Welcome to “Avengers Supernatural,” in all but name.
Defenders #1
Right on page one, Fraction throws seemingly unconnected, and stereotypical, bizarre occurrances in our face: people foaming at the mouth, a strange call from beyond the grave, the 13th floor of a building, and an airplane that suddenly loses power and crashes. The mystery is immediate, but so is the revelation that the Breaker of Worlds from Fear Itself, is somehow connected. At least that is what we’re led to believe based on the narrative structure. Following this, we are given a tour of the new Defenders team and their getting together: Namor, Dr. Strange, Red She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, and Iron Fist. Hulk comes to Dr. Strange with his problem, which is the fact that this Breaker of Worlds is running amok across Europe.
Matt Fraction is usually hit or miss for me, so going into this I didn’t know what to expect. I’m also a new Defenders reader, and know little about them, so it was interesting and right for me to take this book on its own merits. Because Fraction has to take time and panel space to introduce each character, the plot doesn’t get to move along as much as we might like, but that’s fine. I’d rather see what each character can bring to the table than have undeveloped characterization just for the sake of a few more punches and kicks. Fraction’s humor is sprinkled throughout, but I could have gone without the inner narration. It felt like a third-party observer was narrating the story, and it was pretty generic.
This book definitely deserves a spot on your pull list, but let’s hope it doesn’t stay at 3.99. It isn’t a 3.99 title. Overall, it’s a standard #1 issue, it doesn’t take any chances, but it’s relevancy is firmly footed in the larger Marvel Universe. The events are spinning off of Fear Itself, one of the many loose ends that need taken care of. I’m very satisfied that the first story arc will deal with an unresolved problem from Fear Itself. If Marvel can let this book come into its own, it could become a staple of the Marvel Universe.
A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATING
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| “Solid | None |
| Rating |
More Matt Fraction @ acomicbookblog.com/tag/matt-fraction