Earlier this month, as a prelude to the series hitting Netflix in August, The Defenders premiered featuring Daredevil, Luke Cage Jessica Jones and Iron Fist. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, it’s a good introduction to these characters coming together in the street level version of the Avengers. Well, sort of. 

Unlike your typical hero teams, members of the Defenders don’t always get along too well, especially post-Civil War where they weren’t exactly all on the same side. (Read the Jessica Jones series and you’ll see just how bad things got between her and Luke.) However, these four are able to put differences aside because they know there’s really no one else who can help keep their streets safe the way they can.

The first issue sets up a great premise, with a villain that was thought to be dead (ok, that’s not a surprise in comics). And each member wants to take him on in their own way. There’s a lot of action packed into one issue and undoubtedly a lot more to come. And the characters are written to feel much like they do in their individual Netflix series, so there’s an automatic familiarity for anyone who has watched those. It will be interesting to see the direction the comics take and if they’ll tie in at all to the show in August.