Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Color Artist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
The Defenders #1 sees the return of Diamondback into the lives of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. All four heroes are attacked at the same time and Jessica finds herself in the hospital with a gunshot wound. The issue gives us little introductions to each of the characters without going through their origin stories. It’s more of an acknowledgment of the heroes instead. That’s a smart move since these origin stories have already been done.
Brian Michael Bendis is given another outlet for Jessica Jones with The Defenders. He writes the character well and this title will give him a chance to expand more on how her and Luke balance the work/family life together. This is a solid first issue and the interview at the end with Luke Cage and Ben Urich is a nice addition after the action ends. Hopefully, Bendis is able to take on this title free of event tie-ins. With the Defenders coming to Netflix later this summer, too, it’s a nice lead up to that. He does a good job showing that the characters are already essentially a family, but now they just need to work together as a team.
The art from David Marquez and colors from Justin Ponsor really give off that feel of being on the streets of New York City. Where the Defenders patrol feels like a much more realistic version of the city. The Avengers have their tower that is all high tech and shiny, while these heroes work with what they have. This artistic team is a great fit for the title and they’re able to just embody that more gritty tone with their work.
Daredevil and Jessica Jones are two characters I really enjoy. More recently, I started getting into Luke Cage when the show dropped on Netflix and Iron Fist still needs some convincing for me. My hope is that this comic continues to impress me and it’ll give me a reason to enjoy Iron Fist a bit more.
Verdict: Check it out. Brian Michael Bendis starts off this comic in a nice fashion. The story is solid and if you plan on checking out the show this summer, give this a read, too. Even if you don’t pay attention to the Netflix shows, this series looks like promising.
