MARVEL TWO IN ONE 21

A Rights Issue Leading To Collectability?

Credits

Script:

Bill Mantlo

Pencils:

Ron Wilson

Inks:

Pablo Marcos

Colors:

Janice Cohen

Letters:

Gaspar Saladino (page one), Karen Mantlo

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Thing; Doctor Clark Savage, Jr.; Human Torch; Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair (Monk); Colonel John Renwick (Renny); Mrs. Raymond Lightner; Janice Lightner; Tom Lightner (Blacksun); Raymond Lightner (Blacksun); Tony Stark (Iron Man I)

Indexer Notes

Some characters added by Douglas Johnson via GCD Errors list (May 2007).

Due to the rights to Doc Savage this issue is not reprinted in Essential Marvel Two-In-One (Marvel, 2005 series) #1.This was yet another attempt by Marvel Comics to resusitate a dead comic-namely Doc Savage,by get team him with a popular Marvel character-in this case the Ben Grimm,the Thing and not Spider-Man,in his Team-Up book sometime before.It was to say,gee-your just stupid to buy those other books.What you need if for them to appear in a comic with a popular hero you like.And if you think that insulting,why wonder why we still such terrible junk like Spider-Man meets Red Sonja,Spider-Man meet King Kull,Star Trek meets the X-Men,and the Legion of Superheroes meet Star Trek.You know,originally team ups were for inhouse characters to meet other inhouse characters,but some genious came up with wonderful idea of having ''their character or characters'' meet other outside properties.It was a case where art ? meet pure rip off theivery.In other words,if you bought,your that sucker born every minute,P.T.Barnum was supposed to have said.And Barnum didn't say it originally,he would have,once he saw Marvel Two in One and Marvel Team Up.

Guide to Marvel Two-In-One #21 the Thing & Doc Savage

27AUG

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 -if you can that a writer
Artist: Ron Wilson or tracer

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.Meanwhile,Monk and Ham are looking about hoping nobody they know is reading this comic. 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).Wow,don't you love it two guys with same matter merge and nothing happens,like messing explosion of body parts everywhere.Strangely,also-I don't remember any Doc Savage tale,where this sort of thing happens.Doc 's creators always tried the science believable,where Marvel creators go with whatever bullshit science that their hippie brains to think up,even if it make little suspecion of disbelief sence.

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.Wow,Jim Kirk,often needs the star ship Enterprise,but this yo yo,just needs bad science and a hand me down black uniform,stolen six other bad guys. 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.With Doc saying what was all shit anyway.

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).The Baxter Building and Empire State Buildings lawyers,told either to refrain from comment.They both denie having anything to do with this story.

WHEN does the villain next appear?

As hinted in the last panel of this issue, Blacksun will be seen in the very next issue..As if we give two shits seeing him again.

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).

Of the 100 issues of Marvel's original Two-In-One series, #21 is the only issue that has never been reprinted in any form. If you want to read the story here, your only (legal) option is to track down one in the back issue bins. The reason for this is that Doc Savage appears as a character in the story and he's a character that Marvel does not own the rights to. In order to reprint this story, they have to secure permission from the current rights holder (who I can't seem to find in a 30-second internet search) and probably pay a handsome royalty fee. It's not impossible for that to happen, but with the number of intellectual properties Marvel already owns, sorting all that out just to reprint a single issue seems a bit much.
The cover saw the Thing and Doc Savage punching through a wall.Wow,Max Entertainment for idiots of all ages-any century.

WOW,The Thing and Doc Savage together.Maw,get me my readin glasses.I need to finish this one on the john and use it toilet paper afterwards.Then give a burial at sea.

"Black Sun Lives!" Part 1 of 3. Guest-starring Doc Savage and the Human Torch. Story by Bill Mantlo. Art by Ron Wilson and Pablo Marcos. A mysterious woman sets two heroes, separated by four decades, on a collision course with destiny. Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze and pulp hero of the 1930's, meets the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing in a time-spanning adventure that has to be seen to be believed.Actually,neither Doc Savage nor the Thing meet,in this terribly drawn and written epic of shit creativety.The art looks as if were drawn,inked and colored on a crosstown bus to Marvel.

Not it matter much.If you ever read the original story,you know it was the type of hackie garbage Bill Mantlo often gave us Marvel.A true Masterpiece of utter shit writting.The story was about two scientist,if that what you want to call two guys dealling voodoo magic,being drawn toward the same black hole 30 years apart.If you never read,consider yourself lucky.I waisted 30 cents,because despite looking pages of bad work,I picked up being apart of my Doc Savage collection.Bill Mantlo,did only not have a clue to how black holes work,but didn't have clue as human physics works.Having two guys drawn up into the sky,wouldn't even fool a mentally retarded 3 year old.MY Grade.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to infinity negative side

Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Fourmember, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel Feature (1971 series), and lasted for 100 issues, from January 1974, through June 1983. Seven annuals were also published. As the series progressed, many of the characters paired with the Thing were more obscure superheroes (or, on occasion, supervillains). Although popular, the series never attained the commercial success of Marvel Team-Up, which featured Spider-Man in the same format of different guest stars each month.

Many notable comics creators contributed to the series, including Steve Gerber, Frank Miller, Jack Kirby (who did pencils on several covers during its run), John Byrne, John Buscema, George Pérez and Marv Wolfman.

Marvel Two-In-One ended after one hundred issues and was immediately replaced with a solo series dedicated to The Thing.It was pretty much a terrible series,anyhow-with bad story after another.Only when John Byrne did an issue where the current Thing meets the old Thing,was there a story worth reading.My brother often refered to this book as Marvel Two Holler,as it up your two holes,as if you got fucked twice with this comic each issue