Meeting Millie the Model

In one of her most reflective moments as Hellcat, Patsy Walker became reacquainted with Millie the Model (Defenders #65).

Patsy and her pals were still in high school when they met the celebrity model, who was visiting the town of Centerville (Patsy Walker #76). Later, Millie and her photographer boyfriend, Clicker Holbrook, were headed to a fashion event when they got a flat tire in front of Patsy's house. Patsy was leaving for a masquerade party at the time and happened to be dressed as Millie. The disguise was so convincing that Clicker couldn't tell the two women apart (#98).

Donning a blonde wig, Patsy may have resembled Millie but the two characters were very different. Patsy was inherently relatable, often daydreaming about the future long before becoming a superhero. Millie, in contrast, was already glamorous, cosmopolitan and comfortable in her own skin.

Mutant Coverage

Defenders #15-16 pitted the non-team against the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Yet when the two-part story reprinted in Rampage #14-15, the new covers billed the opposing team as the Mighty Mutants or more generally as Mutants. To be fair, the interior pages retained the original text and specifically called the villains the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Assisting the Defenders was Professor X, leader of the X-Men.

Redesigning Wrecker

When material from Defenders #18-19 reprinted for U.K. readers in Rampage #17-18, a curious coloring change occurred. The Wrecker, who originally wore a purple and green costume, instead appeared in burnt orange on the cover of each reprint. Meanwhile, the other members of the Wrecking Crew retained their original color schemes. When comparing both sets of covers side by side, I think the coloring change helped the Wrecker stand out.

Like other issues in the U.K. series, interior pages of Rampage #17-18 ran in black-and-white.

Batroc's Beginner's Guide to French

The kickboxing criminal named Batroc introduced an activity in Fun and Games Magazine #10 (June 1980) that asked readers to identify the French translations of 17 English words. The list included Marvel (Merveille in French) but the majority of words were not connected to comic books. Known for speaking Franglais, Batroc was the perfect character to appear in this particular puzzle.

Defenders Trek

With his pointed ears and hybrid heritage, Sub-Mariner was compared to Mr. Spock more than once. But the Prince of Atlantis was not the only Defender with a doppleganger aboard the Enterprise. Moondragon was a shoo-in for Ilia, the bald navigator from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. An ad for the film appeared on the back cover of Defenders #74 and other Marvel Comics with a cover date of August 1979. Moondragon guest starred in #76-77 and later joined the New Defenders.

House of Ideas

Defenders: Beyond #5 (Jan. 2023) wrapped up the limited series by taking the heroes to the House of Ideas. Home to a godlike creative force, the surreal dimension included some nostalgic comic book imagery. In drawing attention to the comic book as a storytelling medium, writer Al Ewing and illustrator Javier Rodríguez emphasized the importance of agency and experience within their characters—ending the abstract adventure on an optimistic note.

The House of Ideas is, of course, a longstanding euphemism for Marvel Comics. The cover of Champions #6 (June 1976), for instance, noted that the magazine came from the House of Ideas! In that story, Angel, Iceman, Black Widow and Hercules defeated a costumed villain called Rampage.

Covering the Champions

Marvel Comics used various approaches when picturing heroes on team book covers. The Champions, for example, displayed only Hercules in the upper-left corner of covers throughout most of the series. The color of Hercules' headband changed from red to brown to green as the series progressed, but otherwise the illustration remained consistent. Not until #16 did the corner picture all five founding members of the team.

Hercules Black Widow Angel Ghost Rider Iceman

The corner image of Ghost Rider changed slightly in #17, the final issue of the series.

Every Which Whizzer

The Squadron Supreme entry from the original edition of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe introduced several details about the team. The Squadron's 12-issue limited series, however, would later contradict some of the information from the handbook. Whereas the handbook listed Whizzer as Hiram Arnold, chemist, his identity would instead become Stanley Stewart, mail carrier. Squadron Supreme #8 further established that Whizzer gained superhuman speed after jogging through a dense, slightly luminescent fogbank—distinguishing the hero's origin story from the Golden Age version of the Whizzer.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe included this image of the Whizzer in the original entry for the Squadron Supreme.

Friendly Neighborhood Vampire

Spidey Super Stories #14 teamed up the web-slinger to a vampire who had made cameo appearances in previous issues of the series. Physically resembling Blacula from the 1972 horror film, this mid-mannered vampire was in fact the nephew of Dracula. The story delivered a subtle message against prejudice. J. Arthur Crank, president of the Better Neighborhood Club, wanted the vampire out of town. Spider-Man, however, was more interested in stopping wanted criminals.

Spider-Man: Unless your vampire does something wrong … I can't touch him.

While investigating strange occurences in the area, Spider-Man discovered that the evil inventor known as the Mad Thinker had been using using the vampire's attic as a secret hideout. Since the vampire slept until sunset, he was unaware of the Mad Thinker's activity.

Spidey Super Stories. Vol. 1. No. 14. Dec. 1975. "Haunting Season." Jean Thomas (writer), Winslow Mortimer (penciler), Mike Esposito/Tony Mortellaro (inkers), A.J. Hays (editor), John Romita (art director).

The Best of All Possible Worlds

Defenders: Beyond #4 explored a version of reality where Blue Marvel prevented the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Galactus was the "life-Bringer" rather than a devourer or worlds. The utopia wasn't all it was chalked up to be, however. Tigra, for example, was now the trusted leader of the Avengers, which amounted to Earth's mightiest heroes asking her to watch their belongings or run errands. Ultimately, the Defenders sought to escape this superficially idyllic realm and return to the world they knew.

Defenders: Beyond. Vol. 1. No. 1. December 2022. "The Land of Couldn't-Be-Shouldn't -Be." Al Ewing • Javier Rodríguez • VC's Joe Caramagna • Wil Moss • Michelle Marchese.

Three-In-One

Thing consistently headlined Marvel Two-In-One. But after Black Goliath (later Giant-Man) became a supporting character, the series effectively became a Three-In-One when another superhero also appeared. Nowhere was this more clear than in Marvel Two-In-One #76, guest-starring Iceman. In the story, the three heroes defeated Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, who had infiltrated an ordinary carnival.

Giant-Man's diagnosis of cancer was a subplot not only in this issue and throughout much of the series. A massive blood transfusion from Spider-Woman would eventually save his life, but Spider-Woman would lose her superhuman Immunity Factor as a result (#85).

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 76. June 1981. "The Big Top Bandits." Tom DeFalco (plot), David Michelinie (script), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Michael Higgins (letters), George Roussos (colors), Jim Salicrup (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 85. March 1982. "The Final Fate of Giant-Man!" Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Joe Rosen (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Jim Salicrup (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Reconstructing the Construction Worker

A citation at the end of Defenders: Beyond #3 (Nov. 2022) noted that the construction worker within that story previously appeared in Classic X-Men #43 (Jan. 1990). In comparing both issues, I prefer the rendition of the character in the Defenders over his portrayal in the X-Men. Among other physical differences, this latest depiction gives the character a construction helmet and reflective lenses—with a mustache replacing his classic stubble. Additionally, the construction worker's entire dimension now appears in black-and-white instead of full color.

It is indeterminate if the surreal character still whistles while he works, as he had in the X-Men vignette.

The Defender: William Shatner

In New Defenders #128 (Feb. 1984), Beast lamented that his VHS tapes of the 79 episodes of Star Trek were ruined. I wonder if Beast was also a fan of The Defenders television series that ran 1961-1965 on CBS. Before William Shatner became Captain Kirk, the actor appeared five times on the courtroom drama. Far from being typecast, Shatner played a different role in each of those Defenders episodes:

"Killer Instinct" "The Invisible Badge" "The Cruel Hook" "The Uncivil War" "Whipping Boy"

Shatner previously starred as a young defense attorney in a television play titled The Defender, which aired in two parts on CBS in 1957.

The Second Cosmos

Defenders #4 (Vol. 6) announced that the final installment of that five-part series would list the Marvel heroes and villains who were the basis for the archetypal characters in the Fourth Cosmos. Instead, those answers appeared at the end of Defenders: Beyond #2, reinforcing how intersected the two limited series happened to be.

Often reading like a travelogue, Beyond #2 brought the latest group of Defenders to the Second Cosmos, described as a multiverse of possibility and infinite instability. In a fitting touch of continuity, the issue brought back the Omega Council and Concordance Engines, credited in Defenders #11 (Vol. 4) for the impressive number of improbable events that happen on Earth.

This page comes from Defenders: Beyond #2 (Oct. 2022).

The Making of Mad-Dog

Published two decades before Patsy Walker become Hellcat, Patsy and Hedy #46 reads almost like an origin story for Buzz Baxter becoming the supervillain known as Mad-Dog.

Patsy dated Buzz regularly in high school. But when his car kept breaking down, Patsy insisted that Buzz get a new car. Pressured by Patsy and a handful of their friends, Buzz traded in his car at Mad-Dog Cur Used-Cars. The new car, however, proved almost as unreliable as his old jalopy had been.

Later that issue, Patsy turned down Buzz when he asked her to go for a drive—or on any kind of date for that matter. Classmate Hedy Wolfe, who also pined for Buzz, spoke to him about Patsy's behavior.

Hedy: Can't you see how she treats you? She takes you for granted like you were the family dog!

To make Patsy jealous, Hedy suggested that Buzz start dating her instead. Hedy then told Patsy that it was Buzz who had come up with the scheme. Patsy responded by making a date with a stranger who had whistled at her on the street. When Buzz saw the two of them out together, he slugged the unsuspecting fellow. In hindsight, these story elements set the stage for Buzz taking the name Mad-Dog and plotting to disrupt Patsy's wedding to Daimon Helstrom (New Defenders #125).

These panels come from Patsy and Hedy #46 (Oct. 1956).

Stacking the Deck

Dr. Strange was dead. But before he departed, the sorcerer cast a lingering, final spell that would strong-arm Blue Marvel into leading a new combination of Defenders in a five-issue limited series. A magical Tarot deck would identify who would join this version of the non-team. In addition to Blue Marvel, the desk selected Ms. America Chavez, a young version of Loki, Taaia of the Sixth Cosmos, and Tigra, the Were-Woman (Defenders: Beyond #1).

Although a Ten card from each of the traditional Tarot suits (Wands, Swords, Cups, Coins) would represent four of these Defenders, the card representing Tigra was the Ten of Crowns (a fifth suit that doesn't exist in any other Tarot deck). While a standard Tarot deck has 78 cards in all, we can only imagine how many unique cards might appear in this magical deck—and what that could mean for the Defenders.

This image of Blue Marvel comes from Defenders: Beyond #1 (Sept. 2022).

Stilt Man

Stilt Man made a dramatic debut in Daredevil #8 (June 1965), towering above the street-level hero. The version of Stilt Man to appear in Spidey Super Stories #47 (July 1980), however, was far less intimidating than the original. In place of a full-fledged battle suit, this rendition of the criminal wore a pair of ordinary stilts as he faced Spider-Man and Spider-Woman. Even in a series designed for young readers, it is hard to imagine the reasons for stripping Stilt Man of any semblance of superpowers in that story.

Superheroes Sinister

When the story from Defenders #13 (May 1974) later ran in Rampage #12 (Jan. 4, 1976), the U.K. reprint series kept the cover illustration of the original. But whereas the original cover text promoted Super-Team vs. Super-Team, the reprint said, "Superheroes battle Superheroes when--the Squadron Sinister Strikes!

As their name implied, of course, the Squadron Sinister were not superheroes. To be fair, though, the Squadron Sinister did look strikingly like their superheroic counterparts in the Squadron Supreme—so much so that the cover of Avengers #141 (Nov. 1975) had incorrectly billed the Squadron Supreme as the Squadron Sinister!

Innocent Advertising

Rereading Seduction of the Innocent is becoming something of an annual tradition for me, as I've summarized portions of the 1954 book by Fredric Wertham twice before: first in 2020 and then in 2021. This time around I'm narrowing the topic to Wertham's concerns over advertising—specifically the prominence of bodybuilding ads in comics.

Noting how some boys might look aspirationally at the shirtless he-men pictured in the these ads, Wertham worried that the photos might instill feelings of insecurity in boys unable to achieve the desired results. Wertham raised a further objection, asserting that boys with homosexual tendencies might collect these photos and use them for sexual stimulation.

While many of Wertham's concerns would haunt the comic book industry for decades to come, bodybuilding ads remained a mainstay in comic books when I began reading them in the 1970s. Although I grew up to be gay, I can't say that I paid much attention to these ads during my formative years.

For more context about the far-reaching scope of Seduction of the Innocent, a list of the book's chapter titles appears below.

"Such Trivia As Comic Books" "You Always Have to Slug 'Em" The Road to the Child The Wrong Twist Retooling for Illiteracy Design for Delinquency I Want to Be a Sex Maniac!" "Bumps and Bulges" The Experts for the Defense The Upas Tree Murder in Dawson Creek The Devil's Allies Homicide at Home The Triumph of Dr. Payn

This particular full-page ad appeared in Defenders #27 & 28. Smaller versions of the ad appeared in other issues of the series.

The Black Knight Reborn

Dane Whitman already had the Ebony Blade and the winged horse Aragorn, yet he was reluctant to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor Sir Percy, the original Black Knight. Only after inheriting Garrett Castle (the spot where King Arthur purportedly died), did Whitman feel a deeper calling to follow in his ancestor's footsteps (Marvel Super-Heroes #17).

This change of heart did not go unnoticed. To create an adversary for the new Black Knight, the ghost of Modred the Evil co-opted former stage performer Paul Richarde (a.k.a. Le Sabre), whose career had ended tragically when his blade accidentally hit and killed his assistant. Under Modred's evil influence, Le Sabre challenged Black Knight to a duel. Instead of a flying horse, Le Sabre rode a gargoyle statue magically brought to life. Black Knight proved victorious in battle, seemingly ending Modred's mystical hold over Le Sabre.

Marvel Super-Heroes. Vol. 1. No. 17. November 1968. "The Black Knight Reborn!" Roy Thomas (writer), Howard Purcell (artist), D. Adkins + Co. (inking), Sam Rosen (lettering). Other stories within the issue were reprints from the Golden Age.

Defenders Dialogue: Odin's Eye-Patch

New Defenders #126 published this thoughtful letter and editorial reply concerning a scene with Odin and Valkyrie from #122 and upcoming limited series spotlighting other members of the Defenders.

Dear Gang,

DEFENDERS #122 was fantastic but (there's always a "but", isn't there?) I did find a Major Mistake. On page 15, panels 1 and 2, where we see Odin consoling the Valkyrie, one would notice that the All-Father has an eye-patch on his left eye. But we all know the eye-patch goes over his right eye (it even says so in MARVEL UNIVERSE #8).

But never fear. I have an explanation. Odin's visual image to Brunnhilda could have been like a trick-photographic image in which all things are reversed. Therefore, the mixed-up eyepatches. This does entitle me to a No-Prize, right guys? Guys? Guys?

Kevin Pfluger
Cherry Hill, NJ

P.S. Having the Gargoyle in his own mini-series would be excellent! How about Iceman getting one, too?

Iceman's getting one, Kevin — courtesy of the creative team that brought you this very issue of THE NEW DEFENDERS: J.M. DeMatteis and Alan Kupperberg. Look for it some time in '84. And, yes, Kevin, the No-Prize is on the way. We were inundated with letters from irate eye-patch watchers and yours was the only one to offer a solution. Thanks, pal — we really needed you on this one.

In the Wings

Angel was basically benched from the team after New Defenders #143, when an attack from Moondragon left him blind until #152, the final issue of the series. If Angel seemed unfettered while wounded, he had already done his share of soul searching just before joining the New Defenders (#125), when the subterranean band of mutants known as Morlocks kidnapped him and clipped his pin feathers (X-Men #169-170).

No longer a prospective mate for Callisto, leader of the Morlocks, Angel was instead boyfriend to Candy Southern, leader of the New Defenders. This may have helped him maintain his perspective.

In this panel from Defenders #146 (Aug. 1985), Cloud verbally guides Angel as he practices flying without his eyesight.

Close Encounters

Cataclysmic visions of the future would prompt Dr. Strange, Hulk, Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer to quit the Defenders. According to the mysterious, time-traveling Tribunal, the four heroes would investigate a crashed starship in October 1983 (cover date of Defenders #124). The ship's passengers, followers of saintly Prince Ch'kra from the planet Kamado, would then tragically commit suicide after mistaking the Defenders for agents of King Ch'kri, their planet's warmongering ruler. In the mid 24th century, an armada of Kamado starships would eventually destroy the Earth to obliterate any historical trace of Prince Ch'kra. Only by ceasing to band together could the four heroes hope to avert this fate (#125, which retitled the series as The New Defenders).

Although the Tribunal's warning would prove spurious at best, I'd like to think that Prince Ch'kra's followers managed to safely leave Earth while leaving no evidence behind.

This vision of the 24th century comes from the closing page of Defenders #123 (Sept. 1983).

The Case of the Missing Mutants

In Defenders #124, Beast reminded Iceman an an early plot orchestrated by the Secret Empire.

Beast: Or have you forgotten how the Empire kidnapped you, me, and half the mutants in the Western Hemisphere a few years back--and tried to tap our X-energies for their own ever-so nasty ends?

Beast wasn't exaggerating. After the Irish mutant Banshee feared that he might be the next one abducted (Captain America #172), Professor X, Cyclops and Marvel Girl of the X-Men enlisted the help of Captain America and Falcon to rescue the following mutants from the clutches of the Secret Empire:

Angel Beast Blob Havok Iceman Mastermind Mesmero Unus Lorna Dane (not yet Polaris)

Concluding in Captain America #175 (April 1974), the suspenseful storyline explained the X-Men's absence at a time when their own title published only reprints. The number of known mutants from the Eastern and Western Hemispheres would increase drastically in the year ahead, with the return of all-new X-Men stories in their series.

These images come from Captain America #172 (above) and #175 (below).

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.

Mission: Impossible

Whenever Dr. Strange uses Tarot cards to select a team of Defenders, I think of the television series Mission: Impossible. During early episodes, the show's formula included a scene zooming in on the dossier of each character selected for that week's mission. A comic book adaptation published by Dell closely adhered to the show's tone but often excluded that signature scene.

This panel from Mission: Impossible #4 (Oct. 1968) included the dossiers, which were a mainstay on the television show.

Shrunken Bones

Dr. Jerold Morgan was the weakest member of the Headmen. Like his three teammates, Morgan was highly intelligent. But he lacked the superhuman powers of Dr. Arthur Nagan (a.k.a. Gorilla-Man), Chondu the Mystic, or Ruby Thursday. On top of that, the scientific accident that had permanently altered Morgan not only reduced the size of his skeleton but also left him with noticeably loose skin.

Adding insult to injury, the Headmen entry in the original edition of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe referred to Morgan as Shrunken Bones, a codename he hadn't used.

This illustration originally appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

More Fun and Games

Defenders fans had reason to enjoy Fun and Games Magazine #11 (July 1980). One activity showed how to draw Nighthawk. Printed sideways across pages 16-17 was a poster of Valkyrie—easily detachable by removing the staples between the two pages. Mazes and word puzzles featuring other Marvel characters appeared elsewhere in the magazine.

Featuring Jim Wilson

When the Defenders first battled the extraterrestrial Xemnu, they had a young ally in Jim Wilson, who alerted Dr. Strange to Xemnu's hypnotic power of children (Marvel Feature #3). By this time, Wilson had become a sidekick of sorts to the Incredible Hulk and his alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner. Hulk's original teen sidekick, Rick Jones, had moved on by this point, having trained with Captain America before working in tandem with Captain Mar-vell. Wilson would continue to assist Hulk on occasion, but this was his only appearance with the Defenders.

This panel of Jim Wilson and Dr. Strange watching Xemnu on TV comes from Marvel Feature #3.