Giant-Size Defenders Vol 1 3

The Defenders and Daredevil are selected by the Grandmaster and the Prime Mover to participate in their latest game, in which the Grandmaster pits them against beings from different eras and planets selected by the Prime Mover to do battle. The winner gets Earth as their prize.

Pitting two of the Grandmaster's champions against at least one of those of the Prime Mover, the Defenders still manage to win, even though some of their numbers are killed in the battle. However, when the Grandmaster wins, he revives those who were killed. Having lost, the Prime Mover short-circuits and breaks down, after which the Grandmaster prepares to take ownership of Earth. However, Daredevil challenges him to a coin toss, which Daredevil wins thanks to his heightened senses. Losing it all, the Grandmaster returns the Defenders to Earth, leaving all alone... until the next time, that is...

Appearing in "The Sub-Mariner Strikes"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Sub-Mariner #38

Featured Characters:

Sub-Mariner

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Byrrah
Communists

Other Characters:

Atlanteans
- Zolma
Betty Dean (Only in flashback)

Locations:

Atlantis

Synopsis for "The Sub-Mariner Strikes"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Sub-Mariner #38

With his superhuman abilities fading, the Sub-Mariner is asked by Namora to return to Atlantis to meet with the Emperor. There, the Emperor shows Namor that his once mighty powers have been reduced to only the ability to breathe underwater and enhanced strength. The Emperor explains to Namor that they have developed a machine that will restore Namor's full strength, invulnerability and flight. However, Byrrah has seen to it that it will not work after stealing the formula needed to operate the machine. Suspecting that Byrrah was responsible, the Sub-Mariner confronts him and forces him to turn over the formula.

Namor then subjects to himself the device and finds his powers restored to normal. Happy to find his experiment a success, the Emperor orders Namor to resume his one-man war on the surface world. Despite Namor's pleas that he has friends on the surface (such as Betty Dean), he has no choice but to follow the Emperor's orders. On the surface, the Sub-Mariner spots what appears to be a Russian sub attacking an American ship. Disabling the sub, he witnesses Byrrah and his men and his faithful minions flee the sub, in an attempt to make Namor betray the Emperor's orders.

Namor holds the American ship together and helps it get back to port. There, the Sub-Mariner informs the crew of the ship that it was he who helped keep the ship together and get them to safety. When the crew refuses to believe him, the Sub-Mariner angrily sinks it before returning home.

Appearing in "The House of Shadows!"

Reprint of the 2nd story from
Strange Tales #120

Featured Characters:

Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange)

Supporting Characters:

Unidentified TV Crew
- Bill Brinkly (First appearance) (TV Show Presenter)
- Allan Stevens (First appearance) (TV Show Reporter)
- Numerous unnamed employees

Antagonists:

House of Shadows (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Numerous unnamed New Yorkers
NYPD
- Unnamed Police Officer
Vishanti (Invoked)
- Oshtur (Invoked)
- Hoggoth (Invoked)
Dormammu (Invoked)
Munnopor (Invoked)
Ancient One (Invoked)

Races and Species:

Humans
Unidentified Entity
Ghosts (Mentioned)

Locations:

Earthspace
- Earth
  - United States of America
    - New York
      - New York City
Astral Plane
Munnopor (Invoked)
- Moons of Munnopor (Invoked)
Unidentified Dimension (Mentioned)

Items:

Lesser Cloak of Levitation
Amulet of Agamotto
Spells
- Hands of Oshtur (First appearance)
- Hosts of Hoggoth (Invoked)
- Moons of Munnopor (First appearance)
- Vapors of the Vishanti (First appearance)

Synopsis for "The House of Shadows!"

Reprint of the 2nd story from
Strange Tales #120

When a local haunted house becomes the subject of a television program trying to debunk it as a hoax, the camera crew attracts the attention of a crowd of spectators. Among them is Doctor Strange. Believing the house to be truly haunted, Strange enters the building and confronts its mystical attacks. He forces the entity in the house to reveal itself to him and tell him its purpose. He learns that it is from another time-continuum and that it has come to observe humanity. With the threat neutralized, Strange exits the house and uses a spell to make it return from where it came. The spectators gather, then flee from Doctor Strange in fear.

Notes

Inks (issue pages): Adkins pages 1-7, 10-11, 22-27, 43, Newton pages 14-19, 31-36, 38, Mooney pages 8-9, 30, 37, 39, 44.

Trivia

The Valkyrie seems to lose her magical sword Dragonfang in this issue, but it appears at her side in future appearances without comment. A note in the letter column of Giant-Size Defenders #4 clarifies that it was restored to her by the Grandmaster when the Defenders were sent home to Earth.

Links and References

References