"Nightmare on Bald Mountain!"

 

OR: "Invasion Of The Body Snatcher!"

Three months after the successful premiere of the Defenders in the pages of Marvel Feature, writer Roy Thomas and artist Ross Andru seek to reunite the team-that-is-not-a-team in order to face another threat to the entire planet, and beyond--a crisis that, at first glance, may be facilitated by the presence of none other than the Master of the Mystic Arts himself!

In light of the date on the calendar that indicates the approaching celebration of All-Hallows' Eve, Thomas would again make use of the backdrop of the rural town of Rutland, Vermont and its annual celebration of that date. Rutland, as it turns out, also happens to be overshadowed by Bald Mountain, where even now devotees of the dread Dormammu attempt once more a ritual meant to bridge the gulf between Earth and the Dark Dimension--an attempt which, to our surprise, meets with success, as we find that Dormammu and his earthly minions have made arrangements to see a carefully-laid plan through to fruition.

It's quite a compelling prelude we're presented with--and with inker Sal Buscema on board this time, thus far Andru's work has never looked better. As for our would-be hooded intruders who are about to pounce, obviously this 1972 story took place in the days when Dr. Strange had no formidable defenses surrounding his sanctum sanctorum on which to rely, nor any sorcerous means by which he would be made aware of those lurking on his roof. And given what's happening at Bald Mountain, this night he is a man preoccupied--for through his mystic orb, he sees signs of what we have seen, a threat which has already made arrangements to deal with him.

The off-panel voice which interrupts Strange's musings belongs to the astral form of his mentor, the Ancient One, whom he joins in similar fashion to take counsel with in the sky above, or so he thinks. Unfortunately, this is also a time in the past where his body is left completely vulnerable even in his sanctum should the occasion arise where he was obliged to free his astral form for whatever reason--and our robed cultists are swift to take advantage of their ruse in distracting Strange with a false summons, securing his vacant body with a spell which prevents his spirit from rejoining it before dealing brutally with his manservant, Wong, and escaping with their prize.

Fortunately, in her desperation, Clea unknowingly has sent images via the Orb of the one she cares most for to those two who were most recently in Strange's thoughts--and so, it seems, the Defenders will fight again. But even as the Sub-Mariner and the Hulk make their way to New York, Strange's captors arrive with him at a lodge at the foot of Bald Mountain, where the intricate plan of Dormammu--and its linchpin, Dr. Strange--is at last revealed.

Yikes! Can even town crier Roy Thomas prevent Rutland--not to mention all of Vermont--from biting the dust this time?

As we've learned, apparently Dormammu has found a workaround to the vow that Strange extracted from him to never invade or turn his power against Earth. But even now, an impromptu rendezvous is taking place in Manhattan, as those who have aided Strange in past crises now assemble to do so again, albeit incognito.

There are a good deal of nonessential scenes to sidestep in this 28-page story, mostly having to do with Roy and Jeanie Thomas hooking up again with Tom Fagan, the organizer of an annual Halloween parade and subsequent costume party who's been given generous exposure in Marvel's pages and, here, is awarded a full page to paint a chilling picture of Bald Mountain (part of the Adirondack Mountains in N.Y. State) to set the mood. At last, however, Clea, Wong, and the remaining ⅔ of the Defenders disembark from their bus and note the eerie red glow emanating from the mountain, an indicator that the long-awaited ceremony to bring Dormammu the human vessel he craves has begun.

There appear to be countless minions of Dormammu for the Hulk and Namor to wade through--not enough to stop them, surely, but numbers that may delay them in the time it takes for Dormammu to claim Strange's body. Fortunately for the Sub-Mariner, the Hulk has his own idea of teamwork--in this case, to make sure Namor is able to see for himself that the power of his brutish comrade has no equal. Yet tonight, Strange escaping his fate will also depend on the two others who have arrived to aid him--for they unknowingly bring the one thing that may turn the tide of this conflict in their favor.

Marvel Feature would, eh, feature one further installment of the Defenders in another three months which saw the return of Xemnu the Titan, with Thomas and Andru concluding their collaboration on the group and joined once more by Bill Everett, whose inks in the premiere issue were frowned upon but redeems himself for the group's curtain call in the title.