Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #17

Hello there,

Today's topic is the seventeenth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed The Thing and Spider-Man in between the baddie known as the Basilisk. The story was called "This City..Afire!" The issue had a cover date of July 1976.

The tale began in New York, as Spider-Man descended from Doctor Doom's time platform to present-day surroundings. Peter Parker thought back to his recent exploits (detailed in Marvel Team-Up) as the platform disappeared from sight. While he was swinging home, the Thing was still in the Savage Land (where he'd landed last issue), climbing up a volcanic chasm. He'd arrived to search for the source of seismic interruptions, and wound up aiding Ka-Zar and Zabu.

Ben continued to climb, unaware that he was being watched from behind. He finally sought refuge in a nearby cave and was blinded by a burst of brilliant light, which had emanated from the Basilisk. Grimm was still strong enough to fight the foe, but the Basilisk's eye beams grew stronger, and he boasted about his power.

While all that was going on, young Parker was back at home, trying to concentrate on an essay and failing at the task miserably. His mind was still on his time-traveling adventures. An unexpected earthquake broke up his reverie. Mary Jane Watson called, concerned about her friend, because she'd heard that his area was the hardest hit. Peter looked out the window and was astonished by what he saw.

Parker dashed outside, after changing into his Spider-Man togs, leaving Mary Jane wondering what had happened on the other end of the line. The smoke he'd spotted earlier was coming from a volcano that was rising from the middle of the water. Spidey spun a circular web and used it as a coracle to cross over to the volcano, right before it erupted. 

From a safe vantage point, Peter could see a figure holding another figure above him. When he got a closer look, he learned that it was the Basilisk gloating as he held the unconscious form of the Thing in his hands. The villain tossed the strongest member of the Fantastic Four aside. After confirming that Ben was still breathing, Spider-Man went to seek vengeance against this new threat.

The story continued in Marvel Two-In-One #47. You can read the conclusion at your leisure. One fun fact about this storyline is that the creative teams switched books just for this crossover. Spidey encountered the Basilisk in a previous Marvel Team-Up tale, but after this storyline, he disappeared until rising up to try and tackle the Fantastic Four in their new headquarters before being exterminated by the Scourge. He would be resurrected years later by the Red Hood to take on the Punisher. The Basilisk (whose real name was Basil Elks) was a very underutilized opponent. I wish he'd been revived earlier and gone on to get into more trouble. It definitely would have made for some interesting stories. 

Tomorrow, I'll cover the eighteenth issue of this series. The Thing will meet a character that I'd never even heard of before reading this issue, as they combined forces to battle an otherworldly menace. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.