak with Captain America or Iron Man, he overheard them discussing their recent meeting with the Defenders, and so Nighthawk came to his second choice group! Although Val is still annoyed that Nighthawk blew down the front door, Doc is willing to hear him out, and wants to know what the Squadron's ultimate goal is. Nighthawk explains that his former allies, as part of their deal with Nebulon, plan to melt the ice caps and put the whole world underwater! They are building an incredibly powerful laser that will do the job. Doc wonders how the Squadron thinks they will survive, and Nighthawk answers that they are all so far gone that none of them seem to care. This struck me as being a bit chilling. Nighthawk asks if the Defenders will help him, and just as Dr. Strange says yes, Nighthawk cries out in pain. It seems the Squadron has found him. There's a sudden flash of light and he's gone.


Doug: Although Nighthawk is obviously a Batman stand-in, he has some similarities to one Simon Williams as well, doesn't he? I thought Wein's inclusion of the Avengers and the plot device that rendered them non-factors was a good detail to include. The Marvel Universe was a sweeping thing back then, wasn't it? Concerning the Squadron's plan, I thought it odd -- given Nebulon's big reveal that's coming later -- that this plan factored into the overall equation. It just didn't jibe in the big picture. More on that later. I thought this story was also interestingly dated by a) the population of the world only being 3 1/2 billion people and b) obviously global warming was not yet at the tip of anyone's tongue, as melting ice caps are almost a daily thought in our times.

Doug: Didn't you think Nighthawk went "kablooey"? I was surprised when he turned up a few pages hence, as Sal's pictures were showing me an unpleasant end for our feathered friend/fiend.

Karen: After seeing Nighthawk disappear, Doc is more determined than ever to stop the Squadron. Knowing they'll need all the power they can get, he astrally travels to Namor, the Sub-Mariner, and asks for help. But Namor is in one of his moods, and refuses to help "surface dwellers." Doc isn't taking no for an answer though, and he magically transports the raging sea-king to them. Namor is ready to tear Doc a new one, but Valkyrie intervenes and explains what's happening. Thankfully, the hot-headed Atlantean calms down and agrees to help. There's a nice bit here where Hulk says he's glad he doesn't have to smash "fish-man" and remarks on his "funny clothes." This was right after Namor got his fancy blue-black suit.


Doug: Namor is the longest scratched record in comic book history, running on 75 years now, huh? I enjoyed that Doc Strange basically said "shut up, you're coming" and yanked him off Hydrobase. Funny stuff -- a bit of comedy from the Doctor. In regard to this band of heroes, Dr. Strange had somewhat the same role as Cap did with the Kooky Quartet -- I mean, keeping the tempers of Namor, Val, and the Hulk in check had to be worse than Quicksilver and Hawkeye (shoot, he was a Defender too for a time!) on their most obnoxious days! Those personalities make team books a lot of fun.

Karen: Cyclops had to keep Wolverine (and briefly, Thunderbird) in line in the all-new, all-different X-Men. It's hard being the leader.

Doug: It was good to see Namor in his Reed-designed oxygen outfit (for lack of a better name for it) -- I know you prefer the green Speedos, but I'm all about practical. And a crown prince strutting his stuff in nothing but a mankini will always lose out in my mind.

Karen: I just always thought Namor looked like he was wearing some whacky black leather outfit. Besides, fewer clothes make sense underwater! Now at full strength, the team heads for the Arctic Circle. From high above, Namor is the first to spot their targets. Down on the ice below, the Squadron is making preparations before they fire off the gigantic laser. Nighthawk is there too -not dead, but imprisoned inside a huge sphere. Nighthawk swears he'll get out and stop them, but the Whizzer scoffs at him -until he sees the Defenders zooming their way. Hulk comes down like a meteor straight for Hyperion, but the super-powerful alien punches him away. Hulk admits that "masked man is almost as strong as Hulk!" which was a pretty rare thing for the "strongest one of all" to say! The two briefly debate who is stronger, and then rush head on at each other, resulting in a panel showing silhouettes of pure raw energy. Very nice.

Doug: Sal Buscema has two "stock images" that he uses in almost every book he draws, but I never tire of them. One is the head-on clash of which you write; the other is the "holy crap, that backhand has really sent me reeling!" fly away shot. Love 'em, love 'em! Every time I read an issue of the Defenders, I always ask myself why I didn't read more Hulk books. I think part of it has to do with all of the funny nicknames he came up with, and how even in the midst of a rage he'd defer to Strange or Val.

Karen:I always seemed to enjoy Hulk in Defenders more than in his own title, too.Karen: Dr. Strange avoids the energy constructs of Dr. Spectrum, while Sub-Mariner finds it very hard to hit a foe as fast as the Whizzer. Namor comments that even Quicksilver was not this fast -Pietro never got any respect! Subby flies off, prompting the Whizzer to chase him. The speedster goes flying though when Sub-Mariner pops out from a hiding place and throws him, causing the Whizzer to complain that he's not fighting fair. While all this is going on, Valkyrie tries to cleave open the force sphere holding Nighthawk, but to little avail. But just as her fellow Defenders appear to be about to defeat each of their foes, a beam of violet light captures them all in another large force globe. Nebulon suddenly appears and tells his captives that he has no wish to harm them. Hulk of course responds that he will smash him, and Doc says they will protect their planets, so Nebulon quickly changes his tune: they've given him no choice but to destroy them!

Doug: A very nice cliff-hanger ending, and sets this up for a nice finish!

Karen: By Jiminy, this was just a rip-roaring good comic! The art is fantastic, it's a fast-paced, high-stakes story - can you tell I had a great time reading it? One of the things I loved about Defenders was getting to see Hulk in a team environment. He was the biggest loose cannon on a team of loose cannons! With him and Namor around, you never knew what would happen. It gave the Defenders a dynamic unlike any other group at that time. I can't wait to get to the next issue!