Steve Gerber’s Defenders run comes to its revolutionary conclusion in the latest Marvel Masterworks extravaganza! Gerber consistently broke the boundaries of what a super-hero comic could be and his Headmen saga stands as one of the high points in a celebrated career. From the Elf with a Gun, to Bambi and the Bozos, Gerber wove together an unlikely cast with a challenging critique of the era’s culture. His stories would influence a generation of new writers, and with artwork by the stellar team of Sal Buscema and Klaus Janson, Defenders is an indisputable ’70s Marvel masterpiece. And we’ve topped it off with the classic Defenders/Howard the Duck Marvel Treasury Edition team-up. Need we say more? Collecting Defenders (1972) #31-#41 & Annual (1976) #1.

Collects Defenders (1972) #22-30, Giant-Size Defenders #5, Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #18. One of the most challenging writers of '70s Marvel, Steve Gerber's Defenders ranks as a high-water mark of the era. Taking Marvel's famous non-team and mixing in his own unique brand of sharp social commentary, Gerber brought forth stories both action-packed and insightful! We begin with a classic four-part saga featuring the bigoted Sons of the Serpent that brings members past and present together to defend the defenseless. Then, the Guardians of the Galaxy hit the scene and take the Defenders to the year 3015 A.D.! It's an amazing adventure including the debut of Starhawk - and the Guardians of the Galaxy's first appearance too!

Collects Defenders (1972) #42-57 and material from FOOM #19. The Defenders, Marvel’s “non-team” with an ever-changing roster, brings together its most famous members (Doctor Strange, the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner) with new comrades (Red Guardian, Moon Knight, Nick Fury) and fan-favorites (Luke Cage, Hellcat, Valkyrie, Nighthawk) — and the result is nothing short of classic! The creative team of Kraft and Giffen jump into the series feet first and spin some of the Defenders’ greatest adventures: Doctor Strange, possessed by the Red Rajah, becomes a mystic threat to the entire universe! Scorpio and his Zodiac launch a kidnapping conspiracy involving S.H.I.E.L.D.! Valkyrie struggles to reclaim her life! Also featuring an all-new Emissaries of Evil, the origin of the Red Guardian, Atlantean mega-monsters and the debut of Lunatik!

Leap into the adventures of the dynamic Defenders, comics' greatest non-team! Bonded in a mutual mission are the mightiest misfits in the Marvel U.: the Incredible Hulk, the Sub-Mariner and the Silver Surfer. But these warriors three don't rest on bylaws and butlers; they - along with the Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr. Strange, and the defiant Valkyrie - come together only in moments of utmost crisis. Facing enemies from across the incomprehensible divide, the Defenders square off against Dormammu; the Nameless One; the Enchantress; and a dark menace from Dr. Strange's past, the sorcerer Cyrus Black. It's not just baddies they do battle with, though. In a prelude to the epic Avengers/Defenders War, Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer go head-to-head with the mighty Avengers in a fight that pits hero against hero like none other! Collecting SUB-MARINER #34-35, MARVEL FEATURE #1-3 and THE DEFENDERS #1-6.

Collects Defenders (1972) #58-75; Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) #16. Doctor Strange and the Defenders face a crisis when the Eye of Agamotto is stolen by the bizarre Xenogenesis cult. If the demon woshippers succeed, the Elder Gods will be unleashed on Earth. Hellcat emerges from the battle with new powers, but they can’t save her from Membership Madness! Comics’ famous non-team begins a membership drive that brings a horde of heroes to their doorstep, and heroes always play nice with each other, right? Next, it’s off to Asgard where Valkyrie is split from her human side, leading to a struggle for the hero’s soul. We conclude with an otherdimensional epic revealing the bizarre world of Lunatik and a fight with Foolkiller that puts the future of the Defenders at risk.

Collects CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #261-269 and ANNUAL #5, and DEFENDERS (1972) #106. J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck made CAPTAIN AMERICA their own in a celebrated three-year creative collaboration! Theirs is one of the Star-Spangled Avenger's greatest eras - and it begins when a Captain America movie causes Cap to cross paths with a new Nomad, the Ameridroid and the Red Skull! Next, the American Dream comes under assault by an enigmatic force - and in a two-part tale guest-starring Spider-Man, the cyborg S.U.L.T.A.N. sets his sights on Washington, DC! Finally, the Defenders join up with Cap to stop the psychopathic physicist August Masters from embroiling America in a war with the Soviet Union! Plus: Veteran Cap artist Gene Colan returns for a double-sized Annual pitting Steve Rogers against the Constrictor and Samson Scythe!

Collects Omega the Unknown (1976) #1-10, Defenders (1972) #76-77. In the 1970s, writer Steve Gerber revolutionized comics. His innovative work on MAN-THING, DEFENDERS and HOWARD THE DUCK opened creative avenues that excited readers and inspired a generation of creators. So when Marvel announced an all-new character co-created by Gerber, anticipation rose to a fever pitch! OMEGA THE UNKNOWN debuted in late 1975, featuring an enigmatic approach to one of the most compelling stories: the stranger in a strange land. James-Michael Starling, a boy with a mysterious past, holds a curious connection to the super-powered being known as Omega. Their quest to understand the gritty world of New York City reveals as much about us as it does them. As the pair's secrets are uncovered and the action unfolds in the Marvel manner, you'll come to understand why OMEGA holds a place as one of the most influential series of its time!

Collects Avengers (1963) #41-50, Avengers Annual #1. Prince of Power, Hercules goes mano-a-mano with the Dragon Man; Captain America mixes it up with the Russian Red Guardian for the Red, White and Blue; the entire dag-blamed Avengers battle the Super-Adaptoid; Goliath and the Wasp face a blast from their shrinkingpast as they fight the Whirlwind. And a hero redeems the role of the Black Knight only to have the Avengers lose their teammates, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, to Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants-it's a cosmic balance, bub! And let us not forget, Avengers past and present joining together in combat against a sextet of baddies built up by the Mandarin.

Fantastic Four (1961) #41-50, Annual #3

Collects Daredevil (1964) #42-53. Matt Murdock has done battle with Marveldom's most maddening villains - but when he meets the Jester for the very first time, the rules change forever. Framing DD for murder, the Jester sets all of New York on a manhunt for the Man Without Fear! But there's another menace looking to push the stakes even higher: Starr Saxon, the mastermind who discovers DD's secret identity! Then comes the all-time Stan Lee/Gene Colan classic, "Brother, Take My Hand!" - a story that marked the ever-advancing march of super-hero comics into the social issues of the '60s by tackling the tale of a blinded Vietnam vet finding his way Stateside. It's a no-question classic! There's plenty of action, too, as DD jumps inside the ring to rub knuckles with Captain America, teeters over the city with Stilt Man, teams-up with the Black Panther and all the while struggles to rebuild his relationship with the lovely Karen Page. And as if that wasn't enough, we're rounding it out with the Stan and Gene's Not Brand Echh side-splitter, "Scaredevil, Defeated by the Evil Electrifico!"