Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #57

Happy Friday, peeps!

I'm ending my birthday month with a recap of the fifty-seventh issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover depicted the Thing lifting a heavy piece of machinery to save his friends Giant-Man and Quasar with an inset of Wundarr. The story was called "The Pegasus Project Part V: When Walks Wundarr!" The issue had a cover date of November 1979.

Inside a domed security section of Project Pegasus, Ben Grimm, Giant-Man (Bill Foster), Quasar (Wendell Vaughn), and other project staffers huddled around a table to discuss the recent attacks by Deathlok, Nuklo, and a quintet of female wrestlers, led by Ben's former nemesis/ally, Thundra. They discussed how their security could be infiltrated so easily and the motives for the intruders.

The compound was still on blue alert after the huddle. Grimm understood how seriously Quasar took his role as head of security, but thought that he might be worrying a bit too much for his own good. Ben then went to talk to Thundra, who had surrendered (last issue) and was placed in a cell. She said that she was sworn to secrecy and that she knew nothing of Deathlok. Grimm wasn't able to extract any useful information from her.

Meanwhile, Wundarr was now fully alert and roaming the halls of the complex. He passed by the quarters occupied by the villain known as Solarr, and his powers inadvertently freed him. Solarr tried to attack Wundarr, but found that his own abilities were ineffective against the stranger. He even tried leaping at Wundarr, but the man-child from another planet's protective screen prevented any harm.

Solarr then decided to explore his surroundings. He came to a cell that was holding Max Dillon, the supervillain known as Electro. Dillon was lying in a hospital bed after having suffered injuries sustained from overdosing on electricity and having a building collapse on him (as shown in the Amazing Spider-Man #187). The compound started to shake, and Grimm eventually figured out that it might have something to do with Thomas Lightner.

Nuklo's room was empty, so Solarr opened the cell that contained Klaw. He only found  Klaw's sonic device and angrily tossed it at the nearest wall. It clattered to the ground and emitted a humming sound. Seconds later, Klaw's body solidified. He had been battling his old nemesis, the Black Panther (in issue #15 of the Avenger's solo mag) when his body was absorbed into the claw.

Klaw held onto Solarr for support as they started to plan their escape. Lightner was now preparing to use his Nth Device to project the compound into another dimension, but only after using the machine to restore the abilities he had as Blacksun (last shown in issue #21 of this series). He pressed a button on the control stick and was instantly bathed in energies that were not quite what he was expecting.

By then, Solarr and Klaw had taken command of a shuttle car, until Quasar blocked their path. He was looking for Lightner and was blinded by the villains' burst of brilliant light. Quasar recovered by the time Grimm and Foster arrived. The Thing was itching for revenge against Klaw and the trio pursued the escaping bad guys on another tram.

Solarr used his powers to break the railway, and the heroes' car crashed. Grimm lifted the vehicle off of his companions before playing a good old fashioned game of crack the whip with their opponents. He grabbed onto each end of the track and pulled until it was enough to yank Solarr and Klaw's tram from its mooring. 

As Quasar got vengeance against Solarr, Wundarr made his way to the room that held the Cosmic Cube. The guards outside did nothing to stop the lad from nearing the strange object that started to glow as he approached it. Klaw was now able to join the fray, and erected a sonic barrier between him and his quarry.

Grimm reached out and was able to break through the barrier, laying one of his trademark punches at his old rival. Foster tossed their railcar at Klaw, who was down, but definitely not out. He emerged from the rubble and let loose a powerful blast that knocked the trio to their feet. He readied his weapon once more as he pointed it at the Thing's head.

Although the cover was a bit misleading, as Wundarr played a relatively minor role in the script, this story was another exciting action-packed part of the story. I haven't seen much of Solarr, so it was good to see him taking on a few heroes. I'd first read about Klaw in the first Secret War limited series, and I prefer this version who had his wits about him. 

I'll begin the weekend with a synopsis of the fifty-eighth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. Wundarr will play a larger role in the last chapter of this saga. We'll see just what Lightner managed to accomplish and what happened to Ben and company after the final page of this issue. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.