Defenders #8
Title: “…If Atlantis Should Fall!”
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Colors: P. Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Namor leaps at Valkyrie and Hawkeye. Namor swats Hawkeye out of the way and says that he is not worthy of the strength of Namor. Namor locks up with Valkyrie. Val tells Namor that the Red Ghost is controlling his mind. Namor says that he doesn’t know anything except that he must kill him. Hawkeye fires an arrow into Namor’s head, but Namor doesn’t even feel it. Namor gets an idea. He figures that if he knocks out Red Ghost that Namor will wake up from the control. Hawkeye shoots a vase off a pedestal and onto Red Ghost’s head. Red Ghost goes down. Hawkeye starts saying that he can’t wait to rub this in the Avengers faces, but he is suddenly hit by Namor. Namor tells him to get up, but Hawkeye asks why he should bother. Right before Hawkeye is knocked unconscious he sees Valkyrie lying unconscious on the ground.
Hawkeye and Valkyrie wake up in restraints. Red Ghost says that he has been hearing Hawkeye ask “why?” as he was unconscious so he decides to tell him. Red Ghost says that he is the world’s one true authority on cosmic rays. He says that he was working with apes and teaming with the Unicorn, but he gave the apes too much radiation and they turned against him. Unicorn had wanted Ghost’s help with an internal malady, but since that was not Ghost’s forte so Unicorn left him. Ghost then spent his time studying creatures more tractable to his will like porpoises, squid, and other undersea life. Ghost then allied himself with Attuma as his thirst for conquest matched his own. Red Ghost says that his cosmic rays affect only the mind unlike what happened with him and the Fantastic Four. Red Ghost says that with humans that trying to enslave their minds usually results in them dying instead. Red Ghost tells them to think on that as he tries to enslave their minds. They will submit or die.
Two weeks later at Dr. Strange’s home, Strange rushes to tell Clea and Wong that he has finally made some progress at returning the Black Knight to his normal state. Clea says that Strange should contact the other Defenders because they deserve to hear good news. Strange contacts Surfer on a meteor just above the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the Hulk sitting in an alley in New York City. When they get there Strange tells Surfer and Hulk that he couldn’t reach Namor or Valkyrie. He says that he couldn’t find their cerebral emanations above, below, or anywhere on the planet. Surfer says that he doesn’t think that it is much to worry about.
In Attuma’s base, Attuma asks Ghost how he knows that the Defenders have been mind controlled and not merely killed. Ghost says that it is because he told him so. Attuma says that Ghost also told him that the Defenders would spearhead the fight against Atlantis, yet they are no closer to conquering Atlantis than they were the day they met. Ghost says that they have been waiting for Jennings to help them get enough porpoises under his control, but that the day has finally arrived. Attuma says that finally Atlantis will fall.
Surfer asks Strange if they should not get started helping the Black Knight. Strange says yes, but that he would still like to know where Namor and Val are. Hulk says that he thinks he knows where they are. Strange tells Hulk to tell them then. Hulk asks why he should do anything that Dumb Magician wants him to do. Hulk says that he shouldn’t have come there in the first place, but that he is leaving. Surfer jumps on Hulk’s back and says that he will restrain him until Hulk tells them where the others are if he has to. Hulk says that another that called him friend turns on him. Hulk says that Shiny Man is just like all the others. Hulk tells Surfer to let go or he will smash. Strange places a trance on the Hulk, and tells Surfer that it is okay for him to let go. Strange tells Hulk to tell him what happened to Fish-Man and the girl. Hulk says that they all came to Strange’s house with Hawkeye, and that while they were there that someone from Namor’s home came and warned them about Attuma attacking Atlantic City. Hulk says that he didn’t understand, but that he went and had a good fight with shells with claws. Hulk says that Attuma captured the others and made them board a water ship, but that he didn’t want to go and leapt away. Surfer says that this is not good if Strange could not find their emanations. Strange asks Hulk when this was, but Hulk says that he has no concept of time. Strange puts Surfer to sleep and he and Surfer go out looking for the others.
At Atlantis, Whales smash through the outer walls. The Atlanteans shout to alert Tamara and the Imperial Guard. The squids and porpoises enter followed by Namor, Hawkeye, and Valkyrie. The Atlanteans are stunned that Namor is among their opponents. Ghost tells Attuma that he bets the shock is worth three legions alone. Ghost says that Atlantis will be Attuma’s this day, and that it will be the base to take over the world. Namor, Val, and Hawkeye, along with the sea life, tear through the Atlantean soldiers until something happens to Val’s head. Reason leaves Val and she starts screaming in sheer terror. The Atlantean soldiers leave Val as she collapses to her knees babbling nonsense.
High above the Earth, Dr. Strange senses a familiar mind, and though nothing about it is clear, Strange is sure that it is the Valkyrie. Surfer tells Strange to protect himself with magic and then plunges into the water. Strange directs Surfer to Atlantis. Strange says that Namor must be nearby, but that he still cannot detect his brain. Strange spots Valkyrie and calls out to her. Val turns towards Strange and keeps screaming. Val looks at Strange and seeing only concern for her on his face she finally relaxes. Strange is more able to read her thoughts when she is calmed, and he discovers that the original personality of Barbara has reasserted control because the Red Ghost suppressed the Valkyrie portion of her. Strange says that the two parts are trying to kill each other from within. Strange and Surfer fly back out of the water. He says that in addition to learning that their other friends are there he has learned that the Red Ghost uses cosmic rays to maintain his control. Strange and Surfer unite power to block out all cosmic rays from the Earth. Surfer says that Strange’s power astounds him, and that he is a little afraid of him. Strange says that Surfer has merely seen so much that anything new to him is a shock. Strange says that he is a man like any other.
Back in Atlantis, Red Ghost has taken to a
mist form to lead his mind-controlled slaves where he wants them
to go. Suddenly. Ghost is transformed back into human form and
falls to the ground. He wonders what is happening. He looks up to
see all the porpoises he was commanding swimming away and
Valkyrie running straight at him. Red Ghost runs from Valkyrie,
but straight into Hawkeye. Hawkeye knocks the Ghost unconscious
with his bow. Val says that the bow Hawkeye has makes an
impressive weapon, and that it is too good her taste. She says
that she wanted him to taste ebony agony for what he did to her.
Hawkeye says that blood would just cloud up the water.
Namor’s head clears and he spots Attuma yelling at Dr.
Jennings that all of his troops are swimming away. 
Namor says that
in his haste he didn’t destroy Attuma the day that he
prevented him from saving his beloved Dorma, but that it will be
sweet pleasure to engage him today. Namor calls Attuma out.
Attuma says that this plan was perfect. He swings his axe at
Namor, but misses. Namor punches Attuma with one mighty blow and
renders him unconscious. Namor tells Dr. Jennings that he will
take him home. The Defenders take Jennings to Atlantic City and
then return to Strange’s home.
Back at Strange’s house, Strange says that he brought them all there to share with them the first breakthrough that he found in restoring the Black Knight to his real self. Hawkeye recognizes Black Knight and thinks to himself that he wondered why the Avengers didn’t bring him in as his replacement. Hulk is brooding in the corner. He thinks to himself that Dumb-Magician and Shiny-Man made him go to sleep until they returned, and that nobody does that to him without getting hurt. Hulk thinks that Black Knight helped him once, and so he will wait to see if they can fix him, but then… Val thinks about her irrational love for Black Knight, and thinks that it may be because they are both victims of Enchantress’ magic. Strange raises the Orb of Agamotto. He says that he has found Black Knight’s essence in the dark realm that it fled to when Enchantress did this to him. Strange proposes they contact it. A beam rises off the orb and onto Black Knight’s head and through it into the dark realm. The beam reaches Black Knight and Strange says that the Defenders are working on curing Black Knight. Strange also asks if Black Knight has any information from the inside that might help. Black Knight responds that he can hear them, but that there is nothing there but desolation. He says that he is not suffering however, as time doesn’t pass there. He says that now he has hope. The return message travels with the beam back towards Dr. Strange so that he might hear it.
Elsewhere in the same dimension, Dormammu and Loki are sitting. Loki asks Dormammu how long they are going to have to sit around waiting for this message that Dormammu expects. Loki says that he must now dwell in eternal darkness, and that he does not appreciate silence. Dormammu apologizes and says that he had forgotten that Thor had recently blinded him. Loki says that he trusts that Dormammu has not forgotten his promise to cure his blindness in exchange for Loki helping to trick the Defenders. Dormammu asks how he could forget since it is central to his plan to conquer Earth’s dimension. Dormammu says that Black Knight’s reply is hurtling towards Earth’s dimensional gate. Dormammu uses a spell and brings the beam to him. Dormammu says that he was the one that originally directed Strange’s psychic feelers to the Black Knight just so he could send back this message. Dormmamu and Loki then use their combined powers to alter the Black Knight’s words to his own message without alerting Strange to the interference. Dormammu then sends off the message and says that only the two of them together could have accomplished that feat. He says that it is that reason that they will soon rule the Earth.
Strange receives the altered message that now says, “Yes, I can hear you! I can! Knowledge that I’ve assimilated in this mystic realm tells me I can be rescued through the power of the Evil Eye! Hurry, Please! I have had faith, and now I have a certain hope that you will save me!” Strange says that it was a strain even for one as practiced as him. Strange says that at least they have an idea how to free him. Surfer says that the Evil Eye is no more. Surfer says that Reed Richards says that the Human Torch saw it explode. Hawkeye says that if someone in the nameless dimension knows that it is near that he isn’t going to argue. Strange says that he agrees, and that the Evil Eye must still exist. He says that the Defenders will find it or die in the attempt. Hawkeye says that he will help, and Namor agrees.
Dr. Strange’s Defenders: 7 out of 10
The writing has a ton of cool concepts, but they’re all crammed into one issue. Namor vs. Attuma is always welcome, but it’s one miss and one punch. Barbara gaining temporary control of the body. It’s introduced, but not examined at all. It’s all for a good cause however, as Dormammu and Loki are beginning the Avengers/ Defenders war. Sal also does a good job, but again it would be nice if they let the scenes linger a touch. The scenes with Val going nuts are intense.
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