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Selector

Defenders #95

May 1981
J. M. DeMatteis, Pablo Marcos

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Story Name:

The Vampire Strikes Back!


Synopsis

Defenders #95 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3.5 stars

The Defenders (Doctor Strange, Hellcat, Valkyrie, Son of Satan, Gargoyle) return to the Sanctum Sanctorum to find the door unlocked. A mystery with no aura of evil leads them to enter slowly and a mysterious figure swoops down to scatter them. Valkyrie captures the culprit and they discover it is their teammate Nighthawk, who was paralyzed. Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to learn that the serum which doubles his power at night has worked with the mystic bond that powers his life force, to restore his abilities but as the sun rises, he becomes paralyzed again. He panics but decides to deal with the matter rationally. Wong then takes a phone call for Patsy from the hospital. They tell her that Dolly Donahue is dying and she flies into a rage, attacking Gargoyle and he can only apologize….

Daimon Hellstrom accompanies Patsy to her mother’s grave where he picks up psychic emanations, revealing that when Patsy’s harsh and unloving mother was on her deathbed, she promised the demon Avarrish her daughter’s life in exchange for being healed of her terminal cancer. Patsy cries, Daimon comforts her as best he can….

Meanwhile, Valkyrie is contacted by her fellow Valkyries from Asgard, asking her to return in this time of impending war but Val declines, insisting that her life is now centered on Earth….

Dr. Strange gathers the Defenders to talk about their mission when he detects a visitor incoming. A bat flies through Strange’s magic defenses and reveals itself to be Dracula, who assaults the team members. Strange and Hellstrom detect something amiss about the Lord of Vampires and the latter uses his powers to cast out the demon possessing him. In his right mind again, Dracula demands an explanation and they tell him of the Six-Fingered Hand which has just used him to fight their battle against the Defenders. They decide to work together, Dracula and Hellstrom forming an uneasy truce based on their words of honor….

Dracula and the Defenders (minus Dr. Strange who is working with Clea to locate the home dimension of the Six-Fingered Hand) teleport to Dracula’s castle in Transylvania where the legions of the undead, led by Alexander Gordski, servant of the demon Puishannt, pour forth to battle. In the skirmish, Gargoyle saves Hellcat’s life, making amends in the only way he can. Dracula finds he cannot defeat Gordski who has the powers of Puishannt itself. The Defenders lead the vampires up to the roof and Daimon Hellstrom advises Dracula to depart quickly. Once Drac is gone, Hellstrom manipulates time to create a sunrise that destroys all of the vampires—but also causes Nighthawk to lose the use of his body again. Hellcat wants to know why Hellstrom didn’t kill Dracula along with the rest of them; he responds that Dracula needed to know there is honor in Hell after all.  



 

Review / Commentaries


Defenders #95 Review by (June 26, 2024)

Review: Dracula makes for an audacious guest star for this installment of the Six-Fingered Hand adventure and Ol’ Drac throws an issue-long hissy fit, screaming for revenge. He had a bit more dignity in his own comic (which can be found elsewhere on this website) but he’s mostly filling in a part in the script here. So we have a big battle with a big finish while Son of Satan fusses over whether Dracula knows there is honor in Hell. Since SoS has rebelled against his father, why should he care what review of Hell Dracula leaves on Yelp?

Comments: Part two of seven parts. Title is a pun on THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, of course. Nighthawk was paralyzed in issue #93; the deal with his life force was in issue #14. He greets Gargoyle with “Who in the name of Hal Foster are you?” Hal Foster was the creator of the classic comic strip PRINCE VALIANT, which inspired DC’s Demon Etrigan, who sort of resembles Gargoyle. The Valkyries’ trouble is described in THOR #312, “Tales of Asgard.” Finished art by Joe Sinnott, Frank Giacoia, and Al Milgrom.  



> Defenders comic book info and issue index

Elektra
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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Pablo Marcos
Pablo Marcos
George Roussos
Pat Broderick (Cover Penciler)
Al Milgrom (Cover Inker)
George Roussos (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Layouts: Don Perlin. Letterer: Diana Albers.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

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)