Defenders #3 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Sonia Oback (colorist)

The Story: The Defenders prove their incompetence.

The Review: I’m not sure what just happened. I enjoyed The Defenders #1, and while I wasn’t particularly impressed with #2, I still thought the series was on good footing. But after reading The Defenders #3, I have to question this book’s right to exist. The series has gone downhill fast, with several factors undercutting any chance it had at success. I would be sad if weren’t so comical. I’m going to put a SPOILER warning on for this entire review. If you just want my opinion before reading it, know that I think it’s bad. If you want more of a blow-by-blow analysis, read on.

The book opens fine, with Prester John explaining to the Defenders that he is going to allow Nul, the Breaker of Worlds, to destroy the Concordance Engine, a timey-wimey spacey-wacey thingy which, when destroyed, will end the universe and propel John and his spaceship/arc into a new universe. John’s motivation is basically that he thinks that this universe is sick, God is dead, and there’s no point in sticking around any longer. When finished talking, he then walks off, telling the Defenders they can join him on his spaceship, or stay and be killed when the universe dies.

The Defenders declare that they need to A) stop Nul from breaking the Concordance and B) stop Prester John from leaving the universe. Now, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know than B) relies on A) being done, so as long as A) is stopped, the Defenders don’t need to worry about B). So, naturally, the Defenders split up to try and stop both. Right.

Silver Surfer goes off to stop Prester John, and the rest stay behind to stop Nul, thinking, “That much madness…that much power…” The thought and narration boxes really try to sell you on the idea that John is insane, but I’m not buying it. Comics are a medium rife with madmen and lunatics both good and evil, so “madness” isn’t a word you can just toss around. As is, John simply acts more like an over-powered curmudgeon than a deranged psychotic. He’s not even ranking at a level of J. Jonah Jameson madness.

Defenders #2 – Review

By Matt Fraction (writer), Terry & Rachel Dodson (artists), Sonia Oback (colorist)

The Story: Dr. Strange gets a new nickname.

The Review: In my review of The Defenders #1, I complimented Fraction’s use of that issue as a way to introduce the team rather than diving into a dense plot right away. It presented a good foundation to build some group chemistry and highlighted the group’s diversity. Now, however, I’m a bit confused as to why he went through all that effort, as he doesn’t seem interested in building on it.

The heroes are remarkably dull, which is really an accomplishment when you consider the group Fraction is working with. Worse, they sound very much the same as one another. There are still some token reminders that these are distinct individuals—Dr. Strange drops some mystical history on the group, and Namor shouts “Imperious Rex!”—but it all feels oddly shallow. Even the narrator and the villains sound eerily alike. They’re like skittles; each character has a different veneer, but they’re really just different degrees of tart, and don’t actually taste a hell of a lot like the fruits they’re meant to.