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4 kids,who are brothers and sisters, gain super powers from an alien that looks like a humanoid horse. One of the first times I went into a comic shop I asked if they had back issues of Power Pack. And the owner laughed at me. At the time Power Pack was laughed at in geek circles. Which is funny because now they are loved. I read the original series for almost 40 issues. Then stopped reading it. Mostly because I didn't have enough money to buy all the comics I wanted each month.
Yeah I know they are New Universe, so technically not Marvel. But it was published by Marvel. The White Event happens and people start developing super powers. A group of 7 people all end up in a clinic in the mid west. For some of them having the powers is a blessing. But for most it is a curse. Like Scuzz, his sweat is highly acidic. So he can not touch anyone. The series lasted 36 issues and 1 annual. But was never a big seller. I am pretty sure the late Mark Grunwald wrote every issue. I was fucking sad when this series ended. Marvel has brought back DP7 a few times. But without Grunwald it isn't the same.
Most people of my generation loved the X-men. With Wolverine being the most popular. Now I like Wolverine. But my favorite X-men were always Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler. With Rachel Summers being another favorite. So when a new series started with those three, plus Captain Britain and Megan, I jumped right in. This series started at the perfect time. The X-men comic had started going to shit. With constant crossovers. And it had lost the sense of humor that I loved. Excalibur had the humor, plus it was rare for a crossover. And then you throw in Alan Davis on the pencils, you got a comic that I loved then and still love.
I was introduced the the Squadron Supreme in the pages of Marvel 2 in 1 and the Defenders. Then the Mark Grunwald written 12 issue maxi series came out. The Squadron's world had been decimated. So they took over and tried to create a Utopia. It was a great story that deconstructed the superhero mythos. And this happened a year before Watchmen came out. Lots of fans consider Watchmen to be the best mini series ever.But to me Mark Grunwald's year long Squadron Supreme series is better. When Mr Grunwald died, his ashes were mixed in with the inks for the first printing of the trade paperback collection of this ground breaking series. Decades later JMS tried to reinvent the Squadron. But his version wasn't good.
For 152 issues and a handful of Annuals and Giant Sized issues The Defenders were one of the strangest teams in the Marvel Universe. Know as the "un-team". Mostly because the roster was always changing. You never knew who would join the team. They started off with 4 members. Hulk,Namor,Silver Surfer and Dr Strange. But over the course of the series people like Hawkeyes, Nighthawk,Valkyrie,Angel,Iceman,The Beast and The Gargoyle joined. The stand outs were the runs where either the late Steve Gerber or Steve Engelhart were writing. The last 2 years of the series there was major changes. The original four members all quit. And Angel took over as leader. From what I have heard the comic was selling pretty well. But because they needed Angel,Iceman and the Beast for the upcoming X-factor team, The Defenders was canceled. Marvel has tried many times since then to bring the Defenders back. But each time it has bombed badly.
