The Defenders #147

Against a bold American flag backdrop, this September 1985 issue assembles a striking lineup of Defenders — a battle-worn soldier charging forward with a pistol, a sword-wielding blonde warrior in blue, a shield-bearing dark-haired heroine, a blue furred figure, a winged white flier, and a bat-winged figure alongside a silver humanoid — all rendered with confident energy in Frank Cirocco's cover pencils and inks. The patriotic imagery and the team's sheer variety make this feel like a moment of real consequence, hinting at the wild crossover premise embedded right in the title: "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Defenders." Peter B. Gillis scripts and Don Perlin handles interior art on the story "...and Games!" — a creative team that kept this non-team's mid-80s run consistently unpredictable.