By Keigen Rea — Defenders #1 is probably the debut I have been most hyped for this year. Writer Al Ewing is on what is maybe the hottest streak in comics, and artist Javier Rodríguez (with his frequent collaborator Álvaro López) is one of the best artists working. However, my expectations may have been too high, even if I’m coming away excited for what comes next.

Defenders #1 isn’t a bad issue of comics by any means, but it isn’t a great example of a first issue in my opinion. That mostly has to do with what I expect out of first issues, and my feelings about the cast in general.

To be fair, debut issues are frequently said to be the most difficult comics to write, and for good reason. The balance between exposition and plot is incredibly difficult, and it seems particularly so with mini series like Defenders, where time’s very limited. Being a Big 2 superhero book means there’s gotta be an obligatory action sequence, even while I’m like, why’s this whole sequence in here, what.

In a lot of those ways, Defenders #1 actually meets expectations as far as first issues go. It doesn’t really get to the point until the last few pages, even when the cast is literally collected using magic, and as such doesn’t really take up much time.

The weird use of space is compounded by my complete indifference to the Masked Rider or Raider or whatever. He’s just a guy with a mask! Ewing didn’t get me to care about him in Marvel 1000, and he didn’t get me there here either.

Along that, while I genuinely love the way the cast got collected, the issue put so much emphasis on the Mask Guy that it gave little time to anyone else, which feels like a particular problem with Doctor Strange, who’s changed hands relatively often in the last five years or so (with another coming with Jed McKay penning his death), and he’s a played almost generically here, which is mostly fine, I guess? Strange is mostly used as a plot device through this issue, and while there’s an extremely rad moment in the middle that could act to better define him in the mini, it doesn’t get enough play here to really matter. I like that the team was collected so quickly (in true Defenders manner), and it’s expected that they’re ill defined, but it’s a very noticeable, and even clunky part of the whole. Like, who is Cloud? I dunno!

The above is mostly whiny. I wanted to whine. To be honest, though, Ewing was only 10, maaaaaybe 20 percent of the reason I was excited for this book. The real reason the hype in my heart was borne, is the immaculate art of Javier Rodríguez and Álvaro López, who didn’t disappoint.

The duo have made some of the best art on stands for years—their gorgeous art possibly being the sole reason for History of the Marvel Universe to exist—but even this issue’s middling plot allowed them plenty opportunity to show off. There’s one page where the Masked Raider’s (or Rider I don’t care) history is displayed in Strange’s tea steam, which then blends into the background, behind panels, some weird colorful thing smoke takes their place for a page, and it all comes back INTO THE MASKED DUDE’S TEA. They used the smoke across multiple pages, from different sources in the plot to stitch the two scenes together!!!! Absolute king visual storytelling, even if the story itself is mid.

Along that, there’s a double page spread that I can’t wait to see in print, with its gorgeously illustrated tarot cards, and one of the wildest final pages of the year.

My expectations were high for this book, and honestly, it didn’t meet them. And there have been first issues that had a better story than this that I’ve liked less. That’s because Javier Rodríguez and Álvaro López are so good at what they do that it almost doesn’t matter what they make. History of the Marvel Universe bored me out of consciousness, and I’m still thinking about getting the Treasury Edition from my LCS, this is almost revelatory in comparison.

Overall: As much as I thought the plot was alright, the art was always the reason to pick Defenders #1 up. This might have been a slow opening, but I’m wildly excited for the rest of whatever this story ends up being. 9/10

REVIEW: Defenders #1

Defenders #1
Storytellers: Al Ewing & Javier Rodríguez
Inker: Álvaro López
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
SUPERSTARS AL EWING & JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ REUNITE FOR A COSMOS-COLLIDING JOURNEY! When existence itself faces extraordinary threats, it needs an extraordinary defense! That's when you call...THE DEFENDERS! DOCTOR STRANGE and the MASKED RAIDER take a non-team of Marvel's weirdest, wildest heroes on a mission that will uncover the hidden architecture of reality itself! This cosmos was not the first to exist...but if the DEFENDERS can't track Marvel's oldest villain through the deepest trenches of time — it might be the last!
Release Date: August 11, 2021
More Info: Defenders #1