Comic Browser:

#97
#98
#99
#100
#101
#102
#103
#104
#105
#106
#107
#108
#109
#110
#111
#112
#113
#114
#115
#116
#117
#118
#119
#120
Selector

Defenders #102

Dec 1981
J. M. DeMatteis, Joe Sinnott

Defenders #102 cover

Story Name:

Mind Games


Synopsis

Defenders #102 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

At the Sanctum Sanctorum, the paralyzed Kyle “Nighthawk” Richmond is undergoing mystic rites at the hands of Clea and Gargoyle. Downstairs, Kyle’s nurse Luann Bloom asks Wong about this, being skeptical and suspicious of such cultish activity. Clea enters and explains how Kyle was nearly killed by the villain Nebulon and only saved by a spirit-bond created by Doctor Strange. This bond was recently broken, with dire consequences for Kyle’s health; Clea assures Luann that the mystic treatment is working. Kyle concurs. After they’ve gone, Clea explains to Gargoyle how much better Kyle is but Gargoyle isn’t there, he is upstairs contemplating his gruesome form in a mirror….

The next day, Kyle and Luann are on their way to a private sanitarium in Massachusetts. He explains that, as a college student, he was responsible for the death of his girlfriend, Mindy Williams, while driving drunk. Then, as Nighthawk, during a recent adventure with Spider-Man against robots at his old college, he discovered that the Big Bad was Mindy, paid off by Kyle’s father to pretend to be dead and stay out of Kyle’s life. She had a breakdown and now Kyle is paying for her stay at Carriwhite Acres. They are greeted by Dr. August Masters, who shows them Mindy through a one-way mirror, painting idyllic family portraits. Masters warns Kyle that her sanity is fragile and all of her anger centers on him. He is allowed to speak to her; she responds happily but when she sees he is in a wheelchair too, she laughs—then blasts him across the room with psychic power. Kyle is hustled out of the room while Mindy vows vengeance….

Later at a motel, Kyle is contacted magically by Clea (startling Luann) who informs him that the force that broke his spirit-bond centered on Carriwhite Acres and not the Six-Fingered Hand as everyone assumed. So as Nighthawk, he returns that night to the sanitarium, landing quietly on the roof. But his arrival was detected so when NH enters the building, he is confronted by ten guards with advanced weaponry. He beats them all and is then approached by Dr, Masters who reveals they are with the Central Information Bureau (CIB), a clandestine branch of the US government. He shows NH a huge lab, explaining they are researching telepathy for national security uses…and Mindy is their most promising subject. Masters also mentions that Mindy had a fit of madness that nearly wrecked the building—and was probably felt by Kyle. NH is outraged and demands they shut it down. But Masters orders his men to unleash Mindy on the hero as a lesson. The controls are turned up and when Mindy sees Nighthawk, her madness creates an army of psychic rats. The rats maul Kyle, inflicting physical and spiritual pain until he is screaming. Mindy recalls the good times she had with Kyle and rebels, calling off the rats and siccing them on the CIB team. Kyle manages to pull Mindy out of her trance but only after the damage is done. Masters, however, just sees this as a setback and plans to start over. Kyle threatens to expose him but Masters isn’t worried as his position gives him immunity….

The following evening, Clea reveals to Kyle that she had been keeping a mental watch on them and she is the one who turned Mindy’s mind from dark to light, saving Kyle. Then the evening paper is delivered and Kyle is angered to discover his expose of the CIB is not there, just a small notice of a fire at Carriwhite Acres on a back page. Kyle then doubles down on his vow to defeat Masters and the CIB….



 

Review / Commentaries


Defenders #102 Review by (August 27, 2024)

Review and Comments by Peter Silvestro

Review: And we thought Nighthawk had resigned from the Defenders. Nuh-uh, he’s not only back apart from the team but the central hero of the tale. Here we discover Kyle is caring for his old girlfriend turned supervillain but she is part of a government conspiracy to harness her mental abilities for their ends. The story is weighted down with the character’s comic book history but it’s covered in a few exposition-heavy panels before we get back to the action. And action there is, culminating in the psychic rats scene which may be Don Perlin’s best contribution to the series. On the flip side, Mindy is rather poorly delineated for a central character while another stereotypical secret government agency is set up as the villains. But there’s more to come….

Comments: Kyle Richmond: the spirit-bond to keep him alive was in issue #14; it was broken in issue #93, paralyzing Kyle. Mindy Williams debuted in issue #32 then showed up in MARVEL TEAM-UP #101 teaming Nighthawk with Spider-Man. August Masters makes his first appearance here. Carriwhite Acres is named after Carrie White, the demented protagonist of Stephen King’s CARRIE; Nurse Ratchid is a nod to the imperious Nurse Rached of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST; King is likely after Stephen, and Torrence is the protagonist of THE SHINING, all bad signs. Hulk’s and Valkyrie's faces appear on the “floating heads” cover but they are not in the story. And Kyle’s crusade against Masters and the CIB will run intermittently until issue #115. Other inkers: Sal Trapani and Jack Abel.



> Defenders comic book info and issue index

Elektra
Defenders #102 cover

Excelsioring your collection:
statue
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Joe Sinnott
Joe Sinnott
George Roussos
Al Milgrom (Cover Penciler)
Al Milgrom (Cover Inker)
George Roussos (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Layouts: Don Perlin. Letterer: Shelly Leferman.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Gargoyle
Gargoyle

(Isaac Christians)
Nighthawk
Nighthawk

(Kyle Richmond)

Plus: Mindy Williams.

The Marvel Heroes Library is a fan Marvel Comics site
Version 14.8.18 (Nov 3, 2024) - VS2022

Copyright © 1997-2024 Julio Molina-Muscara (creator, webmaster)
Site content is a collective effort by the MHL team and Marvel aficionados

Characters are copyright © Marvel or their respective owners. All portions of this Marvel fansite that are subject to copyright are licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 unported license All rights reserved