The Defenders #89 [Direct]

(November 1980)

A Death in the Family! (Table of Contents: 1)

The Defenders / comic story / 22 pages (report information)

Script

David Anthony Kraft (plot); Ed Hannigan (plot, script); Mark Gruenwald (idea); Steven Grant (idea)

Pencils

Don Perlin (breakdowns); Pablo Marcos (finished art)

Inks

Pablo Marcos

Colors

George Roussos

Letters

Diana Albers

Job Number

LF235

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Defenders [Hellcat [Patsy Walker]; Valkyrie; Nighthawk [Kyle Richmond]; Hulk [Bruce Banner]; Clea]; Mr. Beekman; Milton Rosenblum; Daredevil [Matthew Murdock]; Fem-Force; Mandrill [Jerome Beechman]; Dolly Donahue; Dorothy Walker (flashback); Millie the Model (flashback, cameo); Buzz Baxter (flashback, cameo)

Synopsis

Hellcat learns of the death of her mother, Dorthy Walker. Nighthawk's assets, including his penthouse apartment, are seized by the IRS. The Defenders attend the funeral of Dorthy Walker and then move into her old house in the suburbs until they can find a better place to live.

Reprints

• in Les Défenseurs (Arédit-Artima, 1981 series) #7 - Mandrill contre-attaque (avril 1983)
• in Der unglaubliche Hulk (Condor, 1980 series) #10
• in Essential Defenders (Marvel, 2005 series) #4 (2008)

Indexer Notes

Valkyrie in old costume on cover, restored by Clea at Hellcat's request for Patsy's mother's funeral.

Story has a profanity panel which Don Perlin revealed was supposed to be an inter-office joke; In one of the panels of the story, there is a TV on in the background and a pink rabbit is holding up a box of cereal that says "SHIT" across the top. Perlin claims that he thought the guys in the office would get a kick out of it before they changed it, but nobody caught the vulgarity and the comic went to press. Jim Shooter, reportedly, found this far from funny and chewed Perlin out about it before Don pointed out that it made it past an assistant editor, an editor, a proof-reader and the editor-in-chief who are paid to catch stuff like that.

The panel was not changed in the reprint in Essential Defenders.

Be Elite! Become a Privileged Marvel Subscriber! (Table of Contents: 2)

Marvel Subscriptions / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Marie Severin (signed)

Inks

Marie Severin (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Hulk [Bruce Banner]; She-Hulk

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3)

Defenders Dialogue / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ed Hannigan

Letters

typeset

Genre

superhero

Indexer Notes

Letters from Randy Evans, Tony McNeal, Wade Greiner. Also includes The Mighty Marvel Checklist.

Mr. Fantastic in "The Power of Gold!" (Table of Contents: 4)

Hostess Twinkies; Mister Fantastic [Mr. Fantastic] / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Sal Buscema ?

Inks

Frank Giacoia ?

Colors

?

Letters

Irv Watanabe

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The museum's centennial exhibit of gold is sure to attract the evil designs of Impercepto,

Genre

superhero

Characters

Mr. Fantastic [Reed Richards]; Impercepto

Synopsis

Mr. Fantastic encounters an alien who needs gold for energy and stops him with the golden bars of Hostess Twinkies.

Reprints

• from [Marvel Hostess Ads] (Marvel, 1975 series) #52 (November 1980)