The Defenders #28
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Defenders #28 is the first full appearance of Starhawk (Stakar Ogord), one of the most distinctive and cosmically complex characters in Marvel's Bronze Age. As the self-proclaimed 'One Who Knows' — a precognitive antihero cursed to relive his life in an endless cycle — Starhawk brought a genuinely strange philosophical dimension to superhero comics that was rare for the era. The issue also forms the dramatic center of an extended Defenders/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover arc spanning issues #26–29, one of the earliest inter-team team-ups built around Marvel's original, 31st-century Guardians lineup, and it laid the groundwork for those characters eventually earning their own series in Marvel Presents (1976). Starhawk's later MCU appearance — played by Sylvester Stallone in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Vol. 3 (2023) — cemented the lasting cultural reach of a character who first walked onto the page here.
In "My Mother, The Badoon!", the Defenders face off against the Badoon in a high-stakes showdown as Nighthawk, Charlie-27, and Martinex are captured, while Starhawk aids Vance Astro and Valkyrie in their return to Earth. Meanwhile, the Hulk and Yondu are dragged into the bizarre and deadly Super-Death Sweepstakes. Written by Steve Gerber and illustrated by Sal Buscema with inks by Frank Giacoia and John Tartag, this 1975 Marvel classic features dynamic art and a wild, unpredictable twist — all wrapped in a cover by Ron Wilson and Frank Giacoia.
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Writer Steve Gerber and penciler Sal Buscema were the regular creative team on The Defenders at this point, and Gerber had already revived the dormant original Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel Two-In-One #5 before folding them into this multi-part Defenders story. Gerber's approach — introducing Starhawk's shadowy cameo in issue #27 and then pulling back the curtain in #28 — was undermined slightly when editor Len Wein allowed cover copy on #27 to reveal Starhawk's name prematurely, a gaffe later acknowledged in the letters page of Defenders #30. The issue was inked by Frank Giacoia and John Tartaglione (replacing Vince Colletta from the previous part), with coloring by Al Wenzel and lettering by Joe Rosen; Marv Wolfman served as editor on this installment.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Starhawk (Stakar Ogord, a.k.a. 'One Who Knows'), created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Sal Buscema; his cameo one issue earlier in Defenders #27 (September 1975) is considered his first appearance.
- The issue's title is 'Enter: Starhawk!' — cover-dated October 1975, with an on-sale/release date of July 15, 1975.
- Part of a four-issue Defenders/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover arc (Defenders #26–29) in which both teams travel to the 31st century to battle the Brotherhood of Badoon, who have conquered Earth.
- The Defenders roster in this issue comprises Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Valkyrie, and Nighthawk; the Guardians lineup includes Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Martinex, and Yondu.
- First appearance of two minor supporting characters: Mon-Tee and Queen Tolaria (of the Sisterhood of Badoon), both introduced within this issue's story.
- Starhawk's defining character trait — being fated to relive his own life repeatedly, giving him foreknowledge of events — is established during this storyline, forming the basis of his 'One Who Knows' identity within the Guardians mythology.
- Gerber's work on the Guardians in this arc directly led to the team receiving their first solo series, Marvel Presents #3 (February 1976).
- The issue has been reprinted in black-and-white in the Essential Defenders trade paperback series (Marvel, 2005–2013), making it accessible to readers beyond the original Bronze Age printing.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Comic Reader #120 (1975), Rampage #28 (1978), Hulk #10 (1978), Essential Defenders #2 (2006), Guardians of the Galaxy: Earth Shall Overcome #[nn] (2009), Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Avengers #1 (2012), Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #4 (2014), Marvel Gold. Guardianes de la Galaxia: Vengadores Cósmicos #[nn] (2014), Les Gardiens de la Galaxie - L'intégrale #1969-1977 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Heroes Omnibus #[nn] (2018), Guardians of the Galaxy Epic Collection #1 (2023), The Defenders Omnibus #2 (2023), Defenders Epic Collection #3 (2025)
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