Defenders Fan and Games

The closing page of Fun and Games Magazine #11 (July 1980) said the next month's content would include:

Hulk Spider-Woman The Thing Silver Surfer The Defenders

Those characters, and more, did appear in various puzzles within #12 (August 1980). With regard to the non-team, the cover of The Defenders #73 (July 1979) was the basis for an activity titled "What's Missing?" The scene pictured Aragorn, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Hulk and Hellcat facing an extra-dimensional foe named Arisen Tyrk.

Lawful vs. Chaotic

Having previously posted about the alignment system from Dungeons & Dragons, I wanted to explore how some editions of the game understood the terms Lawful and Chaotic as descriptors for civilization and unbridled nature. Following a reconnaissance mission in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the members of Alpha Flight illustrate these competing positions in a panel from Contest of Champions #1 (June 1982).

Here, Northstar mentions how he looks forward to returning to the city of Ottawa. Along these lines, Aurora remarks that she'd like to get back to teaching school in Quebec. In contrast, Sasquatch says he prefers the wilds. Snowbird says that is her element too.

Team leader Vindicator is unsurprised when Shaman interjects that there is much to recommend about both worlds. Within D&D, Shaman's sentiment reflects a Neutral alignment between the extremes of Law and Chaos.

Even More Fun and Games

The cover of Fun and Games Magazine #2 (Oct. 1979) pictured Spider-Man and Hulk on a puzzle displaying the names of various supervillains. I understand including the likes of Juggernaut, a prominent foe of both the original and new X-Men. But I wonder how many readers recognized Droom as the name of a Badoon leader from Defenders #27 (Sept. 1975).

Inside the magazine, a feline word find featuring Hellcat was a more identifiable nod to the Defenders.

Cap'n Skragg

When numerous villains joined forces and pretended to be Defenders for a Day, their ranks included Pecos and Joe the Gorilla, two of the henchmen previously known as the Split-Second Squad (Avengers #77). Those characters featured prominently on the cover of Defenders #64, along with a sea captain—apparently Cap'n Skragg, who too had been a member of the Split-Second Squad. Although Cap'n Skragg appeared only in one panel that issue, he connected thematically to the villains' decision to attempt a getaway aboard the Staten Island Ferry.

Nighthawk knocks Joe the Gorilla into Cap'n Skragg in this panel from Defenders #64 (Oct. 1978).

Neutral Evil: Moondragon

Moondragon makes a compelling subject for the alignment system of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Originally introduced as Madame MacEvil (Iron Man #54), she soon joined the ranks of the Avengers as Moondragon. Even as a hero, though, Moondragon seemed driven to prove her own superiority above all else. For all her claims of transcending the mortal constraints of good and evil, Moondragon arrogantly followed a Neutral Evil alignent long before she joined the New Defenders as a villain under duress.

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

This image of Madame MacEvil comes from Iron Man #54. As Moondragon, the color of her costume changed to green.