The Defenders at Fifty

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Marvel Feature #1 (Dec. 1971), the first appearance of the Defenders. While I enjoy many of their early stories, particularly Defenders #13-16, I'd select #89-138 as my favorite fifty-issue run on the original series.

Given those preferences, it should come as no surprise that I think the preview cover of an upcoming Defenders series looks promising. The image shows the mysterious Masked Raider prompting Dr. Strange to bring together a new team of Defenders. Depicted on Tarot cards, the prospects are largely heroes who were Defenders at one point or another during the original series, including several members of the New Defenders.

As a non-team throughout much of their history, the Defenders attracted mystics, monsters, and iconoclasts while never gaining the foothold of the Avengers, X-Men, or Fantastic Four. In the thirteen years that I've been blogging about the Defenders, I've lost track of the numerous attempts to revamp the team, from Iron Man's vision for the Last Defenders to Heroes for Hire adopting the name Defenders more recently. All that being said, I hope this upcoming incarnation, with its nod to the past, will have some staying power.

Happy New Year!!

At various times during its publication history, Marvel Age magazine ran a one-month calendar on the back cover, noting the birthdays of Marvel staff and including comedic bits. The calendar for December 1985 had room for a cheerful illustration wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!

Comic books and other magazines often display a cover date set a few months in the future of the release date. In this case, that December 1985 calendar appeared on the back of Marvel Age #35 (cover date March 1986).

This makes Valkyrie's appearance in the New Year's scene especially noteworthy, as the future of the character was indeterminate as of New Defenders #152 (cover date February 1986). Given the character's longstanding history with the Defenders, I'm glad Marvel's creative team featured her in the end-of-the-year celebration.

That December calendar also noted Marvel staff with birthdays that month, most notably Stan Lee on December 28.

Happy Birthday, June!

Monthly calendars appeared on the back cover of Marvel Age magazine in 1985, with humorous images filling most squares.

Nighthawk from Earth-S appeared on June 18, wishing happy birthday to Mark Gruenwald (author of the 12-issue Squadron Supreme limited series published that year).

Meanwhile, Silver Surfer marked the first day of summer on June 21.

Love on the Rocks

While a student at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Bobby Drake became smitten with a young woman named Zelda who worked at a coffee house in Greenwich Village (X-Men #7). They remained an item for the next 40 issues.

Zelda even organized Bobby's 18th birthday party (#32), but all the while she never learned that he was secretly Iceman. During this same period, classmates Henry McCoy (Beast) and Warren Worthington (Angel) kept their mutant identities secret from their dates as well.

Bobby's romantic life took and unexpected turn when he met Lorna Dane, a mutant who had spent a lifetime hiding her naturally green hair (#49). Almost immediately, Bobby felt protective and possessive of Lorna. But Bobby's passion went unreciprocated, as Lorna instead fell in love with Alex Summers (Havok), who joined the X-Men soon afterward.

This scene of Iceman and Lorna Dane comes from X-Men #51.

Bobby then spent weeks getting up the nerve to ask another (unidentified) woman on a date, only to send her home early so he could discreetly use his powers as Iceman (Amazing Spider-Man #92). Iceman had misconstrued that Spider-Man—widely considered a menace at this time—was intending to harm Gwen Stacy (girlfriend of Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker).

In retrospect, this issue was eerily prophetic, as Spider-Man would later be blamed unfairly for Gwen Stacy's death (#121-122).

Amazing Spider-Man #72 (Jan. 1971) was published between X-Men #67 (Dec. 1970) and #68 (Feb. 1971). X-Men #67-93 reprinted earlier issues in the series. Iceman resigned in X-Men #95 (Aug. 1975).

Happy Birthday, May!

When monthly calendars started to appear on the back covers of Marvel Age magazine in 1985, the insignia for the Fantastic Four often occupied the 4th square of each month.

Defenders references were infrequent.

Iceman appeared in the square for May 18, 1985, wishing happy birthday to Alan Kupperberg (who pencilled the Iceman limited series and a run on the New Defenders.

As an aside, Iceman celebrated his 18th birthday in X-Men #32 (May 1967).

Happy Birthday, August!

The back covers of each issue of Marvel Age in 1985 featured a monthly calendar with fun illustrations on most dates. Each month acknowledged the appropriate astrological sign by picturing a member of the Zodiac gang, such as the villainous Virgo on August 23.

The square for August 27 pictured Angel, Beast, Valkyrie, and Gargoyle wishing a happy birthday to Defenders artist Don Perlin.

Sideways into 1967

The newly published Defenders #8 ended with a teaser … NEXT: SIDEWAYS INTO 1967! Given the sliding nature of time in most comic books, stories from 1967 now would have occurred reasonably close to the present. Just the same, here are some memorable events from comics published that year.

Ever-hounded by the people of Earth, an angry Hulk demanded that the Silver Surfer take him to a far-away planet in Tales to Astonish #93 (July 1967). While sympathetic to the Hulk's predicament, the former herald of Galactus was himself trapped on Earth and could not oblige. When all attempts to reason with the green goliath failed, the Silver Surfer flew off in frustration.

Avengers #43 (Aug. 1967) introduced the original Red Guardian (a.k.a. Alexi Shostakov, the estranged husband of the Black Widow). Though he died the following issue, the Soviet counterpart to Captain America would later inspire Dr. Tania Belinsky to become the second Red Guardian.

Iceman, the youngest of the original X-Men, celebrated his 18th birthday in X-Men #32 (May 1967), the first in a two-issue battle against Juggernaut. Acknowledging that the the original X-Men were adults, the merry mutants received individualized costumes in X-Men #39 (Dec. 1967).

By the Seven Circles

During a surprise party at X-Mansion, Nightcrawler received a sabotaged gift on his 21st birthday, triggering a mystical explosion that rendered him unconscious. Called in as a consultant, Dr. Strange diagnosed the condition: someone had taken Nightcrawler's soul (X-Men King-Size Annual #4). The story that followed played off many of the themes prevalent in the Defenders.

Although Dr. Strange initially pegged Nightcrawler as half-demon, the Eye of Agamotto revealed that there was nothing supernatural about the mutant's appearance. Accepting a metaphysical challenge to save the young hero, Dr. Strange accompanied members of the X-Men through a magic portal and into the Inferno from Dante's Divine Comedy.

The heroes fought harpies and other threats as they traversed down the Seven Circles. Yet all along Dr. Strange doubted they were in true hell, as he did not sense evil, just a strong anger toward Nightcrawler.

At the center of the Inferno, Dr. Strange detected that the giant creature calling itself Satan was part of an elaborate illusion created by Nightcrawler's foster mother, Margali. The powerful sorceress wanted to punish Nightcrawler for murdering his foster brother shortly before joining the X-Men. But Margali had a change of heart after discovering that her biological son had become violently crazed, prompting Nightcrawler to stop him.

The X-Men were glad to have their friend restored to health, and Dr. Strange pondered why he was only now learning of Margali, whose powers rivaled his own.

X-Men King-Size Annual #4. 1980. "Nightcrawler's Inferno." Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita Jr. and Bob McCleod (artists), Tom Orzechowski (letterer), Glynis Wein (colorist), Louise Jones (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief). The Nightcrawler image comes from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.