Marvel Two-In-One launched in 1974, teaming the Thing with a different hero each month. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: November 1976
Cover Price: 30¢
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Ron Wilson

WHO stars in this issue?

the Thing – Benjamin J. Grimm was bombarded by cosmic rays in a space exploration flight, alongside three friends. The cosmic rays gave each of them different powers, and they formed the Fantastic Four. Ben underwent the most physical change of the foursome: his skin mutated into orange rock and, as a result, he gained super-strength.

Doc Savage – Clark Savage, Jr. is a pulp hero from the 1930s. He possesses many skills and abilities including: great strength, endurance, photographic memory, mastery of the martial arts, and vast knowledge of the sciences. His nickname, “the Man of Bronze”, is attributed to the color of his hair and skin.

WHAT happens?

In the present (1976), Janice Lightner (the daughter of Raymond Lightner) seeks the assistance of the Thing – for her maniacal brother seeks to continue the work of her mad-scientist father. Her brother, Tom, has recreated the Sky Cannon based on his father’s notes, and he intends on using it to drain the stars of the light and imbue him with their energy.

Back in 1936, Lucinda Lightner (the wife of Raymond Lightner) recruits the aid of Doc Savage to stop her mad-scientist husband from using the Sky Cannon. In both times, the heroes arrive at the scene just as the Sky Cannon has been activated and they are struck by its Star-Beam. The energy breaches time itself and brings Doc Savage to the present (1976). The Star-Beam also merged Tom Lightner with his father, Raymond Lightner, into the villainous Blacksun, who launches an attack on the Thing, Doc Savage and their friends (the Human Torch, Monk, Renny and Janice Lightner).

However, the excitation of battle is no replacement for the call of space on this maddened being. Blacksun feels the call of the stars, themselves, and begins his journey towards them. But, in the end, he’s only a human – and his mortal form could not contain all the energy his body tried to contain. As his body gives way to the massive energies stored within, the temporal field retracts and Doc Savage (and friends) return to their home time period.

WHERE does the story take place?

Manhattan – specifically the Baxter Building (in the present) and the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building (in 1936).

WHEN does the villain next appear?

As hinted in the last panel of this issue, Blacksun will be seen in the very next issue.

WHY is Doc Savage the guest-lead?

Marvel does not own the rights to Doc Savage – he’s a pulp hero that’s been around since before Marvel Comics even existed. But, in the 1970s, Marvel purchased the rights to produce a comic series based on the Man of Bronze. His comic series was published from 1972 to 1974. Marvel changed the format to magazine-size and launched a new Doc Savage series in 1975. Sales must not have been doing well, so it appears that he showed up here to give the character some more exposure. Unfortunately, it didn’t work – his magazine was cancelled four months later (the last issue had a cover date of March 1977). Since then, other comic publishers have acquired the license, including Millennium, Dark Horse Comics and DC Comics.

HOW was it?

You’ll need a lot of suspension of disbelief with this issue but, it’s a neat treat to see Doc Savage teamed with the Thing – especially since it appears that the Thing is starstruck by the Man of Bronze. Also, since Doc Savage is a licensed character, this issue cannot be reprinted by Marvel unless they acquire the rights again. So, this story will be missing from those Essential collections of Marvel Two-In-One. There’s a lot of setup to get this story going but the climax only lasts five pages. Lots of setup and lots of action but little in the way of characterization – especially for Doc Savage (who seems incredibly aloof and uninteresting).

Note: no letters page this issue.

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Marvel Two-In-One launched in 1974, teaming the Thing with a different hero each month. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: October 1976
Cover Price: 30¢
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema

WHO stars in this issue?

the Thing – Benjamin J. Grimm was bombarded by cosmic rays in a space exploration flight, alongside three friends. The cosmic rays gave each of them different powers, and they formed the Fantastic Four. Ben underwent the most physical change of the foursome: his skin mutated into orange rock and, as a result, he gained super-strength. At this point in Marvel Continuity, Ben Grimm was reverted back to human form but he operated an exo-skeleton armor created by Reed Richards that was made to look exactly like the Thing.

Liberty Legion– a super-team that fought the Axis influence in the United States during World War II. The team consists of the Whizzer, Miss America, Red Raven, Jack Fost, Blue Diamond, Thin Man and the Patriot.

WHAT happens?

The Thing has traveled back in time to the year 1942 to retrieve a piece of vibranium metal before it can alter the course of history – for the worse (see Marvel Two-In-One Annual #1).

Currently, he has propelled himself towards a gigantic, Flying Swastika that is destroying Manhattan’s skyscrapers. When he reaches the deadly aircraft, he discovers it’s piloted by Brain Drain – the free-floating brain of Nazi supreme intellect, Werner Schmidt. The Thing manages to inflict some damage to the Flying Swastika but, Brain Drain safely lands it upon his floating, secret base.

It’s on that secret base that the Thing is attacked by SkyShark, Meranno the U-Man and Master Man. But, before he can be overwhelmed by the Nazi super-villains, he’s joined by the Liberty Legion. With eight heroes facing three villains, the Nazis are quickly beaten. The Thing retrieves the cannister of vibranium from SkyShark and returns to the present knowing that the time-stream has been returned to normal.

WHERE does the story take place?

New York City in the year, 1942. Specifically, Manhattan.

WHEN does the villain next appear?

While SkyShark and Slicer have not been seen since, Meranno the U-Man returned in the Invaders #38 (cover date: March 1979). Brain Drain got himself a new, robotic body in Alpha Flight #108-110 (1992) and Master Man returned in the Invaders #16 (cover date: May 1977).

WHY are the Liberty Legion the guest-leads?

After the early success of the Invaders, Roy Thomas expanded Marvel’s “golden-age” super-hero line-up by introducing the Lethal Legion – the homefront version of the Invaders. They took over the lead of Marvel Premiere for two issues in 1976 but didn’t prove popular enough to maintain an ongoing. It would appear that their inclusion here was Roy Thomas’ way of getting them some more audience exposure.

HOW was it?

This issue served to wrap up the storyline that originally started in Fantastic Four Annual #11 and continued into Marvel Two-In-One Annual #1. While the second chapter of this storyline strongly featured the Liberty Legion, this issue leaned hard the other way and gave the spotlight to the Thing. Lots of action to be had here but little in the way of characterization. With eight heroes and five villains (including Brain Drain and Slicer), there’s just not enough limelight to adequately go around.

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