The only negative I can think of for the whole package was already mentioned in my review of issue #5, that being the transitory nature of the ending. Or perhaps I’m reading into it too much, and Ewing just happened to write a pretty stellar “tempt-the-heroes” story. In the same pen or keystroke, he derides that anyone could “fix” a character’s story with their specific vision of what a character should be, and that constant attempts to do so only further erode what the essence of the character is. By both exploring the perils of wish-fulfillment in alternate lives and reinforcing the value of exploring “the mystery”, Ewing allows (some of) the characters to experience a little cathartic growth. Outside of telling its own story, however, issue #4 in particular stands out as a meta-commentary, both on Marvel Comics as a whole and the in-universe histories that inform our heroes. This is all the more apparent due to the scale of the series, which sees our group facing down conceptual entities from across the universes without giving the bigger reveals away, the likes of Galactus makes a brief appearance, though his presence is far from the most exciting scene (though it is exciting, more on that later). These contrasting lives play off of one another in interesting ways throughout the pages.Įwing’s artful weaving and referencing of previous bits of continuity, whether directly connected or disparately scattered, is in full effect here.

Tigra is a literal cat person, but she doesn’t let that stop her from being not only an Avenger, but a mother to her child. The Beyonder is a godlike entity saddled with a childlike understanding of the universe it inhabits, an ultimately impotent combination outside of extreme cases. Taaia seeks to change a past that is seemingly set in stone, while Loki dodges a future that cannot be escaped.

Adam and America can be seen as a seasoned, level-headed leader and his also-seasoned-but-headstrong-and-impulsive teammate/mentee. all of reality.Īs many of these are characters that Ewing has written before, the voices and roles are clearly defined, fitting easily into comparative pairs. Hence, the series sees Blue Marvel, America Chavez, Taaia, Loki (taking form most fluidly), Tigra, and the Beyonder (!) tumbling through the many cosmoses in search of an enemy to Eternity, i.e.

Unshackled by the status quo and constraints of more popular characters, Ewing is able to spin a most entertaining yarn involving characters that are either of tangential importance to the larger Marvel universe, or whose entire deal is at least somewhat connected to the cosmic landscape (if not both). Mild SPOILERS AHEAD for Defenders: Beyond! The Writing Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast!

Defenders by Al Ewing