Good morning, folks,
Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. It's time for me to discuss the ninety-first issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover showed the Thing chained to a brick wall, with the shadow of a foe looming over him. The story was called "In the Shadow of the Sphinx!" The issue had a publication date of September 1982.
The tale began in Egypt, as an archaeological expedition was working to uncover a petrified figure, which appeared to have been buried for more than 2,000 years. A violent rumble from beneath the Earth disrupted Professor Warren Hempstead and his crew, who then found themselves staring up at a tall figure who seemed larger than life. Several months later, Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Strange was spending time in his Greenwich Village home when he sensed danger. The Cauldon of the Cosmos indicated that the Thing might be the one to quell the threat. He dispatched his astral form to seek out his friend.
Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building in New York City, Ben Grimm was holding a 24-ton weight up with one hand while reading a book that was in his other hand. The appearance of Strange's astral version startled him momentarily, but the Thing was able to right the weight and set it down before learning what the Defender came calling for.
At first, Ben didn't believe Strange's story. He wasn't about to jet off to Egypt to examine the source until after Stephen left. He then ran into his teammate Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), who was poring over a map of pyramids. One in particular appeared to be new, and not far from where the Hempstead expedition had disappeared several months prior. That was all Grimm needed to be convinced to check out the new pyramid.
He set off in a Pogo plane and was in the desert several hours later. Ben got out and wandered through the town. Grimm didn't know the language, but his presence was quickly talked about by those who observed him. Word got out to Professor Hempstead, who tracked him down in a deserted alleyway. He was about to inform Ben about the one who'd forced him into slave labor when city guards arrived.
The Thing dispatched them with ease, but the professor had disappeared in the chaos. Ben decided to switch tactics and surrendered to some of the same men he had just clobbered. They were surprised but led Grimm to their master. Ben looked up in acknowledgement before he was blasted into unconsciousness.
When he awoke, Grimm found himself manacled to a wall, where he stood before his old enemy: the Sphinx. His foe sat calmly before rising to tell his captive about his history. The one known as the Sphinx had been alive for more than 5,000 years. He started out as a simple peasant who had once worked as the primary magician for the Pharaoh Ramses. When his abilities failed him on a particular task, he was dismissed from his job.
The young man left the pyramid and walked alone until he discovered a temple that seemed to have been lost to the ages. He stepped inside and was soon drawn to the ka stone that was on display. He grabbed it, placed it on his head, and became one with the stone. The Sphinx was now a mighty, immortal warrior who lived through centuries of conflict and strife. He began to grow bored as he started to feel that he'd lived through certain things before on multiple occasions.
Eventually, the Sphinx's desire to continue on led him into confrontation with the Fantastic Four and the world devourer known as Galactus. During their climactic battle, the alien took the ka stone from the Sphinx's forehead and crushed it. He then sent his opponent back in time to retrace his steps.
Doing so was Galactus' error. The lad found the ka stone again, and encountered his duplicate in the process. The pair worked together on developing a machine that would restore the stone. Once that goal had been achieved, the Sphinx then hypnotized his doppelganger to forget that they'd ever met while he went into suspended animation, as he repeated the incidents he'd witnessed over and over again. He dreamed of revenge and was now about to put his plans into motion.
The people that the Sphinx had overpowered were busy working on his restoration ray. He was certain that he'd be reunited with the restored ka stone sooner rather than later. After the Sphinx left the room, Hempstead entered. Grimm finally had the strength to break his shackles, although the concentrated effort made him feel a bit weak afterward.
He soon made his way outside the pyramid, where his opponent was settting up the device. As the machine began to hum, Ben ran toward the Sphinx. Several guards stood in the Thing's way, but they posed no real challenge. Soon, both old enemies were locked in mortal combat once more.
The battle raged on while the machine continued working. At one point, the Sphinx was thrown toward Ben's plane, and he threw the vehicle at Grimm. The pogo plane crashed into the sand, breaking apart upon impact. Ben crawled to the restoration device, and let loose with a mighty punch that demolished the contraption.
The Sphinx cried out in terror as the ka stone was discharged from the device. Even though it was still incomplete, he placed it on his headress, and levitated to his pyramid, which took to the air swiftly. Ben was left behind to stare in silence.
This wasn't really a team-up issue, since neither Strange nor Reed joined Grimm in his quest. I guess that it was a kind of foreshadowing for the Thing's solo series, that debuted not long after this title ended. The Sphinx would return in that new book before it wrapped up. After that appearance, the ka stone would be found by a woman who later became the female Sphinx, as depicted in the New Warriors series.
If you want to find out how Ben got home, tune in tomorrow for my recap of the ninety-second issue of Marvel Two-In-One. Grimm pairs up with a former Avenger and another character who had their own short-lived title to take on a menace who has appeared many times against a multitude of Marvel heroes. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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