Written by: Al Ewing / Penciller: Javier Rodriguez / Letterer: Joe Caramagna / Collects: The Defenders (2021) #1 - #5 / SC / Marvel
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10th June 2022 (Released: 4th May 2022)
The Pitch: When existence itself faces extraordinary threats, it needs an extraordinary defense! That's when you call...the Defenders! Doctor Strange and the Masked Raider gather a non-team of Marvel's weirdest, wildest heroes for a mission that will uncover the hidden architecture of reality itself! This cosmos was not the first to exist - but if the Defenders can't track Marvel's oldest villain through the deepest trenches of time, it might be the last! The group must travel to the long-extinct previous cosmos, the birthplace of Galactus - but the Devourer is not the man they remember. Meet Taaia, Omnimax and more as Marvel history expands and Doctor Strange's makeshift Defenders face extreme jeopardy!
WARNING: STRANGE ALCHEMY AT WORK!
So long-time listeners to my podcasts and videos, and readers of this site, will know that I am by no means a Marvel expert. By luck or design, it's been Indies and the Distinguished Competition that stole my heart early on and that I've discovered Marvel more through X-Men movies and the MCU than their comics – although it has to be said I'm doing my level best to catch up, but hey... it's A LOT. As such, there's a ton about Marvel continuity I don't know and probably never will. Sometimes, hat can be a hindrance. Others, well... let's just say you have to know when to stop worrying and let the Strange Alchemy of images, colours, imagination and words that is comics take over and do it's thing. This is one of those times. Defenders begins with The Masked raider (first and last seen as I recall in the Marvel #1000 one-shot) appearing at Bleeker Street to enlist Doctor Strange in a quest to track down Carl Zota, the rogue doctor who has cast a time-spell to...
defenders is an experience, something that happens to you - and boy, will you like it!
Actually, you know what? It doesn’t really matter. You have so much fun with this as Strange assembles a team, and they move through the different cosmos' that will eventually die and become the universe that Marvel characters inhabit, trying to stop Zota from altering the fate of these cosmos. It’s not a story you follow, except on a subconscious level, the way we can always follow a story deep down. It’s an experience, something that happens to you. And boy, will you like it! Ewing deals us a Tarot deck of excitement. Each cosmos is at once a space of its own and yet contains the building bricks of the 616. Ewing embraces the weird as well as giving us a comfortable entry point. Strange still has his arrogance and over-confidence, the Silver Surfer his ponderous philosophising. This is the house that Lee, Kirby and Ditko built. Ewing reaches through time, into that past-life, the Marvel of the '60s and '70s for the book's cosmic, trippy leanings. But he knows when to move on, move forward.
TAAIA IS EVERY INCH THE ‘STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER’
He brings in new creations, Omnimax and Taaia having the biggest impact. Taaia is the most memorable, speaking in metaphorical puns, and making bold statements. Her flirtatious patter with Strange is one of the book's highlights. At her core, she is an intelligent, brave, and attractive single mother. Every inch the ideal of the strong female character. The only thing stopping her and Strange from beginning a relationship is the impending destruction of the cosmos and the fact that Taaia is the mother of Galactus, one day the devourer of worlds. It's a telling touch, having Galactus present is a wonderful metaphor for how things might turn out if you don't tend to them now and tend to them from a place of caring.
RODRIGUEZ CREATES TABLEAUS THAT ARE AS INTRICATE AS j.H. WILLIAMS iii AND BORDER ON THE weirdNESS OF TRADD MOORE
Rodriguez's expressive drawing style and lighting has the feel of high-quality, hand made animation. Like Disney's Fantasia but for that small portion of the audience that thought The Black Hole (yes, a distinctly live-action piece) was Uncle Walt's best movie, with its purgatorial ending and its philosophical leanings. Rodriguez is a master, transcending the borders of the panels and even the page. He creates tableaus that are as intricate as J.H. Williams III and bordering on the weirdness of Tradd Moore. He's turning into one of the must-buy artists, one of the creators whose name on a book will guarantee I buy it, regardless of plot, contents or other creators on the book. We've all got a list of those creators and you should be adding Rodriguez to yours now. But it's not just his linework that staggers. His colours are gorgeous, and atmospheric. They draw you in, surrounding you in mood and emotion. Caramanga has to do a lot of legwork with the lettering, which embraces the blockbuster nature of the action whilst also appreciating the esoteric nature of the story. Get this, then get the upcoming Defenders beyond on your pull list. Get some of that Strange Alchemy in your life.
Buy The Defenders: There Are No Rules TPB from your local comic book store, or pick up the original five-issue mini-series and a variant cover from The Comic Crush Webshop.