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Defenders #110

Aug 1982
J. M. DeMatteis, Mike Esposito

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Story Name:

... Hunger...


Synopsis

Defenders #110 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Devil-Slayer a/k/a Eric Simon Payne is on a tiny rock in the Negative Zone, his only companion is the corpse of Ira “Sunshine” Gross whose death he blames himself for. But he doesn’t want to die—so Ira’s ghost suggests they leave. They show up at a dingy saloon on Earth to have a drink; Payne demands liquor for himself and his unseen friend. Ira questions Payne’s desire for a drug (alcohol), having helped Ira get over his addiction. He also insists helping him was the first human thing Payne had done since the 1960s. Payne takes on the form of Devil-Slayer and uses his Shadow Cloak to depart through the wall, terrifying the bartender. And into the plane of dimensions….

Interlude One: Lawyer Milton Rosenblum informs Luann Bloom that her patient, Kyle Richmond, has died, having received a report from Nick Fury that Kyle died in service to his country though the details are classified. Luann flies into a rage, insisting they are being lied to and the Defenders must be involved somehow and she is determined to find out what is really going on….

A drunken Eric Payne collapses in an alley, switching in and out of his Devil-Slayer identity, hating himself and vowing that someone will pay. By night, he comes to a mansion in California as Devil-Slayer, fights off guard dogs, and smashes his way though the front door, intruding on a quiet family gathering. The family is that of mob boss Carlo Boccino, whose henchmen appear as demons to Payne. DS tells Boccino that it is his fault that innocents have died; Boccino refuses to accept that, reminding Payne how he helped him and gave him a job and refusing to bear Payne’s sins. DS draws a gun, intending to kill Boccino but the sight of his frightened family leads him to apologize and return to the Negative Zone….

Interlude Two: A glimpse of Washington, D.C., and the surprise that Kyle Richmond is President of the United States….

Eric Payne arrives in his hometown, Queenstown, Illinois, and goes to the home of his old friend and Army buddy, Brian Kingston; Brian invites him in to have dinner and meet his family. Payne realizes that he had been hoping to learn his friend had endured a miserable life like he had. Brian’s happy family makes him want to attack and beat Brian but he dashes out instead. Brian runs after him but can’t find him…

…because Devil-Slayer is back on the rock in the Negative Zone with the ghost of Ira Gross, who tells him the truth he couldn’t admit to himself: he, not the war or his wife, is responsible for his problems. Eric Payne then finds himself in Jerusalem where he falls down a flight of steps. He is found by his ex-wife Cory who takes him home to dress his wounds. She tries to comfort him, saying “It’s all right,” but he slaps her, ridiculing her interest in the pseudo-Messiah David Kessler. She responds that David was a fraud but she has come to a stronger, more sincere faith and offers Eric the possibility of forgiveness. But he doesn’t think God would want to forgive him; both Cory and the ghost of Ira Gross try to convince him otherwise but he vanishes to the rock in the Negative Zone but Cory has come with him, offering to die with him. Instead, they return to her apartment as he begs for help….

Epilogue: Doctor Strange receives a letter from Cory Payne explaining that Eric returned to the USA and surrendered to the authorities and is now serving a sentence in prison; she has taken an apartment near there and is helping guide Eric on his spiritual journey, thanking Strange for his kindness and concern. And Dr. Strange sheds a tear….

 


 

Review / Commentaries


Defenders #110 Review by (October 9, 2024)

Review: An entire issue focusing on Eric “Devil-Slayer” Payne, characterized as a morally conflicted man seeking a mission to shape his life and never finding one. Or as he puts it, “a hunger for meaning, for peace, for some kind of redemption.” He tries the military, alcohol, crime, and fighting monsters yet none works out. He is a tragic hero yet we never root for him because he is a very unlikable character. J.M. DeMatteis goes above and beyond the call of duty in fleshing out this man’s character to see what makes him tick and even gives him a happy ending. And what an ending: he finds forgiveness in a vaguely worded version of the Christian Gospel (though ambiguity is negated by indicating a crucifix on Cory’s wall). And it’s made all the more remarkable by the fact that, as far as I can tell, DeMatteis is not a practicing Christian though he has a broader interest in philosophy and religion (see next issue). But…all of this is ignored by the next writer to use the character, who likely didn’t know what to do with the religious parts so he killed off Cory Payne and returned Devil-Slayer to the default settings and had him brood and fight demons. And he has bounced around the Marvel Universe ever since, keeping mainly to the edges.

Comments: Devil-Slayer’s final appearance in this series; he was last seen in issue #104; his next appearance is in CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #3 then a short bit in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #37, followed by longer piece in MCP #46-49. Ira “Sunshine” Gross came into Devil-Slayer’s life in issue #101 and died in #104, while magically disguised to look like Eric Payne’s wife Cory. Cory’s involvement with David Kessler was in issue #97



> Defenders comic book info and issue index

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

Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito
George Roussos
Jim Starlin (Cover Penciler)
Jim Starlin (Cover Inker)
George Roussos (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Layouts: Don Perlin. Letterer: Shelly Leferman.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Devil-Slayer
Devil-Slayer

(Eric Payne)
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange

(Stephen Strange)

Plus: Milton Rosenblum, Null the Living Darkness.