Good evening,
Hope all's well. The focus of this article is the twenty-ninth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover depicted the Thing and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, squaring off against an army of Hydra soldiers. The tale was titled "Two Against Hydra." The issue had a cover date of July 1977.
The story started a few yards from the legendary Big Ben clock tower in London, England. Ben Grimm and his lady love, Alicia Masters, had recently arrived and were beginning to explore the city. Masters had always wanted to visit London, and was overjoyed at the opportunity to travel there with Ben.
Grimm had just been reading a newspaper story about his arrival in Great Britain and talked about how others saw him. Alicia knew that most didn't know Ben's softer, gentle side. He displayed that version of himself when he let a pigeon sit in his hands as Alicia fed it. Ben let the bird fly away as the couple walked along together.
They then took a bus to Kensington Street, where they went to see Professor Kort, a brilliant man who might be able to help the time-displaced cyborg Deathlok (who was featured in the previous three issues). However, when they reached his front door, Ben and Alicia were surprised that the door was open. No one appeared to be inside.
What they didn't know was that the criminal organization known as Hydra had already kidnapped the professor. Kort wasn't about to assist the evil army in testing a serum on a woman they'd kept in isolation. His captors demanded his participation, or else they would kill Kort's daughter, who was being held prisoner in her own home at the moment. Upon hearing that tidbit, Kort changed his mind and agreed to help if it meant that his daughter would be unhurt.
Not far away, the man known as Shang-Chi pondered his life while walking across a bridge. His reverie was interrupted by a woman's cry for help. He decided to search for its source and saw Alicia and Ben on the staircase of Kort's home. Ben assumed that the stranger was an enemy and instinctively moved to attack.
Even though the Thing towered over and outweighed him, Shang-Chi was not without his own defenses. His years of martial arts training had kept him well prepared enough to take on any challenger, including those with superpowers. He more than held his own in the brief conflict before asking Alicia why she had screamed.
Masters said that she had slipped and fallen on what was revealed to be blood. After Ben mentioned Kort's name, Shang replied that the name was familiar to him. He was going to contact Sir Dennis Nayland Smith to learn more about the missing professor. Ben explained that they'd traveled to London to recruit Kort's aid in preventing Deathlok's systems from shutting down permanently before long. Even though Shang had walked away from his former employer by then, he was willing to reach out to Smith once more to help his new friends.
Ben and Alicia left the house and returned to town after Shang-Chi's phone call. He and Grimm made a beeline for a local restaurant, where they found a hidden entrance in the kitchen floor. They descended the steps and were met by a squad of Hydra agents. The soldiers were no match for our heroes, who soon located the professor.
After rescuing Kort, the trio then headed for the professor's daughter's residence. They found more Hydra agents inside, and father and daughter were soon joyfully reunited. Afterward, Kort volunteered to do what he could to assist Deathlok. Meanwhile, back at Hydra's headquarters, agents were relieved that a vial on the floor that contained an important chemical compound was unbroken. They planned to use the serum inside to create an armada of obedient soldiers, beginning with the one they'd held in isolation, the first Spider-Woman.
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know about my fondness for Shang-Chi and his supporting cast. I'm always glad to read more about this non-superpowered hero, who has impressive skills and a strong moral compass. I'd never think that he would match up well with someone like the Thing, but he held his own in battle and proved to be a worthy ally.
Spider-Woman first debuted in the pages of Marvel Spotlight. Following her appearances in this series, she went on to star in her own title, which lasted for fifty issues before being cancelled. Her title ended with the death of the character, who was later revived in a two-part story in the Avengers. She would later regain her powers and become a member of that superteam and a strong force for good in the Marvel Universe. At this time, she was still a bit of an unknown, and it initially appeared that she might be a villain, controlled by Hydra.
Speaking of Spider-Woman, she'll get her chance to share billing with the Thing in the next issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The story in issue number thirty of that series continues this plotline, as Ben continues his London vacation with Alicia and ends up tangling with her while trying to prevent the robbery of some very valuable historical items. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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