Marvel Two-in-One #10
Published and © by Marvel, July 1975
Title: “Is This the Day the World Ends?”
Synopsis: The Thing and the Black Widow team to stop terrorists from setting off a tidal wave with a massive bomb.
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Bob Brown
Inker: Klaus Janson
Review: Given the modern penchant for deconstructed storytelling, the first thing today’s reader might notice here is Chris Claremont’s script. His writing is thick – in narration, dialogue and story. He packs a lot of material into a single issue, providing good bang for the entertainment buck. His choice of villains this time out is a terrorist organization known as the Sword of Judgment; can you really go wrong when your bad guys are Soviets and Islamic fundamentalists? Penciler Bob Brown is an underrated journeyman; he delivers a fine job here, with inker Klaus Janson adding a little grit and Zip-a-Tone.
Grade: B+
Second opinion: Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: Let’s go with competence. While this issue is by no means a Hall of Famer, it’s a perfect example of a competent Bronze Age book.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Could you peel the body mold off my back, please?” – The Black Widow (top that, James Bond!)
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on April 22, 2009.
