Marvel Two-in-One Epic Collection: Cry Monster by Steve GerberMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Marvel Two-In_One Epic Collection: Cry Monster collects Marvel Feature 11-12, Marvel Two-In-One 1-19, and Marvel Team-Up 47.
The Fantastic Four has been one of my favorite comics for decades and, by extension, The Thing is one of my faves. Combine that for my love of Bronze age team-up books and this one was a slam dunk.
The ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing was once one of Marvel's top guys, the tough guy with a heart of gold who headlined his own book in addition to co-starring in Fantastic Four every month before Wolverine eclipsed him. The stories within this tome were just a sprinkling of his adventures.
In this epic collection, The Thing teams with Marvel stalwarts like Ironman, Captain America, and Spider-Man, as well as less notable characters like Son of Satan, Morbius, and Man-Thing. The book boasts an all-star cast, with Bill Mantlo and Steve Gerber doing the bulk of the writing and Sal Buscema and Ron Wilson heading up the artist ranks.
The stories aren't anything spectacular, not surprising since Marvel Two-In-One was a team up book so writers had to come up with an excuse for The Thing to team with someone new every issue. MTIO had its moments though, even in the early days. The art is peak 1970s, though. In addition to Ron Wilson and Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, Jim Starlin, George Tuska, Herb Trimpe, and others grace the pages. The Thing has such an iconic look and the art has a unified feel, even with the stylistic differences of the artists. The 1970s pop culture references are great. I love that The Thing was a Space: 1999 fan!
My favorite part of this book is seeing how Benjamin J. Grimm is the glue that holds the Marvel Universe together, a gruff tough guy who knows everybody and will do anything for his friends, from Wundarr to Ka-Zar. It's crazy to think how far The Thing has fallen in the Marvel pecking order in favor of characters like Wolverine, Deadpool, and the Punisher. The Thing is the rocky guy with the gooey center, a softie at heart.
Marvel Two-In_One Epic Collection: Cry Monster is an interesting look back at a time when one of Marvel's top guys was encrusted in little orange rocks. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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