Amazon.com Review: Get ready for another 500+ pages of non-stop non-team action! Essential Defenders vol. 2 collects 16 more issues of The Defenders, plus five crossover issues, four giant-size stories, and a Marvel Treasury featuring Howard the Duck. Beginning with a throwaway issue of Giant-Size Defenders 1 (which is mostly reprints anyway), the real Defenders arc starts in issue 15, with the now-settled lineup of Dr. Strange, Valkyrie (except when she's off in search of her identity), Nighthawk, and (usually) Hulk (Silver Surfer being completely gone and the Sub-Mariner almost completely). They face Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in their quest to create the ultimate mutant; the Wrecking Crew with the help of Luke Cage, Power Man; and the Sons of the Serpent in an all-out war that swells the non-team roster as never before.
Particularly welcome are the Giant-Size issues, which feature a meeting with the Son of Satan, a confrontation alongside Daredevil with the games-playing Grandmaster, a development in Nighthawk's personal life that leads to a meeting with Yellowjacket and then a faceoff with the Squadron Sinister, and a meeting with the super-cool Guardians of the Galaxy that brings the Defenders to the 30th century to free the human race from the clutches of the Badoon. This 1974-76 run of Defenders was mostly written by Len Wein and Steve Gerber, with the bulk of the pencils by Sal Buscema, and this edition, like all of Marvel's Essentials, is printed in black and white. --David Horiuchi
Reliving my childhood adventures ^ I absolutely love these volumes of classic comics. The Defenders were one of my favorites. Thanks to marvel I am now able to go back and cheaply plug in the holes of missing issues from my actual comic collection and not spend a fortune. The only drawback on these Essential volumes is the lack of color illustration, but I understand that its why they can combine so many issues in one book for such a great price.
Superheroics mixed with social criticism ^ This volume contains the beginning of Steve Gerber's memorable run as writer of the Defenders. Gerber used the series as a platform to explore progressive issues such as race and class. A particularly interesting storyline has the Defenders fighting the Sons of the Serpent (a Ku Klux Klan type organization), and the Defender Nighthawk finds out he's funding them! The Nighthawk character was originally intended as an innocent parody of Batman, Gerber used him to make a biting criticism of the prototypical rich guy superhero.
Better than the first volume... ^ I wasn't sure why I bought Volume 2 of the Defenders since the first one was disappointing. I'm glad I did though, as the team comes together better once the Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner disappear from the pages. Nighthawk becomes a big part of the team, and the ongoing plot of Valkyrie finding herself isn't overdone too much. My favorite part is the crossover with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was an interesing look at the "future" of the Marvel Universe, especially since parts of the history involved the 1980s through today! The giant-sized issues are enjoyable and probably stood well on their own, but better integrated in the ongoing continuity. It was interesting too to see the racial tones in the Sons of the Serpent storyline, including the near use of the N word. The best part of the whole volume? Sal Buscema's consistant art - good stuff!
Ridding the Universe of Evil Intent ^ The Silver Surfer has flown off and Sub-Mariner has nearly floated out of the story lines, but this eclectic squad still packs a punch in this hefty volume of 616 pages that covers 1974-1976.
Hulk, Nighthawk, Valkyrie and Dr. Strange comprise the roster, though "free agents" like Daredevil, Guardians of the Galaxy and Howard the Duck make appearances to provide quirky twists while ridding the universe of individuals with evil intent in their deeds.
The collection includes The Defenders #15-#30, Giant-Size Defenders #1-5, Two-in-One #6-#7, Team-up #33-#35 and Treasury edition #12. This team may have their issues in the "clubhouse," but they work as one when a tough task needs to be done.
More great "Defenders" tales ^ Essential Defenders Volume 2 is good fun, nicely mixing straight-up 1970's superhero stories with a peppering of the strange and offbeat. Highlights include a reprint of an actual 1940's-era Submariner story (embedded within an issue of Giant-Size Defenders that appears early in the volume), and a classic team-up with Howard the Duck. I liked the fact that, as I moved through this 500-plus page collection, I never knew what I was going to get... a quirky one-part adventure highlighting one team member, a multi-part science-fiction epic with a couple of guest stars, a story heavy on horror elements, a satire with a talking duck, etc. I got all that and more. And I enjoyed lots of great art along the way, too (shout outs to Sal Buscema and Klaus Janson). Fun, fun stuff. In fact, I think I'm about ready for Volume 3 now.
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