Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #19

Hello, peeps,

We're halfway through the week. Today's topic is the nineteenth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Thing strapped into a strange apparatus that seemed to be transferring some of his strength to an unnamed cat-like humanoid, as the hero Tigra leaped in to intercede. The story was called "Claws of the Cougar!" The issue had a publication date of September 1976.

The story started in Grimm's bedroom in the Baxter Building. The strongman was sleeping peacefully as a stranger entered through the window. He was finally roused by the mystery woman and started trouncing his bedsheets until he saw that the guest was the one named Tigra. She followed Ben to the building's gymnasium and observed Grimm's exercises before explaining herself.

Tigra was once a woman named Greer Grant. She was a typical American housewife until a scientist named Joanne Tumulo transformed her into the hero known as the Cat (whose first superhero costume was later donned by Patsy Walker in her persona as the Hellcat). Greer was later turned into a cat-person and assumed the identity of Tigra. She was at the Baxter Building because she'd learned that one of the cat people who had turned her into her current form was still a menace.

It was a man who wore nega-bands called the Cougar. Tigra had no sooner described him to Ben when a cadre of armed soldiers fired at the two heroes. Ben blamed their intrusion on his breaking of the building's security system, and he quickly tossed a weight he'd been carrying at their attackers. The gunmen's bullets did nothing but bounce off the Thing's rocky hide, and the battle was brief.

Afterward, Tigra picked up a device from one of the men that was tied to her body temperature. That was a sure sign that the Cougar had been tracking her. Ben used a key hidden in a floorboard to open a room that might contain a device that could be used to analyze the machine, after their foes had been safely locked up. Meanwhile, the people responsible for the attack were debating the reasons for the use of the thugs we saw a few pages earlier.

A short while later, the offices of Conklin Enterprises were visited by the Thing and Tigra. Curt was prepared and had set traps that set off gas fumes pointed at our heroes. When they awoke, each of them was bound to a nearby wall. Curt was strapped to a table, planning to use the energies he'd siphon from Grimm to enhance his own abilities as the Cougar. 

He transformed into his brutish alter-ego after the Thing had broken free and helped his companion do the same. The Cougar's energy blasts and athletic abilities were impressive, but not enough to bring the stars of this issue down. At one point, Curt held a positive charge annihilation device in his hand, but before he could use it, he was shot from behind by his business partner and fiancée, Sheila Conklin. She knew that Curt was a great scientist and was aware of his other persona. The company had been in trouble and had believed that Curt could bring them back from the brink. Both of them used each other to meet their needs. In the end, as she led Tigra and the Thing away from the Cougar's now unresponsive form, Sheila noted how people's desire for power can cause them to be eaten up by greed. 

This was another opportunity to showcase a character who'd had limited appearances in other Marvel magazines. I have all four issues of the Claws of the Cat, but I don't have the giant-sized issue where Greer became Tigra yet. Her solo stories in Marvel Chillers are worth reading, as are some of her stints in the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers. Tigra also guest-starred in a few Fantastic Four issues in the late 70s. She's now allied with Moon Knight and remains an interesting, if often underrated, superhero. 

It would have been nice to have learned a bit more about Curt and Sheila, but I still love a good Bill Mantlo/Sal Buscema pairing. I found this to be a fun single-issue story. I was also surprised by how quickly the Thing and Tigra found the trail to Conklin Enterprises. 

That's it for this article. Tomorrow, I'll kick off a discussion of a two-part Marvel Two-In-One storyline. It begins in the series's first annual, and concludes in the twentieth issue of the title. The opening chapters bring a few well-loved friends and foes into the forefront of this saga. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.