Matt Fraction's awesome run on the Defenders continues to provide great comic stories and a wonderful variety of HeroClix lineups. It's the one monthly Marvel comic that should be going in your longbox, and it provides the inspiration for this week's HeroClix force.

To see some Jim Steranko-inspired goodness right out of the swinging sixties, follow the link!

Synopsis: This run of the Defenders has the team investigating (or babysitting) a device known as a Concordance Engine...a wonderful cosmic-powered MacGuffin that is allowing for some great stories that are wonderfully free of the current 616 Marvel Universe continuity. This issue has the team trying to make contact with 1960's super-spy Nick Fury in a Hydra-infested cocktail lounge. In-story cheesecake shots of Red She-Hulk and Iron Fist compliment action that could have been right out of a Jim Steranko comic of the era.

From a comic full of Life Model Decoys and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents of all stripes I present a team of Defenders that is interestingly free of the Defenders team ability, as they face down Hydra:

139 (Web of Spider-Man 053) Red She-Hulk
103 (Captain America 023) Nick Fury
70 (Secret Invasion 004) Iron Fist
2x 54 (Captain America 100) Nick Fury L.M.D.
2x 37 (Captain America 005) S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent

= 500 Points

The S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability is one that the powers that be cannot seem to leave alone. The past few years have seen repeated tweaks to it, here is the current wording:

S.H.I.E.L.D.
Adjacent friendly characters modify their range values by +1. Give this character a power action and choose an adjacent friendly character. The chosen character modifies its damage value by +1 while adjacent to this character and making ranged combat attacks this turn.

The star of this comic is the classic Nick Fury, and we HeroClix players are lucky that we have four different versions of this character from which to choose. I've chosen the 109-point version from the main Captain America set. I typically prefer the Secret Invasion version, but this one has some synchronicity with the assorted L.M.D.s and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents that I think are worth exploring. This Nick Fury really needs to be in the front lines as much as possible in order to capitalize on his Outwit and ranged attacks.

V Nick Fury Points: 109 Range: 6
Team: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Keywords: Howling Commandos, Secret Warriors, S.H.I.E.L.D., Soldier, Spy

9 10 17 3

8 11 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 16 2

7 10 16 3

7 9 15 2

6 9 15 2

KO KO KO KO

You Have Your Orders, Now Move!: Nick Fury can use Stealth. When you give Nick Fury a move action, at the end of the turn, remove an action token from another friendly character that was given a move action this turn and possesses the Howling Commandos, Secret Warriors, or S.H.I.E.L.D. keyword.

This comic has one Life Model Decoy taking the fall for Nick Fury, only to be replaced by a swarm of no less than ten replacements. This is all the excuse a comic-team player needs to start using the multiple Buy it by the Brick figures from the Captain America set, as LMDs weren't usually active in large numbers otherwise. The LMD dial isn't exactly my glass of German Whiskey, mainly because you have to really play these figures as ranged-attackers...but ones that can be ready to take the fall for Nick Fury if he gets into too much trouble.

R Nick Fury L.M.D. Points: 54 Range: 6
Team: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Keywords: Robot, S.H.I.E.L.D.

7 9 17 3

6 10 16 2

6 9 16 1

5 9 15 1

5 9 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Life Model Decoy: Whenever a friendly character named Nick Fury would be KO'd by an opponent's attack, instead of being defeated, you may turn his dial to his last non-KO click and KO this figure instead. If you do, place that Nick Fury in this square.

For this force I have opted for two ranged attackers with some mobility and some off-top-click surprises. These S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents are also from the Captain America booster set. If these guys are not to your taste, there are many other options to choose from other HeroClix releases, including Sinister, the Captain America counter-top display and the various Avengers Movie sets.

R S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Points: 37 Range: 6
Team: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Keywords: S.H.I.E.L.D.

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

6 8 15 2

6 8 14 1

KO KO KO KO

Remember Your Infiltration Training!: Whenever a friendly character with the S.H.I.E.L.D. keyword and a higher point value is within 8 squares, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent can use Stealth.

While the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange and the Black Cat tended to the Concordance Engine, Iron Fist tended bar at Club Hydra while Red She-Hulk served drinks in an outfit that classy little Hydra-swimsuit, tiara and high heels that I hope we see made into a HeroClix sculpt some day. If you've been following my series of Defenders-inspired forces, you've seen these dials before. My only advice is to try to not place them in the way of the ranged-based S.H.I.E.L.D. figures.

R Red She-Hulk Points: 139 Range: 6
Team: No Affiliation
Keywords: Brute

8 9 17 3

8 9 17 3

8 9 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 18 3

7 10 18 3

7 10 18 4

6 11 19 5

KO KO KO KO

V Iron Fist Points: 70 Range: 0
Team: Spider-Man
Keywords: Avengers, Heroes for Hire, Martial Artist

8 11 17 3

9 10 17 2

8 10 16 2

8 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 8 15 2

8 8 15 3

KO KO KO KO

Good Fortune Thunder Kick: Iron Fist can use Leap/Climb and Flurry.

Champion of K'un-Lun: Iron Fist can use Super Senses and Willpower.

The best HeroClix-related thing about this issue is that because of the heavy 60s-era S.H.I.E.L.D. presence, you have a lot of force-building options. The biggest figurt happened with all of the Defenders present, so you can pretty much mix-and-match characters to your taste for this team. Now that we finally have a two playable Incredible Hulks that can use the Defenders team ability (both from Galactic Guardians) it is my hope that we won't have to wait as long for a more easily available Red She-Hulk to use on 2011-era Defenders forces.

Been excited to see an article on these guys. well done.

Oh my Glob! Another Defenders team? Tidge, I'm starting to think you love this series as much as I do. I agree with you on the need and expectancy of a current Red She-Hulk. As much as I'd love a "Big Red Broad" swimsuit clix, though, I can't pass up the opportunity to ask for a Frankenstein Hitler from this same issue.

I sincerely hope that the series goes 12+ issues. I believe there is a wonderful synergy between highly entertaining comics and the ability to be represented by a variety of HeroClix forces. The next issue appears to be a hoot as well!

As you point out, this issue also has a variety of figure that would be fun to see in our tabletop game, including Agent P_ssycat of Hydra!

My only complaint about this issue is that it wasn't drawn by Jim Steranko, or by someone who might have been able to channel him (maybe Allred or Buckingham) a little more closely. McKelvie did a decent job, but I wanted someone with a deeper appreciation of Zipatone.

Thanks for another great write-up! I have not read any of these new Defenders comics, but I am familiar with the individual characters and thus enjoy these teams.

Red She-Hulk needs an update in the worst way (with big-expletive-deleted sword, for preference). Maybe with her taking over her dad's book in a couple months, we'll see some Betty Ross love.

I've been enjoying the random quirkiness of the new Defenders book. The first issue had my all-time favorite Iron Fist quote: "The older I get, the more life seems to be the stupid, frustrating stuff that gets in the way of you and reading comics.”

It's a pity with all this Marvel NOW! hoo-hah that this book is getting cancelled after issue 12.

Iron Fist is a still a great figure to use.

Cool team. Any idea on whether or not we're going to get the previous issues you haven't already covered in this series yet? These teams are pretty good, and I'd like to see stuff from the previous issues too.

I love these Defenders articles. I actually traded for a CA Nick Fury after reading #9 just so I could run that team (though mine was GG Gravity Feed Strange, Nick, Red She Hulk and Iron Fist at 393... surprisingly effective, albeit lacking any real range). Fraction's Defenders and Hawkeye are my favorite Marvel books right now (really, the *only* Marvel ongoings I read besides Winter Soldier and Incredible Hulk). It's a shame the book's only a few months away from getting canned. Maybe someone should start a petition or something.

IIRC, the 'missing' issues from the 2011 Defenders series are ones that I felt either did not offer a significant lineup change from an issue I did cover, or issues that were essentially solo stories featuring characters that don't exist in HeroClix. I'm pleasantly surprised that this already short run has offered the variety in HeroClix force builds that is has!

I'm shocked that this (9 issues and counting) run of Defenders has IMO offered more variety for HeroClix force builds than the entire run of Whedon/Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men...and when I hold the series (so far) against other short-lived Marvel book's I've enjoyed (Runaways, Next Wave, Marvel Divas) the team building variety is really quite nice. Of course, most of that is due to using established characters in the Defenders...but there is a pleasant synergy between the lineups in this books and the available HeroClix figures.

This synergy is one of the motivating drives behind my 'Longbox' series, and it is wonderful to be able to develop teams based on an excellent book that is actually being published right now.

the number 1 impediment to me buying red she hulk off of the secondary market is the "new character gloss" dripping off that dial*. and i really want a red she hulk mostly because of your article series. i cant wait to pick up a tpb of this run. great job t-dog, you've gotten me excited about both heroclix and a comic



*I'm still amazed we didnt get her as an LE of jenny in IH. i'd also love a capeless redsuit doc strange ~120pts for different team-building options

"Our work here is finished." -MST3K

i feel with all of the reviews about the Defenders that Red She Hulk has really gone up in value. I am holding onto mine!

Sorry I'm so late to the party! I just read my Defenders #9 last night... I'm absolutely heartbroken this awesome series is being cancelled with #12, but thanks to these articles, it can live on forever not only in our hearts (and hopefully in a lovely oversized hardcover) but on our tabletops!
Thanks for writing these, and I look forward to catching up with you (late again! ) in a couple weeks for your (already published!) article on #10 (don't want any spoilers, donchaknow... The cover sure looks amazing!)
-jason