Marvel Two-in-One #68: Discos and Dungeons!
Writer: Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio
Penciller: Ron Wilson
Inkers: Pablo Marcos
Letterer: Costanza
Colorist: G. Wein
Editor: Jim Salicrup
The Guest Star:
Angel
The Villain:
the Toad
Guest Shots:
the Human Torch
The Set Up:
Ben and Johnny Storm (the Human Torch, Ben's teammate in the Fantastic Four) are out at a disco (yes, its 1980!). Ben isn't having much fun, as he's depressed over his relationship troubles with Alicia Masters. While there, they run into Warren Worthington, a.k.a. the Angel. The Angel's drink is drugged, and Ben helps the suddenly ill Angel to the restroom. While there, gas fills the place and the two pass out only to awaken in chains, dangling upside down over a vat of what seems to be bubbling acid.
Ben and Warren quickly escape, and have to make their way through a variety of deathtraps before meeting up with the villain behind it all...
Clobberin' Time?:
Page 12, panel 4. Ben faces off against a passel o' animated suits of armor. "I'm sick'a dancin' with shadows! Now I got somethin' ta fight. An' that means--- It's Clobberin' Time!"
Petunia's Patch:
No Petunia.
Things of Interest:
Gene Day is identified as the inker in the credits, but a note in the Letters Page of issue 70 correctly identifies this issue's inker as Pablo Marcos.
This is kind of an odd issue- set up to intentionally confuse you as to who the villain could be. The traps are definately in the style of Arcade, and we see his stylized 'A' on the machine that gasses Ben and Warren. Ben later recognizes the castle as Dr. Doom's castle in upstate New York. There are Magneto robots in the castle. But the villain in the end turns out to be the Toad. Though its hinted at twice in this issue, it is verified in Uncanny X-Men 146 that Arcade was indeed the Toad's backer. We also learn the final unhappy fate of Toad's park in that issue...
The issue was misprinted. The pages are ordered 1-11, 13-14, 12, 15-18.
Someone else's review of this issue can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/5210/com_to68.html.
Unforgettable images: Ben, gettin' down---
