by
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
    

    
     
      s
      is
      the
      case
      with
      most
      pop
      culture
     
    

    
     
      mediums,
      comic
      books
      have
      seen
      their
     
    

    
     
      fair
      share
      of
      comebacks.
      Many
      popular
     
     
      current
      comic
      books
      star
      characters
      whose
      books
     
     
      were
      once
      cancelled:
      for
      example,
      Green
     
     
      Latern,Namor,
      Spectre,
      Doctor
      Strange,
      De-
     
     
      mon,
      Incredible
      Hulk,
      Silver
      Surfer,
      and
      many
     
     
      others.
      A
      particularly
      strong
      trend
      in
      the
      past
     
     
      few
      years
      has
      been
      the
      revival
      of
      books,
      charac-
     
     
      ters,
      and
      concepts
      from
      the
      nineteen-seventies.
     
     
      Marvel
      Comics
      in
      particular
      has
      often
      struck
     
     
      gold
      with
      such
      seventies
      revivals
      as
      Cage,
     
     
      Guardians
      of
      the
      Galaxy,
      What
      If,
      Deathlok,
     
     
      Warlock,
      and,
      of
      course,
      Ghost
      Rider
      (a
      failed
     
     
      seventies
      book
      that
      is
      currently
      among
      Mar-
     
     
      vel’s
      biggest
      hits
      and
      supports
      two
      spin
      off
     
     
      books:
      Spirits
      of
      Vengenance
      and
      the
      seventies
     
     
      reprint
      series
      The
      Original
      Ghost
      Rider
      Rides
     
     
      Again).
      The
      seventies
      cupboard
      isn’t
      bare,
     
     
      though,
      as
      this
      month
      Marvel
      is
      reviving
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      most
      fondly
      remembered
      and
      long-running
     
     
      series
      of
      the
      seventies:
      The
      Defenders,
      who
     
     
      survived
      for
      an
      impressive
      one
      hundred
      and
     
     
      fifty-two
      issues
      before
      their
      cancellation
      in
      the
     
     
      early
      eighties.
      It’s
      like
      seeing
      the
      Village
     
     
      People
      put
      out
      a
      new
      hit
      single.
      Everything
      old
     
     
      is
      new
      again...butthat
      doesn’t
      necessarily
      mean
     
     
      it’s
      better.
      In
      fact,
      Marvel’s
      new
      Secret
      Defend-
     
     
      ers
      series
      thus
      far
      leaves
      a
      bit
      to
      be
      desired.
     
    

    
     
      For
      those
      unfamiliar
      with
      the
      Defenders,
     
    

    
     
      they
      were
      a
      team
      who
      made
      their
      debut
      in
      the
     
     
      early
      seventies
      as
      a
      three-issue
      try-out
      in
      Mar-
     
     
      vel
      Feature,
      which
      led
      to
      the
      team
      gaining
      their
     
     
      own
      series
      shortly
      thereafter.
      Their
      gimmick
     
     
      was
      that
      they
      were
      a
      ‘‘non-team’’:
      no
      official
     
     
      membership,
      no
      headquarters,
      no
      relationship
     
     
      with
      legal
      authorities,
      no
      rules,
      no
     
     
      regulations...no
      team.
      The
      group
      was
      really
      just
     
     
      an
      informal
      alliance
      of
      heroes
      who
      agreed
      to
     
     
      band
      together
      when
      they
      are
      needed
      **...to
      battle
     
     
      MENACES
      that
      threaten
      the
      security-or
      the
     
     
      very
      LIFE
      -
      of
      the
      planet
      EARTH!”’,
      as
      the
     
     
      introductory
      blurb
      on
      their
      title
      page
      proclaimed
     
     
      each
      month.
      The
      original
      Defenders
      were
      he-
     
     
      roic
      types
      who
      didn’t
      fit
      in
      well
      with
      groups:
     
     
      Doctor
      Strange,
      the
      reclusive
      surgeon-turned-
     
     
      sorcerer
      who
      specialized
      in
      battling
      mystic
     
     
      menaces;
      Namor
      the
      Sub-Mariner,
      the
      tem-
     
     
      peramental
      Atlantean
      prince
      who
      had
      been
     
     
      known
      to
      declare
      war
      on
      the
      surface
      world
      ifhe
     
     
      wasn’t
      defending
      it
      from
      some
      other
      threat;
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      10
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Hulk,
      the
      dim-witted,
      green-skinned
      power-
     
     
      house
      whose
      volatile
      temper
      led
      him
      to
      engage
     
     
      in
      aimless
      mass
      destruction
      at
      least
      as
      often
      as
     
     
      he
      beat
      up
      bad
      guys.
      The
      three
      misfits
      first
      got
     
     
      together
      to
      face
      the
      world-threatening
      menace
     
     
      of
      Yandroth
      (not
      a
      typo),
      with
      Doc
      Strange
     
     
      masterminding
      the
      operation
      after
      recruiting
     
    
   
   
    
     
      his
      two
      reluctant
      cohorts
      to
      supply
      the
      muscle.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      At
      the
      conclu-
     
     
      sion
      of
      that
      ad-
     
     
      venture
      in
      Mar-
     
     
      vel
      Feature
      #1,
     
     
      Doc
      Strange
      sug-
     
     
      gested
      that
      they
     
     
      be
      ready
      to
      band
     
     
      together
      as
     
     
      Earth’s
      ‘‘De-
     
     
      fenders’
      again
     
     
      should
      the
      need
     
     
      arise.
      The
      Hulk
      32.50uUS
     
     
      and
      Namor
      were
      4
     
     
      unenthusiastic,
      A",
     
     
      but
      agreed
      to
      @
     
     
      pitch
      in
      against
     
     
      such
      later
      crises
     
     
      as
      the
      dread
     
     
      Dormammu
      and
     
     
      Xemnu
      (and
      you
     
     
      thought
     
     
      Yandroth’s
     
     
      name
      was
      silly).
     
     
      Afterthree
      issues
     
     
      of
      Marvel
      Fea-
     
     
      ture
      the
      Defend-
     
     
      ers
      were
      a
     
     
      bonafide
      albeit
     
     
      loose-knit
      team,
     
     
      and
      they
      were
      {
     
     
      awarded
      their
      ,
     
     
      own
      regular
      se-
     
     
      ries.
     
    

    
     
      Over
      the
     
     
      years
      the
      books
      *
     
     
      went
      through
      |
     
     
      many
      ups
      and
      }
     
     
      downs,
      and
      the
     
     
      membership
      was
     
     
      constantly
     
     
      changing.
      Other
     
     
      heroes
      and
      hero-
     
     
      ines
      who
      regu-
     
     
      larly
      hooked
      up
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ANNIVERSARY
     
     
      1962
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SPIDER-MAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      the
      Defenders
      would
      include
      the
      Silver
     
     
      Surfer,
      the
      Valkyrie,
      Nighthawk,
      Son
      of
      Satan
     
     
      (Hellstorm),
      Red
      Guardian
      (Starlight),
      Clea,
     
     
      Hellcat,
      Cage,
      Devil
      Slayer,
      Gargoyle,
      and
      the
     
     
      Beast,
      to
      say
      nothing
      of
      the
      dozens
      of
      **casual”
     
     
      members
      who
      worked
      with
      the
      Defenders
      at
      one
     
     
      time
      or
      another...just
      about
      every
      major
      charac.
     
     
      ter
      in
      Marvel
      continuity,
      everyone
      from
      Cap-