Defenders #2
Title: “The Secret of the Silver Surfer!”
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: John Verpoorten
Editor: Roy Thomas
Dr. Strange’s astral form floats along
talking to Namor as Namor swims in the arctic water. Strange says
that it has been two months since they started looking for the
Silver Surfer and that he has no news to tell him. Namor says
that he has no news either and says that he believes that Surfer
has left the planet altogether. Suddenly the Silver Surfer swoops
out of the sky and grabs Namor right out of the water in front of
Strange’s astral form. Namor asks how Surfer dares. Surfer
asks if Namor is talking about his exuberant entrance. Surfer
says that he is happy because of a success that he has had
leading men away from the path of violence. Surfer asks Namor if
he will join him. Namor says that Surfer tried to kill him two
months ago. Namor decks Surfer and asks if he thought that he
would just forget about that. Strange says that he is helpless to
act. Namor drives Surfer off his board and into the water below. 
Surfer says
that this is madness and that he has never lifted a hand against
him. Namor hits Surfer again and calls him a liar. Namor tells
Surfer to come and fight. Surfer directs his board into
Namor’s back and then blasts him. Surfer tells Namor to get
away from him with his nonsense. Surfer says that he offered
Namor his hand in friendship and Namor returned a fist. Surfer
says that all men are insane. Surfer gets on his board and says
that he is retreating to his private valley and never coming
back. Namor gets to the surface and Strange says that Surfer is
gone, but left a clue to his whereabouts. Strange tells Namor to
come to his home where he will make a final deduction to where
Surfer is.
Strange gets back to his house right before Namor and says that Wong will let Namor in. Strange’s astral form settles into his body and Strange says that he has something to show Namor. They walk up stairs to a library where Strange grabs the diary of his friend Kenneth Ward. He says that Kenneth wrote about when he first encountered traces of the Undying Ones in a hidden Himalayan Valley. He says that Surfer spoke about returning to a valley. Namor says that if Strange has a location of this valley that they should go. Strange says that they should go get the Hulk first, He says that Hulk was almost stabbed to death by Necromandus and should be offered a chance at retribution.
Namor and Strange find Hulk. Hulk asks who is calling to him when he wants to be alone. Strange says that they need him. Hulk says that he does not need them however. Hulk says that he has lost Jarella again. Namor says that he doesn’t know the name Jarella, but that he does know the name Necromandus. Hulk says Necromandus is the giant man who hurt him, and that Hulk hates him most of all. Strange puts his Cloak of Levitation on Hulk and rides on his back as they fly to the heart of Asia.
Elsewhere, Yandroth’s doomsday machine’s timer continues to wind down at the rate of one second per month.
As the Defenders descend upon an Asian city, the people see them and start to run saying that they are the ones that the masters warned them about. Namor says that they were expected and that means that they are on the right track. Hulk grabs a man as he is running away. The man says that the masters promised that he would die screaming if he told the Defenders anything. Hulk asks who the masters are, but the man says that he will say no more. Hulk lets the man go and Namor and Strange agree that they must press on to learn anything. To travel incognito Strange casts a spell that allows the Defenders to appear as normal travelers. Hulk says that first he has a stupid cape on and now he has mittens. Strange says that there may be other agents of the Undying Ones and so surprise is there best advantage. Strange says that he has cast a spell of forgetfulness so that they can hire guides. The guides refuse to travel at night and so they have to set up camp.
Come the dawn the Defenders wake up to find that their guides are missing. Strange says that they either left or were taken. Strange spots a bunch of big bare footprints in the snow. The Defenders follow the footprints. They eventually come upon one of the bodies of their guides. The guide’s hand is pointing towards the Valley of the Undying Ones. Strange drops the spell disguising them as their search has ended.
Hulk hears a noise and turns to see a group of “furry monkey-things”. Hulk says that he thinks that they are the ones that killed their guides. The monkey things speak a language that they can’t understand. Hulk starts attacking. Namor tells Hulk to hold back because they don’t know that they are hostile. Hulk says that he knows and that he is sure. Hulk throws one of the monkey creatures into a few others. Silver Surfer comes out and calls Hulk a mindless fool. He says that they are harmless. Namor sees Surfer and immediately dives into him. Strange tells Namor to take his own advice and wait until Surfer threatens him. Surfer says that he will not do that. Namor asks who cares about what he will do, and that he knows what Surfer has already done. Strange asks Namor if he is sure. Namor says that he and Namorita were building their south polar home. He sent Namorita for materials and then fell under an enchantment. Namor says that he was only awake two times after that. Once Surfer was standing with Necromandus, and the next time was when Surfer was throwing him from his board. Surfer says that this can’t be true because besides leaving to see Namor yesterday he had not left the valley in months. Surfer says that after Reed Richards convinced Galactus to leave Earth forever that he felt the need to cleanse himself as he does after all battle. Surfer says that instead of brooding he opted to try and help a primitive race. Surfer found these creatures in the Himalayan Valley. Surfer says that he quickly made friends and starting teaching them things as rudimentary as making fire. Surfer says that he knows nothing about this attack on Namor. Strange says that they still have reason to believe that Surfer’s friends killed last night.
A voice from one of the monkey creatures says in clear English, “Certainly we did, Dr. Strange… just as we’ll now kill you!” The monkey creatures transform into Calizuma and his Warrior Wizards. Hulk says that he told them that the monkeys were bad. Namor says that he will give Hulk a written apology after this is over. Calizuma says that it is over and that they won. He says that when the Surfer found their valley they altered their appearance in order to lead the trusting fool on. Calizuma says that Surfer thought he was teaching them, but that they were subtly penetrating his mind and taking control so that he would do their bidding. Surfer says that he doesn’t believe it, but Calizuma says that he doesn’t care if Surer believes and blasts him. Hulk and Namor fight off the Warrior Wizards while Strange battles Calizuma. Calizuma says that Strange battles very well, but that his combined forces will defeat him. Strange says that may be correct unless they combine their forces for one attack on Calizuma. Calizuma is hit all at once by Surfer, Hulk, Namor, and Strange. Calizuma drops over unconscious. The Defenders quickly mop up the Warrior Wizards. Strange places a Spell of Atonement on them. Strange says that when they awaken that they will remember nothing of their evil past, nor will they want to. Surfer asks if there are no peaceful beings on this planet. He wishes that he could leave this planet and return home to Zenn-La and Shalla-Bal. Strange says that he has an idea how to do that.
Dr. Strange’s rating: 7 out of 10
Again the team “chemistry” comes shining through. Namor only goes with Strange because he is so angry with Surfer, and Hulk only goes along because he wants revenge against Necromandus. Surfer, a would be original Defender, is drawn into the team in this issue. The threat of the Undying Ones continues and the Omegatron’s march to destruction continues. Good story and good suspense. Sal does another good job, but I have to say that Calizuma and the Warrior Wizards are right up there with the worst designed super villains in the history of comics. Calizuma looks like the devil being forced to wear the house jacket in a fancy restaurant.
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