Defenders by Matt Fraction cover courtesy Marvel.com
Defenders# 12 is out this week. It’s the grand finale of the latest take on Marvel’s “non-team.” Matt Fraction united Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Red She-Hulk, Silver Surfer and Namor on missions against supernatural threats. Fraction is leaving to write the Fantastic Four and FF in the Marvel Now.
Fraction told Marvel.com that Betty Ross was the character that surprised him the most and “fell in love with writing her immediately”
“The whole experience was so unlike any other I’ve had at Marvel, and I got to work with so many amazing artists; the whole thing was a joy. Bittersweet at best, as they say.
And yeah; we were only just getting started. I didn’t touch on a tenth of what I had planned for that book, for the places it would go, for the characters we were going to meet. Oh well. Next time, next time,” he adds.
The Defenders #12 courtesy Marvel
Defenders #12 – final issue – arrives this Wednesday.
Never fear! Given this team’s history expect to “non-team” to reteam again – I just hope it’s as much fun as Fraction’s run has been!
Doctor Strange: The Oath cover courtesy Marvel.com
Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp as lovelorn, time lost vampire Barnabas Collins didn’t dethrone The Avengers from the top of the box-office. Depp’s latest collaboration with director Tim Burton is the actor’s latest journey into the dark goth side. I think Depp would be the prescription for a big screen version Doctor Strange. Dark Shadows makes Depp top of mind but his performances in The Ninth Gate and From Hell are what really seal the casting deal for me.
Stephen Strange was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The Doctor was a brilliant surgeon with a troubled family past. An accident damaged the nerves in his hands ending his career. Searching the world for an alternative cure Strange encountered a mysterious being in Tibet called the Ancient One. This meeting led to his study of sorcery and eventually becoming Master of the Mystic Arts and sorcerer Supreme of Earth.
I can picture an adventure with Strange and Baron Mordo, both students of the Ancient One, until Mordo betrays them to become a disciple of Dormannu. Clea was the Doctor’s student and eventual love interest. Doctor Strange could easily fit into Marvel’s cinematic universe.
Doctor Strange is currently serving with the Avengers during Avengers vs X-Men and The Defenders by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson.
Valkyrie Vs Storm! Fear Itself: The Fearless #9 featured a blistering battle between the X-Men’s Weather Goddess and the Warrior Woman of Asgard. This is one of the smartest written sequence with Ororo I’ve read in a long time. The power, passion and devotion of these women’s causes is felt in every panel.
We learn Valkyrie’s hidden reason for her mission to collect the Hammers. Doctor Strange and Captain America confront her with the truth when Sin’s forces strike. If Valkyrie is the haunted angel then Sin is the devil. I can’t wait to see these opposite forces finally clash.
I really love this book. As a longtime fan of Valkyrie – it’s great to see her in the spotlight and taking on the Marvel universe.
Doctor Strange: The Oath cover courtesy Marvel.com
I hated math and science as a kid and a college student. Always said I’ll never use that for anything I want to pursue. If my teachers only knew the irony of this next story they’d be laughing and saying “we told you so.”
Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist. The scientist is one of three that got to work on Marvel’s Thor. The experts worked with the film’s writer, director and producer as a scientific advisor. You need help if you’re going to have Frost Giants falling to their death on an ice world.
io9 has the full interview and a scoop – Carroll says he’s working with Marvel on Doctor Strange! His job will be to set limits on the sorcerer Supreme’s powers.
Defenders #1 courtesy Marvel.com
You may have seen my post – a new photo of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins made me think that he’d be perfect as the Master of the Mystic Arts.
I hope they chose the Doctor’s new threads he’s wearing as leaders of the new Defenders.
Johnny Depp in Dark Shadows courtesy The Hollywood Reporter
The first photos of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins in Tim Burton’s big screen version of Dark Shadows are hitting the web.
The Hollywood Reporter features two photos and does a Barnabas/Edward Cullen from Twilight comparison.
What popped in my comic geek mind? Depp as Doctor Strange. Some other nerd probably already posted this on the web before. I know some will say Depp is in everything already. In fact, I said that to a friend in an online chat when they suggested Depp for a big screen Doctor Who. I wanted Jude Law for the Time Lord.
Doctor Strange: The Oath cover courtesy Marvel.com
Back to Depp as the Master of the Mystic Arts – pure magic or do you think I’ve been smoking something mystic? I can picture Depp as the arrogant surgeon with a tragic past who finds his destiny fighting demons and rivals to save the Earth.
The Avengers and X-Men go to war in April over the return of the Phoenix Force. Marvel has revealed stunning AVX teaser images of potential fights. We’ve seen matchups based on strength, fighting ability, and mutant powers but what about magic?
I know it may seem unfair to have an older man fight a young woman but since we’ve already seen the Emma Frost versus Hulk teaser, I’m going there. I want Doctor Strange to make Magik vanish…for good!
I envision a scene inspired by Uncanny X-Men #136 in which Professor Xavier psionically threw down with Dark Phoenix. The psi battle lasted a few panels but the way John Byrne illustrated Chris Claremont’s vision for the showdown was epic.
Magik courtesy Marvel.com
The Magik I loved from the early New Mutants and the reborn little snowflake who died from the Legacy Virus is long gone. Magik (after so many reboots) is a member of the Extinction Team in Uncanny X-Men and serves as the teleporter. Given her own dark nature and demonic connections it’s only a matter of time before Illyana will become the Darkchilde again.
Illyana is nearly as dangerous as the host of the Phoenix force. If you’re going to eliminate the threat of the Phoenix, you should excise the evil potential inside Magik.
Defenders #1 courtesy Marvel.com
Doctor Strange lost his mojo and is guilt ridden from events in New Avengers but he’s getting it back in the new Defenders book. Many of Marvel’s cosmic entities consider Strange to be on their level in terms of his power.
Doctor Strange versus Magik would be a mystic battle for the ages but maybe their combined power could tame the Phoenix?
Hookups, zero-g kung fu, and doing shots with a red-hot mama. Matt Fraction brings the action, humor and creepy twists in Defenders #1.
Earlier this week I raised the question of why another reboot of the Defenders and a little back story of Marvel’s oddest team. I assumed Doctor Strange brings this odd mix of loner heroes together but I was wrong. I won’t spoil who is behind the team building.
Knowing their history (even though you don’t have to) and the new specific mission you quickly realize why these outsiders are perfect for the latest version of Marvel’s non-team.
Fraction captures each character and blends them up in a fun mix. Terry Dodson’s art is bold with strong expressions that will convey the enthusiasm and fun Fraction is pouring into the story.
If at first you don’t succeed, relaunch with a hot creative team after a huge crossover event. Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson made mutant magic on Uncanny X-Men. Fraction’s Fear Itself epic unleashed supernatural forces on earth courtesy of The Serpent.
Now Doctor Strange recruits a new team to face threats unleashed by the Asgardian God of Fear . Namor the Submariner, Red She Hulk, Iron Fist and Silver Surfer join the Doctor’s mission against mystical monsters threatening the planet.
When you’ve got teams of Avengers and the X-Men plus the Fantastic Four, why does the world need The Defenders? I’ve always been puzzled why the “non-team” keeps getting reboots.
Fraction joins a fraternity of writers including Roy Thomas, David Anthony Kraft, Steve Gerber, Kurt Busiek, Keith Giffen and Joe Casey that have crafted the adventures of a team of outsider/lone wolf types.
Doctor Strange, Hulk and Namor are the most iconic members that have appeared in most versions of the series. My favorites have always been Valkyrie and Hellcat. The steely noble warrior woman and the sexy crimefighter were odd couple that worked great together.
Defenders #63 courtesy Marvel.com
My earliest memory of The Defenders is their most outrageous storylines. You could say Kraft’s Defender for a Day was ahead of its time. Long before reality shows took over television, this story showed how slick producers and wannabes could exploit and tarnish the most heroic ideas.
In Defenders #62-#65 a promoter exposes the team to the world and announces a membership drive and videotapes the whole thing for a documentary. Some of the lamest back burner characters and villains invaded the Defenders home hoping to join the team. It was great fun with hilarious moments especially from the Hulk. The story is infamous now but as a little kid I loved seeing so many costumed characters all packed into one issue. And if Captain Ultra has a shot maybe I could be a Defender?
Does the world really need another variation of the Defenders? Maybe not. But with this creative team and membership it’s definitely worth finding out.
