{"id":30150,"date":"2024-07-11T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T08:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30150"},"modified":"2024-07-10T16:35:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T16:35:51","slug":"marvel-two-in-one-masterworks-volume-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/07\/11\/marvel-two-in-one-masterworks-volume-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Two-In-One Masterworks volume 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\" \"\"
\nBy Tom DeFalco<\/strong>, Alan Kupperberg<\/strong>, David Michelinie<\/strong>, Doug Moench<\/strong>, Ron Wilson<\/strong>, Jerry Bingham<\/strong>, Pablo Marcos<\/strong>, Chic Stone<\/strong>, Gene Day<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-5509-0 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes some Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced during less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Above all else, Marvel has always been about team-ups. The concept of team-up books – an established star pairing, or battling (often both) with less well-selling company characters – was not new when Marvel awarded their most popular hero the same deal DC had with Batman<\/strong> in The Brave and the Bold<\/strong> since the early 1960s. Although confident in their new title, they wisely left options open by allocating an occasional substitute lead in The Human Torch<\/strong>. In those distant days, editors were acutely conscious of potential over-exposure – and since superheroes were actually in a decline, they might well have been right.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, after the runaway success of Spider-Man<\/strong>\u2019s guest vehicle Marvel Team-Up<\/strong>, the House of Ideas ran with the trend with a series starring bashful, blue-eyed Ben Grimm<\/em> – the Fantastic Four\u2019<\/strong>s most popular star. They began with a brace of test runs in Marvel Feature<\/strong> #11-12 before awarding him his own team-up title, with this 7th<\/sup> stirring selection gathering the contents of Marvel Two-In-One <\/strong>#75-82 and MTIO<\/strong> Annuals<\/strong> #5 & 6, collectively covering September 1980 – December 1981.<\/p>\n

Preceded by a comprehensive and informative contextual reverie in editor Jim Salicrup\u2019s Introduction \u2018Hoo-Ha!\u2019<\/em>, a late-running annual event anachronistically opens the fun. Although released in summer 1980, Alan Kupperberg & Pablo Marcos\u2019 addition to the ongoing feud between The Thing and The Hulk<\/strong> (Marvel Two-In-One Annual<\/strong> #5, cover-dated September 1980) was omitted from the last volume due to the epic continued tales therein, but sits comfortably enough here. \u2018Skirmish with Death\u2019<\/em> sees the titanic duo join ruthless extraterrestrial explorer\/researcher The Stranger<\/em> to stop death god Pluto<\/em> destroying the universe…<\/p>\n

Pausing only for a contemporary house ad plugging the big birthday bash, cosmic extravaganzas remain in vogue for anniversary issue Marvel Two-In-One <\/strong>#75 (May 1981, by Tom DeFalco, Kupperberg & Chic Stone, with Marie Severin) as Ben and The Avengers<\/strong> are drawn into the Negative Zone to stop a hyper-powered Super-Adaptoid<\/em>, and find themselves inevitably \u2018By Blastaar Betrayed!\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Hitting mundane reality with a bump, MTIO <\/strong>#76 exposes \u2018The Big Top Bandits\u2019<\/em> (DeFalco, David Michelinie, Jerry Bingham & Stone) as Iceman<\/strong><\/em> and Ben make short work of the Circus of Evil<\/em> before a double dose of action in #77 as Thing and Man-Thing<\/strong> nearly join in a rescue mission where \u2018Only the Swamp Survives!\u2019<\/em> (DeFalco, Ron Wilson & Stone). This tale also features a poignant, bizarre cameo from The Human Torch<\/strong> and Sergeant Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

The innate problem with team-up tales is always a lack of continuity – something Marvel always rightly prided itself upon – and which writer\/editor Marv Wolfman had sought to address during his tenure through the simple expedient of having stories link-up via evolving, overarching plots which took Ben from place to place and from guest to guest. That policy remained in play until the end, and here sees the lovably lumpy lummox head to Hollywood to head-off a little copyright infringement in DeFalco, Michelinie, Wilson & Stone\u2019s \u2018Monster Man!\u2019<\/em> The sleazy producer to blame is actually alien serial abductor Xemnu the Titan<\/em> and Big Ben needs the help of budding actor Wonder Man<\/strong> to foil its latest subliminal mind-control scheme…<\/p>\n

Delivered by Doug Moench, Wilson & Gene Day Marvel Two-In-One<\/strong> Annual<\/strong> #6 then introduces \u2018An Eagle from America!\u2019<\/em> as old chum Wyatt Wingfoot<\/em> calls The Thing in to help in a battle between brothers involving Indian Tribal Land rights but which had grown into open warfare and attempted murder. The clash results in one sibling becoming new hardline superhero \u2018The American Eagle\u2019<\/em>: hunting his erring brother and a pack of greedy white killers to the Savage Land, consequently recruiting jungle lord Ka-Zar<\/strong> before \u2018Never Break the Chain\u2019<\/em> sees Ben catch up to them amidst a cataclysmic final clash against old enemy Klaw, Master of Sound<\/em> in \u2018…The Dinosaur Graveyard!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Monthly Marvel Two-In-One<\/strong> #79 and DeFalco, Wilson & Stone reveal how cosmic entity \u2018Shanga, the Star-Dancer!\u2019 <\/em>visits Earth and makes a lifelong commitment to decrepit WWII superhero Blue Diamond<\/em> (formerly of The Liberty Legion<\/strong>) whilst in #80,\u2018Call Him… Monster!\u2019<\/em> sees Ben Grimm risk doom and damnation to prevent Ghost Rider<\/strong> Johnny Blaze<\/em> from crossing the infernal line over a pair of cheap punks…<\/p>\n

Extended subplots return in \u2018No Home for Heroes!\u2019<\/em> as Bill<\/em> (Giant-Man<\/strong>) Foster<\/em> enters the final stages of his lingering death from radiation exposure. Ben, meanwhile, has been captured by deranged science experiment M.O.D.O.K.<\/strong> and subjected to a new bio-weapon, only to be rescued by old sparring partner Sub-Mariner<\/strong>. Before long \u2018The Fatal Effects of Virus X!\u2019<\/em> lay him low and he begins to mutate into an even more hideous gargoyle…<\/p>\n

Helping him hunt for M.O.D.O.K. and a cure are Captain America<\/strong> and Giant-Man, and their success leads brings us to the end of this vintage voyage.<\/p>\n

Well, not quite as the bonus features offer Ron Wilson\u2019s \u2018Special Foom Sneak Preview: The American Eagle!\u2019<\/em> as first seen in F.O.O.M.<\/strong> #21 (Spring 1978), with Ed Hannigan & Walt Simonson\u2019s original cover art for MTIO Annual <\/strong>#6 and its painted colour guide. Wrapping up the extras are the covers for reprint series The Adventures of The Thing<\/strong> # 2 & 4 (May & July 1992 by Joe Quesada & Dan Panosian and Gary Barker & Mark Farmer respectively).<\/p>\n

Most fans of Costumed Dramas will find little to complain about and there\u2019s loads of fun to be found for young and old readers alike. Fiercely tied to the minutia of Marvel continuity, these stories from Marvel\u2019s Middle Period are certainly of variable quality, but whereas a few might feel rushed and ill-considered they are balanced by other, superb adventure romps as captivating today as they ever were.
\n\u00a9 2024 MARVEL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tom DeFalco, Alan Kupperberg, David Michelinie, Doug Moench, Ron Wilson, Jerry Bingham, Pablo Marcos, Chic Stone, Gene Day & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-5509-0 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes some Discriminatory Content produced during less enlightened times. Above all else, Marvel has always been about team-ups. The concept of team-up books – an established star … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Marvel Two-In-One Masterworks volume 7”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[222,94,74,290,54,159,98,320,292,293,72,79,107,155,231,354,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ant-man","category-avengers","category-captain-america","category-dinosaurs","category-fantastic-four","category-ghost-rider","category-hulk","category-human-torch","category-ka-zar","category-man-thing","category-marvel-masters-masterworks","category-marvel-superheroes","category-science-fiction","category-sub-mariner","category-the-thing","category-wonder-man","category-x-men"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7Qi","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30150"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30155,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30150\/revisions\/30155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}