Good morning!
Today's focus is on the forty-fourth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Thing and Hercules being tossed aside by a towering Minotaur. The story was called "October 1978." The issue had a publication date of October 1978.
The story started in the meeting room of Camp Run-A-Mok, a summer camp full of rambunctious children who were swarming around Ben Grimm, as he sat on a recliner and tried to tell a story. It was all about one of his recent exploits, which began with another prank played upon him by his teammate, the Human Torch, while Ben was trying to exercise at the Baxter Building.
The Torch (real name: Johnny Storm) melted one of Grimm's barbells that he'd thrown at his agitator, leaving Ben pretty peeved. He went outside to clear his head on a walk when he saw the mighty Hercules flying past, riding a chariot that was powered by a white-winged horse. The hero reached out for Ben's hand as they soared toward the legendary Olympus.
Hercules had returned home days before after his superteam, the Champions, broke up, and was stunned to find his father, Zeus, missing. They entered the palace and were greeted by large green flying pythons (none of them named Monty, as far as we know). Ben tossed one aside, while Hercules drew a gate down upon the other.
They ventured further into the building, but then a large crimson tiger leapt at the duo. Hercules was strong enough to vault the cat up and over his body. Ben remarked at the large table that stood before them, just before a large Minotaur lashed out at the intruders. He flung a large berry at Ben and Hercules turned the table over to allow them to escape.
Hercules' winged steed was waiting, and the pair climbed aboard the chariot mere moments before the Minotaur jumped toward them, only to fall several stories as the trio flew away. Their next destination would be the sun tower, an edifice that usually meant death to all, Olympians included. They ascended the stairs and found Zeus tied to a post, as flames from the pit that the post had emerged from continued to rise.
Ben jumped to the wooden frame and snapped it in two. It fell toward the tower floor, forming a bridge that Zeus and Grimm could safely traverse. However, a large creature called Manduu the Merciless now blocked their escape. While the creature swung at the Thing with his club, Hercules used part of the wooden pole that his father had been attached to to strike at their foe's feet.
The heroes were eventually able to force their opponent to lose his balance and plunge into the fiery pit. The trio escaped on the flying chariot and made their way to the Watergate (not the one in Washington, D.C., as Ben pointed out when narrating to the children). There, one final test remained: a bird-like being called Krokarr the Cruel stood in their way.
The creature aimed a burst of water at the chariot, knocking its occupants from the sky. By then, the camp attendees were riveted to Grimm's story, waiting with bated breath to know what happened next. Ben smiled and said that they fell back into the chariot, and Zeus used his power supreme to encase their opponent in a large block of ice. This thrilled the children, who were eager to hear the next story when Ben returned.
If you thought that this issue felt like a fill-in, you're probably not alone. Team-up books like this one usually had a revolving door of writers and artists, which explains why many of its issues were single-issue sagas. This one was entertaining. It was good to see Hercules and Zeus again after the Champions title was cancelled. I don't know much about the villains from this tale, but I wouldn't mind seeing them appear again in other Marvel mags.
Well, that's all I have for you today. I'm going to be off shortly for a belated birthday celebration with the folks, and then take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, I'll return with a discussion of the forty-fifth issue of Marvel Team-Up. Ben joins forces with a now-late, lamented member of the Marvel Universe as they encounter someone from the Fantastic Four's past. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.







