In the Marvel Universe, there are many groups of superpowered beings. The Avengers, the heroes who stand against the greatest threats to Earth. The Fantastic Four, who explore the universe and dimensions beyond. The Guardians of the Galaxy, the protectors of the cosmos. The X-Men, who stand to protect a world that fears and hates them. The Marvel Universe also has many superteams in other countries: Japan's Big Hero 6. Russia's Winter Guard. Canada's Alpha Flight. Great Britain's Excalibur and MI:13. And then...there are the Defenders.
Who are the Defenders? Well, the Defenders could be considered a less formal team than many other superhero teams in comics. The big thing about the Defenders is that they are often considered a "non-team". The roster is often composed of characters that could be considered "outsiders". In fact, the original four Defenders were Doctor Strange, the Incredible Hulk, Namor, and the Silver Surfer.
Through the 1970s into the mid-1980s, the group has battled various threats (mainly of the mystical/supernatural bent), and had quite an interesting roster over the years, including Daimon "the Son of Satan" Hellstrom, Valkyrie, and even Luke Cage. The group has appeared in various forms over the years, including the Fearless Defenders, which focused on Marvel's female superheroes. And with the Defenders miniseries coming to Netflix, a new series is on its way, focused on Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Daredevil.
So, with that, let's take a look at some old-school Defenders action!
The cover is really awesome. You got Valkyrie and Doctor Strange recoiling from and preparing to face off against a demonic Hellcat, who is doing a "Booga-booga" pose. Daimon Hellstrom's back is killing him, and they're all standing on a hand with demon heads on the fingertips. It's a great cover and really well drawn.
"Beware--The Six-Fingered Hand!"
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artists: Don Perlin (layouts), Joe Sinnott (Finishes)
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Al Milgrom
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter
Our story begins with what looks like a ball of fire heading towards a house in Montclair, New Jersey, to the shock of some on-lookers.
What was the fiery comet? Why, the Defenders of course! Doctor Strange, the Master of Mystic Arts, the Sorcerer Supreme. Daimon Hellstrom, the demonic exorcist, the Son of Satan. Valkyrie, the chooser of the slain, the Warrior-Woman of Asgard! Now, I know what you're thinking. Wait, THESE guys? Where is Luke Cage? Where is Daredevil? Aren't the Defenders street-level heroes? Well, not back in these days. Cage and Fist were working as Heroes for Hire at the time. Daredevil was doing his own thing, and Jessica Jones hadn't been created yet.
They've come to the aid of a fellow Defender, one Patricia "Patsy" Walker, aka Hellcat. If you saw the Netflix series Jessica Jones, this is Trish Walker. Strange, Daimon, and Valkyrie are the only Defenders available, as Nighthawk is dealing with an illness, and the Hulk has gone off on his own. Daimon notices that the psycho-sensitive metal in his trident is reacting to the house, which indicates that there's an illusion over the house. Strange undoes it, and reveals the house is actually a smoking ruin. Daimon notices something else.
Evidently, the people who burned down the house were inspired by Dungeons and Dragons to create this trap. The heroes hear some moaning from the rubble, and they find a injured woman under some rubble. It's Dolly Donahue, Patsy's housekeeper. Dolly explains that she was watching a small TV in the kitchen while Patsy was dealing with the death of her mother in Defenders #89. Dolly heard screaming, and she saw a monster carrying Patsy away.
Everyone, say hello to Isaac Christians, the Gargoyle. This issue is also his debut. But his origins will be revealed later. The Gargoyle uses his powers to destroy Patsy's house. With that story told, Dolly embraces sweet, sweet, sweet unconsciousness. The scene shifts to Christiansboro, Virginia. A young boy dreams of death and damnation. An old man trembles under his kitchen table. And in City Hall, a rather...unusual town hall is taking place.
That's right, folks! It's a good ol' fashioned demonic sacrifice ritual! In the old town hall tonight! Be there or be...whatever. They're planning to sacrifice Patsy to a demon called Avarrish. Avarrish is one of the many demons running around in the Marvel Universe, and is one part of the Six-Fingered Hand.
Back at Patsy's former home, the Defenders got Dolly to a hospital, and Strange put a spell over the town, so they'd think that there was only a fire, nothing more. Daimon fumes with rage, blaming himself over what happened here. Strange reminds him that if Daimon gives in to his rage, his Satanic heritage will take over. Daimon calms down and tells a story of his own.
During his days working in the para-psychology department at District University, a girl that was seemingly possessed was brought to him. He examined her with his trident and found that she was actually driven insane, muttering the words "Six-Fingered Hand" over and over and over again. Probing with his psycho-sensitive trident, he gets this image from it.
Yes, it's the Six-Fingered Hand, alright. Hellstrom explained he had to warn the other Defenders, but with all the craziness the group has been dealing with lately, he's never really had a chance to say anything about it. Valkyrie wonders what can be done. Hellstrom uses his trident to find where Patsy is at, because it can do that. The trident reveals the town hall of Christiansboro, and the three heroes are on their way. Doctor Strange uses his astral form to contact Clea. She asks if the group needs help, but he tells her to tend to Nighthawk, as he needs her at the moment.
You see, at the time, Nighthawk suffered a mystical attack that left his body paralyzed. Clea goes to check on him, and finds he's vanished. About a half-hour later, our trio of heroes arrive in Christiansboro. Valkyrie notices that the town looks...rather nice and quaint. Gargoyle senses their presence, as Daimon, in his ever-understanding way, snaps that evil thrives in duplicity, that evil would use a quaint, friendly appearance to make people put their guard down. The group are ambushed by Gargoyle, leading a legion of demons.
This would be an awesome shot in a movie. Imagine it, the demons coming at them in slow motion. Incredible. The three heroes fight back, Daimon's darker heritage causing him to hunger for demon blood. Gargoyle attacks the Son of Satan, screaming that Avarrish is going to save Christiansboro from despair and poverty. He tries to get the Defenders to leave, but they end up fighting. The town hall starts to glow, and Daimon gets blasted. The blaster is revealed to be Patsy "Hellcat" Walker, transformed into a demonic cat-woman. She's an actual Hellcat now!
Her appearance here doesn't quite match her transformed appearance on the cover, though. The cover take on her has a fuzzy tail, different-cut swimsuit, and some fur on her shins and forearms. There clearly was some miscommunication between the comic's creatives and the cover artist. Differences in appearance aside, Hellcat attacks our heroes. Daimon realizes that Patsy has been possessed by Avarrish, and tries to exorcise her. It doesn't go very well.
Daimon's efforts aren't for naught, as Doctor Strange is able to recover and take his shot at freeing Hellcat. Sadly, Avarrish proves to be too powerful, and is able to take him down too. Valkyrie throw down her sword, knowing her fighting would be fruitless. Patsy tries to choke Val out, but the Asgardian pleads with Patsy to fight her, telling her she's stronger than the demon.
Look at the little detail between these two panels. It's a great subtle way of showing the real Patsy trying to fight off her possession. Patsy manages to successfully fight off Avarrish, and the townspeople emerge from the town hall in a haze. When the Defenders get them caught up, they are enraged. They blame it on an old man named Isaac Christians.
His family built up the town from nothing over a century and a half ago, and the elderly Isaac was the last of the family line. He was also the mayor of the town, but age forced him into retirement. He started babbling about demons and monsters, but everyone thought he was just being a crazy old man. They take our heroes to his home, and find a dark room, Christians begging to be left alone. Strange pulls back the curtains and...
There sits Isaac Christians, the very same gargoyle that attacked the Defenders. The townspeople are shocked by his transformation, and wonder why did he let that happen to him. Christians explains he did it because he wanted to save the dying town, the same town his family built from nothing. He was desperate, so he made a deal with Avarrish: Let him turn Isaac into a gargoyle, and Isaac must help him take over the body of Patsy Walker, and Avarrish would make the town thrive once more. I'm guessing Avarrish wanted to troll Isaac a little.
When the Defenders came to Christiansboro, Avarrish told Isaac to kill them. However, Isaac didn't want nayone else hurt, so he instead tried to warn the Defenders to get away from the town. As punishment, Avarrish trapped him in the Gargoyle form. What made me scratch my head was, if the Gargoyle body was a punishment, why didn't he keep Christians human for the possession ritual? My guess is he turned him into a Gargoyle so he would be able to protect the ritual from intruders.
Doctor Strange asks Gargoyle if he knows anything about the plans of the Six-Fingered Hand, including the reason why they want the Defenders dead. Gargoyle explains that he has no idea, Avarrish didn't tell him anything, but the world would find out soon. Christians offers to help the Defenders as a way of making up for what he has done. Strange considers it and agrees. Hellstrom is more reluctant to the idea, fearing that Christians will betray the group. The Gargoyle reassures him he'll be loyal, pointing out he fought for his country in both World Wars. Keep in mind, this comic was released in 1981. Christians was already an elderly man, so it was plausible at the time he could have served in World War I and II.
A teary-eyed Patsy Walker remarks that she feels like she went to Hell. Daimon reassures her it's over, and she will be fine. Patsy says she won't be. While she and Avarrish were joined together, she learned that her mother, Dorothy Walker, promised Patsy's soul to the Six-Fingered Hand. See, at the time, Dorothy Walker had recently passed away from cancer. Before she died, she made a deal with Avarrish, giving her Patsy's soul in exchange for healing her. It explains why the Gargoyle kidnapped her instead of some random person. The Defenders unknowingly foiled the exchange. Yeah, Dorothy Walker was not exactly the best of mothers.
This issue...was actually quite enjoyable. It's a fun read if you're looking for a little something on Halloween. I have no real complaints about it. The Gargoyle is a tragic character, proof of the phrase "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions". The twist with Patsy was shocking, and it's neat seeing superheroes brawl with demons. The art is also very well-done. It made the comic very nice to look at. Next time, in honor of her big-screen solo debut, we'll take a look at a classic adventure of Wonder Woman...
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