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About This Series
Issues
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About This
Series:
Issues:
This was one of
many incarnations of the popular Defenders team in Marvel Comics.
It lasted only 25 issues from 1993-1995. Like most superhero
series, it started out great. Then, it became just "blah".
The Secret Defenders team was led by Doctor Strange. The rest of the line-up changed periodically. No one was a "regular" member except Doctor Strange, because they all joined for their own reasons. When they accomplished what they set out to do, they went back to their own adventures. There was no team cohesion like The Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men.
This was cool. I never dug Doctor Strange comics too much, but the Secret Defenders title was a pleasant surprise, and he was cool in it as the mystical leader. The great thing about this title was that you didn't have to be an earlier fan of any of the heroes to like them in this series. For instance, if you hated the Punisher in his own titles, you'd love him in Secret Defenders. The same goes for characters like Ghost Rider, Namorita, Sleepwalker, Wolverine, and so on.
The series started to suck when Doctor Strange left, and forced Doctor Druid to be the leader of the group in "Secret Defenders" #15. What happened was that Marvel reassigned the Doctor Strange character to the "Midnight Sons" superhero team. Midnight Sons was made up of all the edgier, occult superheroes like Blade and Ghost Rider, and the comics themselves were themed a bit darker. With Doctor Druid as leader of the Secret Defenders, you had a fairly regular cast, but the stories were duddy. Nothing too interesting happened. The best thing about the Druid era of Secret Defenders was the sexy Shadowoman heroine (a ripoff of Spider-Woman I, Julia Carpenter). Shadowoman was really Jillian Marie Woods, a bosomy, black-haired beauty who wore a costume much like Spider-Woman I, but purple instead of red. She didn't have spider powers, but shadow powers (hence the name).
The Secret Defenders team was led by Doctor Strange. The rest of the line-up changed periodically. No one was a "regular" member except Doctor Strange, because they all joined for their own reasons. When they accomplished what they set out to do, they went back to their own adventures. There was no team cohesion like The Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men.
This was cool. I never dug Doctor Strange comics too much, but the Secret Defenders title was a pleasant surprise, and he was cool in it as the mystical leader. The great thing about this title was that you didn't have to be an earlier fan of any of the heroes to like them in this series. For instance, if you hated the Punisher in his own titles, you'd love him in Secret Defenders. The same goes for characters like Ghost Rider, Namorita, Sleepwalker, Wolverine, and so on.
The series started to suck when Doctor Strange left, and forced Doctor Druid to be the leader of the group in "Secret Defenders" #15. What happened was that Marvel reassigned the Doctor Strange character to the "Midnight Sons" superhero team. Midnight Sons was made up of all the edgier, occult superheroes like Blade and Ghost Rider, and the comics themselves were themed a bit darker. With Doctor Druid as leader of the Secret Defenders, you had a fairly regular cast, but the stories were duddy. Nothing too interesting happened. The best thing about the Druid era of Secret Defenders was the sexy Shadowoman heroine (a ripoff of Spider-Woman I, Julia Carpenter). Shadowoman was really Jillian Marie Woods, a bosomy, black-haired beauty who wore a costume much like Spider-Woman I, but purple instead of red. She didn't have spider powers, but shadow powers (hence the name).
Issues:
#4: June,
1993. Dr. Strange leads Namorita, Punisher, and Sleepwalker
against a monster named Roadkill that's mindlessly killing people on
Route 66. Roadkill has a fat, blind cat named Splatt that talks,
and he can turn his semi into a large vehicle of flames. Quite
frankly, this is a cool, inventive story that doesn't use gore or
profanity.
Punisher actually joins the team quite willingly and is the most willing member of the team besides Doctor Strange. Whenever innocents are harmed, he will go to seek justice. Namorita is a bit reluctant to join because she's already in the New Warriors team. However, when Dr. Strange pulls his "Your cousin Namor would join in a second." bit, Namorita is guilted into it. Namor and Dr. Strange are friends going way back. Sleepwalker is the most resistant member and he doesn't really join the team, although he, too, is set to find the Roadkill monster. Dr. Strange and Sleepwalker have a tough history, and the alien hero doesn't like the mystic master too much.
#18: August, 1994. This issue is kind of a dud. It comes from the period where Doctor Druid led the Secret Defenders (from issue #15 on), after Doctor Strange bowed out. The team consists of Doctor Druid as leader, with Cadaver, Shadowoman, and guests Iron Fist and Giant Man. Special appearances by X-Men members Archangel and Iron Man. Shadowoman is the most interesting character in this line-up, and she's really just a ripoff of Marvel's earlier creation, Spider-Woman I. Her costume is identical to Spider-Woman I, except the purple replaces the red. But she has shadow powers instead of spider powers, hence the name, "Shadowoman". Later on in the character's history, she is given a new costume and named to "Sepulchre". Shadowoman's real name is Jillian Marie Woods, and she's a sexy, black-haired beauty that's in love with Dr. Druid. This changes later on, however, after Druid betrays her. But that's some time after this issue.
Punisher actually joins the team quite willingly and is the most willing member of the team besides Doctor Strange. Whenever innocents are harmed, he will go to seek justice. Namorita is a bit reluctant to join because she's already in the New Warriors team. However, when Dr. Strange pulls his "Your cousin Namor would join in a second." bit, Namorita is guilted into it. Namor and Dr. Strange are friends going way back. Sleepwalker is the most resistant member and he doesn't really join the team, although he, too, is set to find the Roadkill monster. Dr. Strange and Sleepwalker have a tough history, and the alien hero doesn't like the mystic master too much.
#18: August, 1994. This issue is kind of a dud. It comes from the period where Doctor Druid led the Secret Defenders (from issue #15 on), after Doctor Strange bowed out. The team consists of Doctor Druid as leader, with Cadaver, Shadowoman, and guests Iron Fist and Giant Man. Special appearances by X-Men members Archangel and Iron Man. Shadowoman is the most interesting character in this line-up, and she's really just a ripoff of Marvel's earlier creation, Spider-Woman I. Her costume is identical to Spider-Woman I, except the purple replaces the red. But she has shadow powers instead of spider powers, hence the name, "Shadowoman". Later on in the character's history, she is given a new costume and named to "Sepulchre". Shadowoman's real name is Jillian Marie Woods, and she's a sexy, black-haired beauty that's in love with Dr. Druid. This changes later on, however, after Druid betrays her. But that's some time after this issue.