Dedicated to the definitive superhero non-team.


Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Nighthawks

I'm a fan of Edward Hopper and have seen his 1942 painting Nighthawks affectionately lampooned many times. If I were to create a Defenders rendition of the painting, I would place Nighthawk behind the counter, with Dr. Strange and Valkyrie next to each other, and Hulk seated by himself. This combination of heroes appeared in the upper-left corner of the covers for Defenders #40-46.

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Namor the Barbarian

Several earlier posts have described members of the Defenders as character classes from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. After giving the topic even more thought, I'd like to suggest that Sub-Mariner would be a fitting candidate for the Barbarian subclass introduced by Gary Gygax in Dragon Magazine #63 (July 1982). Originating from a remote area, Barbarians often fight without armor and have an aversion to magic. Additionally, Sub-Mariner's pointed ears and Atlantean background could make him a half-elf, specifically aquatic elf (even though these early rules state that only humans can be Barbarians).

Robert E. Howard deserves credit for creating Conan, the archetypical barbarian from sword & sorcery literature. Drawing inspiration from Howard's novels, Conan the Barbarian was a long-running Marvel title.