0240: Defenders #82
Cover Date: April 1980 On-Sale Date: January 22, 1980
We tunnel our way into more tedium as the Tunnelworld saga continues. This is, at least, the penultimate installment. However, there are no distractions from the other half of the Defenders still on Earth. On the plus side we welcome Don Perlin as the title's regular artist. He'll stick around until this original run gets cancelled at issue #152. That's quite a run!
We begin our tale in Ytitnedion's citadel where he has captured the Hulk. That's a nice splash page Mr. Perlin! You've almost managed to make the Hulk look sexy. I think a buzz cut or spikes would have worked better, but this was the very start of the 80s, so we're still stuck in 70s fashion. The raven headed foe is bragging about capturing what he believes is the most powerful Defender and his longtime foe, the many eyed, many limbed and furry Xhooxh.
Xhooxh talks like Yoda before the world even knew how Yoda spoke and this infuriates Ytitnedion. Xhooxh asks why the Hulk is still chained and it's all for show. The Hulk is under Ytitnedion's thrall and he'll be unleashed to quell the winghead slave revolt. Ah! So that was the dastardly plan!
Xhooxh intends to put a monkey wrench in the plan and he's gonna use the Hulk to do it.
The respite is temporary. Xhooxh is using Nya spirits to rile up the Hulk. Raven face realizes this and gives the hairy dude an ultimatum.
Xhooxh is despondent about his failure. I'm putting this here mainly as an example of Xhooxh speech.
Elsewhere in Ogeon, Doc and Namor consult with the Aeroika and his fellow Winged Ones. Doc is suspicious about the timing of the revolt and wants to proceed with caution while Aeroika wants to charge ahead as the prophecies have foretold. Suddenly, another Winged One bursts in and tells everyone that the enemy is attacking again and his fellows are dropping like flies. This is right before he drops like a fly because he's got an arrow in his back.
Raven face's war machines are attacking. Doc and Namor jump to the winged one's defense and they are able to turn away his forces. Doc points out that he's just gonna do this again and again.
Elsewhere, we get a look at Hulk in his new Tunnelworld duds.
It's mostly quite fetching, but that hat/crown is a bit court jester-ish. Hulk is now waiting for "Buzzard-Man" to give the order for the Nilffim riders to attack. I like Raven-face better.
Back at the citadel Buzzard-Man attempts to destroy the Orb of Ommennon as that's where Xhooxh has stored most of his power. He has a rough time with it.
Sadly, the orb doesn't survive Buzzard-Man's hissy fit when he throws a goblet at it and it shatters. Nearby, Doc has gone ghost in search of Xhooxh. He also detects the Hulk and, as he's not a prisoner, Doc suspects he's heard "The Name" and wonders if his green friend can be released from this thrall. The winged ones and Namor are breaking into the citadel via the sewers. Aeroika calls out Namor on his hot-headedness.
Doc's ghost has now found Xhooxh and Buzzard-Man has found Doc. The two engage, but Doc's astral body isn't really up to it. Xhooxh sends his Nya to help and they blind Ytitnedion with his own cloak. (Edna Mode: No capes!) Doc escapes, but Buzzard-Man kills Xhooxh and his Nya die of grief shortly after. So that was the Wizard Death of the story title!
Namor and Aeroika have stumbled on a dungeon replete with prisoners. One prisoner is in a state of perpetual torture. Its seems Buzzard-Man feeds on his pain. Aeroika puts him out of his misery. Above, Doc attempts to free the Hulk. Unfortunately, the Hulk can see Doc's ghost and this gift apparently extends to the rest of the Nilffim who attack. They mount their birds and chase Doc's ghost. Doc starts to fight them off, but he comes against the Hulk. Doc flies back into Ytitnedion's tower. Clever Doc causes the shards of the orb to reform around the Hulk, trapping him. Ytitnedion attempts to capture Doc's ghost but is knocked out by the sword of one of the wingheads.
Namor asks, what the heck is going on here? Things look good for our heroes but, the Unnameable still awaits.
I think a major issue with this storyline and this issue in particular is the sheer amount of exposition going on. This is supposed to be a visual medium, but nearly every page needs a dense crop of word balloons to keep the reader up-to-date on what's going on. It's tedious and exhausting. You have what could have been an interesting concept bogged down in minutia. We're nearly at the story's end and the reader is getting bombarded with copious amounts of information. At least some progress appears to have been made this issue. Hopefully the finale improves things a bit.
