DEFENDERS #97-100 (1981): Conclusion of Six-Fingered Hand

It’s time to end this Six-Fingered hand thing. It’s not terrible, but it feels like a loose “theme” that is unnecessary to tie all these issues together. Anyway, in #97 the Devil Slayer returns.  His ex-wife has joined a cult that worships the 6-Fingered Hand, and he wants The Defenders’ help to free her.  They do, and it leads to a battle that brings in Silver Surfer and Man-Thing.

And a Marshall Rogers cover!

The story itself is pretty convoluted and confusing–and really it’s not necessary to dig into all the twists.  There’s something about the way J.M. writes these characters that’s just fun to read.

It’s like when The Avengers is really good: The team dynamic, the ability to jump around between characters–a big team book can be terrific.

The Avengers make a very brief cameo in this tale, by the way, just to say they’re too busy to help. And even Jesus makes an appearance!

And Man-Thing gets possessed by the 6-Fingered Hand…

It turns out Mephisto is also struggling with the Hand, although The Defenders don’t really believe him…

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In the build-up, Marvel changes the logo to expressly include the guest stars in #99, as we head to the big reunion in #100…

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This leads to the merging of devils and Mephisto and the six-fingered hand, and it happens in…Rutland!  Remember their Halloween parade?  Hit the tag below if you don’t–it’s very cool.

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The above sequence illustrates why comics in the 1980s can beat up modern comics: The Devil “tricks” The Defenders into cheating in order to try to defeat him, then makes a speech and gets swallowed by the sidewalk in front of a showing of The Devil In Miss Jones.

I do wish that there had been more of a logic to the various iterations of the devil that appear here–since so many characters have borne that name across several Marvel books.

Look at this group shot…

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It made me hope they’d stay together, but of course they don’t.  Especially Hulk…

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But Hulk!  Wait!  Beast is arriving in three issues!

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