Greetings, Groove-ophiles! A mere 10 issues after their introduction (
Defenders #31, October 1975), Steve Gerber finally went all out to unleash the horrible
Headmen upon the dynamic
Defenders! The weird factor ramps up to 150 (on a scale from 1 to 10) as
Nighthawk is "possessed" by the mystic headman
Chondu (who again uses drugs to enhance his mystical power!),
Hulk "adopts" a baby deer, a certain
Elf With a Gun makes an appearance, and
Dr. Strange unleashes his full power...with dire results. Sal Buscema and Jim Mooney are a perfect art team for "grounding" the way-out proceedings of "Nighthawk's Brain!"
 |
| Cover art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia |
Everything about this issue screams perfection. I don't think there has ever been a writer as quirky as Gerber, who brought such unconventional approaches to his characters. I couldn't wait for the Defenders to come out in high school so I could see what new development Mr. G would put our non-team through. Looking over these pages I am struck by how many panels Buscema crammed into each one, without making them look crowded. I loved the gun-toting elf and was looking forward to seeing how he connected to the storyline. Unfortunately, after Gerber left, the new writer didn't know what to do with him and unceremoniously killed him off in one panel. Now we'll never know.
ReplyDelete