Cover: Ron Wilson & Al Milgrom

The Defenders #17

Nov 1974 · Marvel · 0.25 USD

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“Power Play!”

★ 1st appearance — Piledriver★ 1st appearance — Thunderball

About this Issue

The Defenders #17 is the birth certificate of one of Marvel's most durable villain teams: it marks the first appearance of the Wrecking Crew — Wrecker, Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball — four Asgardian-powered bruisers who would go on to bedevil Thor, the Avengers, and dozens of other heroes for decades. The issue simultaneously records the first meeting of Luke Cage (Power Man) and the Defenders, planting the seed for a relationship that would eventually make Cage a core team member during the celebrated Steve Gerber era immediately following. Together, those two debuts make this a pivotal Bronze Age chapter: it bridges Marvel's street-level Blaxploitation-influenced hero with its most deliberately anti-establishment super-group, while introducing a villain team sturdy enough to anchor storylines through Secret Wars, Masters of Evil, and the MCU.

In "Power Play!", the Defenders are thrown into chaos when Valkyrie departs to investigate the mysterious connection between herself and Barbara, the girl bound to the Enchantress. Left behind, the Hulk storms off in frustration, leaving Dr. Strange and Nighthawk to team up with Power Man—now working for Pennyworth—to stop the Wrecking Crew from leveling a skyscraper owned by Kyle Richmond. Written by Len Wein and illustrated by Sal Buscema with inks by Dan Green, this 1974 issue features dynamic action and shifting alliances, all wrapped in a cover by Ron Wilson and Al Milgrom.

writer Len Wein · artist Sal Buscema · inker Dan Green · colorist Glynis Wein · letterer Gaspar Saladino · letterer Annette Kawecki · cover Ron Wilson, Al Milgrom

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $18

CGC 9.8 · 10 in census $935

CGC 9.6 · 31 in census $237

CGC 9.4 · 37 in census $133

CGC 9.2 · 42 in census $112

CGC 9.0 · 46 in census $85

CGC 8.5 · 30 in census $72

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CGC 8.0 · 33 in census $59*

CGC 7.5 · 24 in census $56

CGC 7.0 · 15 in census $47*

CGC 6.5 · 15 in census $39

CGC 6.0 · 13 in census $39

CGC 5.5 · 8 in census $32*

CGC 5.0 · 6 in census $28

CGC 4.5 · 6 in census $26

CGC 4.0 · 2 in census $26*

CGC 3.5 · 5 in census $22*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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MINT $4 FN $5.99 NM $7.99 VG $9 FN $9 VG $9.1 NM $10.5 VG+ $13.5

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History

Writer Len Wein had taken over scripting duties on The Defenders with issue #12, just as he was also ascending to editor-in-chief of Marvel's color line in 1974, making this a period of unusual double responsibility for him. Wein collaborated with his long-running Defenders artistic partner Sal Buscema — whose fluid, kinetic work defined the visual identity of the non-team throughout the early-to-mid 1970s — with inking by Dan Green, colors by Glynis Wein (Oliver), and cover art by Ron Wilson. Roy Thomas, who had recently stepped down as editor-in-chief, served as editor on the issue, providing continuity with the book's earlier oversight structure just as the title was transitioning toward Steve Gerber's celebrated run.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance (cameo) of the Wrecking Crew as a team: Wrecker (Dirk Garthwaite), Bulldozer (Henry Camp), Piledriver (Brian Calusky), and Thunderball (Eliot Franklin) — all introduced together in this single issue.
First meeting of Luke Cage (Power Man) and the Defenders; Cage was hired independently by Nighthawk's business manager Pennysworth to guard a Richmond Enterprises construction site, leading to a hero-vs.-hero misunderstanding fight with Dr. Strange and Nighthawk before the three unite against the Wrecking Crew.
The story 'Power Play!' (Part 1 of 3) is scripted by Len Wein with pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Dan Green, colors by Glynis Wein (Oliver), lettering by Gaspar Saladino and Annette Kawecki, and a cover by Ron Wilson; Roy Thomas edited.
Introduces the Richmond Riding Academy (located on the Nassau/Suffolk border on Long Island) as the Defenders' informal base of operations — a recurring setting throughout the Bronze Age run.
Valkyrie departs the team in this issue to investigate the history of Barbara Norris, the mortal woman whose body she inhabits; the Hulk also leaves, briefly reducing the active Defenders roster to Strange and Nighthawk.
The Wrecking Crew's origin — four prisoners sharing the Asgardian energy of Wrecker's enchanted crowbar during a lightning storm — is depicted within this story arc; their motivation is recovering a miniature gamma bomb built by Eliot Franklin (Thunderball).
The issue contains Marvel Value Stamp #20 (Brother Voodoo), making intact copies relevant to stamp-set collectors.
Reprinted in Rampage (Marvel UK, 1978), Essential Defenders Vol. 2 (2006), Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Vol. 3 (2012), The Defenders Omnibus Vol. 1 (2020/2021), and Defenders Epic Collection #2: Enter the Headmen (2024). The Wrecking Crew later appeared in the MCU Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022).