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Selector

Defenders #104

Feb 1982
J. M. DeMatteis, Joe Sinnott

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Story Name:

Yesterday Never Dies!


Synopsis

Defenders #104 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

In a filthy apartment in Greenwich Village, Devil-Slayer/Eric Payne continues his attempts to rescue Ira “Sunshine” Gross from his drug addiction; he has done what he could to repair the damage drugs have done to Ira’s brain but Ira must work to defeat his physical dependence on heroin. There is a knock at the door; Payne answers it to find a demon handing him an envelope. He opens it to find a picture of his wife Cory Payne a prisoner, leading to a brief recap of his background: bloodthirsty Vietnam vet lost his wife due to their political differences, became an alcoholic, then a mob hitman, assigned to murder a reporter, he placed a bomb in the man’s car and ended up killing his wife and kid—that reporter was Ian Fate, who has become a master of the occult and it is he who has kidnaped Cory. Devil-Slayer leaves Ira behind as the teleports away….

Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan, is put through an ordeal in the Arizona desert to burn the last of his humanity out of him, as ordered by his father Satan….

The Beast is visiting Doctor Strange to discuss a problem when they are interrupted by Wong announcing the visit of Sunshine who tells them Devil-Slayer is in trouble, showing them the letter he received. Strange determines to go to his rescue with Beast volunteering to join him, also suggesting Wonder Man for the team, who is immediately contacted—and scared by the sudden appearance of Strange in his astral form….

In a basement, Devil-Slayer faces his enemy Ian Fate, who stands in a pentagram, backed by a pack of green demons. Cory hangs in the air, surrounded by mystic knives aimed at her body. Fate, who has become adept in the magical arts, aims to take revenge against DS. The hero leaps into the fray and defeats all of the demons—but the knives pierce Cory’s body, killing her. Fate then reveals that Cory’s death was an illusion: the real Cory is trapped inside a dome on a mystic island, surrounded by sinister creatures and watching the dome slowly crack, soon letting the monsters get to her. Fate vanishes but almost immediately, Dr. Strange and company appear, bringing hope….

Elsewhere, Kyle Richmond is celebrating his courtroom victory with his friends, Patsy Walker, Val, and Gargoyle, nurse Luann Bloom, plus his lawyers, Matt Murdock and Milton Rosenblum when a group of Central Information Bureau agents, burst in to arrest Kyle on orders from August Masters. Matt can tell they are lying but has no opportunity to change into Daredevil. Valkyrie, Hellcat, and Gargoyle stand up to the bad guys who respond by firing gas pistols which send everyone to sleep….

Dr. Strange uses his mystic knowledge to locate the dimension where Cory is held and suggests it is too dangerous for the others to breach; Devil-Slayer insists on going to rescue his wife. Beast proposes they all just go together…and so they do, teleported by DS’s cloak. They materialize in the air, with Strange plucking Devil-Slayer from the sky and Beast using his acrobatic ability to get under Wonder Man and catch him. They are greeted by Ian Fate who unleashes a horde of demons on them; DS, Beast, and Wondy take on the demons while Strange faces off with Fate in a battle of magic. Strange traps Fate in a coffin-like magic box. The dome containing Cory shatters, DS heads to her, and while he fights a demon, another stabs Cory with Devil-Slayer’s sword. But a spell dissolves and it is revealed that the dead person is not Cory Payne but Ira “Sunshine” Gross. Ian Fate confesses that he couldn’t bring himself to harm an innocent woman but he still sought revenge so he substituted Sunshine whom Eric Payne cared for. Payne goes to kill Fate but he is stopped by Wonder Man who reminds him that everything Fate has done is because Eric Payne murdered his wife and child. So Payne is also responsible for Fate’s villainy and Sunshine’s death. DS gathers up Sunshine’s body and teleports away, leaving the others to brood—and Beast to ask if they can finally get to the problem he has come to Dr. Strange about….



 

Review / Commentaries


Defenders #104 Review by (September 10, 2024)

Review: Devil-Slayer takes center stage and he is a very unlikable protagonist. The only way we could root for him is because his wife, seen in issue #97, seems like a nice person. So we’re really rooting for her, even though it turns out to not be her in the end. But the writers assume we wouldn’t be so supportive of the smelly and deranged old hippie so there we are. But Dr. Strange is the real good guy, rushing to a fellow…what?...in need. The bizarre bit is how random Beast and Wonder Man seem, plucked out of the Marvel catalog and pasted into the issue. Yes, J.M. DeMatteis has plans to add Beast to the team on a more regular basis but Wondy has almost nothing to do, chosen for the non-team because of his occasional association with Beast. Decent issue is held together rather awkwardly, adding bits anticipating further developments for Nighthawk and Son of Satan. And Devil-Slayer will have an even bigger opportunity to be insufferable in issue #110.

Comments: Devil-Slayer’s next and final appearance in this series is in issue #110. First appearance of Ian Fate, whose only other appearance is in MARVEL TEAM-UP #122. Kyle’s lawyer, Milton Rosenblum, is here called Sydney R. Rosenblum for some reason. Joe Sinnott is credited with finished art and Al Milgrom did the backgrounds. The letters page includes one by Darryl Banks, who may be the future comics artist of that name, and one by future comics historian Bruce Canwell.



> Defenders comic book info and issue index

Elektra
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Excelsioring your collection:
Diamond Select Toys Marvel Gallery: Beast PVC Figure, Multicolor
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.

Beast
Beast

(Henry Phillip McCoy)
Devil-Slayer
Devil-Slayer

(Eric Payne)
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange

(Stephen Strange)
Gargoyle
Gargoyle

(Isaac Christians)
Hellcat
Hellcat

(Patricia Walker)
Nighthawk
Nighthawk

(Kyle Richmond)
Son of Satan
Son of Satan

(Daimon Hellstrom)
Valkyrie
Valkyrie

(Brunnhilda)
Wonder Man
Wonder Man

(Simon Williams)

Plus: Milton Rosenblum, Satan.