Issue(s): Defenders #69
Cover Date: Mar 79
Title: "The Anything Man!"
Credits:
Mary Jo Duffy - Script
Mary Jo Duffy & Jim Shooter - Co-Plotter
Herb Trimpe - Penciler
Al Migrom - Inker

Review/plot:
This is a fill-in issue that goes back to a plot point from the pre-Gerber era of Defenders. It involves an ordinary man who starts receiving super-powers, but doesn't know he's been fueled as part of a plot by Yandroth to re-power his Omegatron doomsday device. Dr. Strange sends the Defenders to stop him from using his powers, but does it really make sense to send a bunch of super-heroes in to stop someone from using their powers? Especially when you send them off by saying to the Hulk, "Rest assured that you'll soon have the battle you crave."?

Of course it doesn't, and Strange has to intervene directly. But the crisis is averted.

Look at poor Bruce Banner. How often does he wind up having to ask stuff like that?

As the first plot Jim Shooter is involved in since the Korvac saga, it seems a bit soon to have a super-team fighting another super-powerful guy wearing gym clothes.

Still, this fill-in is much better than the surrounding issues.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: We know from Hulk #243 that the Hulk appearance here occurs after that issue and before Daredevil #163. Dr. Strange appears here after declining to help the Avengers in Avengers annual #8.

Omegatron never fully appears, but we see its power meter increasing as the guy keeps using his powers, so i've listed it as a "character" appearing.

References:

• The Defenders faced Yandroth previously in Marvel Feature #1 and his Omegatron in Defenders #5.
  
• Dr. Strange said he knew about the Yandroth menace earlier but was otherwise occupied and couldn't deal with it at the time, with a purely salesy reference to "check out Doc's own book to find out what he means." He's been away from the Defenders since issue #60 dealing with threats in his own book and Marvel Team-Up.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Wow. My first issue of Defenders, a team and comic I had never heard of, when I bought it in a 25 cent box in 1986-1987 at a great comic shop called 'Comics & Robots' in Wilmington, DE. My Grandfather took me there after school and this cover really intrigued me. Who were these people, the Hulk was a member? It's only now, at nearly 4am, that I rediscover this exact issue- which, incidentally, came out in March 1979- the month and year I was born- which I *also* just discovered. Good stuff.