The Defenders #132

In "The Phantom of Gamma-Ray Flats!", writer Peter B. Gillis and artist Don Perlin deliver a gripping tale of mutation and survival as Ephraim Soles, transformed by a gamma-irradiated desert plant, becomes a threat to the New Defenders. After a violent clash at their base, Iceman defeats him by draining his moisture—only for Ephraim to vanish, reborn in a mysterious, spore-like form carried away by the wind. The cover by Sandy Plunkett and Alan Weiss captures the eerie, otherworldly tone of this unsettling story, making it a standout in the series.