Defenders #1 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Monday

Face Down in the Dirt

Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: David Marquez, Justin Ponsor
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 14, 2017
Publisher: Marvel

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

We all knew this series was coming even before it was announced. The Defenders Netflix show was announced a while ago and of course there is going to be a comic for The Defenders at the same time. The creative team is big too. Whether you are a Brian Michael Bendis fan or not, he’s definitely one of the biggest names at Marvel and Marquez always makes incredible art. However, the last time these two were together was last summer when they were making the Civil War II crossover book which was a hot pile of garbage. However, this series may exist on a smaller scale which is where Bendis usually finds success. Let’s just jump right in and find out.

Our issue takes place after the events of the Free Comic Book Day content in which Diamondback revealed that he was still alive and shot Jessica Jones. We begin by catching up with him at a local nightclub where he has a confrontation with a drug dealer who has been selling laundry detergent and telling people that it is some kind of new drug. The situation ends with Diamondback forcing the dealer to take some of his own drug and he dies on the floor of the club as Diamondback leaves his calling card and moves on. We catch up with Luke Cage who is walking back from the grocery store when he ends up having a chat with a couple young girls. However, their conversation is cut short by a missile that is launched at Luke. Luke drops the groceries and saves the girls. He finds the machine that launched the missile but not the culprit. This is when he gets a call.

We jump to Luke entering the hospital where his wife Jessica Jones is lying in a hospital bed after being shot. She is unconscious and Daredevil jumps down from the ceiling to talk with Luke. He tells him that he changed the name on her room just in case someone came to finish the job. Daredevil reveals that he was attacked as well. His alter ego was attacked. Turns out that there is one more member that was attacked as well. This is when Iron Fist joins them in the room. The three guys begin to form a plan on what they should do next when Jessica Jones wakes up and reveals that her assailant was Diamondback. She gets out of bed and prepares to leave the hospital as the four of them continue to talk. They are interrupted by a team of doctors who seem to be angry at first until they walk in and see four superheroes standing in front of them.

We cut to Black Cat who is infiltrating a building. If you don’t know, Black Cat has been one of the biggest heads of a crime syndicate as of late in the Marvel universe. She enters the building to find Diamondback is waiting for her and the two talk. Diamondback seems to give her an ultimatum. He plans on taking back his territory from before he disappeared and then expand across the east coast. While this is going on, the Defenders each attack different places looking for information as to where Diamondback is. Back with Diamondback, he and Felicia become a bit more confrontational as the Black Cat is not going to give up her power so easily. However, she doesn’t seem fazed as Diamondback has already been hunted down by Luke Cage. Luke breaks through the wall and attacks Diamondback. This is when our other Defenders meet up at the bar Daredevil was investigating. They conclude that they aren’t currently in control and that they need to start working together. However, Luke has already attacked Diamondback alone. Diamondback releases some gas which knocks Luke on his ass. Diamondback then proceeds to slam Luke’s head through the floor over and over again as Black Cat watches in horror. This is where the issue ends.

It is a bit concerning that they book moves forward expecting that the reader read the All-New Guardians of the Galaxy Free Comic Book Day issue prior to reading this, however, this book is actually pretty good. Of course, it helps that Marquez creates amazing art every with every single panel. However, the return of Diamondback and seeing the Defenders get together again was exciting and really entertaining. The dialogue is really sharp and shines through this entire issue. Honestly, this may be the most excited I’ve been for a Bendis book for the past few years. I can’t wait to see where this goes from here and maybe I’ll be let down again. However, having this team together again and taking on Diamondback is exactly what I wanted  from a book like this.

Bits and Pieces

The first issue of this new Defenders series really shines with incredible art, sharp dialogue, and exciting story telling. It was a masterful first issue and I believe that if this book remains on a smaller scale like this first issue, that we will see it really shine. This first issue may be a red herring and we may end up hating this series by the end of the first story arc but after this first issue, I’m incredibly excited to see where this goes.

9.0/10