The Defenders is Peak 1970s Goofy Fun - Comic Tropes (Episode 66)

[@richmcgee434]

4:33 Ooh, a challenge. Judging by the arc of speed lines and her pose, Hellcat appears to holding herself up with right hand on the ground while swinging both legs up and forward, with the left leg scissoring across the right, all while she releases the Frisbee with her left hand while swinging her left arm from right to left in what Id guess is a nearly vertical arc. The trajectory of the Frisbee is quite literally impossible as it's leaving arc of her swing on the as her arm is moving backward rather than forward, which just adds to the absurdity of the panel. Not exactly Sal's best work there.

[@jamesfrovarp4624]

Dave Owens wow okay boomer.

[@jamesfrovarp4624]

Dave Owens you are not a protected class. You are just sad if you think that is hate soeech

[@Aliendrone121]

@@jamesfrovarp4624 yea

[@rhyattgere4833]

I honestly had the impression that she kicked the frisbee. That would certainly fit her skill set.

[@jockmctodger]

@@jamesfrovarp4624 ok renter

[@lloydgreen980]

no more beer for you, you called Nighthawk NightWing lol

[@MARQUE9368]

Lloyd Green. Hahahahahaha I noticed that!!!!

[@jockmctodger]

"Birdnose" - Hulk

[@wk3820]

I still remember reading the Defenders as a kid. I specifically remember the particularly crazy issue when they were running around with Nighthawk's brain in a bowl! The industry needs more books with heroes brains being carried around in bowls.

[@hydrolito]

Doom Patrol villain The Brain a brain in a jar, and villains stole Robotman body and removed his brain and put in Jar while putting Brain in Robotman's body.

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

hydrolito Morrison’s run on DP is one of my all time favorite comics runs. It’s genius, subversive, dark, and a whole lot of fun. I have every individual issue from that run. Everyone lauds Morrison for his work on Animal Man, which was def good, but his DP is one of his greatest books, imo

[@floydharper4653]

Brain and brain, what is BRAIN??

[@dtouey]

Watching Chris develop a drinking problem on film is half the fun of this channel.

[@steve_bal4]

Bahaha! Your synopsis was hilariously dead-on. The Defenders was the comic you'd buy when there was literally nothing else new on the stands back in the day; the type of comic you'd roll up and put in your back pocket and didn't care if you lost it while riding your bike home or if you left it at your buddy's house.

[@Rancoroth419]

Defenders were a constantly changing lineup. But man, can you imagine how powerful they were considering who was or could potentially be on the team at any given time?

[@marcelosalinas3753]

Man this haves to be by far the most underrated KZbin channel ive seen, spectacular content, really funny and you actually do learn a lot about the authors :) Keep up the good work.

[@ComicTropes]

Marcelo Salinas Thanks for watching.

[@ComicTropes]

Marcelo Salinas Thanks for watching and for the kind words. I

[@breakabletape]

Best KZbin channel since James Rolf.

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

I love the synth intro you use in this video. It’s very catchy. Whenever I hear it I’m immediately ready for comic tropes. Pavlov’s response level: 9000

[@wk3820]

Peak 70s goofy fun was the Headmen issues of Defenders. Nighthawk's brain in a bowl!

[@ian_b]

It was incredible fun comic storytelling. The industry has just forgotten how to make fun comics.

[@dancingdog60]

This was great! I was a regular Defenders reader back in the 70's. At the time, Defenders was the funniest non-humor book on the stands. The arc before the one you covered, with the Zodiac Gang, which lead up to Defenders 50, is a hoot! I believe it's written by Dave Anthony Kraft and pencilled by Keith Giffen who at the time was doing his Kirby thing - and doing it well. #50 is a total fight scene. The ENTIRE BOOK is pretty much the Hulk on a rampage tearing the Zodiac Crew to bits! I believe Moon Knight is the hero who instigates the fight. Great stuff...great comics. Way better than the stuff out there now - in my opinion.

[@VonWenk]

I read Defenders 50 and was bored, but I remember liking the next issue with Nighthawk against the Ringer. The storyline with Devil-Slayer and Doctor Strange is probably the one Defenders storyline from the David Anthony Kraft I remember really liking (besides Defenders 51).

[@everetth-top4760]

Watching this video about 2 1/2 years after it was made. It was damn enjoyable. Looks like you have been making consistently good episodes for many years.

[@Quiro26]

They were the Seinfeld of the 70's. A comic book about nothing

[@emmanuelmondesir1314]

Quiro this. I like this serie but i dont know why.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

A team about nothing! Dr. Strange = Jerry Hulk = George Namor = Kramer Hellcat = Elaine

[@barthalen]

@@comixproviderftw_02 "SUMMER OF HULK!"

[@thanoskonstantinou1831]

@@comixproviderftw_02 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@daveowens9849]

The Defenders predated Seinfeld. SMH

[@indyspotes3310]

I liked The Defenders and collected them all. And I would put that lineup of Dr. Strange, Hulk, Surfer and Namor up against any superhero group that you'd care to name. The problem with The Defenders is that the power in their lineup varied so greatly that the stories would go from fighting cosmic near gods to glorified purse snatchers in the span of two issues.

[@MarsHottentot]

Gerber was like the 70's answer to Grant Morrison, only funnier. What a great guy - I miss him!

[@wk3820]

You mean Morrison is the modern answer to Steve Gerber!

[@EddieSlabb]

Sometimes we don't know what we had until it's gone. His run on She Hulk was my favorite.

[@VonWenk]

@@EddieSlabb I will take Gerber and Hitch's She-Hulk over Byrne's any day (with the possible exception of the graphic novel where roaches take over SHIELD).

[@EddieSlabb]

@@VonWenk Hey good catch man. Roaches taking over sheild was kind of true to life, crazy world out there. Have a great on VonWenk

[@psychicblobfish5550]

"Elf With a Gun" is my new favorite comics character

[@dr.masque2903]

Ahhh, Defenders 62. I must have read it like 20 times. Absolutely hilarious. I still think of the “Captain Colorblind” and “Jerk of Hearts” and I love how they ask for cream and sugar in their coffee and Hulk says “Drink it black”. That’s right buddy, this a tough guy organization and we don’t use milk and sugar 😀

[@RogerFusselman]

The Defenders are a study in mismanaging talent. These comic books should be analyzed by the top business schools of the world. The same unlikely three-issue story arc is probably an everyday reality by millions of employed but miserable people, in jobs going nowhere, with guidance being rare. Marvel should continue the series at a financial loss and use it to train talent for more significant books.

[@ComicTropes]

Ha!

[@jerkfudgewater147]

@@ComicTropes on purpose? Who graduated from this actual “school of hard knocks” ?

[@Moffrogangus]

I love all your content but this era of Comic Tropes is my favorite.

[@RobertJadeBen]

This is one of my favorite KZbin videos. I always come back and watch it at least once a year. 😁 I love the part when the boys are plotting against the Hulk, but the Hulk is literally serving them drinks a few panels before that. lol.

[@blazingskull65]

My favorite issue. Love every page.

[@smelisi]

I read this comic as a kid, and it was a flippin' hoot! Still is, actually. Ironic that the book takes this kind of turn after killing it for issues 31 through the giant size (the Headman/Nebulon saga) and then about 46-50, with the Scorpio storyline. I will always have fond memories of the Defenders books.

[@edward2962]

I think with The Elf With a Gun, it was a subplot that writer Steve Gerber was building to, but he left the title before he could get to it. I'm pretty sure the next writer didn't want to deal with it so he just had the Elf get hit by a truck. I wanna say a few years later they actually did come up with an explaination for the Elf but I'm sketchy on the details.

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

They did explain it like 4 years later. I don't recall all the details but he was trying to prevent some sort of disaster by taking people out of the timeline or something.

[@kurumais]

any chance of an elf with gun funko?

[@Atalanta1313]

JM Demantis explained the Elf and the Elf made the original Defenders quit the team (or the world would end)

[@darrylwiggins1156]

I used to collect these comics in high school.the reason was that the stories were so off the beaten path it interested me.a lot of what went on was just pure silliness but i kept buying them.

[@MPvideosForYou]

"If Stingray and Tagak support you, I mean, you're going all the way." LOL! I'm dying over that...

[@gabesmith6386]

⚡️🤯 !!! - When you realize that’s why Hulk nicknames Valkyrie “Angry Girl” in Thor: Ragnarok! Wish this could’ve been a ‘Three’s Company/Batman 66’ type show in the 70s’. Would be super hilarious now! Great video as usual! *Just realized Dexters Lab basically did the next best thing with The Justice Friends cartoon and fruit pies commercials! Genndy Tartakovsky definitely loved 70s’ comics.

[@d.aardent9382]

HA! I was thinking of Justice Friends part way through your comment and I was going to reply to it mentioning the Justice Friends cartoon but i couldn't recall the exact name of it, but then you did mention it at the end. It was a great cartoon, just goofy wacky stuff. thanks for reminding me of it.

[@scottleespence752]

Dude, I read that storyline when it came out and it is very clearly stated in the story that all the superheroes who want to join showed up the following morning. The panel you showed clearly has Hulk sleeping on the couch as Nighthawk goes to answer the doorbell.

[@scottpawlowski6927]

At the time Defenders #62 came out I remember thinking: it felt like it was written by some little kid, playing with his "action figures".

[@rhyattgere4833]

The very first comic storyline that got me into Marvel Comics was the Avengers/Defenders Evil Eye crossover. I loved the Defenders, especially Steve Gerber's weird ass run, and actually have every issue of the first series, as well as the Marvel Features issues and all of the prototype issues. Issues 1-50, as well as any crossovers, are still my favorite comics.

[@cumberbatchpepperpot]

The defenders were my favorite growing up. And i still find this storyline awesome.

[@theajshow]

This was such a fun video, I just had to watch it again! Sometimes comics are just wacky and fun, and I love that! The Defenders was such a fun concept, and, wow, how many C-and D-listers can you have in one book? Love it!

[@HetLedie]

I'm glad the defenders show is raising younger readers awareness of these older,classic characters. I still maintain that a coexistence of classic Marvel characters and their 2010 counterparts is the only way to reconcile the fallout of the Marvel reboots

[@IncredibleMD]

Dollar Bill is the most noteworthy supervillain the Defenders ever faced.

[@robesdebah4811]

Man...you’re the most fun youtuber I follow. Always just some silly stuff. Always good natured. Always just having a good time with the funny papers. No corner too remote to dig into. I wish I had two spare cents for your patreon, but in the mean time I’ll upvote every video I watch. You’re what this community is about!

[@jonchapman2127]

This was my favorite book as a kid! I loved Val going to college and waiting in line and the way the heroes wrestled with everyday stuff the way we do. You could do a whole episode on the Zodiac Saga in #45-50. Weirdly tragic and wacky at the same time

[@djinconroe]

Whenever I see Nighthawk I find myself looking for "Dynomutt"

[@smithwriter69]

The issues you reviewed are literally the ONLY three issues of The Defenders that I ever bought! Ah, nostalgia!

[@athenassigil5820]

I loved this team! Sure they were C listers, but I love comics, period! It was also very much a 70s title in theme and relevance.

[@thequickthinker]

I wouldn't say that Steve Englehart was known for his "out there" type of stories. Gerber, definitely. I always felt that out of the Marvel writers of the 70's if you didn't know who wrote a particular issue you couldn't tell if it was by Conway, Wein or Englehart. But you could always tell when a story was written by Steve Gerber.

[@vasp99]

As a child and a pre teen I LOVED the Defenders ! They were my book of choice until the X-Men picked up steam and the Defenders just floundered into different versions that didn't work.

[@bronzevillecomics2581]

I’m a big Defenders fan, especially when it was bonkers. Loved it when Gerber, Giffen, and Janson worked on the book. Just completed my run last year. Love the videos, this one made me laugh out loud.

[@cecilDisharoon]

Not just a recap but hilarious camera angles.

[@keeblergraham211]

Defenders fans may also enjoy Erik Larsen's "Freak Force". It has a similar irreverent tone overall, the team is made up of individuals who are thrown together, and they deal with everything from the sublime to the ridiculous.

[@phillipmontano7664]

Hulk nicknamed everyone he encountered in his own series also he nick named spider man bug man

[@vincentfranklin17]

The Defenders are one of my favorite Marvel teams!

[@scorpionzen]

Your comment about details for the Lunatik/Lunatic mistake is ironic because you called Nighthawk Nightwing shortly before then went back to Nighthawk

[@pptemplar5840]

Fair point, but this is a somewhat inebriated KZbinr, not a guy paid to letter a publication. Although I don't think either is a big deal.

[@vitodamico8688]

My all time favorite comic book having 4 of my 5 all time heroes excluding Thor. The foursome of surfer hulk strange and namor is still to this day the most powerful of any superhero team imho.

[@hydrolito]

DC had similar group Superman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Aquaman with others. Legion of Super heroes had Superboy, Supergirl, Mon-El, Erg, plus others. Avengers has Thor, Doctor Druid, Ironman, Vision plus others.

[@miguelEguzman]

@@hydrolito Would it have made you feel better about the OP if he had said "in Marvel?" IMHO, your avengers lineup is nowhere near the power level of the four original Defenders.

[@cumberbatchpepperpot]

That image of Hercules swinging a tree looks like when Lucy would clobber all the peanuts characters and send them flying

[@stillaboveground2470]

I seem to recall a Defenders comic set at Christmas time, The thing I remember from it was Hulk wearing a Santa hat, and someone gave Hulk a pair of purple pants as a gift. "What do you give a guy who has nothing?"

[@Chibason]

@ComicTropes this was the best Miller Light commercial of all time

[@zerocool6121]

Ohmigod! This was hilarious. The Defenders was one of my favorite C-List super hero groups.

[@crithon]

this is delightfully silly. Plus Patsy Walker is such a bizarre character, always love seeing her past haunting her as a hero. Great video

[@yragcom1]

"Maybe I could be a Defender, where they give you more free time." -Yellowjacket, Avengers #151

[@achtungjamie]

This episode is hilarious 😂

[@uthrandir2353]

"Sagittarius...Sagittarius..." cue grey screen and blank look That was truly funny!

[@deanmccaskill5495]

Defenders 107 was the first book I bought and decided to collect. 1982 I think it was. I had comics before that but I got serious for quite a while after that. That book I figure is why I'm into comics today!

[@11167KevA]

I've been currently reading through all my Defenders. I have #'s 1-124 and am on # 34 as of 1/11/18. Yeah, they're proving to be pretty weak overall but I have a HUGE soft spot for 1970's Marvel.

[@apex_prowler95]

The Defenders won the Avengers/Defenders war and defeated the RWS group Sons of the Serpent with the aid of Luke Cage. Nighthawk's butler Pennyworth, who was AA, was found out to be funding the Son's. The Defenders started out well.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

I got into the Defenders the issue when Hawkeye overheard the Hulk mention something about them and he chased him around town shooting arrows at the Hulk demanding to know who these new guys were. Got to love Hawkeye when he has a good writer. Guy takes on Iron Man and beats him and he has no problem taking on the Hulk when he wants to.

[@davehowell3209]

The defenders are probably my favorite ensemble comic group...

[@Cbf3v3r]

Holy crap, a gamer gate reference in comics...

[@andershine]

Captain Ultra was definitely a supporter of Gamer Gate.

[@cyberpunkholiday]

I wonder who won the Marvel No Prize for the Lunatik/Lunatic correction? lol

[@dayvancubensis]

The comedic timing of that page turn where all the superheroes are standing at the door was perfect. I think I'll look for this comic

[@marqosmarqos1201]

I love your honesty after you take your first sip of beer "Its ok." Hilarious

[@dandelatorre1870]

Chris with great respect I strongly disagree for several reasons. First of all you start your assessment of the non team in the middle of the run, it’s like you walking into a theater half way through a film and saying you don’t understand the premise of the film. Second, Roy Thomas who created the Defenders brought the team together in typical Marvel fashion by slowly putting its pieces together. The Defenders best moments were when Steve Englehart took the reins in issues 1 through 11, issues 12 through 19 were strong stories but the non team took a very different turn when Steve Gerber took over. Gerber is a fine writer but was not suited to take over Marvel’s most powerful team. Afterwards the following writers couldn’t get the team’s storyline back on track and it finally went to the waste side. With a team that consisted of the Sorcerer Supreme, Herald of Galactus, the Strongest mortal on earth, Prince of the Sea and the leader of the Asgardian Valkyries should have been a team as prominent as the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four. Chris you’re a very smart man but I think you’ve missed the mark on this one in a very big way. You’ve actually inspired me to start my own KZbin channel and my first video will be entitled “ Defending the Defenders “.

[@thekushjedi]

ROFL this was the funniest episode yet. "if stingray and tagak support you...you're going all the way"

[@Clay3613]

I was cracking up at nearly everything, then again it is 5AM.

[@ericbreen4340]

As silly as Defenders #62 was, ( I bought it off the newsstands the day it came out ) I still prefer it to anything Marvel is publishing today . As for the Elf with a gun , my guess is after Steve Gerber left the book , the new writer couldn't kill him off fast enough .

[@n64isit45]

SJW?

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

They had a conclusion to the Elf with a gun years later that "explained" it and was pretty awful.

[@deanmccaskill5495]

107 was the first comic i ever bought with intent to collect. In the middle they Had those Mile High spreads. It showed the same issue as going up a dollar or something from the cover price id just paid. I thought i had a real get rich plan! Hey i was a kid right? Anyway the good thing is it got me into comics and have been off and on ever since.

[@judesellers3284]

The Defenders were the greatest off beat team ever

[@JONNYSORENSEN_AU]

Oh hi! You caught me watching older episodes

[@unhhgcrxexhjvuvujchcrzwzwz7956]

I have so many defenders comics lying around somewhere

[@MrSafior]

I read this issue, pretty great and I really like the roster of the evil defender, very varied.

[@StGordo61]

I always like the speed they would go from in fighting to be close allies again!

[@fcasstle23]

Miller Lite is my favorite! How dare you!

[@christophertaylor9100]

I agree completely, its a super fun comic with a great cast. You can just read and smile

[@Clay3613]

All of the superheroes descending upon Nighthawks ranch are like overenthusiastic Freshman crashing a Senior keg party. After seeing Captain Marvel's participation in Endgame, I can see where they got her characterization from.

[@mikete2223]

Best comic review ever dude busted out a beer an explains the team......fucking great.....🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👌

[@germanicusfink2350]

11:45 Dollar Bill must have had a VCR. They were starting to appear in the mid-seventies.

[@210SAi]

I was born mid 70s and always thought VCRs were 80s tech until I saw one on that 70s show

[@enriqueacosta9843]

It was a very silly comic which made the super serious lead up and pay off in issue #100 all the more impactful to us readers. The tongue in cheek attitude would be done later in Justice League International.

[@johnlee7164]

I love the JLI, one issue is just basically what happens when your pet cat sits on the global panic alarm button.

[@Eisenwulf666]

So Torpedo, Stingray,Goliath and Havok are trying to stop the Hulk? Good luck with that.. (i know Havok is theoretically OP but at this point i doubt he can control his powers well enough to even bother the HULK)

[@pdworld3421]

You do such a great job!!!!

[@kaltech04]

Great video as always, Chris! I don't know if there is enough material there to make a whole episode, but I remember loving the Marvel Comics Presents titles when I was a kid. They seemed to always have a team up of some kind, usually Wolverine and somebody or somebodies else.

[@ComicTropes]

kaltech04 Anthologies would present a challenge but maybe some time.

[@patrickmoreau7592]

I love this crazy series This issue is a crazy classic I still have these issues

[@dww7094]

This seems utterly delightful

[@howkel]

I loved this book! I was following monthly at this time.

[@DocEonChannel]

Your confusion about the timing stems from missing the panel at 11:14 that says it's the next morning. I guess half a can of beer can do that... ;)

[@DamonGrae]

I loved the Defenders!

[@pjdolont9012]

@4:20 She is clearly maintaining the trajectory while increasing the momentum of the frisbee as thrown by Hulk.

[@willstoudemire-pulliam9084]

Ok...watched 2 posts and digging the content. You got me. SUBSCRIBED!

[@DanAvenell]

Guess from my name whether I love The Defenders. My favourite iteration of Hulk, including the Hulk words for anyone he came across. As for 'Hulk-ocaust', at the time of writing (1971) the word 'holocaust' had yet to be synonymous for the WW2 genocide - there was a 1978 US TV show called that, and slowly after that the word became used chiefly, and then only for, well, the Holocaust. There's probably many examples of Marvel (and others) using the word interchangeably with words like 'armageddon' in the 60s and 70s.

[@RamManNo1]

Lower case h. It really is a word not an event.

[@rhyattgere4833]

The Elf with a Gun (Melf) was a subplot by Steve Gerber that was abruptly ended when Gerber quit the series. No one knew what the plotline was going to end as, so they just killed the elf. I would have loved to have seen what Gerber was going for.

[@TeatroGrotesco]

12:31 "Hulk in Friendzone. Hulk always in Friendzone."

[@willc9235]

I loved the Defenders. When these issues came out I was 10 years old. Even now I’ll pick up one of my essentials volumes and reread them and IMO it is better than most new comics Marvel puts out now.

[@obsoletebutneat]

I always assumed that these issues were a way to keep obscure characters active as trademarks.

[@jeremy6005]

This was a goofy yet fun issue. I remember first reading it years ago and just laughing as I read it. Captain Ultra was never meant to be taken serious.

[@antoniobrandao7139]

I LOVED the Defenders! Hulk, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Namor, Hawkeye and Valkyrie. They could go toe to toe with the Avengers and they did on one crossover back in the 70's.

[@johnshannon9656]

The first comic book I ever read was Defenders #9.

[@mattlerch531]

This was just okay. I mean it's no kool-Aid man or combo man, but it's just okay.

[@NieR.Amanda]

Captain Ultra was a recurring joke across Marvel team books of the time. Griffin Gogol, a plumber by trade, had his innate powers unlocked by a chance meeting with an extraterrestrial being, posing as a psychologist, who offered to cure him of his smoking habit. Following this, every time a team of heroes (or villains) had a membership drive he would show up, initially impressing with his skillset, and then disappointing with his *one weakness* to the slightest presence of a naked flame, the only downside to his empowerment. I believe his first appearance was in Fantastic Four Vol.1 #177 (December 1976) and he would then be passed around Marvel editors working on various other team books. I'd love to see an episode dedicated to his appearances in both comics and animated Marvel shows.

[@_fig.8]

that nighthawk plotline where he was carrying around his brain in a bowl really wigged me out as a kid.

[@davidhadler1]

Sadly, only getting to this now (working my way through the backlog of KZbin channels I've discovered well into their runs). If you want to really appreciate all the goofiness of the Defenders, I highly recommend the podcast Titan Up The Defense, which alternates between issues of the New Teen Titans and the Defenders.