Defenders Dialogue: Non-Team

Defenders #21 (March 1975) included this letter contrasting the Defenders to Marvel's other superhero teams. For context, the original X-Men were appearing in reprints at the time; their series would revitalize with an "all-new, all-different" team of mutants starting with X-Men #94 (August 1975).

Dear Marvel,

With their new official headquarters, the Defenders seem to be slowly edging toward becoming a real team instead of a non-team. This should not be done.

What makes each Marvel superhero group individual is its form of organization. The Fantastic Four is a family, and with all its supporting characters it almost takes on the form of a tribe. The Avengers is a democratic body. The X-Men, of course, are organized as a school, so they never quite gained the respectability of the F.F. or the Avengers. There is nothing more respectable than family and democracy, but students don't really belong to polite society.

But the Defenders are anarchistic. They don't even exist as far as society is concerned. They should stay as loose and anarchistic as possible to retain their distinctness from the other Marvel groups.

Jana C. Hollingsworth
Port Angeles, Wash.

Lawful Evil: Badoon

The Badoon had green hides when they originally appeared in the pages of the Defenders. When those stories reprinted in the U.K. magazine Rampage, however, the militaristic extraterrestrials were red instead. No matter how they looked, the Badoon likely prescribed to the alignment of Lawful Evil while conquering the galaxy during the 31st century.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

Introducing Power Man

When Defenders #17 reprinted in Rampage #16, the cover art changed significantly. Instead of picturing Hulk alongside Nighthawk and Dr. Strange, the reprint showed the green goliath deserting his comrades. Of the two versions, the cover of Rampage #16 was more accurate. Within the story, Valkyrie left the non-team (temporarily) to learn about her alter ego as Barbara Norriss. A saddened Hulk then blamed Dr. Strange and Nighthawk for Valkyrie's departure and leapt off to be alone. Only afterward did Dr. Strange and Nighthawk meet Power Man.

Rampage #16 also modified the original cover verbiage to introduce the guest star as "The Menace of Power Man!" Within the story, the hero for hire was guarding Richmond Enterprises and mistook the Defenders for intruders.

Lawful Good: Comics Code Authority

I started posting about Dungeons & Dragons alignments almost a decade ago, usually as a lens to discuss various characters or teams. Along the way, I have wondered how the Comics Code Authority would fit within the nine alignments. Introduced in 1954, the lengthy set of rules greatly limited the artwork and text within comic books—to the chagrin of many fans and creators. As contentious as the code may have been, the prohibitions against glorifying crime or depicting criminals in a positive light would most closely match the alignment of Lawful Good. The revised version of the code from 1971 loosened some of these restrictions, allowing more depth and mature themes. The end result was still Lawful Good but certainly a more nuanced version of that alignment.

I plan to continue posting about character alignments intermittently in the coming months.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

Defensor

Defensor was never a Defender but his similar-sounding name warrants attention. The shield-bearing hero first appeared in Contest of Champions #1, which gathered superheroes from across the globe. During that challenge, Defensor fought alongside She-Hulk and Captain Britain on the side of the Grandmaster. Although Defensor was shown in Argentina immediately before the contest began, he revealed his secret identity as Gabriel Carlos Dantes Sepulveda, of Brazil (#2).

Later, heralding from South America rather than a specific nation, Defensor was among the countless heroes to celebrate amnesty for the Incredible Hulk (#279). But like several other international heroes from this period, Defensor was all but forgotten after this point.

This entry for Defensor originally appeared beside the entry for the Defenders in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. That entry told much more about Defensor's origin and weapons than his comic book appearances ever revealed.

Expenses

As master of the mystic arts, Dr. Strange earned no income. This put his servant, Wong, in the unenviable position of explaining that he couldn't pay their pharmacy bill because he had already withdrawn their last penny to pay that month's rent. To make matters worse, building inspectors informed Dr. Strange that his home would be condemned unless he painted the building and sealed up the trap doors and hidden passageways. To make do, Dr. Strange asked Wong to take a handful of jeweled trinkets from their vault and sell them at market price (Strange Tales #147).

Dr. Strange must have learned a thing or two following that ordeal. When a battle against the mystic Kaluu left the Sanctum Sanctorum in need of repair, Wong broached the subject of money again. This time around, Dr. Strange repaired their home by casting a spell. He then conjured up stacks of coins and dollar bills so Wong would never need to ask for money again (#151).

Strange Tales. Vol. 1. No. 147. August 1966. "From the Nameless Nowhere Comes … Kaluu!" Stan Lee & Denny O'Neil (script), Billy Everett (art), Sam Rosen (lettering), Irv. Forbush (amulet polisher).

Strange Tales. Vol. 1. No. 151. December 1966. "Umar Strikes!" Stan Lee (script), Bill Everett (art), Artie Simek (lettering).

Double Trouble

Hedy Wolfe was envious of Patsy Walker's popularity—so envious, in fact, that when she ran into a young woman who happened to be the spitting image of Patsy, Hedy concocted a plan to destroy Patsy's reputation. Hedy offered to buy the mystery woman a new dress if she insulted Patsy's closest friends. The mystery woman, who was in town visiting her aunt, agreed. Hedy's plan worked at first but eventually unraveled when she mistook the real Patsy for the imitator. After learning the truth, Patsy's friends held no grudges against her for the things the impostor had said. Meanwhile, the fake Patsy fled with the new dress, having never divulged her true name.

Patsy Walker. Vol. 1. No. 109. September 1963. "Patsy's Troublesome Twin!" Part Two: The End of a Scheme!"

Disappearing Act

Although the covers of Patsy Walker comic books sometimes referenced the stories within, the covers often worked as stand-alone gags. Such was the case with Patsy and Her Pals #22 (May 1956). That cover showed Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe fighting for the attention of Buzz Baxter at a magic show starring Presto the Magician. While it would have made for a creative setting, the magic show did not appear inside the issue. Incidentally, Presto closely resembled longtime comic character Mandrake the Magician, who would become one of the anachronistic Defenders of the Earth.

Day in the Lives

Rampage #7 (Nov. 30, 1977) included a two-page spread depicting "A Somewhat Quiet Day in the Lives of the Daring Defenders!" Valkyrie and Aragorn entered the comedic scene, which showed Prince Namor beside a "New Atlantis" fish tank, Dr. Strange practicing stage magic, and Hulk chewing on a Fantastic Four comic book with Thing on the cover.

The Knave of Hearts

One of the numerous Defenders for a Day was Jack of Hearts—real name Jack Hart. Because of his motif, I tend to associate that character with the Knave of Hearts, who was accused of stealing tarts in Alice in Wonderland.

Around the time he sought membership in the Defenders, Jack of Hearts starred in Marvel Premiere #44 (Oct. 1978); the Knave of Hearts and other Wonderland characters featured prominently on the back cover of Marvel Classics Comics #35.

Bonus Points!

While reprinting issues of the Defenders, the weekly U.K. magazine Rampage also included back-up content from other superhero comics—and sometimes from anthology series originally published during the Silver Age. Such was the case with Rampage #13 (Jan. 11, 1978), which reprinted Defenders #14 followed by the five-page story "Beware!!! Of the Little Toy Men!!" That suspenseful tale first appeared in Journey into Mystery #58 (May 1960). In writing this blog over the years, I've noticed the frequent use of exclamation points in comic books, but this particular title takes the cake for excessive punctuation!

Reservations about Wertham

I've written several posts over the years about Seduction of the Innocent, Fredric Wertham's scathing attack on the comic book industry. After rereading the book again, I've decided to address a few more of Wertham's arguments, which contributed to the Comics Code of 1954. Wertham held that comic books were anti-educational. Western comics, for example, did not accurately portray the American West. Additionally, placing dialogue in word balloons was just one of many practices that depleted comics of literary merit.

The merits of some of Wertham's claims were themselves suspect, however, such as his contention that superheroes promoted a Fascist ideology. In Chapter II, Wertham remarked that we should be thankful the S on Superman's chest was not an S.S. That comparison was blatantly ahistorical seeing how often comic books had portrayed Superman and other costumed heroes battling Nazis during the Second World War.

Wertham's credibility might be called into question elsewhere as well. In Chapter IV, he recalled a conversation with a boy who suffered from nightmares. The boy said he liked reading Blue Beetle comics, likening the title character to Superman but with the added power of turning into a beetle. Wertham said it was easy to understand why a child would be frightened after reading the adventures of a man who became an insect. The problem with Wertham's analysis, however, was that Blue Beetle did not transform into an insect—exposing Wertham's unfamiliarity with the material he was so prone to condemn.

Right or wrong, Wertham was convinced that comic books interfered with the psychological well-being of children and their ability to identify with positive role models. In Chapter IX, he asked, "Is that the best we can do for children, that we teach them the Green Lantern will help?" Interestingly, though self-reflection was uncommon for characters during the Golden Age of comics, Green Lantern would readily question his impact on society during the Bronze Age.

The original Green Lantern first appearance in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940).

The Hostess Formula

Hostess ads were a mainstay of superhero comic books throughout much of the Bronze Age. Criminals would stop in their tracks at the sight of Twinkies, CupCakes, or fruit pies—gleefully surrendering to authorities while biting into the Hostess snacks. Hostess products could also subdue a rampaging Hulk.

Ads for fruit pies consistently featured both apple and cherry (although a character might favor one flavor over another). Sometimes a third choice would appear from one of the following selections:

blueberry lemon peach

Daredevil defeats the crimelord Peachy Keen in the closing panels of this Hostess ad for peach, apple and cherry fruit pies.

Meditation Practices

The Defenders were no strangers to meditation. Dr. Strange had a Chamber of Meditation within his Sanctum Sanctorum, the original headquarters for the non-team. As one of the New Defenders, Moondragon often meditated as well. For all their differences, both characters were fiercely private and relied on meditation for mental clarity.

Dr. Strange shows Nighthawk and Valkyrie his Chamber of Meditation in Defenders #15; Moondragon meditates (and levitates) in New Defenders #136.

Day of the Druid

The druidic philosophy outlined in early versions of Dungeons & Dragons considered the moral opposites of Law and Chaos as balancing forces of nature. As such, the clerical subclass of Druid adhered to the alignment of Neutral, a worldview with no particular leanings toward good or evil.

About a decade before the creation of the game, Strange Tales #144-145 presented a vastly different take on druids. The leader of a hidden cult combined mystic rites and modern technology to summon the Egg of Satan—a thing of evil designed to seek out Col. Nick Fury and destroy him. Given their diabolical aims, these druids might be a better fit for Lawful Evil, the alignment closely associated with devils in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

The cover of Strange Tales #144 (May 1966) likened the mysticism of Dr. Strange to Nick Fury's nemesis in "The Day of the Druid!" Dr. Strange starred in a different story within the issue.

Torpedo

Like many other Defenders for a Day, the hero Torpedo was still relatively unknown during his stint with the non-team. Torpedo later found a niche as the recurring ally to Rom the Spaceknight. After their first encounter in Rom #21, Torpedo made frequent appearances in the series until his death in #50.

Ins and Outs

Bringing together mutant heroes and supernatural crimefighters, the Champions was an antecedent to the New Defenders—just set in Los Angeles instead of the Southwest. A source of internal conflict arose, however, when Darkstar became the group's new recruit (Champions #10).

Already feeling like an outsider, the demonic Ghost Rider resented how quickly his teammates trusted Darkstar. On more than one occasion, Ghost Rider refused to let Darkstar help him in combat, misinterpreting her cooperativeness as a sign of pity (#14). Ultimately, neither character felt at home in the Champions, prompting them both to resign and leading to the dissolution of the superteam (#17).

The following entry for the Champions originally appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

Gals on the Go-Go!

The cover of Patsy and Hedy #109 introduced a new tagline for the series, referring to the duo as "Gals on the Go-Go!" Now employed as newspaper reporters, Patsy and Hedy thwarted a spy ring and other dangers far outside the scope of their earlier adventures in high school. The change of pace was short lived, however, as the series ended with #110. That being said, this brazen version of Patsy Walker was an important step toward her future career as the superheroine Hellcat.

Patsy and Hedy. Vol. 1. No. 109. December 1966. "Surf-Side Spies!" Stan Lee (editor), Denny-O (writer), Al Hartley (artist).

Patsy and Hedy's Apartment

After Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe graduated from high school, the words "Career Girls" began appearing on the cover of their series beginning with Patsy and Hedy #96. The two young women began sharing an apartment and the comic book adopted a soap opera tone.

This annotated apartment layout appeared in Patsy and Hedy #101 (August 1965).

Valiant Pin-Up

This pin-up of Valkyrie riding Aragorn comes from Rampage #11 (Dec. 28, 1977). Also pictured: Dr. Strange, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Hulk.

Psychic Disguise

Long before she honed her own psychic abilities as Hellcat, a teenage Patsy Walker received an unexpected visit from a swami carrying a crystal ball. Underneath the turban and fake mustache was Buzz Baxter, Patsy's recurring love interest. Buzz wanted to surprise Patsy and make up with her after storming out earlier that evening. He had jumped to the conclusion that Patsy had lost interest in him when their plans to spend time together kept getting intruded upon. But Buzz discovered that jealous classmate Hedy Wolfe had orchestrated the series of interruptions as a plot to break up the young couple (Patsy and Hedy #49).

This panel of Patsy Walker and a disguised Buzz Baxter comes from Patsy and Hedy #49 (January 1957).