Happy Saturday, folks!
Hope everyone's having a great weekend. Today's topic is the fifty-eighth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Thing, Giant-Man, Thundra, and Aquarian (formerly known as Wundarr) tumbling around the air with a large figure's shadow in the background. The tale was titled "The Pegasus Project Part Six: To The Nth Power!" The issue had a cover date of December 1979.
The issue began with the villain Klaw pointing his sonic weapon at the head of an unconscious Ben Grimm. He was about to deliver the death blow when some kind of interference in the air caused his body to vibrate so much that his physical form disappeared once more and was sucked into the sonic claw itself. As Ben awoke, he saw his former protege standing before him, although he looked quite different and seemed much more aware and intelligent.
The man-child once called Wundarr now had a new costume and a new name: Aquarian. He held the claw as he helped Ben to his feet. Aquarian recalled how he'd been brought to Project Pegasus so that his energy-absorbing abilities could be examined. That's why he was connected to a Cosmic Cube. The power surge from that process overwhelmed his mind so much at the time that it caused him to lapse into a lengthy coma.
Energies from the Cosmic Cube had enhanced his abilities to the point that Aquarian neutralized the energy of any room that he entered. He was drawn to the Cube once more after accidentally freeing Solarr from his cell. He entered the Cube and emerged completely transformed. He essentially became the living son of that item, and gave himself a new name to honor the star system from his homeworld.
Aquarian's null field was now a part of him. He strove to bring peace to this planet, and helped Ben bring Giant-Man to the infirmary, along with Quasar and Solarr. Afterward, Aquarian informed Ben that he'd noticed a spatial distortion within the complex. Things were being drawn toward what appeared to be the outline of a man.
That man was the former Thomas Lightner. He was once the villain known as Blackstar, who faced off against the Thing and the Human Torch. After his defeat, Lightner had been saved by Dr. Don Blake (the mighty Thor's alias). Lightner was recused of all wrongdoing and was soon contacted by the Nth Command.
He infiltrated Project Pegasus and soon set his employers' plans in motion. It began with the cyborg Deathlok setting a component for the Nth device in the compound. More parts would be placed by Thundra's fellow female wrestlers for the projector. Lightner had now gained the Nth power which he planned to use to destroy the complex.
Ben threw nearby machines at their foe, but they were swiftly destroyed as Lightner's power continued to increase. It was now up to Aquarian. He expanded his own null-field, and in so doing, knocked out most of the station's power. That included the power that kept Thundra caged.
By then, Quasar was still weakened, but determined to join the fray. He and Giant-Man rushed to Ben and Aquarian's side, and soon found themselves hanging on for dear life. Thundra entered the corridor a few moments later, and helped them get Quasar to safety after the project's security chief expended his remaining energy expelling quantum blasts at their foe.
Giant-Man (Bill Foster) was willing to sacrifice himself, after admitting that he'd contracted radiation poisoning after battling the Atom Smasher. He'd arrived at the center trying to find a cure for his affliction. Bill leapt at the ever-expanding Lightner and seemed to vanish inside the mysterious being.
The remaining allies held on to each other's hands to prevent themselves from being sucked into the vortex. Aquarian ventured into the void, with his friends still grasping onto him. He rescued Foster from certain madness, and retrieved him before the vortex erupted.
All traces of Lightner were now gone. Quasar took charge, and ensure that everything was back to normal before long. Ben prepared to depart the project a short while later, and Aquarian opted to go out on his own, to help people find the same type of peace that he'd just found. All charges against Thundra were dropped because of her assistance. She stayed behind for a while, wanting to know more about her unknown employers.
Elsewhere in a shadowed boardroom, executives conferred about hte Nth project's failure. There were some losses, but they remained undeterred in their goal to get rid of government or private competition that stood in their way of forming a global energy monopoly. The very last panel showed that the men were part of the Roxxon Corporation.
This wouldn't be the last time we'd see Roxxon's plans in this series. Their actions also impacted other Marvel titles at the time. Lightner wound up in an alternate universe and later squared off against that world's Squadron Supreme. That would happen a few decades after this saga was published.
That's all I have for you today. I'll begin Sunday with a recap of the fifty-ninth issue of this title. The Thing will pair up with one of his FF teammates to help a few more people in need. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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