Exit Stage Left: New Defenders #152

Life was never really fair to the Defenders. First of all, they were the Marvel Universe's first and only 'non-team', a niche market that never really gained traction. Secondly, through their early days, they played second fiddle to the Fantastic Four and Avengers, and became even less relevant when the X-Men got good. That's too bad, because there were plenty of good Defenders stories and the team consisted of some interesting characters (Gargoyle remains a favourite of mine). The final indignity forced upon the Defenders was that their final issue was tied into the Secret Wars II storyline. For those of you who aren't familiar with that particular miniseries, it was the nadir of comic books in the 80s. This story is a real mess, with page after page of nonsensical dialogue. You know you're in for a rough ride when the Interloper plays the pivotal role in the story. Nothing was working here - even Don Perlin's normally staid but reliable artwork is well below his standard. To make matters worse, it's Double-Sized! Nice Frank Cirocco cover, though.