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Selector

Defenders #87

Sep 1980
Ed Hannigan, Pablo Marcos

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Story Name:

Inquest


Synopsis

Defenders #87 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

A mysterious tribunal holds an inquest on the Defenders and their recent activities.

An agent reports how his surveillance team saw Valkyrie and Hellcat arrive at the devastated Riding Academy in their search for the Hulk. They spotted the spies and pursued them and a fight broke out in which Aragorn was injured and Hellcat blinded by a flare pistol. The agent concludes that the Defenders are antisocial and dangerous….

The agent is then asked about the Hulk, also the subject of his team’s surveillance. The agents located the Hulk sitting under an overpass of the I-80 in New Jersey; he fell asleep and transformed back into Bruce Banner. The New Jersey National Guard was called in and they attempted to subdue him with sleep gas but the soldier tripped, wakening Banner, who panicked and went all Green again. A cable was looped over his foot and he was pulled into the air by a helicopter; Hulk jerked the copter out of the sky and smashed all the military vehicles in sight before leaping off….

The next witness is Jack Norriss, called because of his familiarity with the early history of the Defenders. Jack explains how he is married to Barbara Norriss, whose body is currently occupied by Valkyrie. He rehearses his conflicts with the non-team and his dismissal, his capture by SHIELD and his recapture by Scorpio, the phony Nick Fury. Jack is then halted and another witness called….

A female surveillance operative plays a recording secretly made at Kyle Richmond’s penthouse: Valkyrie and Hellcat examining the state of their clothing after the encounter with the agents are interrupted by Kyle Richmond who asks if there is any word on the Hulk. As if by magic, there is a radio report about the Hulk’s battle with the National Guard near the Meadowlands Sports Complex. They flew out to help Hulk which is interpreted as a conscious decision to break the law….        

The next witness is Buzz Baxter, Patsy Walker’s ex-husband who relates how she became Hellcat, wrecking their marriage. Jack Norriss intervenes, questioning the government’s methods of dispensing justice. He is informed that the tribunal is not “the government” and Jack is put to sleep by psychic manipulation….

The next witnesses are the Mutant Force, former bad guys now working with the US Army. They were sent to the Sports Complex to help capture Hulk and everything went crazy. Val and HC arrived to rescue Hulk in an air-car but Hulk knocked them out of the air. Burner of the Mutant Force surrounded Hulk’s head with fire, burning up the oxygen and causing him to pass out, becoming Bruce Banner again. Val held off the Mutants while HC recovered Bruce and they took off.…

Jack Norriss awakens and objects loudly to the tribunal’s obvious prejudice against the Defenders, demanding they have the opportunity to defend themselves. Jack is informed that he is not being held against his will and he is directed to a door should he wish to leave. He walks out and finds himself in an alley as the door behind him vanishes. He can warn the Defenders…but about what....?



 

Review / Commentaries


Defenders #87 Review by (April 30, 2024)

Review: And things change up yet again. We thought we were following Val and Patsy as they search for the Hulk and we do see a little of that. But the central matter is this shadowy commission holding an inquest on the Defenders. It’s an interesting approach, especially as we can tell right away that the commission is hostile to the heroic non-team. And Jack Norriss and Buzz Baxter, supporting characters who haven’t been seen in a long time, are here to remind us of past indiscretions. And the secret commission turns out to be so secret that we never hear of them again, at least not while Ed Hannigan is writing the story; he departs after issue #91. And things go crazy then but in a different direction.

Comments: First appearance of Jack Norriss since issue #58 and the last in the series; he is next seen in NOMAD (1992) starting at issue #2; his testimony largely covers issue #50. The Riding Academy HQ burned down in issue #75. Buzz Baxter’s first appearance in this title; he returns in #89 then in #125-130. Baxter’s testimony is a somewhat prejudiced view of the events of AVENGERS #144-149. Mutant Force was working with Mandrill in issues #78-80. The letters page includes one by a Greg Cox who may be the writer of comics and TV tie-in novels, for Marvel, DC, and STAR TREK and one by a Geoff Shaw who may be the future Marvel artist of that name.  



> Defenders comic book info and issue index

Elektra
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Excelsioring your collection:
Statue Hulk (Battle of New York) 1/10 - Infinity Saga - BDS Art Scale - Iron Studios
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Pablo Marcos
Pablo Marcos
Barry Grossman
Michael Netzer (Cover Penciler)
Al Milgrom (Cover Inker)
George Roussos (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Layouts: Don Perlin. Letterer: Joe Rosen.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner

(Robert Bruce Banner)
Hellcat
Hellcat

(Patricia Walker)
Hulk
Hulk

(Robert Bruce Banner)
Nighthawk
Nighthawk

(Kyle Richmond)
Valkyrie
Valkyrie

(Brunnhilda)

Plus: Buzz Baxter, Jack Norriss (Jackson Norriss), Mutant Force.