There and Back Again

For the longest time I disregarded Defenders #115 as a humor issue that didn't require much attention. But when I recently noticed it was dedicated to Theodor Geisel, I bought an extra copy for a friend who is a fan of Dr. Seuss—and finally got around to reading the issue for myself.

A return trip through another dimension left Beast, Gargoyle, Sub-Mariner, and Valkyrie stranded in an unusual world where everyone spoke in rhyme. At the request of Mayor Greeneggs, the heroes agreed to defend the land of "Here" from their enemies from "There." The decidedly silly story paid homage to a handful Seuss characters, while combining elements from other works of children's literature.

The irreverent adventure ended with the usually barefoot Prince of Atlantis donning the pair of ruby sneakers to click himself and his teammates back home. The shoes were still on his feet when he returned.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 115. January 1983. "A Very Wrong Turn!" J.M. DeMatteis (script), Don Perlin (pencils), Hilary Barta (inks), Shelly Leferman (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Al Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).