Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #7

Good afternoon,

It's time for me to talk about the seventh issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Thing, being held by Skurge the Executioner, as the Valkyrie raised a gleaming sword, prepared to strike the ever-lovin' idol of millions. The story was called "Name that Doom!" The issue had a publication date of January 1975.

The story started in Central Park, as a man who looked to be a little down on his luck sat alone on a park bench. He then looked up right before he was grabbed by the Valkyrie, who was astride her winged mount. The trio took to the air before suddenly vanishing.

Meanwhile, the Thing and Doctor Strange were in the sorcerer's sanctum sanctorum in Greenwich Village trying to ascertain the whereabouts of Strange's Defenders teammate. The crystal of Agamotto revealed the town of Cobbler's Roost, Vermont, which apparently had some connection to the harmonica that the Valkyrie had stolen (in the previous issue). 

Strange explained the Valkyrie's development into a woman without a past by the Enchantress, who inhabited the body of a woman named Barbara Norris. The pair then decided to split up. Strange would pursue the old man called Alvin Denton, who had been accosted by the Valkyrie. The Thing took off in the Fantasticar en route to the sleepy Virginia town. 

A short while later, Ben Grimm landed the vehicle outside a small service station. He had no sooner entered the building to ask for directions when he was punched through the front window by the service station's attendant, who was Skurge the Executioner in disguise.

The Asgardian warrior was soon joined by the Enchantress, who used a spell to incapacitate the hero. She then levitated the Thing backward into the repair bay. She also had Denton and the harmonica. The Enchantress kept the musical instrument and used another spell to send her and Skurge away.

Ben and Alvin awoke sometime later. Strange's astral projection appeared before them and stressed that the two must return to New York immediately. Ben was ready to leave, but Denton insisted on returning to Vermont. He was concerned that his daughter was in peril.

During the journey, Denton disclosed that he'd once been a lawyer. His whole world changed after his wife died in an accident. His daughter stayed with him the following summer and helped him deal with the tragedy. She also met her fiancé, Jack, during that time. The couple became involved in a cult and left without warning one day. 

As the Fantasticar neared Cobblers Roost, Vermont, Alvin spied the Valkyrie and proclaimed that she was his long-lost daughter, Barbara. He ran to her as soon as the ship landed. Grimm wondered if the claim was true, and his question was soon answered by the Enchantress, who now stood before them with Skurge. The evil witch explained that the woman was indeed Barbara and removed the Valkyrie from her persona, leaving only a confused, frightened young woman in her stead.

She then summoned forth the harmonica, but before she could do anything further, Denton grabbed the instrument and began to play. As he did so, the Earth itself seemed to split. The human quintet was seemingly left to drift into space. 

At one point, the Enchantress returned the Valkyrie to Norris' form, and Skurge and the Thing were left to race for the harmonica. They soon engaged in a battle, one that the Valkyrie eventually entered to save Grimm. Ben then went up against the Enchantress until she was knocked down for the count. 

The Thing then blew the harmonica, and everyone was returned to Vermont. Valkyrie and the Executioner fought until Ben got his revenge on the mighty Norse warrior. With the villains vanquished, our heroes returned to Alvin, who had passed away. The Valkyrie wept, knowing that she had just lost a piece to the puzzle of her true identity. Ben stood by her, taking the distraught female in his arms to comfort her.

The story continued in the twentieth issue of the Defenders, where Grimm makes a guest appearance. You can read that issue and title at your own leisure, if you like. I have a few assorted issues and reprints of the entire run before it was renamed the New Defenders, and featured the Valkyrie and others after the original Defenders left the group. The Valkyrie's history is interesting, although it's largely forgotten and left untouched after roughly the second half of the title's initial run. I didn't know much about the Enchantress, except for her appearances in the first Secret Wars limited series, before reading this issue, but I knew that she and Skurge had locked horns with Thor from time to time. My only complaint is that we didn't learn very much about the harmonica's mystic background.

Tomorrow, I'll begin the week with a recap of the eighth issue of this series. The Thing meets the Ghost Rider in a tale that could be considered rather unworldly. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.