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scans_dailyFound this in one of my longboxes and having fond memories of the insanity it contained, thought I'd share.
"Marvel Two-In-One" (with regular star The Thing) was a sort of companion title to "Marvel Team-Up" (regular star Spider-Man) and both were sort of an answer to "The Brave and the Bold" (regular star Batman) and "DC Comics Presents" (Regular star Superman).
Take a widely known, ground level hero and add lesser known (or one not noted for solo aoppearances) hero, add plot, sit back and enjoy.
MTiO produced some excellent stories under regular writer Mark Gruenwald, notably the Project Pegasus Saga, the debut of the second Serpent Squad (Which would later grow into the Serpent Society) and others, but this a fun, done-in-one little romp, featuring a guy made of rocks, and a guy with wings, fighting armoured attackers after a night at the disco...
So from October 1980, welcome to
DISCO'S AND DUNGEONS!
Hmmm, I'd heard rumours about certain aspects of the disco scene, but didn't think they were true.
It's this first image that convinced me I had to post the story (And yes, it's one whole page out of the six I can post out of this eighteen page story, but I just HAD to!)
Seriously, does it get any better than this? I think not...
Johnny has taken Ben for a night on the town to get him over his recent break-up with Alicia Masters.
Ben doesn't feel like dancing so they head to the bar, where the chance upon an old colleague, and his lady friend Candy Southern...
A thing for blonds? Candy has taste is all I can say!
Ben drowns his sorrows with a Perrier, and Warren has a screwdriver, but the bartender slips a little something extra into Warren's drink... (Though I have to ask, what kind of a dive is it that serves a screwdriver in a beermug?)
Up until the moment the gas hit I was almost thinking what a nice bartender, see's two guys who could be good for each other, arranges for them to spend a little time in the men's room in a 1980 disco and puts an Out of Order sign up so they won't be disturbed, but then...
I've heard of a portapotty, but this is RIDICULOUS!
A little while later, our heroes awaken with Ben finding a frog sailing past him into the vat of.... stuff below...
Really? Please do tell us of what YOUR Studio 54 experiences were like Warren, oh please do....
The get free (Warren by wiggling his wings to the chains slip off, and Ben by muscle power which then helps to get Warren free of the leg manacles) to find....
Our heroes set off, with Ben setting off a trapdoor and isolating him from Warren.
Our high flying Angel actually has problems of his own.. since a pit isn't a problem to someone who can fly, a different trap has been triggered for him...
By working out the timing of the blades, he manages to slip past them, and reunites with Ben..
I think you can guess where THIS is going, so I'll cut this scene (Though check out that cover again if you want to imaging it some more)
And so they finally make it to the main chamber of the castle, which Ben has recognised as being an old one of Doctor Doom's, long abandoned by Victor, and left to ruin, but it's not ruined any more, though bizarrely, the main hall has been converted into a giant biomechanical swamp...
And who should they find sitting there as the big boss... someone with a thing for swamps, and who would enjoy having a stoodge like Magneto to boss around? Why who other than...
He has a robotic Wanda there... I do not wish to know why he had such a thing built given her spurning of his affections in the old Brotherhood days. If anyone DOES have any ideas, please, I beg you, keep them to yourself!
This was the first appearance of the Toad in a long time. He had long been Magneto's lackey, a sort of capering jester with a low level mutant leaping power which was effectively made useless by his cowardly streak and zero self-image.
Now he's back, seems to have had a little counselling to deal with his self image issues, and is wanting revenge against everyone who treated him like crap in his life, and particularly Magento. Warren's public identity as the Angel and high profile lifestyle made him the easiest target to start with, and Ben's being there was just an accidental thing, but is quite happy to expand his plan to kill him too.
Saying that he activates the techno-swamp's offensive capabalities, and proves that he's actually been working at using his powers effectively; He's insanely nimble and superfast when leaping, can kick like a freight train and the swamp like environment means that Thing can't really get his footing in the mud and muck.
Angel takes off in pursuit, and finds that Toad also has a thing for tentacles... I think I rather approve of that.
Ben, on the other hand, gets a hungry cyborg lilypad, rocket launching bullrushes and psychotic cyber-seaweed.
Whilst he's enjoying the imminent demise of his opponents, Toad get's a phone call from his financier, who we never see and who is called only "Mister A" (There's a clue as to who it is in an earlier scan if you can spot it).
Ben and Warren free themselves, but rather than taking any pleasure in dealing with Toad they find him reduced back to a snivelling wretch, all his dreams crushed.
Warren, in a moment of compassion (Toad really HAS had a pretty shitty life after all, sort of the opposite of the ridiculously handsome, filthy rich and confident Angel) has another idea... a business proposition to put to Toad. He'll loan him the money to pay off his debts, and Toad can repay him over time. But how can Toad possibly earn the money honestly? Warren has an idea about that too...
And so....
Oh, and Mini-Mags is now selling tickets (I don't think we ever found out Magneto's reaction to THAT little insult).
Eventually, Toad was evicted from the castle by Doctor Doom, and after trying to work with Spider-Kid and Frog-Man in a new group, the Misfits, returned to a life of crime as the leader of a 1990's version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Force, but I thought it worth showing the time time he DID reform..
"Marvel Two-In-One" (with regular star The Thing) was a sort of companion title to "Marvel Team-Up" (regular star Spider-Man) and both were sort of an answer to "The Brave and the Bold" (regular star Batman) and "DC Comics Presents" (Regular star Superman).
Take a widely known, ground level hero and add lesser known (or one not noted for solo aoppearances) hero, add plot, sit back and enjoy.
MTiO produced some excellent stories under regular writer Mark Gruenwald, notably the Project Pegasus Saga, the debut of the second Serpent Squad (Which would later grow into the Serpent Society) and others, but this a fun, done-in-one little romp, featuring a guy made of rocks, and a guy with wings, fighting armoured attackers after a night at the disco...
So from October 1980, welcome to
DISCO'S AND DUNGEONS!
Hmmm, I'd heard rumours about certain aspects of the disco scene, but didn't think they were true.
It's this first image that convinced me I had to post the story (And yes, it's one whole page out of the six I can post out of this eighteen page story, but I just HAD to!)
Seriously, does it get any better than this? I think not...
Johnny has taken Ben for a night on the town to get him over his recent break-up with Alicia Masters.
Ben doesn't feel like dancing so they head to the bar, where the chance upon an old colleague, and his lady friend Candy Southern...
A thing for blonds? Candy has taste is all I can say!
Ben drowns his sorrows with a Perrier, and Warren has a screwdriver, but the bartender slips a little something extra into Warren's drink... (Though I have to ask, what kind of a dive is it that serves a screwdriver in a beermug?)
Up until the moment the gas hit I was almost thinking what a nice bartender, see's two guys who could be good for each other, arranges for them to spend a little time in the men's room in a 1980 disco and puts an Out of Order sign up so they won't be disturbed, but then...
I've heard of a portapotty, but this is RIDICULOUS!
A little while later, our heroes awaken with Ben finding a frog sailing past him into the vat of.... stuff below...
Really? Please do tell us of what YOUR Studio 54 experiences were like Warren, oh please do....
The get free (Warren by wiggling his wings to the chains slip off, and Ben by muscle power which then helps to get Warren free of the leg manacles) to find....
Our heroes set off, with Ben setting off a trapdoor and isolating him from Warren.
Our high flying Angel actually has problems of his own.. since a pit isn't a problem to someone who can fly, a different trap has been triggered for him...
By working out the timing of the blades, he manages to slip past them, and reunites with Ben..
I think you can guess where THIS is going, so I'll cut this scene (Though check out that cover again if you want to imaging it some more)
And so they finally make it to the main chamber of the castle, which Ben has recognised as being an old one of Doctor Doom's, long abandoned by Victor, and left to ruin, but it's not ruined any more, though bizarrely, the main hall has been converted into a giant biomechanical swamp...
And who should they find sitting there as the big boss... someone with a thing for swamps, and who would enjoy having a stoodge like Magneto to boss around? Why who other than...
He has a robotic Wanda there... I do not wish to know why he had such a thing built given her spurning of his affections in the old Brotherhood days. If anyone DOES have any ideas, please, I beg you, keep them to yourself!
This was the first appearance of the Toad in a long time. He had long been Magneto's lackey, a sort of capering jester with a low level mutant leaping power which was effectively made useless by his cowardly streak and zero self-image.
Now he's back, seems to have had a little counselling to deal with his self image issues, and is wanting revenge against everyone who treated him like crap in his life, and particularly Magento. Warren's public identity as the Angel and high profile lifestyle made him the easiest target to start with, and Ben's being there was just an accidental thing, but is quite happy to expand his plan to kill him too.
Saying that he activates the techno-swamp's offensive capabalities, and proves that he's actually been working at using his powers effectively; He's insanely nimble and superfast when leaping, can kick like a freight train and the swamp like environment means that Thing can't really get his footing in the mud and muck.
Angel takes off in pursuit, and finds that Toad also has a thing for tentacles... I think I rather approve of that.
Ben, on the other hand, gets a hungry cyborg lilypad, rocket launching bullrushes and psychotic cyber-seaweed.
Whilst he's enjoying the imminent demise of his opponents, Toad get's a phone call from his financier, who we never see and who is called only "Mister A" (There's a clue as to who it is in an earlier scan if you can spot it).
Ben and Warren free themselves, but rather than taking any pleasure in dealing with Toad they find him reduced back to a snivelling wretch, all his dreams crushed.
Warren, in a moment of compassion (Toad really HAS had a pretty shitty life after all, sort of the opposite of the ridiculously handsome, filthy rich and confident Angel) has another idea... a business proposition to put to Toad. He'll loan him the money to pay off his debts, and Toad can repay him over time. But how can Toad possibly earn the money honestly? Warren has an idea about that too...
And so....
Oh, and Mini-Mags is now selling tickets (I don't think we ever found out Magneto's reaction to THAT little insult).
Eventually, Toad was evicted from the castle by Doctor Doom, and after trying to work with Spider-Kid and Frog-Man in a new group, the Misfits, returned to a life of crime as the leader of a 1990's version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Force, but I thought it worth showing the time time he DID reform..
no subject
Date: 2011-09-03 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-03 09:49 pm (UTC)But!
If the time ever comes that Disco returns . . .
Ben Grimm will be first in line to reenact Saturday Night Fever.
Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; you know how John Travolta dances in all of his movies? That needs to be a Ben Grimm thing (eh heh), too.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 02:29 am (UTC)Actually, speaking of reform....
Date: 2011-09-03 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 02:02 am (UTC)I'm looking forward to seeing Toad again. Creepy little wretch that he is, he knows the one thing that matters most: never give up no matter what the odds are against you.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 04:27 am (UTC)I have a stack of the two-in-ones and Spider-Man Team-Ups. They're usually goofy and fun. I always felt like the writers and editors used them to smile and relax.
And they're remembered, as Ben Grimm snarled to Wade in an issue of Deadpool Team-Up, "Hey, I was doing Two-In-Ones before you wuz a gleam in a psychopath's eye!"
no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 04:30 am (UTC)Aw! But where's the fun in that?
no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 08:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 08:40 am (UTC)It was nice seeing Toad in his old court jester costume.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 02:45 pm (UTC)Do comics still do that kind of "cultural touchstone" stuff? I remember lots of mohawk'd punks in the '80s. That last Howard the Duck miniseries had a bit about corporate-created boy bands. Any grunge or hip-hop themed supervillains out there?
no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 03:22 pm (UTC)Sadly for his attempt at being badass (His Marilyn-Manson-like, high-school-shooting-inducing, demon schtick was both cliché by the time he arrived, and had the misfortune (if that's the right term compared to a real tragedy) to come out at almost the same time as the Columbine shooting incident) his first identity was apparently one called "Limbo", perhaps the LEAST threatening dance music this side of the Hokey Cokey.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-06 03:12 pm (UTC)Around this same time, you have Spidey talking about that hottie Mia Farrow and only two years earlier had teamed-up with....the original cast of Saturday Night Live. Remember when the Avengers guest-starred on that up and coming new talk show with David Letterman?
But that's just the 70s, right? Well how about when Pat Boone competed with Superman for Lois Lane? Godzilla played against Charles Barkely? When Orson Welles was in Superman? President Obama in Spiderman? The Beatles in the Fantastic Four? Henry Kissinger in Supervillain Team-Up?
I mean, comics has always done this; whether the way-out 'Goodie' Rickles in Jimmy Olsen or the appearance of John Walsh in The Outsiders.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-06 10:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-06 01:52 pm (UTC)I remember loving it, even if the Saturday Night Fever joke was dated, even then (this was 3 years after SNF and disco was dying by this point).
I liked that Toad was presented so sympathetically, I liked the whole slightly-silly storyline (of which Two-in-one was excellent at) and I liked the one-and-done nature of it. I also loved the cameo of 'Mister A', including the teaser earlier in the comic.