I don’t even care that the villain in this issue, the Nameless One, is vague and boring. Because everything else about it is awesome.
First of all, this is like every appearance of Silver Surfer ever.
Second, Dr. Strange broke Barbara Norris’ brain.
‘These are some really weird, really fun comics. Steve Englehart, when he was on, he was ON. And Sal Buscema’s no slouch either.
But why are the word balloons colored so oddly?
The cliffhanger from issue #2 was that Dr. Strange has an idea to help Silver Surfer leave Earth. We discover in issue #3 that his plan is to go to another dimension and then return to ours at a point outside of Galactus’ forcefield.
Hey, it’s worth a try.
One thing I love about this book is that it’s about three guys who are really, really misunderstood by humans-but who also pose real threats to humanity and who have, in the past, demonstrated how dangerous they can be. They’re led by Dr. Strange, whose whole job is to keep weird and offbeat stuff from messing with Earthlings. It’s a great idea.
The actual story in these issues is pretty damn creepy. A girl named Barbara Denton has been kidnapped and taken to the dimension of The Nameless Ones, who were the villains in issue #2, where she’s been repeatedly raped until she was driven insane. Her scream is ultimately what saves the day and enables The Defenders to leave the Nameless Ones’ dimension.
That’s pretty hardcore, harrowing stuff. They don’t use the word “rape” (they call it “forced mating”), but it’s clear if you’re reading carefully what they’re talking about.
Surfer is all pissed off because Strange’s plan didn’t work, and he storms off.