Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #11

Hello,

Today's topic is the eleventh issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover depicted Ben Grimm battling the entity known as the Golem. The story was called "The Thing Goes South!" The issue had a cover date of September 1975.

It all began in a busy concourse, with the Thing trying to scramble to help his girlfriend, Alicia Masters, navigate the bustling crowd so they could make their connection to Disney World. The couple was about to miss their train when Ben used his strength to delay the train long enough for them to board. His appearance was enough to make other passengers stop, stare, and decide to sit somewhere else.

Meanwhile, at San Pedro University in Florida, a trio of young adults stood before the Golem. One of them was certain that the living stone figure had moved. They engaged in a spirited debate about prior incidents, and there were definitely doubts about the Golem, even though it had been praised for vanquishing villains. The quartet was being watched from afar by one of the Golem's previous foes, who soon dispatched his minions to embark on a mission of revenge.

By then, Ben and Alicia's train had been moving along smoothly. A radio report informed passengers that a tidal wave had taken out a bridge that connected Saint Petersburg with San Pedro University. The Thing grabbed his lady and headed toward the college town. When they arrived, they found several residents running in panic. A television broadcast showed footage of the Golem smashing up the town. 

It seemed inevitable that the two titans would meet, and their confrontation happened a lot sooner than later. Even though the Golem seemed to be much stronger, the Thing still held his ground. He even created a bridge to separate them from the henchmen of the Golem's arch-rival, Kaballa. The foe eventually appeared on the scene, and things looked dire until Kaballa learned that his disciples had been taken care of.

After the demon disappeared, things quieted down. The Golem's associates thought that people might have a better understanding and tolerance of people who weren't quite like them. Ben knew from experience that it was usually easier said than done.

I understand the moral lesson that scripter Roy Thomas and writer Bill Mantlo were trying to impart upon their audience, but I think the problem was that not a lot of readers knew much about the Golem or his supporting characters before picking up this issue, myself included. I almost confused him with It, the Living Colossus at first. I may have to go back and read some of his previous exploits sometime. He seems like a character that has some decent potential, but wasn't quite popular enough to merit very many feature stories or even a mini-series or ongoing title. Books like this and its counterpart, Marvel Team-Up, were used at times to gauge interest in different guest stars, and this tale was a prime example of just that. A fair yarn, but none that merited a follow-up or garnered a large faithful following.

That's it for now. I'll end the work week with a recap of the twelfth issue of this title. The Thing rejoins an armored Avenger as they battle another lesser-known baddie. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.