Marvel Feature ran for 12 issues in the early '70s. The first three issues are the first time the batch of heroes above are actually called "The Defenders", who then went on to their own, long-running ongoing series. Which makes me wonder if this was some sort of tryout title, to see if concepts could support their own books?
Roy Thomas sticks to Dr. Strange, Namor and the Hulk in all three issues. The last comic included prior to this in Essential Defenders volume 1 is the Sub-Mariner story we looked at back in March. In that, the trio of heroes included the Silver Surfer instead of Strange, but the flying hood ornament is nowhere to be seen here.
Probably a plot necessity, as the Hulk has to constantly be goaded into action, and Strange's magic and personality seem better suited for that than the Surfer's. I wonder also if it wasn't that Strange's rogue's gallery provided better fodder for adversaries. The second issue involves Strange's body being abducted by servants of Dormammu, shortly after Strange did Bruce Banner a solid by getting him some fresh clothes. The first issue is about, Yandroth, an old sorcerer enemy of Strange's, creating a sentient computer to destroy the world. It's shielded against magic, so Strange needs brute force to get through.
Thomas really plays up the, if not animosity, at least lack of camaraderie between the three heroes. Namor and Hulk are two seconds from pummeling each other, when Namor isn't yelling at Strange about roping him into another surface world problem. Heck, at the end of the first issue Namor points out Yandroth played Strange, as it was Namor and Hulk smashing their way through the defenses that nearly triggered the planet-destroying cataclysm. Which didn't stop Strange from calling for their help later, suggesting Strange is either very dense, or needs a bigger Rolodex.
Ross Andru draws all three issues, with Everett inking issues 1 and 3, and Sal Buscema on issue 2. Buscema partially overwhelms Andru's pencils, making the art more closely resemble his own. I especially like how Andru/Everett depict the Hulk. They seem to vertically compress his head, making it more boxlike, while emphasizing the brows. Everett (I assume) adds a lot of hatching and linework around the eyes and nose to give the skin a rougher texture. It makes him look fiercer and dangerous, closer to a monstrous figure. Even with Thomas using "Hulk speak" there's none of the childlike innocence you sometimes got with the Hulk. He's a big green angry tank.
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