Defenders, The (1972 series) #66

Review: Wait, did we wander into a Thor issue by mistake? Not quite: it’s Valkyrie’s turn to shine in an Asgard-heavy epic that starts with her receiving a vision full of death from the Norns. Val goes to war against a wannabe God of Death. Now we’ve always thought Hela’s weird headdress was cool but Ollerus tries to outdo her with a helmet that looks like a giant fanged lizard head which is surely dangerous to wear when eating lest one’s hat bite off one’s fingers. Comic book fashions aside, this is a cool issue with the Valkyries riding into battle (hmmm, there must be some appropriate music…) and some sorcerous doings. And lest we’ve forgotten the others, we see Hellcat sleeping in her cat suit and brooding, while Kyle (Nighthawk) Richmond is about to be nailed for tax evasion!

Comments: Despite being teased on the cover, Hulk does not appear in the issue. First appearance of Ollerus and Poppo. Casiolena previously appeared in DEFENDERS #4 where Barbara Norriss (then Barbara Denton) was transformed into Valkyrie by the Enchantress. The Crystal of Eternal View was previously used in THOR #149.  Gaspar Saladino did the lettering for page 1.