Cover Versions: Power Man and Iron Fist

Power Man and Iron Fist #50 changed Luke Cage's solo series into an ongoing team-up with Danny Rand. From that point on, the cover art often appeared symmetrical, giving equal weight to both characters. A handful of examples appear below.

	Cover art for Power Man and Iron Fist #101 pictures Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, recurring characters in the series.
	The cover of #104 is a powerful example of imperfect symmetry.

Going Nova

Fearless Defenders #12 marked an abrupt end to the series as Frankie Raye, a former herald of Galactus, became the eighth (or ninth) member of the team. Along with Valkyrie (now physically and mentally linked to archaeologist Annabelle Riggs), the other Defenders in the series were Misty Knight, Dani Moonstar, Hippolyta, Clea, Elsa Bloodstone, and novice crimefighter Ren Kimura.

Introduced in the pages of the Fantastic Four, Frankie Raye initially had powers in keeping with the Human Torch.

As a herald of Galactus, she took the name Nova and gained cosmic powers on par with the Silver Surfer.

Frankie Raye should not be confused with Richard Rider (a.k.a. The Man Called Nova) from prior incarnations of the Defenders

Fearless Defenders

Fearless Defenders #1 teamed up Valkyrie with detective Misty Knight, but the underlying premise of the new series came clear in #2. In the absence of the traditional shield-maidens of Asgard, Valkyrie received a directive to assemble a band of super-powered Earth women.

Considering this undertaking left Valkyrie wondering which super-heroines, if any, might be up to the task.

In a roundabout way, the objective harks back to the debut appearance of Valkyrie (actually Enchantress in disguise), who led a band of super-women called the Lady Liberators. That one-time team, however, formed under the auspices of fighting chauvinism by battling male heroes (Avengers #83).

The above image of Valkyrie and Misty Knight appeared on the cover of Fearless Defenders #1.