Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Daredevil have united (before their big TV show) to fight off an old threat that’s made things personal. Read on for our review of “The Defenders” #1 but be warned, there are spoilers throughout this review.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by David Marquez
Colored by Justin Ponsor
Daredevil! Luke Cage! Jessica Jones! Iron Fist! Individually, these four heroes have been on the front lines of the battle to keep the streets of the city safe and secure! But now, with a deadly enemy from the dim past making a major move to unite the underworld, they will need to become more — they will need to become DEFENDERS!
Any smart comic book publisher would do exactly what Marvel is doing this week. With a big television show right around the corner, now is hypothetically the best time to push a series that teams up the star characters from that show. “The Defenders” #1 is a big team up book that unites the comic book versions of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist to fight a very recognizable threat in the streets of New York City. While this is a team up book featuring characters I truly love, “The Defenders” #1 falls flat. It’s a muddled book that doesn’t really feel like a first issue but does have some very strong artwork.
“The Defenders” #1 begins with Luke Cage walking down the street after grocery shopping. It’s a very quiet day for him. That all ends when someone fires a rocket launcher at him. It turns out that someone has attacked him, Jessica Jones, Daredevil and Iron Fist all at once but in very personal ways. This wasn’t an attack on their superhero identities but on their real identities. In fact, Daredevil was attacked in broad daylight at his day job. It’s revealed that Diamondback has returned and has his sights set on all four of them.
“The Defenders” #1, as far as the progression of the plot goes, is a total mess. I’ve been reading comic books for a long time and can usually jump into things without much context, but if I pick up a first issue I want to feel like this is a first issue. After reading this, I felt like I was jumping into something already in progress and not a brand new series with a brand new storyline. We’re told things very abruptly as if we should have already known these events happened and not enough context is provided. I honestly felt like I was going crazy reading this because I kept checking if this was indeed the first issue and as it turns out, there was a Free Comic Book Day issue that acted as a prelude. I didn’t read that because I couldn’t take part in this year’s FCBD because of my job.
Despite being just a 10 page story, clearly a lot happened in it and while I’m not against doing this kind of thing, there has to be a better attempt at providing enough context. We know stuff happened only because the characters keep saying it but in the way it’s written, there isn’t nearly enough emotional weight behind it. I don’t get enough of Diamondback’s motivations here and I sure don’t feel the weight of the actions he’s taken against these four characters. Imagine you are someone who’s only seen the Netflix series. You have to do better in making things accessible for those readers because they should be able to find a place in this medium.
As someone who truly loves these four characters, I found myself a little lost in how they interacted with each other. I think Brian Michael Bendis is a writer who’s given some absolutely wonderful work to the medium. “Ultimate Spider-Man,” “Alias” and “Powers” are truly some of my favorite things I’ve ever read but with “The Defenders” #1 he falls into his own traps. There isn’t a ton of natural chemistry between characters who already have it because the dialogue is very shouty and overdone. There is a lot of explaining and awkward back and forths with humor that doesn’t always land.
Continued belowDavid Marquez and Justin Ponsor are an excellent art team. They’ve worked together a lot in the past and with “The Defenders” #1, they get to do something a little different. “The Defenders” #1 is a little darker and because it feels inspired by the Netflix series, it wants to be a little noirish. Marquez is extremely talented so this art is great. There’s a little more grime and grit with his work here compared to something like “Invincible Iron Man.” He’s not trying to draw idealized superheroes but instead going for something slightly more grounded and dirty.
The character designs are in line with what we’ve seen across the publisher the last year or so, but there’s something less shiny about them. These heroes look ready for a knockdown, drag out brawl and I like that. There’s this wonderful flourish in how Diamondback moves and it makes me care about him more than the writing does. I’m still not sold on his motivations (because it’s barely here in this story) but the way Marquez draws him, from the styling to the way his coat blows in the wind, is all very good. He wants Diamondback to feel like a force and he does that really well.
There is a fair amount of action in “The Defenders” #1 and again, Marquez brings it. From the first page, there excellent movement within the panels. He uses really strong angles for explosive moments and the first few pages with Luke Cage stand out in particular. As the rocket comes towards them, Marquez bends his borders a bit to allow Luke Cage to feel like he’s bursting forward. It’s a nice touch that makes the comic book feel close to the Netflix series (which ultimately is a big goal of this series, I suspect). Marquez also does great work with giving everyone a distinct set of movements. In each fight there is something very unique about each of these characters and even some visual comedy in one scene involving Jones, Iron Fist and Daredevil as Jones and Iron Fist talk and drink while Daredevil works out some frustrations.
Colorist Justin Ponsor does some excellent work with setting the right mood. He goes dark but merely leans into it. His colors have some great sense of light about them. It’s the kind of light you’d expect to see in a superhero comic book published by Marvel but without becoming an Iron Man comic. I particularly like the way he gives each solo fight panel a specific color scheme to match with the hero. There’s a Jessica Jones panel with a purple theme, a Daredevil one with a red theme, Luke Cage featuring a lot of yellow and Iron Fist’s panel features a mix of greens all done to great effect.
With all that said, I think there is still potential for the series. These characters simply go together well and if the story can get more focused on the character’s motivations and behavior then there’s still more than enough to salvage here.
Final Verdict: 5.5 – Really great art, but the story falls flat as Bendis falls into his own worst habits.
