Issue(s): Defenders #42, Defenders #43
Cover Date: Dec 76-Jan 77
Title: "And in this corner: The new Emissaries of Evil!" / "This world is mine!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Keith Giffen - Penciler
Klaus Janson - Inker

Review/plot:
Gerber is gone and it's time for some straightforward super-heroics.

Egghead coerces the Rhino...

...the loser Solarr...

...and a mind-controlled Cobalt Man...

...into fighting the Defenders in order to gain a mystic macguffin called the Star of Capistan. The Defenders don't even have it; one of Dr. Strange's colleagues, Omar Karindu, does, but coincidentally enough, Karindu contacts Dr. Strange this issue to tell him about it. Strange touches the gem and gets possessed by an entity known as the Red Rajah.

As the Cobalt Man sacrifices himself to kill Egghead, the Red Guardian says "Today a brave man died for freedom, and as a Communist, that is something I must consider... and pray I may someday... understand." Similarly, whenever i see anyone share anything, i say "Today, a man sacrificed his own property for the sake of another. As a Capitalist, i find that... intriguing."

The Rhino refers to Solarr as a "schlemiel". We'll have to watch for Rhino using Yiddish in the future.

The Marvel Chronology Project lists an appearance of Angar the Screamer for Defenders #43. I don't see him, but it may be based on a revelation in a future issue.

Not terrible, but a letdown after the Gerber run.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Dr. Strange tells the Hulk that the Defenders are all still exhausted from fighting him in Hulk #206-207. This seems to ignore his appearances in Defenders annual #1 and issue #41. Nonetheless, the sequence that works best seems to be: 1) The Hulk, mourning the death of Jarella, tells the Defenders he is leaving them in Hulk #207. 2) Dr. Strange locates the Hulk to help the Defenders against the Headmen in Defenders annual #1. 3) The Hulk is still with the Defenders when Clea summons them to help Dr. Strange and Nighthawk in Defenders #41. 4) The Hulk is still with the Defenders at the beginning of Defenders #42. Fighting the Hulk isn't something you recover from in two issues, so it's likely they are still sore and tired. At the end of this arc, Dr. Strange has become the Red Rajah and is "missing" from the Defenders. I've therefore pushed this forward in publication time a bit, after Nighthawk's appearance in Marvel Two-In-One #34, so that it takes place soon before Defenders #43, which is said to only take place "hours" later.

References:

• The Rhino last fought the Hulk in a team-up with the Abomination in Hulk #171.
  
• Solarr previously appeared in Captain America #160.
  
• The Defenders are still exhausted from when they fought the Hulk in Hulk #206-207.
  
• Egghead was last seen in Giant-Size Defenders #4.
  
• Omar Karindu was one of the mystics that Dr. Strange hid with while he was on the run from Baron Mordo in Strange Tales #136 (Karindu did not actually appear in that issue, it happened "in between the lines").
  
• The Hulk previously fought the Cobalt Man in Hulk #173-174.
  
• The Red Guardian is also a neurosurgeon, as shown in Defenders #36.
  
• The Cobalt Man first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #31.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Gerry Conway did want to turn this into a regular superhero team book like the Avengers, but he wasn't around long enough.

The Cobalt Man was an outright Iron Man clone in his original costume. This costume(his 2nd) makes him look like an armored linebacker.

Angar the Screamer isn't here; I'm guessing he was confused with Solarr(long hippie hair, last half of names rhyme...).

I give it a significance point for being Giffen's artistic debut on the title. Other than that, I've got nothing.

FOOM#15 stated that Conway wanted to have Nighthawk split off and form his own group of Defenders, and that Captain Marvel would show up.

There';s a rather odd sequence at the beginning of issue#42 where Solarr's power somehow causes Nighthawk intense pain but leaves no burns or marks on him. It's never really explained what's supposed to be going on there.

Conway also turns Egghead into some kind of costumed villain who throws gimmicked eggs at people here; it's not terribly impressive, and clashes mightily with Egghead's running gimmick of being the broke, down-on-his-luck mad scientist who lives in the Bowery and tries to use his niece's money for his schemes.

(I suppose I had to comment on these issues eventually, eh?)

Loved the art

More poor Conway continuity: he has Power Man state that he met Trish Starr in #41, which didn't happen.