Defenders 3... Avengers 0! Jeez!

Once the opening round of the 1973 Avengers Defenders conflict was underway, there was really no stopping their "war" from escalating, with both sides having been deceived by the machinations of the Dread Dormammu and Loki in order to retrieve the six separate components of the Evil Eye--a weapon of great power which Dormammu would use to absorb our dimension into his own. For the sake of this cro$$over $tory which would play out in two titles for three months, neither the Avengers nor the Defenders are allowed to give more than cursory thought to the whys and wherefores of what they've been led to believe; for instance, after hearing Loki describe them, the Avengers never stop to ask themselves why a group that's named themselves "the Defenders" would pose a threat to the universe (a point which Loki quickly glosses over)--while Dr. Strange, who has had prior dealings with the Avengers as an ally, is willing to assume the worst about them and leave it at that after the Silver Surfer informs him of their plans to stop the Defenders' recovery of the Eye.

It doesn't occur to Strange that the Defenders now includes Hawkeye, a man who's had his own history as a criminal, while the Sub-Mariner has attempted conquest more than once; nor does he consider that his Orb has shown him Loki's essence, but not his reason for having visited Avengers Mansion. Instead, he jumps to a hasty conclusion, which even the Surfer cautions is not necessarily the truth.

And so this fight will escalate, with both Strange and the Vision alerting their respective comrades to their belief of the hostile intent of the ones who oppose them. In this particular issue, Hawkeye will face off against Iron Man, a battle that can be seen elsewhere in the PPC as part of a profile of the two characters. And while that clash is obviously the focus of this issue's cover, Strange will have his own problems when two Avengers track him in the corn fields of Indiana.

Full Disclosure Dept.:

While Hawkeye indeed has friends, the three pictured here won't be showing up

to "take care of their own" and gang up on Iron Man.

Why couldn't we have gotten that fight? Gyp! Gyp!

In a way it's too bad that Mantis isn't part of the Defenders lineup, because having the Panther face off against her would have made a great addition to this event. As it is, their abilities are perhaps too similar to team them up against a foe, and probably not the ideal pair to come up against Dr. Strange. But artist Sal Buscema handles the entire struggle well and gives both Avengers their due, with Mantis in particular being used to good effect--though in the end, the Panther sums up what every reader probably knew going in: "We were no more than ants to [Strange]! When he felt like it, he just stepped on us!"

Still, for two Avengers who were in the dark as to who they'd face in this location, they prove to be resourceful and turn in a decent performance--even from the start, when their target proves to be elusive.

No, I have no idea how Strange could take the appearance of one of the locals, given that he presumably hadn't come in contact with anyone yet (unless he passed Ms. Carpenter in the corn field).

With Strange airborne, that would seem to be that. As he points out, it would make sense at this point for the Panther and Mantis to race to their aircraft and give pursuit--but with a few leaps to gain momentum and altitude, the Panther's improvised method is certainly more dynamic.

By all rights, the Panther's kick should have Strange laid out on the ground, as it would have any man of average strength. Regardless, the struggle between the two is briefly interrupted by the farm owner, who opens fire on them with a shotgun--incensed that their fight will "spook the livestock!" (And what do you think gunfire is going to do, pal?) Mantis intervenes and saves their lives in the nick of time; unfortunately, both herself and the Panther have no opportunity to shine, since Strange decides to take the shortest path to victory.

For such a long-winded spell, you'd think one of these two Avengers would have realized Strange's intent and been quick enough to interrupt it with a sock in the jaw before its completion. Mantis was, what, three feet away from him? But we can probably assume that Strange immobilized them immediately before reciting the spell that would take them out.

With three straight losses, the Avengers are definitely lagging behind in this conflict. Loki is probably thinking he would have had better luck with the X-Men. The Avengers had better get cracking, or it's bye bye Earth!

UP NEXT:

It's the Swordsman vs. the Valkyrie--while the Sub-Mariner clashes with Captain America!

AND COMING UP:

In Final Battle--Thor vs. the Incredible Hulk!

The Defenders #9 Script: Steve Englehart Pencils: Sal Buscema Inks: Frank McLaughlin Letterer: Artie Simek