"Contains material originally published in magazine form as Doctor Strange #183, Sub-mariner #22 and #34-35, Incredible Hulk #126, Marvel feature #1-3, Defenders #1-14, and Avengers #115-118"--P. [2] of cover.

Dr. Strange #183 : writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Gene Colan ; inker, Tom Palmer ; letterer, Jean Izzo writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Gene Colan ; inker, Tom Palmer ; Sub-Mariner #22 : writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Marie Severin ; inker, Johnny Craig ; The incredible Hulk #126 : writer, Roy Thomas ; artist, Herb Trimpe ; Sub-Mariner #34 : writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Jim Mooney ; Sub-Mariner #35 : writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Jim Mooney ; Marvel Feature #1 : writer, Roy Thomas ; pencilers, Ross Andru & Don Heck ; inkers, Bill Everett & Frank Giacoia ; Marvel Feature #2 : writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Ross Andru ; inker, Sal Buscema ; Marvel Feature #3 : writer, Roy Thomas ; penciler, Ross Andru ; inker, Bill Everett ; writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank Giacoia ; The Defenders #2 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, John Verpoorten ; The Defenders #3 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Jim Mooney ; The Defenders #4 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Jim Mooney ; The Defenders #5 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank McLaughlin ; The Defenders #6 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank McLaughlin ; The Defenders #7 : plot, Steve Englehart ; script, Steve Englehart & Len Wein ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank Bolle ; The Defenders #8 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank McLaughlin ; writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Bob Brown ; inker, Mike Esposito ; Avengers #116 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Bob Brown ; inker, Mike Esposito ; The Defenders #9 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank McLaughlin ; Avengers #117 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Bob Brown ; inker, Mike Esposito ; The Defenders #10 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank Bolle ; Avengers #118 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Bob Brown ; inkers, Mike Esposito & Frank Giacoia ; The Defenders #11 : writer, Steve Englehart ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Frank Bolle ; The Defenders #12 : writer, Len Wein ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Jack Abel ; The Defenders #13 : writer, Len Wein ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Klaus Janson ; The Defenders #14 : writer, Len Wein ; penciler, Sal Buscema ; inker, Dan Green.

Essential Defenders Vol. 1 is one of the more invaluable manifestations of Marvel's budget Essentials series. It captures the formation and early stages of the Defenders, a "non-team" of heroes that didn't have a headquarters or a formal charter, and didn't even like to hang out together. They just combined their considerable forces when needed. Even though the individual Defenders were well-known in the Marvel Universe, the conflict with the better-established Avengers helped put the "group" on the map. The volume concludes with the two-part Nighthawk/Squadron Supreme story line.