Hi everyone,
I'm starting a new week with a new series to cover. Most of you probably know about Marvel Two-In-One, a regular title in the 1970s and 80s that teamed the ever-loving blue-eyed Thing with different heroes. What you might not know is that the concept began in the pages of the bi-monthly series Marvel Feature.
The first three issues of this title featured the original Defenders (Doctor Strange, the Incredible Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer) before that group got its own book. The issues following that focused on the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym. The Thing made his debut in this series in issue #11, where he went up against none other than the Hulk himself. They were locked in combat on the issue's cover.
The story was called "Cry, Monster." The issue had a cover date of September 1973. It all started in the Fantastic Four's first skyscraper headquarters, the Baxter Building. Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) and his brother-in-law, Johnny Storm (better known as the Human Torch), were trying to prevent the Thing/Ben Grimm from pulling apart a piece of Reed's laboratory machines.
Reed constructed the device as one of his many attempts to turn Grimm back to his regular human form. Ben wasn't having any of it. He had no desire at the time to revert to what he'd been before the fateful rocket ride into outer space that was responsible for the Fantastic Four's creation. Their origin was summarized in the first several panels of the third page. What none of them knew was that they were being observed from afar by the former master of Planet X, Kurrgo (who had only been seen before in Fantastic Four #7).
The erstwhile monarch recounted his initial visit to Earth and how Reed had tried to help his guest save his people from the possible collision of their planet with a different world. Richards had shrunk the populace down so that everyone could fit into a rocket that could deliver them all to safety. Kurrgo had stayed behind when the planet started collapsing and was trapped in the rubble.
Kurrgo's loyal robot aide came to the rescue and delivered him to a hidden ship. They took off right before Planet X was destroyed. It took Kurrgo several years to find the new world that his people had settled on. However, by that time, they'd decided that they no longer wanted the despot to rule them. They had prepared defenses to drive Kurrgo away. He and his robot fled, but Kurggo would not forget the betrayal.
His ship now hovered over Earth. Kurrgo was searching for Earth's mightiest warriors and came upon the mighty Hulk. He was about to enlist the jade giant to his cause when the Hulk's long-time enemy, the Leader, intervened. The man who was once Samuel Sterns was encased in a cylinder aboard a ship, as he conversed telepathically with Kurrgo.
The Leader thought that the Hulk's power could help him to recover from his paralysis. Kurrgo proposed that the two of them settle things by having two of Earth's mightiest beings battle for them. The Leader had chosen the Hulk, and Kurrgo opted for the Thing. Whichever one of them won the match would have the services of both champions and the scientific knowledge of the loser.
The game was about to begin. Back in the Baxter Building, the Thing was about to boot the ball of mechanical junk he'd just made when he was transported into a town that seemed to be right out of the Old West. He had just gotten his bearings when an astral projection of the Leader appeared before him.
Sterns explained that Grimm had been sent there to serve as Kurrgo's warrior, where he would be going up against his warrior, the Hulk. Ben's temper flared until the Leader showed him an Ultrex bomb that had been activated and was capable of destroying the planet in less than thirty minutes if Grimm didn't disarm its timing mechanism before then.
The Leader's image then disappeared, and Grimm was left all alone. He announced his accomplishment to Kurrgo on the spaceship, where the two villains awaited the reaction from the green-skinned hero. Grimm was still stewing in the Western town when Bruce Banner's alter ego struck the first blow. He was wondering why he'd been sent to that place to fight the Thing.
The two engaged in a battle that knocked down much of the old buildings around them. Not even Grimm's disclosure of the bomb was enough to deter his foe. The fight continued until the Thing finally was able to subdue the Hulk temporarily. He then turned a corner, and found the bomb that the Leader had shown him, only to learn that it was a fake.
The Hulk had returned, ready for the next round when a beam from the ship orbiting Earth's atmosphere struck him. Ben grabbed onto a green leg and ascended with him. They were then face to face with the Leader and Kurrgo. Kurrgo dispatched his faithful robot to defend them, which was knocked into part of the spaceship's controls.
Ben decided to bail out before the craft went down. The Hulk followed, and the two of them landed safely back on Earth. The ship exploded and plummeted planetward after the Hulk bounded away. The Thing was then left by himself once more. Now he just had to figure out how he'd get home.
Even though he wasn't as popular as the Hulk (who is still my favorite Marvel hero), I still admire the Thing. He's strong but also has a good moral compass. He's not as smart as Reed, but usually manages to figure things out and has saved the day plenty of times on his own or with the assistance of other comrades plenty of times since his creation. This was a fun yarn, one that was my introduction to Kurrgo and featured my favorite Hulk nemesis, the Leader. The Thing and the Hulk had tussled before, and would meet each other many more times as the years have gone on.
Tomorrow, I'll discuss the final Thing tale from Marvel Feature before he was given his own magazine. Marvel Feature #12 has Grimm teaming up with Iron Man. The two heroes take on a twin terror, and this issue has one of the earliest appearances of a well-known foe who's probably best known lately for his roles in Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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