Good morning, peeps,
Hope everyone's having a great weekend! I'm starting the day with a discussion of the sixth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover depicted Doctor Strange and the Thing facing the visage of an unknown enemy. The tale was titled "Death-Song Destiny!" The issue had a cover date of November 1974.
The story started in a New York City subway terminal. Strange and his disciple (and future wife) Clea were standing around with several other city residents. A young girl was playing a harmonica, whose tones elicited different thoughts and emotions from the nearby citizens. One of them moved toward her after the performance ended, which caught Strange and Clea's attention.
The street tough took the instrument from the woman, and she fell into the path of an oncoming train. As the vehicle bore down toward her, the girl exclaimed that the harmonica was more important than her life. Strange grabbed the harmonica from the man, but when he turned to where the girl had been, there was only a shower of bright sparks in her place.
Sparks continued to cascade and shower the corridor, bathing everyone in their immediate vicinity. Neither Strange nor Clea understood just what had happened, but it was certain that the incident was worth investigating. The word "Celestia" had been inscribed on the harmonica. Strange and Clea soon left the station and headed toward their sanctum sanctorum in Greenwich Village.
Meanwhile, in the living quarters of the Baxter Building, the Thing had been fast asleep until he heard the ring of the telephone on his nightstand. Not many people knew Ben Grimm's private phone number, so he figured the caller had to be important. He answered and talked with Mrs. Coogan, one of his former neighbors on Yancy Street. She was calling because something had happened to her grandson (who happened to be the one who'd taken the harmonica from the girl in the subway station).
Grimm boarded a flier and headed for his old homestead. He'd owed the woman a lot, noting that she helped him stay on the path toward moving out of the slums and pursuing higher education. She greeted him warmly before introducing Grimm to her grandson.
At the same time, Strange was using the Eye of Agamotto to learn more about the girl and the harmonica. An image of her face appeared shortly thereafter. Strange discovered that the girl was not human after all, and later knew that he had to confront the other witnesses of that evening's incident.
He began with the Goldenbergs. Sheldon was conducting his nightly routine when he ran from the bathroom in horror, with his face having suddenly disappeared. Strange's astral form arrived just in time to suggest that it was merely an apparition. The young man looked at the mirror and was relieved to see his face staring back at him again. He then told his wife that what had just happened was probably reflective of his work life, where he felt faceless. Sheldon decided that he'd start work on the book he'd been planning to write and leave the rat race behind.
By then, Grimm had heard Mrs. Coogan's grandson's recount of the evening's events. He found it hard to believe at first and suggested that the pair sleep on it. Grimm went outside for some fresh air, only to find his aero-car defaced by members of the infamous Yancy Street gang. He was angered by their defacing of his vehicle, but before he could do anything about it, Doctor Strange appeared behind him.
The two old friends walked off together until a loud scream made them turn and look at a large rat that was now climbing up one of the old tenements. Ben grabbed the giant rodent by the tail before Strange attacked it with mystical force. The creature had grabbed Mrs. Coogan's grandson and brought him outside.
While Ben battled the beastie, Strange tried to convince the lad that the Fantastic Four's strongman needed his help. The youth was initially afraid, but eventually came out of his shell and encouraged the Thing, who continued to batter at the rat until it was no more. The crowd cheered, and Grimm and Strange headed toward Greenwich Village.
However, when they arrived, Clea and Wong had bad news to deliver. Clea said that the Valkyrie, Strange's teammate on the Defenders, had just arrived and taken the harmonica. She'd stated that Strange had sent her to obtain the item, which Clea willingly believed, not knowing that neither hero had heard from the Valkyrie that evening. Clea now knew that was a lie, and the heroes were left wondering why she would request or even know anything about the harmonica.
I don't have a lot of issues in my collection drawn by George Tuska, but I always felt that he was a bit of an underrated comic book artist during the 1970s. His art is simple and clean, for the most part. It can be great if it's inked well. This was kind of an offbeat issue, and I thought at first that the sparkle effects would have affected more of the people in the subway in different ways, but for a single issue, the story was fine.
Later this afternoon, I'll cover the seventh issue of this series. We'll catch up with the Valkyrie and learn why she was interested in the musical instrument. We'll also see the Thing and Valkyrie pair up against a couple of foes who are commonly seen in the pages of The Mighty Thor. Until then, have a great day and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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