Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Still Defending that copyright:


Another recent pick-up, that doesn't fit in the scanner; from 2008, The Last Defenders, written by Joe Casey, art by Jim Muniz, with co-plotting by Keith Giffen. It's good, but not quite great; set during the Initiative and featuring Tony Stark at his absolute doucheiest, a somewhat left-field use of longtime Defenders villain Yandroth and some revisionist history with the team, and a surprising array of line-up changes.

It's mildly disappointing that it sticks true to a lot of Defenders continuity, but maybe not all of it. There's a few flashbacks with Damian Hellstrom, who gets passed up for the choice gig of Sorcerer Supreme and visits his ex-wife Patsy (Hellcat) Walker; there's Nighthawk trying to make a go with any super-hero roster he can hold together, and there's She-Hulk, not looking to be part of a team and rather getting roped in anyway. The She-Hulk plotline in particular seems to be going in a direction that isn't picked up the next time she's seen, which seems to happen to her every so often.

Still killing me there isn't a Marvel Legends Nighthawk; although I'd also love a Blazing Skull, who guests here as part of Nighthawk's New Jersey based team.

2 comments:

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

We need a ML Defenders 4-pck stat!
Throw in Nighthawk too, cause that MU one doesn't cut it!

~P~ said...

Mark me down for a ML Nighthawk as well.

I've got the Valkyrie - and she's sweet, but the fact that there's no Nighty is criminal.

2-pack him with HellCat and I'll do a cartwheel.

Now if you want me to go all totally nutty, toss in a Defenders-FOES assortment. Any and all of the following:

- Headmen (how awesome would THEY be?)
- Nebulon (maybe a 2-pack with his blow-fishy alter-ego)

- Yandroth is too boring, but include him in an OMEGATRON build-a-setting, and I will throw my money at it.

Otherwise, I agree: LAST DEFENDERS had promise that was unrealized and left a disappointing residue on my eyes and brain.