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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 741.5973 EAN: 9780785115472 Edition: Direct Ed ISBN: 0785115471 Label: Marvel Comics Manufacturer: Marvel Comics Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 544 Publication Date: June 01, 2005 Publisher: Marvel Comics Studio: Marvel Comics Related Items:
Editorial Review: Amazon.com: Essential Defenders Vol. 1 is one of the more invaluable manifestations of Marvel's budget Essentials series. It captures the formation and early stages of the Defenders, a "non-team" of heroes that didn't have a headquarters or a formal charter, and didn't even like to hang out together. They just combined their considerable forces when needed. The 26 issues collected in this volume include the first times the characters crossed paths in their individual books--Dr. Strange 183, Sub-Mariner 22 and 34-35, and Incredible Hulk 126--followed by their appearances in Marvel Feature 1-3 and then the first 14 issues of their own book. Most of the early adventures were mystical Dr. Strange tales backed by the muscle of the Hulk and Sub-Mariner, but the group took better shape with the addition of the Silver Surfer in issue 2, and the beginning of the Black Knight saga in issue 4, which not only introduced the Valkyrie but led to the epic Avengers-Defenders clash, also included here in its entirety. Even though the individual Defenders were well-known in the Marvel Universe, the conflict with the better-established Avengers helped put the "group" on the map. The volume concludes with the two-part Nighthawk/Squadron Supreme story line. While there are drawbacks to the black-and-white format (for example, the Mohammedan's glimpse of the Hulk's green foot in issue 11), the price for this much content is low, and who knows when a Masterworks edition will arrive. (The Avengers-Defenders clash was previously released as a stand-alone trade paperback.) Better to grab Essential Defenders Vol. 1 now and hope for volume 2. --David Horiuchi Product Description: Dr. Strange. Namor. The Hulk. The Silver Surfer. Set apart from others by nature and choice, this team of Marvel's mightiest loners embarked a string of strange adventures rarely equaled since - joined by some of the most off-kilter heroes of their time. Sorcery! Super-science! The war of the super-heroes! Learn how the "non-team" got its non-start in this multi-title compilation! Collects Dr. Strange #183, Sub-Mariner #22 and 34-35, Incredible Hulk #126, Marvel Feature #1-3, Defenders #1-14, and Avengers #115-118. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Black & white reprints of classic four-color comics...?I honestly don't get the appeal of these books. Why bother making (or reading) black & white reprints of classic four-color comics...? I mean, yeah, the stories are still great and the original comics are hard to find, but a huge part of what made these comics great was the eye-popping artwork, including the bright primary colors: reading them in dull B&W is just plain wrong. Sure, the printing costs are lower, so you can get more pages for your money, but it's more pages of boring, not more pages ... Read More Rating:  - Perhaps the most character driven of the Essential volumesI approached this volume without any prior knowledge of or interest in the Defenders, so this review won't discuss the monumental events contained within that may or may not have shaped Defenders history. Instead, as a complete novice to this "un-team," what really resonates about this volume is the intense characterization that Steve Englehart brings to the stories. I'm used to tedious early essential volumes that show the history of how it all began, but which are generally limited by dated style ... Read More Rating: - 500-plus pages of strange villains and a grudging superhero alliance. What's not to like?Great old early 70's Marvel, featuring tales produced during the company's second creative heyday, when several new writers were just beginning to contribute their own spin and quirks to Stan Lee's classic superheroes-with-foibles formula. And the "non-team" approach of "The Defenders" was quirky to begin with, resulting in some memorably entertaining tales right out of the box. And those are the tales you get here, along with a nice sampling of other Marvel titles of the period (each with a "Defenders" ... Read More Rating: - Graphic SF ReaderThrow together a bunch of really powerful misfit heroes and not quite heroes and you get a pretty good story. Have them fight the Avengers and you get even more fun. Later on, the addition of the Black Knight and the Valkyrie spice things up even more, and I am definitely looking forward to more volumes of The Defenders. Rating: - Crazy 70s NostalgiaI remember reading these issues in black and white British reprints when I was kid on Summer holiday. That's why I rated it Four Stars. If you have never read them before I would suspect the true rating is closer to Three Stars; however there are are a couple of wonderful moments (a drawn-out plot-point across most of the issues that is very well done and the conclusion of the Avengers-Defenders war) which make the collection worthwhile. It is always amusing to see stupid ... Read More 
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