The Badoon had green hides when they originally appeared in the pages of the Defenders. When those stories reprinted in the U.K. magazine Rampage, however, the militaristic extraterrestrials were red instead. No matter how they looked, the Badoon likely prescribed to the alignment of Lawful Evil...

   When Defenders reprinted in Rampage , the cover art changed significantly. Instead of picturing Hulk alongside Nighthawk and Dr. Strange, the reprint showed the green goliath deserting his comrades. Of the two versions, the cover of Rampage was more accurate. Within the story, Valkyrie...

   I started posting about Dungeons amp; Dragons alignments almost a decade ago, usually as a lens to discuss various characters or teams. Along the way, I have wondered how the Comics Code Authority would fit within the nine alignments. Introduced in , the lengthy set of rules greatly limited...

   Defensor was never a Defender but his similar sounding name warrants attention. The shield bearing hero first appeared in Contest of Champions , which gathered superheroes from across the globe. During that challenge, Defensor fought alongside She Hulk and Captain Britain on the side of the...

   As master of the mystic arts, Dr. Strange earned no income. This put his servant, Wong, in the unenviable position of explaining that he couldn’t pay their pharmacy bill because he had already withdrawn their last penny to pay that month’s rent. To make matters worse, building inspectors informed...

   Hedy Wolfe was envious of Patsy Walker’s popularity ;so envious, in fact, that when she ran into a young woman who happened to be the spitting image of Patsy, Hedy concocted a plan to destroy Patsy’s reputation. Hedy offered to buy the mystery woman a new dress if she insulted Patsy’s closest...

   Although the covers of Patsy Walker comic books sometimes referenced the stories within, the covers often worked as stand alone gags. Such was the case with Patsy and Her Pals May . That cover showed Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe fighting for the attention of Buzz Baxter at a magic show...

   Rampage Nov. , included a two page spread depicting A Somewhat Quiet Day in the Lives of the Daring Defenders Valkyrie and Aragorn entered the comedic scene, which showed Prince Namor beside a New Atlantis fish tank, Dr. Strange practicing stage magic, and Hulk chewing on a...

   One of the numerous Defenders for a Day was Jack of Hearts ;real name Jack Hart. Because of his motif, I tend to associate that character with the Knave of Hearts, who was accused of stealing tarts in Alice in Wonderland.Around the time he sought membership in the Defenders, Jack of Hearts...

   While reprinting issues of the Defenders, the weekly U.K. magazine Rampage also included back up content from other superhero comics ;and sometimes from anthology series originally published during the Silver Age. Such was the case with Rampage Jan. , , which reprinted Defenders ...

   I’ve written several posts over the years about Seduction of the Innocent, Fredric Wertham’s scathing attack on the comic book industry. After rereading the book again, I’ve decided to address a few more of Wertham’s arguments, which contributed to the Comics Code of . Wertham held that comic...

   Hostess ads were a mainstay of superhero comic books throughout much of the Bronze Age. Criminals would stop in their tracks at the sight of Twinkies, CupCakes, or fruit pies ;gleefully surrendering to authorities while biting into the Hostess snacks. Hostess products could also subdue a...

   The Defenders were no strangers to meditation. Dr. Strange had a Chamber of Meditation within his Sanctum Sanctorum, the original headquarters for the non team. As one of the New Defenders, Moondragon often meditated as well. For all their differences, both characters were fiercely private and...

   The druidic philosophy outlined in early versions of Dungeons amp; Dragons considered the moral opposites of Law and Chaos as balancing forces of nature. As such, the clerical subclass of Druid adhered to the alignment of Neutral, a worldview with no particular leanings toward good or evil. ...

   Like many other Defenders for a Day, the hero Torpedo was still relatively unknown during his stint with the non team. Torpedo later found a niche as the recurring ally to Rom the Spaceknight. After their first encounter in Rom , Torpedo made frequent appearances in the series until his death in...

   Bringing together mutant heroes and supernatural crimefighters, the Champions was an antecedent to the New Defenders ;just set in Los Angeles instead of the Southwest. A source of internal conflict arose, however, when Darkstar became the group’s new recruit Champions . Already feeling...

   The cover of Patsy and Hedy introduced a new tagline for the series, referring to the duo as Gals on the Go Go Now employed as newspaper reporters, Patsy and Hedy thwarted a spy ring and other dangers far outside the scope of their earlier adventures in high school. The change of pace was...

   After Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe graduated from high school, the words Career Girls began appearing on the cover of their series beginning with Patsy and Hedy . The two young women began sharing an apartment and the comic book adopted a soap opera tone.This annotated apartment layout appeared...

   This pin up of Valkyrie riding Aragorn comes from Rampage Dec. , . Also pictured: Dr. Strange, Prince Namor the Sub Mariner, and Hulk.

   Long before she honed her own psychic abilities as Hellcat, a teenage Patsy Walker received an unexpected visit from a swami carrying a crystal ball. Underneath the turban and fake mustache was Buzz Baxter, Patsy’s recurring love interest. Buzz wanted to surprise Patsy and make up with her after...

   This pin up of the Daring Defenders comes from Rampage Dec., . That issue of the weekly U.K. magazine reprinted the story from Defenders , Hawkeye’s introduction to the non team. Pictured clockwise: Hulk, Valkyrie, Dr. Strange, Sub Mariner, Hawkeye.

   Defenders established that the early Patsy Walker comics were actually fictionalized accounts of the heroine’s teenage years before she became Hellcat. That metatext was previously referenced in Patsy and Hedy . Tired of being portrayed in a negative light, Hedy Wolfe took a train to New...

   When friends suggested seeing a monster movie, Patsy Walker shot down the idea. In Patsy’s opinion, monsters were just laughable. As a practical joke, Buzz Baxter rented a costume to scare Patsy by introducing himself as Moonga the Martian Patsy and Hedy . Even as a prank, the sight of an...

   Robin Hood was an inspiration for many a comic book archer, such as Green Arrow, Hawkeye and Golden Archer. Given my many posts over the years about the alignment system from Advanced Dungeons amp; Dragons, I was curious how the game assessed this folk hero. An article from Dragon Nov. ...

   Back in their days as high school sweethearts, Patsy Walker and Buzz Baxter were at odds. After warning Buzz about being too quick to lose his temper, Patsy became all the more concerned when Buzz refused to appear in court to pay a fine on a traffic ticket Patsy Walker . Patsy: Buzz, I’m...