Appearing in "Beware -- the Six-Fingered Hand!"
Featured Characters:
- Defenders
- Dr. Strange
- Valkyrie
- Hellcat
- Son of Satan
- Gargoyle (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Beware -- the Six-Fingered Hand!"
Upon their return from battling the Sub-Mariner in England, the Defenders learn from Wong that they received a frantic call from Hellcat. This send Dr. Strange, Son of Satan, and Valkyrie rushing to her home in New Jersey. Finding the house seemingly in one piece, Strange detects an illusion and dispells it showing that the house had been destroyed and a death trap waited for them if they were foolish enough to walk through the front door. In the ruins they find Patsy's maid, Dolly Donahue, who had been severely injured. They learn from her that she witnessed Patsy being kidnapped by a gargoyle-like creature and taken off into the night. Her shrieks of fear would prompt the creature to fire a mystic bolt that destroyed the house. Finishing her tale she passes out and the heroes take her to get medical help.
While in the town of Christiansboro, Virginia, the towns people there are under the control of the Gargoyle, whom has turned their church into a place of worship of the demon Avarrish, whom Gargoyle is offering up Patsy as a host for possession. He tells her that this is all a plan orchestrated by his masters a group called the Six-Fingered Hand.
Back in New Jersey, Daimon is furious about the capture of Hellcat for it is one of the things that he came to the Defenders to warn them against. He explains that just prior to his rejoining the team, he examined a District University student for possession and learned of a group called the Six-Fingered Hand who's fate was connected to the Defenders. Locating Patsy with his hell-spawned powers, the Son of Satan leads his comrades to Christiansboro. Along the way, Dr. Strange contacts Clea and tells her to stay at his Sanctum and look after the crippled Nighthawk, however when she goes up to his room she is shocked to find his bed empty.
The Defenders arrive in the town, and their presence is immediately detected sending the Gargoyle out with an army of demons to keep them away from the church. The Defenders easily fight off the attackers until they are caught off guard by Hellcat, how possessed and transformed into a demonic form by Avarrish. The demon possessed Hellcat easily defeats Strange and Hellstrom in battle and then turns her power against Valkyrie. It's Valkyries refusal to fight and pleas to Patsy to fight her demonic possession that wins the battle, giving Patsy the will power to force Avarrish from her body, changing her back to normal. With the battle over, the people of Christiansboro are free from the Gargoyle's control and they tell the Defenders that the entire episode was the fault of an elderly practitioner of the mystic arts named Isaac Christianson, who's ancestors founded Christiansboro. Going to Christian's home they find that he is the Gargoyle, having agreed to take on the form of a Gargoyle to save his dying home town he is now trapped now that he has betrayed his masters in the Six-Fingered Hand.
When Strange asks the Gargoyle for more information about the Six-Fingered Hand, he cannot tell them much except for they seek to take over the world. The Gargoyle asks Strange to join them in stopping the Six-Fingered Hand, a request that the group reluctantly accepts. Their night ends ominously when Patsy tells them that she was offered to the Six-Fingered Hand by her dead mother.
This story is continued next issue...
Notes
- Cover: pencils, inks and colours by Golden.
- Uncredited story inks by Milgrom.
