Exiled

With the ability to mimic the powers of mutants, Calvin Rankin served as both an ally and an enemy to the original X-Men.

Although he never joined the Defenders in the mainstream Marvel Universe, the version of Mimic who joined the dimension-hopping Exiles told how he had been a member of the Defenders in the a parallel universe he called home (Exiles #3).

Mimic: Yes, not my finest hour. You should have seen my costume…

It's unclear if the costume Mimic wore with the Defenders was the same costume worn during his original X-Men appearances.

When the Exiles journeyed to an alternate timeline where the X-Men prepared to fight the Imperial Guard to save Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix (mirroring X-Men #137), that world's version of Wolverine was surprised to see Mimic.

Wolverine: So what's up, bub? Ain't you supposed to be running around with Doc Strange and Iceman?

That line of dialogue revealed that the Iceman of this alternate reality was already a member of the Defenders during the historic Dark Phoenix saga, whereas the Iceman of the mainstream Marvel Universe was away at college at that point—and joined the Defenders only later, as the non-team transitioned into the New Defenders.

We can only imagine what other ways the Defenders of this world might have been different.

Exiles. Vol. 1. No. 3. October 2001. "Old Wounds, New Battles: Part 1 of 2." Judd Winick (writer), Mike McKone (pencils), McKenna w/Cannon (inks), Transparency Digital (colors), Sharpefont's Paul Tutrone (letters), Mike Raicht (assistant editor), Mike Marts (the editor), Joe Quesada (the watcher), Bill Jemas (the beyonder).

Secret Prices

I stopped collecting comic books during much of the 1990s and only recently began to buy back issues from that decade. In the process, I decided to take a look at the cover prices for a series that was a secret to me during my time away from collecting. Sporting a foil cover, The Secret Defenders #1 (March 1993) sold for $2.50. On the one-year mark, #12 (Feb. 1994) sold for that same price, with a prismatic foil cover to boot. The cover price for a standard issue in the series was $1.75 for #2 through #11, and again for #13-14. The price of a standard issue rose to $1.95 with #15 (June 1994) and continued through #24. The Secret Defenders ended with #25 (March 1995), a double-sized issue with a cover price of $2.50.

Strange Heroes

Timed to coincide with the relaunch of the Defenders series, The Defenders: Strange Heroes works as a partial companion guide to the non-team.

Following the encyclopedia-style format of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, this 64-page volume provides an historical overview of the various incarnations of the Defenders, with updated individual entries on Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Namor, Red She-Hulk, and Silver Surfer.

Rather than showcasing other prominent heroes, The Defenders: Strange Heroes tends to focus on lesser-known villains and supporting characters. Case in point: The entry on Nighthawk describes the Earth-S counterpart who briefly assisted the Defenders, not the longtime member of the team.

While the end result might feel more like a grab bag than an exhaustive resource, I was particularly happy to find entries on the Chorus, the land of Here (and There), and Gargantua (called Leviathan when he battled the New Defenders).

Full entries also appear on the following:
Aleta, Andromeda Attumasen, Ardina, Belathauzer, Cyrus Black, Cloud, Doctor Spectrum (Squadron Sinister), Dollar Bill, Dolly Donahue, Eel (Stryke), Foolkiller (Salinger), Jake Fury, Gamma Spores, Geatar, Lorelei (Asgardian), Mad-Dog, Manslaughter, Jerry Morgan ("Shrunken Bones"), Nebulon, Jack Norriss, Richard Rory, Rose of Purity/Wasteland, Sea Urchin, Seraph (Tolsky), Slorioth, Solarr, Star of Capistan, Trish Starr, Torpedo (Jones), and Zusommin (viral swarm).

These characters receive half-page entries:
Blowtorth Brand, Dafydd ap Iowerth, Ludberdites, Papa Hagg, Sunshine Gross, and Tapping Tommy.

Here at Last!

The closing pages of the seven-issue Fear Itself limited series worked as a segue, with Hulk heading to the home of Stephen Strange.

When Wong greeted him at the door, Hulk pushed the servant out of the way and barged inside. The green goliath requested that Dr. Strange come to his aid to defeat Nul, a being best understood as rage incarnate.

The story continued in the highly anticipated debut of the latest Defenders series. To proceed on the quest, Dr. Strange in turn requested the aid of Namor, Silver Surfer, Red She-Hulk, and Iron Fist—all featured prominently on the cover of Defenders #1

As the adventure moved forward, the heroes ventured to Wundagore Mountain, which Dr. Strange aptly compared to The Island of Doctor Moreau. The issue ended on a suspenseful note, as one of the mountain inhabitants introduced himself as the legendary Prester John.

I certainly like the refreshing approach that the creative team is taking in both the writing and the artwork. I hope this new series has a long life ahead of it.

Defenders. No. 1. February 2012. "Breaker of Worlds Part 1: I Hate Myself and Want to Die." Matt Fraction (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Sonia Oback (colorist), VC's Clayton Cowles (letterer).

The top image comes from Epilogue 4 of Fear Itself. No. 7. December 2011.

Calling All Defenders

When Sub-Mariner sought revenge against the warlord Attuma for overthrowing New Atlantis, Dr. Strange offered his assistance. But with only the young mutant Loa at their side, the master of the mystic arts called for reinforcements (Fear Itself: The Deep #1).

Casting a spell initially designed to gather alchemical ingredients, Dr. Strange intended to summon core members of the Defenders. To everyone's surprise, the magic summoned Lyra (a.k.a. the Savage She-Hulk), even though she had never fought with the team. Lyra's mother was Thundra, a 23rd-century amazon—and her "father" was genetically engineered DNA from the Hulk, which explained why the magic inadvertently brought her instead.

Silver Surfer soon joined the fray as well, more or less rounding out this grouping of Defenders.

Yet against the armies of Attuma, Dr. Strange tried widening the scope of the earlier spell to summon even more allies. This time, to everyone's amazement, the magic summoned 11 more heroes who previously called themselves Defenders or accompanied the Defenders at least once (Fear Itself: The Deep #4).

Roll call:
(Top) Stingray, Cloak, Devil-Slayer.

(Middle) Daimon Hellstrom, Dagger, Blazing Skull, Black Panther, Hellcat.

(Bottom) Cloud, Moon Knight, Gargoyle.

Cullen Bunn wrote Fear Itself: The Deep, one of several Fear Itself limited series published in 2011.