I’m still trying to make Monday’s Marvelous with some throwbacks to some Silver and Bronze age Marvel books, all randomly picked for me to read and to share.
It’s another origin type story from 1971 and first appearance of the Defenders. Marvel Feature Presents The Defenders #1 is the book for this Marvelous Monday.
This book actually has 3 stories in one. The first one is the main story that’s titled, “Day of the Defenders” where Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner (Namor) and the Hulk team up to battle Yandroth’s Omegatron which is set to destroy the Earth as it’s a doomsday device 5 hours after it’s activated.
Doctor Strange assembles Namor and Hulk to help him find Omegatron (first appearance is this issue as well) which they located in a lighthouse in Maine.
Omegatron instructs Doctor Strange that Yendroth created this scheme for the device to harness both Namor and Hulk’s powers. Thinking this is all an hallucination when Strange tells them, attempting to destroy the Omegatron, Strange casts a spell on both Namor and Hulk to pit them against one another to prevent them from destroying the machine.
To prevent Omegatron from destroying Earth, Strange casts a spell around the lighthouse to slow down time itself to an eternal crawl, thus making it so Omegatron wouldn’t detonate for centuries.
Soon after Strange explains to Namor and Hulk what has happened and that when the time comes to band together, they would be called The Defenders. Hulk is displeased claiming he’s already a part of the Avengers.
The next story is just a reprint of Sub-Mariner #40 called “Sub-Mariner and the Icebergs” which I believe was also a smaller back story. I didn’t get a chance to read this as the Unlimited Marvel excluded it from the digital version.
The third story was titled “The Return”. Strange returns to his Sanctum Sanctorum to find that there’s an impostor of himself. After he’s knocked out by the impostor, he’s visited by his master the Ancient One who restores his powers that then gives him the abilities to defeat the imposter, which he discovers is his mortal enemy Baron Mordo, who’s first appearance was way back in Strange Tales #111.
That’s your MARVELous Monday for February 25th, 2019.
What a great cover on that book. I love the Hulk leaping off of the page at you. ?
Yeah, I really dig the old school artwork and covers.
Nice. The Defenders actually got a test-run with Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer and the Hulk (no Doc) in issues 34 and 35 of Subby’s first run.
I love this Marvelous Monday theme!
That makes me happy to know. Glad readers are enjoying them.
Neal Adams cover right?
Yes. I totally forgot to mention that too didn’t I?
Now that was the original defender that I grew up with an not the one on Netflix’s they showing today
Marvel Feature #1 is still a bit under valued and under appreciated IMO.
I agree. If they ever introduce the Defenders into the MCU, could be a nice book to have in the collection.
Great blast from the past. Gotta love seeing that 25 cents in the corner. I may have missed this before, but are you picking comics from your personal collection or just some “classics” at random?
Just classics at random. Kind of just browsing by cover to randomly pick a book to read and cover.
I’ve been thinking about signing up for Marvel Unlimited but since I’ve got Comixology Unlimited I haven’t yet. Nice synopsis as well.
I can say it’s pretty cool for the price of only around $60 a year with access to a huge amount of back issues. Really comes in handy when some spec comes into play for past issues to go load and verify first appearances, etc.
I never got into the Comixology, isn’t it geared more for buying digital issues rather than providing access to back issues?