The Defenders #109

Review: My, this comic is cluttered. It begins where we left off, Valkyrie versus Amora in an exciting battle while the four Defenders battle harpies. This bit is pretty cool. But then Val has a reckoning with Odin, Hulk, Subby, and Son of Satan are lost in the void, Vera and Dolly share a moment, Dr. Strange splits, Spidey and Gargoyle split, Beast and Vera split, Patsy cries over her lost friends, Patsy runs away from home, then Dr. Strange lands in another dimension where he finds the lead-in to the next issue. Most of that was important but it seemed a bit overwhelming, cleaning up everybody’s plot threads at once so the creators can move on to other business.

Comments: Part two of two parts (Valkyrie story); part one of two parts (Nighthawk story), part two skips an issue and shows up in #111, a prologue to the story in issues #112-115. As with last issue, Barbara Norriss’ name is spelled without the second S at the end. Beast refers to Edith Hamilton, author of the standard book on Greek mythology studied in most US schools. Enchantress turns up next in the original SECRET WARS event. Spider-Man and Gargoyle go straight from this issue to MARVEL TEAM-UP #119. The editor refers to Kyle Richmond’s death in issue #206; it was really #106. J.M. DeMatteis and Mark Gruenwald are credited as co-writers.