Good morning, folks,
Happy Tuesday! I'm winding down the original Marvel Two-In-One run. Today's focus is on the ninety-seventh issue of that series. The cover depicted the Thing and Iron Man locked in a battle with several large dinosaurs. The story was called "Yesterdaze!" The issue had a cover date of March 1983.
The issue began with Ben Grimm staring at a contract from Silver Screen Productions, along with a $10,000 check made out to a children's hospital. Grimm had received the mailing, which offered him a starring role in an upcoming monster movie. He discussed the matter with his housemates, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Richards (the Invisible Girl), Franklin Richards, and Johnny Storm (the Human Torch), along with his girlfriend, Alicia Masters.
Reed scanned the contract to make sure it was legitimate. After confirming that it appeared to be valid, Ben thought about how the money could help the children's hospital and started letting fame get to his head. At the Hollywood studio, producer Ted Silverberg was in the middle of filming his latest blockbuster. He wasn't too concerned about the actors' abilities, thinking he could still profit from the film.
Silverberg's career had been promising until a recent venture was foiled by the Thing (and Wonder Man, in issue #78 of this title). Ted retreated to his trailer, where he talked with Professor Frankheimer. The European scientist had developed a three-dimensional movie camera that could take images from the past and present them as if they were real in the present. He demonstrated the device by showing Silverberg an ancient lizard on the screen. Frankheimer used the sophisticated camera to project a lifelike replica of the lizard that appeared on the table before them.
Ted was amazed by the invention and agreed to the professor's terms, which were a credit on each film that it was used in and $5,000 for the rights to the camera. The professor warned the director not to forget to turn the camera off, noting that the circuits could overheat if it was left on for prolonged periods of time. Ted was the one who had sent Ben the $10,000 check, figuring that the expenses would be worth it to see Grimm humiliated. He then left the trailer after turning the camera off. The lizard was no longer on the screen, but something knocked a soda can off the desk after the director and his associate had departed.
Ben arrived at the studio bright and early the next day, dressed for his part as a leading man. Meanwhile, Iron Man neared the studio. He landed, and Tony Stark changed into his businessman identity, where he was approached by a movie starlet. Before the two could converse much, Grimm entered the scene. He was about to star in a picture that Stark's accounting partners had him buy into.
The two old friends walked off together toward the dressing room. Grimm received his first directions while still in the makeup chair. At the same time, Silverberg was using the new camera to grab images of three dinosaurs from the past. They were to be Ben's foes.
Grimm was obviously surprised to see his opponents disappear, but he charged on anyway until he realized that Silverberg's acts were designed to humiliate him. Stark tried to calm his comrade, but things changed once Ben kicked one of the dinosaurs and felt that it was solid, unlike the images that had disappeared before.
It soon became quite obvious that the dinosaurs were real. Ben started battling the beasts while Stark retreated to the actress Bo Drip's trailer to change into Iron Man. The battle raged on across several sets on the lot.
After using a freon capsule from an epaulet in his armor, Iron Man realized that cold was the key to stopping the creatures. He convinced Ben to join him at another set where they eventually used freon cannons to freeze the creatures in their tracks. Afterward, the beasts were hauled away via helicopter to the Savage Land.
Ben and Tony found Silverberg lamenting the loss of his equipment. Stark rationalized that Ted could take a tax write-off on the production if he handed over the film, which could embarrass the Thing. Silverberg gave up the film reel. As the heroes walked off, Ted wondered if Steven Spielberg ever had days like that.
This was a bit of a resolution regarding Silverberg. Not a bad single-issue story, especially for readers who were new to this book. It's a light-hearted plot that was a bit familiar to Ben's previous Hollywood affairs. For the fourth-to-last issue of this title, it wasn't bad. There were tongue-in-cheek nods to various big-budget blockbusters and celebrities at the time. The only thing I wondered after reading this issue for the first time was if the professor ever learned that his invention had been used to bring real dinosaurs from the past onto the Hollywood studio lot.
That's all I have for you today. Tomorrow, I'll talk about the ninety-eighth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. Ben has to deal with an intergalactic menace, with the assistance of someone he lived with at the Baxter Building, but probably not a person you'd initially guess. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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