Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #10

Hi there,

Well, we're halfway through the week. Time for me to talk about the tenth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Black Widow fighting off baddies while the Thing tried to drag a large bomb away from everyone. The story was called "Is This the Day the World Ends?" The issue had a publication date of July 1975. 

It all began with a high-speed auto chase down a busy thoroughfare. The Black Widow was driving her sports car away from another vehicle that was occupied by a trio of costumed gunmen. She tried to avoid their fire, but it wasn't an easy task. At the same time, Ben Grimm was having a leisurely walk with his blind girlfriend Alicia Masters, not far from the action.

Before long, the Widow's car headed right for the two lovebirds. Grimm sprang into action, pushing his woman to safety before trying to shield them from the impact of the inevitable collision. Both heroes were eventually whisked away by helicopter by the armed soldiers. Alicia was left all alone, wondering where Ben had gone.

Grimm awoke a while later and demanded answers. The person in charge advised him against brutality, showing that he'd had the Widow at gunpoint. They'd been taken to a floating base in the Atlantic Ocean, far away from land. The leader then brought them to the center of the compound, where a large bomb was being prepared for submersion. The thermonuclear device was intended to trigger tsunamis that would destroy most coastal cities. 

Grimm and Natasha Romanov (the Widow's true identity) were later imprisoned. Ben soon learned that their cell was electrified and that their jailer, Andrei Rostov, once had a personal relationship with the Widow many years ago. She asked for his help in removing a narrow sheet from her outfit that contained the components for a field disruptor rifle that she used to break them out of their cell.

Natasha set off to attack their captors, while Ben went for the bomb. He had to make sure that it didn't reach its designated depth. Grimm was finally able to pull the device up and used part of the cables to lash out at Rostov before he could prematurely end the young adventurer's life. 

After the villains had been detained, Ben and Natasha took control of the facility. Ben understood the gravity of the situation and the many lives they'd saved. He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to celebrate with Natasha once she confirmed that SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters Intelligence and Law Enforcement Division) would arrive and that his girlfriend was fine. 

For a Chris Claremont script, this was kind of a cookie-cutter plot. I've enjoyed the Black Widow's appearances in the pages of the Avengers, the Champions, Daredevil, and Marvel Fanfare, but I don't think that the Thing is really the kind of James Bond-style counterpart that works very well with her. Not Chris' best effort, but I've read worse in my day. The villain wasn't much to write home about. Just another forgettable foe that wasn't affiliated with any major groups like Hydra or the Maggia. Klaus Janson's inks over Bob Brown's pencil work kept me reading this yarn.

That's it for today. Tomorrow, I'll discuss the eleventh issue of this series. The Thing will pair up with a lesser-known character who, before then, was best known for their appearances in Marvel's Strange Tales magazine. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.