After doing two Justice League reunion stories for DC, Giffen, DeMatteis, and artist Kevin Maguire headed over to Marvel to do Defenders. While Giffen and DeMatteis do incredibly different solo work, their collaborations are funny, dialogue-heavy stories and Defenders properly exploits both the characters and the team’s strengths. While I’m not sure about Prince Namor’s pop culture literacy, his squabbles with Dr. Strange and the Hulk are hilarious. The Defenders’ characterization of Bruce Banner is incredibly relieving too... Giffen and DeMatteis’ greatest strength is their willingness to give their characters some self-awareness of their existence as comic book characters. It’s not clearly defined and self-awareness might be too strong a descriptor, but it’s a fast way to endear the characters to the readers: Dr. Strange’s dialogue is endless and over-dramatic, fine, that’s an aspect of his character and how his character relates in his context.
The first couple issues--the story is six--had the majority of the laughs, with a lull through the middle, until the idiot alternate universe Bruce Banner is introduced. Things pick up again for the conclusion and there’s a great close to the series. I wasn’t familiar with the team’s 1980s Justice League work, but managed to pick up on it in their two reunion stories well enough. The same doesn’t quite go for Defenders. There are quite a few references that are broad enough anyone (with some Marvel comics knowledge) can get it, but without that basic knowledge... many of Defenders best jokes would fly over the reader’s head.
The last Justice League story, I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League, reached incredible levels of emotional impact and insight, ones probably only made possible for the characters in the team’s storytelling approach. Defenders doesn’t have any of that emotionality, it’s obvious Giffen and DeMatteis hasn’t devoted much interest into these characters. The storytelling isn’t impersonal or wooden, it’s just not as involved as I know the team can be... Maguire’s art is even better than it was on the Justice League stories, probably because Marvel gives everyone good paper. Defenders is amusing and perfectly so.
