Well, we made it to Friday, folks!
Time to cap off another busy week with a synopsis of the seventy-eighth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed Wonder Man battling the Thing on a Hollywood set. The story was titled "Monster Man!" The issue had a publication date of August 1981.
On the first page, we see the rocky hand of Ben Grimm holding a tabloid that was open to an advertisement for a new television program called "Monster Man." The lead character, played by Simon Williams (aka Wonder Man), looked very similar to the Thing. Ben went on a rant about the plot and how he never got credit or was even asked to be involved with the program.
Ben's friends and teammates tried to convince him to let the whole affair go, but Grimm wasn't about to do that just yet. He soon set off for the studio in Queens, New York, to set things straight. Meanwhile, at the studio, production of that show was proceeding as planned. Executive Ted Silverberg was calling the shots, and the show's star was questioning the plot of his latest script, but was advised by his director to proceed with his instructions anyway.
A short while later, the Thing arrived on the lot. He made sure that Silverberg was well aware of his disappointment that the show was being made. After turning a camera into a ball of junk, he tossed the debris to Wonder Man before leaving the stage. As Williams chased Grimm, Silverberg retreated to a trailer at the back of the lot. Once inside, he explained his predicament to Mr. Moses. The elder gentleman reassured his employee that things would be okay. Ted went off to take a nap while the old man noticed how Ted and others of his kind had no clue what was really going on. Moses' true intentions had implications for the entire human race.
The next morning, at Avengers Mansion, Williams was letting out his frustrations on a device meant to test his strength. He discussed the situation with his close friend, Hank McCoy (aka the Beast). as he pounded on the large tackling dummy machine. The more Simon punched, the angrier he seemed to get, until one mighty blow demolished the device.
Meanwhile, at the law offices of Murdock and Nelson, Matt and Foggy conferred with their client Grimm. Murdock gave his friend some bad news. The characters were somewhat similar to him, but different enough so as not to be identical. Ben walked out of the office with several young children swarming him, thinking that he was their TV idol, Monster Man. Grimm explained that he wasn't their idol, but would let him know if he saw him, something which he then set out to do.
Back at the studio, Williams was busy submitting his resignation. Silverberg didn't take the announcement very well. He pointed out the contract that Simon had signed. Wonder Man agreed to fulfill the rest of the contract, but planned to leave immediately after that. Afterward, Silverberg shared the news with Moses, who then felt that he had to become personally involved sooner rather than later.
Moses stood in his office and transformed into his true form, that of the alien being known as Xemnu the Titan. He thought back to his initial arrival on this world and defeat at the hands of the original Defenders. He knew that the show had to continue if his plans for world conquest would be successful. To accomplish that goal, he would need a star who was a bit more willing to comply.
He then looked through his one-way window into the makeup room. Simon was sitting in the chair as the makeup man was applying a concoction that made him look like the tacky character he was portraying. Surely this was part of Xemnu's plan.
By then, Ben was back in the Baxter Building, sulking about his situation with his lady love, Alicia Masters. He was still upset about the Monster Man show that his godson, Franklin Richards, was now watching. He even became a bit enthralled by the program until the next commercial ran. That incident was enough to convince Grimm that there was more going on, and he was determined to find out just what that was.
A short while later, the Thing returned to the TV studio in Queens, and burst into the soundstage. All he found was a motion picture camera. He examined it and noticed an unusual-looking device inside. Before he could look at it further, Williams arrived. He didn't acknowledge his old friend, and seemed to be hypnotized.
Williams lashed out at Ben, who fell to the floor before Simon's puppet master stepped behind him, Xemnu. Ben evaded Wonder Man and the other threats that the titan threw at him. As his tussle with Simon continued, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) tried to reassure Alicia that her boyfriend would be all right. Little did they know the dangers that Xemnu had in store for Grimm.
Ben grabbed the heavy barbell that Simon had been using earlier, but Xemnu used his ability to change inanimate items to twist the metal contraption into a trap. Williams then grabbed it and tossed it at the nearest wall. Ben finally broke free, and their conflict continued through the studio landscape.
The trio interrupted a taping of the popular game show "The Survive and Win Show." During the fracas, Ben spied a camera that was very similar to the one he'd just examined minutes before. He tossed Williams at the camera, and the Avenger soon came to his senses. Silverberg then knew that something was up, but before he could confer with Moses again, Xemnu was already holed up inside his office, and by the time Ben and Simon arrived, he was blasting off in his own miniature spaceship that was part of the studio trailer.
Silverberg was enraged by the destruction and the damage done to the show. That didn't last long, though, as he soon came up with a new idea. Ben offered to buy Simon a root beer, and the two comrades walked off together. A few months later, Ben checked in on young Franklin, who was enjoying a new program called the Xemnu the Titan show.
Xemnu is a longstanding Marvel character. He was originally called the Hulk, years before Bruce Banner was created. He would eventually return to torment the Defenders and other gamma-powered heroes. I'm kind of surprised that he usually acts alone, because he could easily pair up with other similarly-minded and powered villains.
Wonder Man was in his actor phase at the time, before he changed significantly and joined the Avengers' West Coast branch. He recently had his own Disney+ show. I'm not a huge fan of the character, but I don't mind seeing him every now and then. The premise of this story reminded me a bit of the short-lived Thing Hanna-Barbera cartoon, which had the Thing as a teenager who could transform into the rocky member of the Fantastic Four.
Well, that's all I have for you for now. Tomorrow, I'll cover the seventy-ninth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The Thing will pair up with another Marvel character from long ago to tackle a new menace. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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