Marvel Feature (1971) #2: Nightmare on Bald Mountain!

Several Defenders books have been reviewed here over the past year, but none from the original series since late 2018.

Today we'll go one better. We're going to look at the second issue of Marvel Feature, the book in which the team starred (for only three issues, mind you) before getting its own.

Out in Vermont, on the night before Halloween, a cult is attempting to summon the dread Dormammu to our world. Dormammu struggles to express gratitude.

The one who must be sacrificed is...Doctor Strange! Dormammu needs the body of a powerful sorcerer to inhabit and there are only so many of those to go around.

Over at his crib, the cult members trick the good doctor into flying off in his astral form, leaving his physical body behind to be abducted.

Strange's man-servant Wong is beaten up by those hooded goofs. He had been on the phone when the abduction took place. When he was no longer holding up his end of the conversation, the lady he was on the phone with, named Clea and who refers to herself as "a girl from another dimension whose powers have all but faded" came to find him unconscious. She revives him and they use the Eye of Agamotto to track down the other members of the Defenders and ask for help including, of course, the avenging son.

Through a boat load of filler, the foursome finally meet up in New York. Then since Clea was able to track Strange's astral form to Vermont, they take a bus out there. No Avengers quinjet for this bunch.

Once at the green mountain state, they are drawn to an eerie glow in the sky at...Bald Mountain!! As they advance towards it, they are assaulted by a bunch of cult members who are, of course, no match for Namor.

All along, Strange's astral form was riding Wong. As his physical body is about to be possessed by Dormammu, Strange hops back into it and takes the fight to his long-time enemy.

The battle between magical titans ultimately prevents Dormammu from entering our world so the battle is essentially won. A great explosion ensued, which devastated the mountain and served to illustrate how little faith Strange has in his colleagues.

So...I guess that's that. Not a bad one-and-done but not anything particularly memorable, either.