Marvel Two-in-One #34: A Monster Walks Among Us!


Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Ron Wilson
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Letterer: Bruce Patterson
Colorist: Sam Kato
Editor: Marv Wolfman

The Guest Star:
      Nighthawk

The Villain:
      None, per say. Or, an alien beastie. Or, humanity.

Guest Shots:
      Deathlok; Nick Fury; Dum Dum Dugan

The Set Up:
      Nighthawk is flying over London, on his way to a business meeting for his alter ego, Kyle Richmond. Once there, he learns that some scientists have discovered something unusual trapped within some rocks.
     Cut to Ben and Professor Kort, who thinks he can finally cure Deathlok. The switch is thrown, and after an explosion Deathlok is moving again, though obviously not quite all there mentally, though we can't tell if that's a permanent thing or if he's just waking up. In either case, S.H.I.E.L.D. promptly shows up (in the person of Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan), and takes Deathlok into their custody. As Kort and Ben watch them go, the phone rings, and Ben ends up accompanying Kort off to examine Kyle Richmond's odd rock.
     One neutron rayblast later, the rock shatters and out walks a pretty darn ugly purple monster from another planet. The fumes it gives off make everyone in the room pass out, and it leaves. We are privy to the alien's thoughts, however, and its obviously not intending anyone any harm, its just a stranger in a strange land. Outside, it meets up with a young girl, who, of course, also passes out from its fumes, and the girls father and his friends find her, and it, and soon set out monster hunting. Meanwhile, Ben and Kyle wake up and take off after the creature themselves, Kyle letting Ben in on his secret identity as Nighthawk...

Clobberin' Time?:
      No Clobberin'! However, I've kind of enjoyed the fact that most of the issues in this "save Deathlok" string have not been slugfests...

Petunia's Patch:
      No Petunia either. Now that I'm not enjoyin'...

Things of Interest:

     I could have given this issue a much higher rating. Its very enjoyable for me- the monster hunt, the monster puzzling his way through what's going on, and Ben and Nighty trying to deal with everything. However the last panel ".. but who's the Monster? Mister, who's the monster?" just hits you over the head way too hard with a moral that anyone with even the smallest of brains can pick up on their own...
          Despite (or perhaps because of) my rousing condemnation of that final panel, when the page to the right came us for sale probably six or seven years after my writing that, I couldn't resist it...
     Nighthawk is a Defender's mainstay in that book at this time.
     I like that Nighthawk lets Ben in on his secret identity without even giving it any thought. After all, if you can't trust the Fantastic Four, who can you trust?
     There's a nice exchange between Fury and Ben on page 6:
           Fury: "By the way, here's the Havanas I promised ya."
           Ben: "Hey, ya only gave me one!"
           Fury: "So? it was a long trip jettin' ta England."