Marvel Two-in-One #8
Published and © by Marvel, March 1974
Title: “Silent Night … Deadly Night!”
Synopsis: Miracle Man converts an American Indian reservation into Bethlehem in a plot to one-up God in the Immaculate Conception department.
Writer: Steve Gerber
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Mike Esposito
Review: Read that synopsis: “Miracle Man converts an American Indian reservation into Bethlehem in a plot to one-up God in the Immaculate Conception department.” It sums up why this reviewer often struggles with Steve Gerber’s stories (see reviews): too wacky for readers to suspend disbelief, yet almost over the top enough to deliver a meta-like appeal. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that Gerber is laughing at the reader, not with them. The art team of Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito turn in a perfectly serviceable job, but this script needed something more to elevate it to another level.
Grade: C
Cool factor: There are some decent character moments.
Not-so-cool factor: Ultimately, got to give this one a “Bah, humbug!”
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “I feel it. I get a sort of tingle … from the joy the rest of you experience.” – Alicia Masters, the Thing’s ladyfriend, getting her Christmas cheer on
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Dec. 10, 2012.
