The Defenders #59 for Sale - First Appearance of Ort-Beast - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: The Defenders (Marvel, 1972 series)
Issue: #59
Publication date: May 1978
Key date: 1978-05-00
On-sale date: 1978-02-14
Indicia publisher: Marvel Comics Group
Price: $0.35
Pages: 36
Barcode: 0714860215205
Rating: Approved by the Comics Code Authority

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Ort-Beast - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Belathauzer - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Agent of Fortune - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	Tyranny and Mutation!	cover	1	pencils: George Pérez; inks: Tony DeZuniga	Aragorn, Bruce Banner, Hellcat, Hulk, Nighthawk, Barbara Norriss, Kyle Richmond, Valkyrie, Patsy Walker
1	Xenogenesis Day of the Demons Part 2 Tyranny and Mutation	comic story	17	script: David A. Kraft, Ed Hannigan; pencils: Ed Hannigan; inks: Dan Green; colors: David A. Kraft; letters: Joe Rosen	Agent of Fortune First, Aragorn, Bruce Banner, Belathauzer First, Devil-Slayer, Dollar Bill, Aaron English, Vera Gemini, Hellcat, Hulk, Nighthawk, Barbara Norriss, Ort-Beast First, Eric Payne
2	-	letters page	1	script: David Anthony Kraft
3	-	in-house column	1	script: Stan Lee	The Defenders [Namor the Sub-Mariner; Dr. Strange; Hulk [Bruce Banner]; Valkyrie; Silver Surfer; Nighthawk]; Ms. Marvel [Carol Danvers]

Plus 1 page of advertisements and other matter across 1 sequence, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Essential Defenders #3 ISBN 0-7851-2696-1	2007	On eBay ›
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #7 ISBN 978-1-302-92226-9	2020	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Check the price box: Marvel ran 30-cent and 35-cent test-market price variants in 1976-77.
Canadian and Whitman editions exist for many bronze books; match the barcode area to the plate.
Look for Mark Jewelers inserts and date stamps - they affect collector preference, not authenticity.

Series context

‹ #5859 of 152#60 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com