The Defenders #52
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Defenders #52 marks the first full appearance of the Presence — Soviet nuclear physicist Sergei Krylov, a radioactive supervillain who would go on to become one of Marvel's most persistent Cold War–era antagonists and who is retroactively established as the father of mutant heroes Darkstar and Vanguard of the Winter Guard. The issue also functions as the opening chapter of the 'Power Principle' multi-part arc, David Anthony Kraft's second major long-form storyline on the title after the celebrated Scorpio Saga, directly tying Defenders mythology to real-world anxieties about Soviet nuclear programs. As a showcase for Hellcat and Nighthawk working in tandem — and for Kraft's signature approach of intercutting superhero action with grounded, character-revealing slice-of-life moments — it exemplifies the distinctive texture that set his Defenders run apart from Marvel's superhero mainstream of the period.
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David Anthony Kraft had taken over scripting The Defenders from Gerry Conway beginning with issue #44, inheriting a title in editorial flux after Marvel's mid-1970s shuffle of editors-in-chief left Conway's run unfinished mid-production. Kraft worked closely with penciller Keith Giffen across their shared run on the book (roughly issues #42–54 for Giffen), and Kraft later recalled their collaboration as a creative back-and-forth in which each would 'up' the other's ideas. Issue #52 was edited by Archie Goodwin and sits just after the conclusion of the Scorpio Saga, launching Kraft's next ambitious multi-part storyline; Giffen's interior pencils were inked by Chic Stone, while the cover was rendered by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of The Presence (Sergei Krylov), a radioactive Soviet super-villain created by writer David Anthony Kraft and penciller Keith Giffen.
- The Presence had a cameo appearance one issue earlier in Defenders #51 (Sep. 1977); this issue (#52, Oct. 1977) is his first full appearance.
- The Presence is later established as the biological father of Marvel mutants Darkstar and Vanguard, both members of the Soviet/Russian Winter Guard — making this issue a generational touchstone for that corner of the Marvel Universe.
- Story title is 'Defender of the Realm!'; released July 19, 1977, with an October 1977 cover date.
- Written by David Anthony Kraft; pencilled by Keith Giffen; inked by Chic Stone; colored by Don Warfield; lettered by Denise Wohl; edited by Archie Goodwin. Cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia.
- Hellcat (Patsy Walker) and Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) intercept a street battle between Hulk and Namor, then join Namor on a mission to address Soviet nuclear contamination threatening Atlantis — directly setting up the multi-part 'Power Principle' arc in issues #53–55.
- Valkyrie's subplot introduces Professor Turk and references the yet-to-appear vigilante Lunatik, with a cameo appearance by David Bowie's image on a movie screen (The Man Who Fell to Earth, 1976).
- The issue has been collected in Essential Defenders Vol. 3 (2007) and Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Vol. 6 (2018), and was reprinted internationally in Italian (I Difensori #12, 1980), French (Les Défenseurs #3, 1981), and a British edition.
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Reprinted in Power Man #[nn] (1980), I Difensori #12 (1980), Les Défenseurs #3 (1981), Essential Defenders #3 (2007), Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #6 (2018), Incredible Hulk Annual #1979
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