Well,
It's finally here! Season one of "The Defenders" has finally hit Netflix! I only have two episodes left to watch, and so far I'm enjoying it very much - mostly. The first two episodes were pretty slow for me, and Misty and Colleen kind of got dropped off the scene for some time; however, Elektra as The Black Sky has been very exciting, as well as finding out the mechinations of The Hand, and seeing the Defenders come together on the small screen.
How about Iron Fist? Well, he is bit more mature than the last time we saw him in his own series - he's more of a hero and less of an annoying, whiny crybaby - and his fight scenes are a lot better...Even if they are still eclipsed by Daredevil's (which is kinda sad). But, all in all, I think this Finn guy may just become a pretty good Iron Fist.
To celebrate "The Defenders" hitting Netflix, I figured that I'd do a short article giving a brief of the group and members and show you the corresponding comics in my collection. What do you think? Shall we? Let's shall. LOL.
It's Marvel Feature #1 published by Marvel in December of 1971. This comic features the first appearance of the original comics version of The Defenders: The Hulk, rage-monster with supposedly limitless strength, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, and Namor, The Sub-Mariner, sometime King of Atlantis, and Marvel's first mutant. In this issue, The Defenders take on Yandroth, a villainous super-genius, and his creation, Omegatron. Yes. I said Omegatron.
But, sometimes it's out with the old stuff we know and love, and in with the new, so let's take a look at Marvel's current Defenders:
It's Luke Cage, Hero For Hire #1! Yep. I have two. This comic feature the first appearance of Carl Lukas, AKA Luke Cage, the first African American superhero in his own title. Cage is a hard man from Harlem who decided to go straight, but ended up railroaded into a Georgia prison for his efforts - set up for a crime he didn't commit. There, he is recruited by Dr. Noah Bernstein for a secret experiment which, due to the interference of a racist, sadistic guard, goes horribly wrong, leaving Carl Lukas with super strength and nearly impenetrable skin. Thought dead by the system, Lukas returns to Harlem under the name Luke Cage, and sets up shop as a super-powered hero/problem-solver...For a price.
Here, we have my three nice copies of Marvel Premiere #15, published in 1974, featuring the first appearance of Iron Fist, lovingly rendered by one of the greatest comics artists to ever hold a pencil, Gil Kane. Iron Fist is Danny Rand, son of Wendell Rand, adopted son of Lord Tuan, ruler of the hidden, magical land of K'un L'un. Wendell left K'un L'un and became a very rich owner of a corporation in the USA. Years later, Wendell tried to return to K'un L'un with his wife, Heather, his son, and his best friend and business partner, Harold Meachum. While on a steep mountain path, Danny falls taking his mother and father with him. Meachum betrays Wendell, forcing him to his death and saves Danny and Heather. Heather refuses Meachum's advances and flees with Danny eventually succumbing to a wolf attack, but Danny is saved by monks from K'un L'un and raised as the grandson of Lord Tuan, learning the mystic martial arts of K'un L'un and defeating all contestants for the prize of fighting the dragon, Shao-Lao The Undying, whom he defeated, plunging his hands into the dragon's molten heart to become The Immortal Iron Fist, defender of K'un L'un.
Here's my copy of Alias #1, published in 2001, it features the first full appearance of Jessica Jones, and her detective agency, Alias Investigations. Jessica Jones was once the super-powered costumed hero, Jewel. As a youth, her family was killed in an accident with a military convoy carrying top secret chemicals. She was left in a coma, but when she awoke, she eventually found that she was gifted with superhuman strength, durability and the power of flight. Later, she would become a costumed hero, until her will was overpowered, and she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a mind-bending villain called The Purple Man. After becoming free from The Purple Man's influence, she tried her hand at being a more ruthless vigilante, but her emotional trauma caused her to set aside the garb of a superhero and become a private detective instead. In Alias #1, she wins up a Luke Cage's bar - attraction lead to a sexual encounter which eventually blossomed into a powerful relationship which culminated in their marriage and the birth of their baby daughter, Danielle.
Since, unfortunately, I don't own a copy of Daredevil #1, I figured I show what I DO own: Daredevil #7, published in 1965, featuring the first appearance of Daredevil's more iconic red suit. Daredevil is Matt Murdock, a lawyer from New York City's rough-and-ready Hell's Kitchen. Matt is blinded as a youth by radioactive chemicals fallen from a truck. Matt heroically placed himself in harm's way, pushing an onlooker to safety, but Matt was caught in the truck's path and blinded by the chemicals. Not long after, he discovered that the chemicals that had taken his eyes had left him with a precise radar sense that far exceeded the abilities of normal sight, allowing him to hear at superhuman levels and "see" through sound. Matt encountered the blind ninja, Stick, who helped him hone his acrobatics-based combat abilities to near perfection. Some time later, his father, boxer, Jack Murdock, was killed by mobsters for not throwing a fight. Matt dons a costume to take revenge on the killers becoming the costumed vigilante, Daredevil.
Fellow QUESTERS, I give you the old and the new DEFENDERS!! As I said, I'm digging the show so far, but how about you? Give me a shout out in the comments and let me know how you felt about the article, the Netflix series...Or BOTH!! Thanks for reading!!
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