Marvel Two-in-One #4
Published and © by Marvel, July 1974
Title: “Doomsday 3014!”
Synopsis: After babysitting Wundarr, the Thing teams with Captain America and soon finds himself fighting the Badoon in the far-flung future.
Writer: Steve Gerber
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Frank Giacoia
Review: This issue is a bit of a mess, particularly if a reader comes to it cold. Writer Steve Gerber spends nearly half of the issue on a B story involving the Thing babysitting an infantile Wundarr. Little time is spent explaining what came before, and the lack of back story makes the characters’ choices seem odd. By the time the Thing and co-headliner Captain America finally team up and head out to their adventure in the future only six pages of the issue remain. Sal Buscema’s art is solid but unspectacular, and does little to elevate Gerber’s subpar storytelling.
Grade: C
Cool factor: Yeah, not so much here.
Not-so-cool factor: Steve Gerber consistently seems a poor match for mainstream superhero stories.
Notable: The “The Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Letters Page!” includes an LoC from future comic-book writer J.M. DeMatteis. … The letters page also credits Tony Isabella with suggesting the basic concept for this two-part story teaming Captain America with the Guardians of the Galaxy. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Collector’s note: Beware, this issue contains a Marvel Value Stamp (Series A) #88 (The Leader).
Character quotable: “Let’s go git them Baboons!” – The Thing, ready to tangle with the Badoon
Editor’s note: This review was written April 29, 2023.
