Marvel Two-in-One #69
Published and © by Marvel, November 1980
Title: “Homecoming!”
Synopsis: While the Guardians of the Galaxy are stranded in the 20th century, Vance Astro attempts to rewrite his own history.
Writers: Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inker: Gene Day
Review: Many time-travel tales struggle with story logic but the temporal mechanics are particularly wonky on this one. Two versions of the same mutant brain create a literal brain fog. Say what? The story generates a little gravitas with a series of all-hands-on-deck guest appearances, but the character work falls short whenever the writers reach for poignant. On the art side, Ron Wilson provides solid-if-generic pencils, but his work gets a considerable boost from Gene Day. The tragic talent – who would die two years later at age 31 – was consistently one the most detailed and polished inkers of the era.
Grade: C+
Cool factor: The Guardians of the Galaxy always brought the cool.
Not-so-cool factor: Gene Day was on his way to being an A-list talent.
Notable: Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, with cameo appearances by the Avengers, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Storm and others.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 15p British variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “Then the fact that you two were creating a paradox by your co-existence, was never any problem! It was the psychic feedback of two identical mutant brains!” – Martinex, chiseled Iceman
Editor’s note: This review was written March 21, 2025.
