Good afternoon,
Hope everyone's weekend was grand. Today's topic is the eighth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Thing hanging on to the back of Ghost Rider's motorcycle for dear life, as the two heroes sped across a scene that appeared to be something from a centuries-old book. The tale was titled "Silent Night...Deadly Night!" The issue had a cover date of March 1975.
The story started on a lonely highway. Ghost Rider was speeding along when he came across a trio of wise men that Christmas Eve in 1974 (author's note: at the time, most comic books had cover dates that were usually 2-3 months in advance of when they arrived in stores). He slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting them and skidded across the desert sands.
One of the strangers approached him to make sure that he was unharmed. The Ghost Rider was fine, merely stunned by their sudden appearance from out of nowhere. The man explained that the three kings were following a bright star in the sky, hoping it would lead them to a child who had been mentioned in a prophecy. Ghost Rider turned down their invitation to join them and sped off on his way.
Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building in New York City, Ben Grimm was helping his Fantastic Four teammate Reed Richards assemble a new telescope. Ben thought that Reed should be spending more time with his family than staring off into space. After a while, Grimm left Reed alone and wandered off, finding his girlfriend, Alicia Masters, waiting for him,
She and Medusa, Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), Sue Richards, Reed and Sue's young son Franklin, Wundarr, Namorita and her roommate, Annie Christopher, were gathered in a family room making preparations for the holiday season. At one point, the lights were turned off, and the Torch used his powers to light up the Christmas tree. It went up in a spectacle that was more appropriate for the Fourth of July, but it set Ben off laughing hysterically.
While Ben was trying to calm down, the Ghost Rider continued on until he saw a town appear that seemed to be right out of Biblical times. He rode through the village, noticing that many of the people appeared to be Native Americans. He stopped at one residence, only to be denied entry. The Ghost Rider then saw a couple huddled around a child lying in a manger. However, when he tried to investigate, he was warned not to proceed by a figure cloaked in shadows behind him.
The figure raised his left hand and sent a whirlwind spinning after the hero. He narrowly escaped injury, as did his motorcycle. It was a strange mystery, one that the Ghost Rider was determined to solve.
Back at the Baxter Building, Ben tried to get Reed to participate in the festivities. Richards was preoccupied with his observations, which were concentrated on the Konohoti Indian reservation in Arizona, where Wyatt Wingfoot, a friend and sometime aide to the Fantastic Four, and his tribe made their home. Reed ordered Ben to ready the Pogo plane, but Ben wasn't about to completely agree with his leader's plan.
He insisted that Reed join his family, offering to go to Arizona by himself. A short while later, the plane burst into the sky. Its arrival was noticed by Ghost Rider, who greeted the rocky member of the Fantastic Four. He then showed his guest a pair of sentries that had been following him. They overpowered the riders and took their guises to infiltrate the town.
The two heroes' presence was soon detected by the stranger, who we now learned was the Miracle Man (whom the FF first encountered in issue #3 of their own mag). His powers to summon large beasts to defend himself were impressive and a significant leap forward from his previously shown skills. The villain explained that he'd learned such abilities from the mystics of the Cheemuzwa tribe (whom he'd escaped from in Fantastic Four #139). He had gained the power to turn the small village into something completely different.
The Miracle Man swore revenge on the duo that had shattered his new reality. He began to battle the heroes, but was eventually knocked out by one of the Thing's famous "clobbering time" punches. As the villain drifted into unconsciousness, the facade lifted, and the town returned to normal. Spirits of the ancient Cheemuzwa Indians appeared briefly before Ben's eyes, before fading into nothingness.
A short while later, Ghost Rider and the Thing convened with Wyatt and his friends. Ben pondered why the Miracle Man's flames were ineffective against his comrade as the Ghost Rider drove away. The rider knew what Ben was probably thinking, and figured that he'd been unaffected because of his recent interaction with someone who had helped him (in issue #9 of his own title). He still had plenty of questions about that day, but was thankful to be alive and able to appreciate this holiday, which he felt might have been one of the most important ever for mankind.
Aside from his appearances in the short-lived Champions series and a few odd issues of his solo book, I don't have a lot of comics that feature the Ghost Rider, so this was a welcome surprise, even though it was a bit of an offbeat tale. I was a bit taken aback by the fact that the Thing offered to go alone on Christmas, but this turned out to be a regular habit as this series went on. The Miracle Man is one of those superbaddies that doesn't get enough attention. I sometimes wonder what would happen if he teamed up with the mutant Mastermind from the X-Men comics.
Well, that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow, I'll cover the ninth issue of this title. Ben has his first team-up with the God of Thunder as they try to prevent the rest of the FF from succumbing to one of their oldest opponents (with a little help from another guest star as well). Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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