Happy Saturday, peeps!
Today's topic is the seventy-first issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover depicted the Thing and Mister Fantastic squaring off against three unidentified foes, the last of which seemed to be emanating concentric circles of energy toward them. The first part of the tale was titled "The Cure!" The issue had a cover date of January 1981.
The story started in the Inhuman home of Atillan high in the Himalayan Mountains, as Ben Grimm and his friend, the Inhuman known as Triton, stood on an observation deck and watched Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) work with a few Hydrobase technicians on setting up machinery where Dr. Henry Croft was resting. Croft had arrived at the Baxter Building (with Walter Newell/Stingray back in issue #65) to see if a cure could be found for his affliction.
Croft and his fellow passengers on board a commercial flight had their plane commandeered by a man named Dr. Hydro. The villain set Hydrobase as their new destination. Once there, the passengers disembarked and were led to a chamber where they were subjected to strange mists that altered their physical characteristics. Their skin changed color, and those affected were able to breathe underwater.
Inhumans had confirmed that Croft and the others had been subjected to Terrigen Mists, a compound that may have been stolen from their home. While Triton and the Thing were talking, Ben noticed that a large machine was detaching from the wall, about to fall on the hapless scientists. He jumped down from the observation deck and used his strength to prevent the machine from falling onto anyone.
The device had jarred loose after a small explosion. Reed suggested that Ben and Triton investigate its source, while he continued his work. Triton thought it might have been another airquake (which had been happening since the fourth Marvel Two-In-One Annual). Their causes were as of yet unconfirmed. Triton led Ben to see his old friend (and sometimes FF ally) Crystal. She was about to give birth at any time, but she and her husband Pietro (aka the Avenger Quicksilver) welcomed Grimm warmly.
They were soon joined by Karnak and Gorgon. The group was getting a bit bored waiting for Richards, so Gorgon invited Ben to join them in a friendly game of inertia-ball. The contest was designed to eliminate any advantages that each player's natural abilities would have, as Ben would soon learn. He thought he'd win easily, but was quickly outmatched.
Meanwhile, Richards had finally isolated an anti-terrigen compound. He tested it on Croft, who stepped into a chamber. The capsule was filled with the gas, and moments later, Henry emerged back to his usual human self once more. All that remained was to test for any possible side effects before administering the compound to the rest of those who had been afflicted.
None of them knew that such efforts were being monitored by a figure shrouded in shadows. The man sat behind his console before calling his associates Helio, Gronk, and Phobius to his side. The master wanted the new compound and dispatched his lackeys to fetch it for him.
Chapter 2 of this plot was called "Hydro-Base." It began with one of the Fantastic Four's jets arriving at the aforementioned Hydrobase. Reed and Ben were met by the island's governor, Joe Jennings. Croft, Triton, Gorgon, and Karnak had also made the trek from Atillan with Richards and Grimm. They were soon met by Stingray, who was pleased to see Croft's transformation.
Following a hearty meal, the populace of the island was gathered so that Jennings and Richards could give them the good news and announce their plans to help the hydromen. A chamber was set up so that one person at a time could be treated. This left little for Ben and his companions to do until the Thing posed the question of another game, one that he was much more familiar with.
They wandered outside the complex until they had enough space for a game of American-style football. Grimm told his Atillan friends the rules of the game, and teams were decided upon. They used a borrowed inertial-ball for the contest, unaware that their game was about to be interrupted.
Chapter Three of the story was named "The Raid!" Helio, Gronk, and Phobius emerged from the waters near the shore and soon came across the football game. They crept past the unsuspecting heroes and reached the pavilion. Gronk carried the diminutive Phobius on his back as he scaled the wall, while Phobius hovered nearby. After Gronk removed a window pane, Phobius used his mind-altering power to cause one of the women in line to doubt the treatment.
That brief hesitation was enough of a distraction for Helio to swoop in and grab the gas canister. Reed attempted pursuit, but was trapped in a bubble of very dense air. That allowed the crooks to get away unnoticed by others, at least until Stingray spotted the flying foe. He soon learned how dangerous his quarry was.
Gronk was strong enough to fell Karnak, and Grimm's mighty fists plunged into his opponent's torso as if his body was made of gelatin. Ben was finally able to squeeze Gronk enough to force him to release him, but the Thing, Karnak, and Gorgon were soon struck by Helio, who had left the purloined canister with Phobius.
Helio levitated the unconscious Gronk before Gorgon, and Karnak teamed up to use the inertia-ball to knock their flying foe out of action. Phobius momentarily had Gorgon and Ben enthralled until Grimm snapped out of it. He tossed the ball toward Stingray, who batted it at the back of Phobius' head. The trio had defeated the invaders, but the canister started to sink in the nearby waters.
A self-propulsion system attached to the canister set the gas on a new course. It soon disappeared from sight before we saw the master's face. It was a strange humanoid named Maelstrom. It seemed like his plans to dominate Attillan were now one step closer to becoming reality.
I knew a bit about the hydromen thanks to reading earlier issues of the Sub-Mariner's book and Super Villain Team-Up. This storyline was a kind of resolution for them after those titles were cancelled. This issue was a fun read and the beginning of one of the series' last multi-part storylines.
That's all I have for you today. Tomorrow, I'll cover the conclusion of this storyline, which was published in the seventy-second issue of Marvel Two-In-One. We'll see how the Thing and his friends fare against Maelstrom and another mystery menace. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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