Customer Reviews

Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 2)

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Marvel Two-In-One was an opportunity for Marvel to continue on the "Team-Up" bandwagon of the 70s using The Thing as the stable character throughout. While the first volume of this collection dealt mostly with one-shot stories, this second volume picks up as the series had started to catch its stride. There are several stories that spread out over multiple issues, and we see the inclusion of such guest stars as Nick Fury, Spider-Woman, the Black Panther, Shang Chi, and of course, Spider-Man.

Unfortunately, the team-ups come across as a pretty forced affair and don't make a lot of sense sometimes. One series of stories takes place in London, allowing Ben to team up with Shang Chi, Spider-Woman, and even the Invisible Woman--but where were the obvious choices like Captain Britain or Union Jack? Also, many of the stories follow a standard formula: The villain shows up to terrorize one of the characters, the heroes meet for the first time, they fight each other for whatever reason, then they team up to defeat the villain. Not that bad really, but a little monotonous after a while. Still, it's great to see this title getting the "Essential" treatment. It has some really classic moments throughout and was a great series for its time. The stories hold up well decades later, and it's a fun read.

Much as the first volume of Marvel Two-In-One, these are fun stories to read, but you're not going to feel the need to read them over and over again. The Thing is an entertaining character, but his team-ups are hard to imagine at times. At least there are multi-issue storylines with this volume, but there are also some one-shot stinkers, such as battles with the Hulk and Moon Knight. The best issue is #50, created by the great John Byrne, where Ben goes back in time and fights himself shortly after he became the Thing.

Team up books are not always considered highly because of the perception that the meeting of the characters are contrived. Maybe, but there are some actual story arcs that last two to four issues in this collection that bunk that perception. The Thing is one of the marvel characters with the most depth. And also a fun character to read. good stories, enjoy.