Secret Defenders #17: With Friends Like Strange...

Secret Defenders #17
“Strange Changes: On Borrowed Time”
Writers: Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
Penciler: Jerry DeCaire
Inker: Tony DeZuniga
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Jim Hoston
Cover: Michael Bair
Editor: Craig Anderson
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco
Released: May 31, 1994

The effects of Malachi's misuse of the Moebius Stone greet us on the first page of this issue, as plants rapidly grow in places they ought not be, people age and rejuvenate at alarming rates, buildings collapse and more. I got most of this from the copious captions because the art is... not very clear. DeCaire has taken the pencils back from Bill Wylie, but the results – while of course immensely better than anything I could hope to do – are a bit hard to follow.

The mausoleum's getting bigger because of magic, or else Malachi teleported everybody into that phone booth thing Doctor Whatshisname flies around or lives in*. She's using her go-to statue animation power to toss Luke Cage and Deadpool around, while Cadaver has an identity crisis and falls down a lot. The sorceress tries to drain Doctor Druid's life essence like she did with pre-Cadaver Cody last issue, but Shadowoman escapes the energy coils confining her, giving the doc a chance to magic himself out of that predicament.

I... genuinely don't know.

Shadowoman takes a full page blast of magic and survives, which surprises her and Druid. She demands to know just what the heck happened to her as a result of hanging out with Druid, setting up an interesting subplot for which earlier formats of the book didn't really allow.

When Cage tries to put the kibosh on Malachi, she rewinds his personal timeline to when he lacked super strength, bulletproof skin and a shirt. She then sets about reforming Korahn, who... asks her what the heck she's doing.

After dying at the hands of Agamotto's guardian, Korahn became part of the circle of life and accepted the end of his. Everything was apparently hakuna matata until his star-crossed love yoinked him back to the land of the living. As Malachi struggles with this revelation, Deadpool runs her through with his sword and she joins her lover on the other side.

Sad trombone?

Druid is tempted to use the Owen Wilson Stone to fix some of his past mistakes when Strange – not the Sorcerer-No-Longer-Supreme but his talking costume or avatar or whatever the faceless entity on the cover is – teleports in to snag it for himself. I guess he's hoarding earthbound magical items, but I did not hop over to Dr. Strange Annual #4 for more information, as an editor's note suggests.

Strange takes an interest in Cadaver's bone sword, but it blasts him, and Cadaver, back in Agamotto mode, tells him he's not worthy to wield his master's power. Cage snags the Moebius Stone and tosses it to Druid, who uses it powers to rewind it back past the point of its creation.

We get a panel-for-panel replay of the opening page showing everything back to normal, then Strange takes his leave since there's no more magical MacGuffins over which to fight. Suddenly the biggest magic-wielding jerk in the room again, Druid yells that Dr. Strange shall pay for bestowing magical visions and the Secret Defenders on him. In his new underground hangout, Five O'Clock Shadow Strange deems Druid a worthy successor while also indicating he really doesn't give a crap whether he wants the job or not.

What might be considered a post-credit scene these days wraps up the issue as a guy with some sort of secret agency investigates a series of deaths in Texas by insect-filled-lungs and then uses what looks like a pen to ask someone to call... Dr. Druid.

After seeming like a big deal last issue, Cadaver is just kind of here, though his rebellious sword and well-timed punch do give the sort-of team time to get the Moebius Stone away from Strange and wrap up this caper. Shadowoman also fades to the sidelines after her shot on Malachi and harsh words with Druid.

The story felt a little unfocused at times, much like the art, almost as if this issue was a little rushed. But credit to Brevoort and Kanterovich for establishing a set of regular characters with potentially interesting stories to give this series a through-line. There was nothing wrong with the original concept – Marvel Team-Up on steroids with a magical/horror tone – and whether this works will come down to execution.

The letters page is devoid of lineup suggestions, so I'll turn to the characters usually standing atop its title “Defense Lines” since the early issues for our Suggested Secret Defenders of the Week: Wolverine, Human Torch, Cable, Captain America, Cyclops, Iron Man and Spider-Man.

* - It's not that I dislike the Doctor, it's just one fandom I've never really explored or had much experience with, except for the time my oldest, dressed as Supergirl at a comic convention, hugged a Dalek. I was assured that was out of character 
(for a Dalek).