Issue(s): Defenders #12
Cover Date: Feb 74
Title: "The Titan strikes back!"
Credits:
Len Wein - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Jack Abel - Inker

Review/plot:
Xemnu the Titan returns.

This issue starts with a happy Hulk traipsing through the forest.

Suddenly the forest attacks him, under the command of Xemnu.

Before passing out, the Hulk sends a mental summons to Dr. Strange, something i bet you didn't know the Hulk could do.

Strange and Valkyrie are hanging out in Dr. Strange's house. Valkyrie is brooding over the fact that she's got another identity as Barbara Norriss, except Barbara is insane from having been trapped in another dimension. Strange tries to cheer her up by giving her a new sword called Dragonfang (Strange just happened to have it laying around, which i think is actually kind of cool)...

...but she still decides to quit the "team". Before she can actually leave, however, they receive the Hulk's summons.

Following the summons, they find a town that is under the control of Xemnu. Xemnu wants to kidnap the town and use them to re-populate his homeworld. It's not clear why he went after the Hulk - either for simple vengeance or because the Hulk happened to be in the area. In the end, Strange's only contribution is to free the Hulk so that he can smash again. Valkyrie doesn't do much at all.

In the end, the Hulk realizes that Strange and the Valkyrie, having come all this way to help him, are his friends.

Meanwhile, an anonymous man shows up at Dr. Strange's house looking for Strange but since he's not there Wong turns him away. The man will turn out to be Nighthawk.

I like happy Hulk. The Hulk's interaction with other super-heroes is the main draw of this book for me. Otherwise, this story is faily generic. Xemnu is a cool visual, though.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - Valkyrie receives Dragonfang from Dr. Strange.

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Valkyrie returned the Black Knight's ebony blade in Defenders #11.
  
• The Defenders rescued Barbara Norriss from the dimension of the Nameless One in Defenders #3.
  
• The Enchantress turned Barbara Norriss into the Valkyrie in Defenders #4.
  
• Xemnu was previously beaten up by the Hulk in Marvel Feature #3.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The new material that "frames" the reprints in GIANT-SIZE DEFENDERS #1 is said to take place in the aftermath of this issue. Will you be adding a page for that, or is there one already there that I somehow missed?

I have it listed on the What's Missing page. I'm unlikely to add that any time soon. If you're reading it and there's anything interesting storywise, let us know!

DRAGONFANG alone in this story has the eventual capacity to become as historically significant as Excaliber was to King Arthur. Long live the Valyrie!