Defenders vol. 2 #9
Title: “While You Were Out”
Writer: Kurt Busiek and Erik Larsen
Penciller: Ron Frenz
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colors: Tom Smith and Color Arts
Editor: Tom Brevoort
With the “unstinting aid” of Eric Stephenson
Dr. Jerry Morgan says that it was millennium ago that primitive man tried to improve his station, but that improvement became nothing more than a dream when a creature from beyond the sky arrived and brought destruction beyond what had been known. The creature elevated itself to the position of a god. The reign of terror lasted until one hero, powered by an arcane gem, defeated the God from the Sky. Nothing like it had ever been seen again until recently. Where towns floated and witnesses describe the creature’s pie-plate eyes. He says that they know this, and did all that research and preparation, because of a supermarket tabloid. Jerry Morgan asks that, even if all the fairy tales are true, what makes Dr. Arthur Nagan so sure that the town they are looking down on is the one. Nagan says that it is no wonder that they didn’t tell Morgan the plan until the end because he is such a depressing skeptic. Nagan explains that Chondu used his mystically enhanced brain to trace the alien energies to this spot. Nagan says that if they are right then the future belongs to the Headmen. Morgan starts whining about how they will control the beast, but Ruby and Chondu break in and say that this is the exact location. Nagan says that their alliance spent tracking what others perceived as a crudely carved idol is about to pay off. He says that the carving dates back to when the being was worshipped as a god, and that the carving is permeated with the being’s aura. He says that all that remains is the Star of Capistan. Morgan says that finding and restoring the gem was a challenge, but that he did it. Morgan places the gem in the idol. Nagan says to be careful as the gem has the same properties that drove the being away and that they don’t want to go that far. The ground starts to rumble. A giant hand breaks through the ground.
Nighthawk flies down onto the patio of the new apartment Patsy and Val are sharing. Patsy asks Nighthawk if his satchel is a new look or if he is actually going to help them unpack. Kyle says that he wouldn’t miss out on all this fun, but makes sure that Patsy knows they can hire people to do this. Patsy teases Kyle and says that she forgot that gazillionaires don’t unpack their own silverware. Kyle says that he doesn’t understand why they moved anyway. He says that they could have stayed with him as long as they wanted to. Patsy says that the Defenders seem like they are going to keep her in New York for a while, and that since she just got a big, fat royalty check from her book that she thought it was time to find a place. Val says that she feels drawn to Greenwich Village, and that she could not refuse Patsy’s invitation to be her roommate. Patsy says that Kyle should have seen all the attention Val was getting because she was in her “full regalia”. Kyle says that it probably didn’t have anything to do with Patsy writing a book about going to hell and blowing her own secret identity. Patsy says that doesn’t matter since she is most famous as the star of the line of comics that her mother wrote about her as a kid.
A man comes home from work with his Chinese food. He is talking to himself about what a pathetic life he leads as an archeological historian. He wonders how his father ever met his mother, as he was one too. The man gets one bite of his dinner when there is a knock on the door. He says that it had better not be an emergency, and that whatever it is has been in the ground for years and can wait. The man opens the door and a gun is pointed at him. He says, “You’re not from the museum… you’re a…” but then the man is shot.
Val, Patsy, and Kyle are walking down the street discussing just how many comics were made about Patsy’s life. Val says that she knows this area, and yet does not. She says that her recollection is cloudy and disturbed. Kyle says that he is disturbed by Dr. Strange’s aloofness. Kyle talked to Wong, and Wong says that Strange gets that way sometimes when he is dealing with extra-dimensional stuff, but that he should have snapped out of it by now. Kyle says that Papa Hagg suggested that it might have something to do with the curse. Patsy jokes around that she thinks that Hagg is just jealous of the Sorcerer Supreme, and that he might have enchantment envy. Patsy says that she thinks that Strange is just ticked because of his inability to break the curse. People start to mob around Patsy Walker asking her for her autograph. Val says that there is something about this street. A man walks up to Val and says, “Sam?” He apologizes and says that he thought she was someone else. As the man walks away Val remembers that her name is Samantha Parrington. One of the people in the crowd around Patsy pulls a gun on her. Patsy transforms into her Hellcat uniform and slashes the man. Val draws her sword and changes into her Valkyrie clothes. The slashed man calls in his backup… agents of AIM. Kyle runs into the alley to change into his Nighthawk uniform. The manage to hold their own until an overhead ship catches them in a force field and pulls them up into it.
Inside the ship, MODOK says that unit three will be disciplined for their failure, but that the objective has been reached and they have the final targets. Nighthawk asks what others he is talking about. MODOK says that Hellcat, Valkyrie, and Nighthawk are the last of over a dozen targets that came in contact with a certain artifact. MODOK says that the other targets have already been eliminated. Hellcat realizes the artifact must be the one that the Headmen stole the other day. Nighthawk realizes that it was AIM who helped the Headmen get away then, but wonders why they would be working together. Nagan pops onto the screen and says that they have succeeded spectacularly and that they are on the way back to New York where they will initiate the next step of the plan.
Shortly, the
Headmen, with a giant ancient space god under their control, are
descending upon New York as MODOK’s ship flies in behind
them. Nagan says that it is “delicious” that they have
finally succeeded where they had suffered setbacks, ridicule, and
worse. Morgan says that he already admitted that he was wrong.
Nagan tells Morgan to be quiet and that he for one wants to enjoy
this.
Aboard MODOK’s ship, Valkyrie breaks out of the restraints. Nighthawk tells her not to waste time with AIM and that the Headmen and that monster are the real threat. Val breaks Nighthawk and Hellcat out, and they all leap from the ship at the monster. The beast turns to them and says, “You challenge me? I am Orrgo! Orrgo the Unconquerable!” Orrgo raises his hands and blasts them. Hellcat, Val, and Nighthawk all drop to the ground unconscious. The Orrgo really cuts loose. He starts to melt buildings. Orrgo turns police cars into walking monsters. Spider-Man and members of both the Avengers and Fantastic Four arrive, but Orrgo transforms them into twisted visions of themselves with just a glance. The image of what happens next is directly beamed into Hellcat, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, and the entire Earth’s heads. Orrgo reaches out beyond New York. Populated centers burst into flames, Volcanoes erupt, and entire cities levitate into the air. Hellcat keeps thinking to herself that there is a threat to the Earth, and that by the nature of the curse that the Defenders would be showing up, but they don’t. Orrgo says that the world now knows terror and unreasoning fear. He says that their minds are all now vulnerable and open to him. And just like that Orrgo takes control of every mind on Earth except Hellcat, Valkyrie, and Nighthawk’s. The zombies turn on them, but Nighthawk flies them all out of there. Val realizes that because they touched the artifact that they are exempt from Orrgo’s power, and that is why AIM wanted them killed. Hellcat starts freaking and wants to know why the Defenders’ curse didn’t bring them. Suddenly Dr. Strange’s face pops up and asks what is going on. Hellcat asks Doc why the curse didn’t bring them back and that they might have been able to save them. Hellcat says that the Headmen have taken over the world.
Dr. Strange’s rating: 6 out of 10
MODOK and Headmen’s big plan is revealed. It’s a good one and a big revelation about Valkyrie occurs in this issue, but the issue just seems to be missing something as the Big Four aren’t seen at all really. I like the idea of MODOK hanging with the Headmen. If there was ever a villain with a head complex it’s MODOK. Frenz again does a good job, and manages to do a great job of actual storytelling.
RETURN TO DR. STRANGE'S DEFENDERS