Marvel Two-In-One #2 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE No. 2, March 1974

Considering that many readers of Steve Gerber’s narrative for Issue Two of “Marvel Two-In-One” most likely bought the comic based upon its cover illustration’s very specific claim to feature a story with “Namor and Ben Grimm -- side by side in battle for a man’s life”, this nineteen-page periodical’s actual plot probably came as something of a disappointment to its audience in March 1974. For whilst The Thing and the Sub-Mariner do eventually “work in tandem for the nonce - - [to] defeat what seems to be a mutual foe”, the pair are portrayed as predominantly going about their separate day-to-day business until Namorita’s desire to protect the child-like minded Wundarr brings them together towards the very end of the book.

In fact, the Missouri-born writer seems infinitely more interested in penning some additional background for his co-creation from Beta Rigel, than he does pitting this publication’s lead characters against the extra-terrestrial robot assassin known as a Mortoid. And rather disconcertingly, the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Famer seems to have been scratching around for inspiration even for that, at least until he appears to have sought inspiration from Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s origin story for Superman; “Hektu was our world’s greatest astronomer until that fateful day he went mad, insisting that our planet Dakkam was doomed - - That our sun would go nova, reducing our sphere to a cinder… He built a rocketship to take himself and his family away…”

Mercifully however, none of these quibbles stop “Manhunters From The Stars” from being a darn good yarn, with Namor in particular providing plenty of amusement on account of his infuriating pomposity. Believing panic “is but proof of his guilt” and that none may harm any person “under the protection of Namor and Atlantis” no matter where within New York City they may be, the human hybrid lurches from one misunderstanding to the next, perhaps inevitably ending up trading blows with the Fantastic Four’s strongest member in Times Square.

Providing plenty of prodigiously pencilled panels, not to mention an incredible amount of Namorita’s bare flesh, is Gil Kane, whose instantly recognisable style provides Ben Grimm with some phenomenally powerful punches as he batters away against the likes of Wundarr and the Sub-Mariner. Indeed, in some ways it is a pity that Gerber didn’t allow for this comic’s two central attractions to slug it out against one another for a while longer, rather than cut their violent hostilities short by depicting the pair siding together against a common alien foe.

Writer: Steve Gerber, Penciller: Gil Kane, and Inker: Joe Sinnott