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Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Two-in-One #4
Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Two-in-One, Vol. 4
Collects Marvel Two-In-One (1974) #37-46 and Annual #2-3, and Avengers Annual #7.
Our latest Masterworks offers you two heroes for the price of one! Yes, it's MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, starring the world's most endearing pile of rocks, the Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing! And his adventures begin - behind bars?! The Thing has been declared a public nuisance (and not just on Yancy Street), and it'll take the skills of both Matt Murdock and Daredevil to set him free! This marvelous Masterwork also features the debut of Project PEGASUS, the reality-bending Cosmic Cube, an army of android Visions, the Black Panther and Brother Voodoo vs. a zombie-vampire, Hercules, Captain Marvel - and a bruising Thing vs. Hulk battle! And it's all topped off with Jim Starlin's famous two-part cosmic epic pitting the Avengers and the Thing vs. Thanos and his Infinity Gems!
Our latest Masterworks offers you two heroes for the price of one! Yes, it's MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, starring the world's most endearing pile of rocks, the Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing! And his adventures begin - behind bars?! The Thing has been declared a public nuisance (and not just on Yancy Street), and it'll take the skills of both Matt Murdock and Daredevil to set him free! This marvelous Masterwork also features the debut of Project PEGASUS, the reality-bending Cosmic Cube, an army of android Visions, the Black Panther and Brother Voodoo vs. a zombie-vampire, Hercules, Captain Marvel - and a bruising Thing vs. Hulk battle! And it's all topped off with Jim Starlin's famous two-part cosmic epic pitting the Avengers and the Thing vs. Thanos and his Infinity Gems!
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2019
13 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Jim Starlin
1,336 books444 followersJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Death and suicide are recurring themes in Starlin's work: Personifications of Death appeared in his Captain Marvel series and in a fill-in story for Ghost Rider; Warlock commits suicide by killing his future self; and suicide is a theme in a story he plotted and drew for The Rampaging Hulk magazine.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
In the mid-1970s, Starlin contributed a cache of stories to the independently published science-fiction anthology Star Reach. Here he developed his ideas of God, death, and infinity, free of the restrictions of mainstream comics publishers' self-censorship arm, the Comics Code Authority. Starlin also drew "The Secret of Skull River", inked by frequent collaborator Al Milgrom, for Savage Tales #5 (July 1974).
When Marvel Comics wished to use the name of Captain Marvel for a new, different character,[citation needed] Starlin was given the rare opportunity to produce a one-shot story in which to kill off a main character. The Death of Captain Marvel became the first graphic novel published by the company itself. (
In the late 1980s, Starlin began working more for DC Comics, writing a number of Batman stories, including the four-issue miniseries Batman: The Cult (Aug.-Nov. 1988), and the storyline "Batman: A Death in the Family", in Batman #426-429 (Dec. 1988 – Jan. 1989), in which Jason Todd, the second of Batman's Robin sidekicks, was killed. The death was decided by fans, as DC Comics set up a hotline for readers to vote on as to whether or not Jason Todd should survive a potentially fatal situation. For DC he created Hardcore Station.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 24, 2022
Reasonably entertaining but definitely not a great volume of Two-In-One. It suffers too much from a mixture of different artists and writers, making every issue feel like a fill-in issue.
April 16, 2020
For some reason I really enjoyed the first two issues in this volume concerning Thanos. It felt "big" and was a continuation from his previous attempt at pleasing death using the cosmic cube. There's an evolution of Thanos' behavior which made sense and provided a deeper understanding into his motivation. There are a couple more issues between this story and the Infinity Gauntlet that I'd like to try and find to read.
The multi-part story with Captain America and the cosmic cube was decent as well, closing out the cube's story as well.
The rest were average at best.
The multi-part story with Captain America and the cosmic cube was decent as well, closing out the cube's story as well.
The rest were average at best.
February 12, 2020
This one runs the full gamut. It contains some of the best Marvel stories ever and some not so highly esteemed. But all are worth a (re)reading. Gods bless the Marvel Masterworks line.
October 12, 2024
There are several true classics in this volume. It starts out with the comic book version of Thanos' story arc, with the Avengers followed by Spider Man and the Thing stopping him from wiping out the universe. It's a wonderful tale, with both great art and great writing.
Other stories included is a three-parter that starts with the Mad Thinker mind controlling Ben Grimm and getting him in trouble with the cops. Also, there's a follow-up to a classic Lee/Kirby story arc from Fantastic Four involving Skrulls who pretend to be 1920s-era gangsters. MTIO Annual #3 teams Ben with Nova to save the world from super-powerful aliens.
An interesting issue has Ben telling a story to kids at a summer camp. The story involves Hercules bringing Ben to Olympus to fight a trio of giants who had taken over and imprisoned Zeus. The story itself--in both writing and art--is great. But because we are hearing the story second-hand as Ben entertains children with it, it leaves us wondering if its a true story or if Ben is making up a tall tale for the kids.
On the other hand, would Ben Grimm NEED to tell tale tales? He's fought supervillains, encountered beings with god-like powers and traveled through space, time and the multi-verse. His real life is the ultimate tall tale!
All-in-all, the reprinted comics in this volume cover a hugely entertaining era in Marvel Two-in-One. Ben, gruff and quick-tempered but still rivalling Spider Man as the best representation of pure heroism in the Marvel Universe, is a perfect choice to headline a team-up book.
Other stories included is a three-parter that starts with the Mad Thinker mind controlling Ben Grimm and getting him in trouble with the cops. Also, there's a follow-up to a classic Lee/Kirby story arc from Fantastic Four involving Skrulls who pretend to be 1920s-era gangsters. MTIO Annual #3 teams Ben with Nova to save the world from super-powerful aliens.
An interesting issue has Ben telling a story to kids at a summer camp. The story involves Hercules bringing Ben to Olympus to fight a trio of giants who had taken over and imprisoned Zeus. The story itself--in both writing and art--is great. But because we are hearing the story second-hand as Ben entertains children with it, it leaves us wondering if its a true story or if Ben is making up a tall tale for the kids.
On the other hand, would Ben Grimm NEED to tell tale tales? He's fought supervillains, encountered beings with god-like powers and traveled through space, time and the multi-verse. His real life is the ultimate tall tale!
All-in-all, the reprinted comics in this volume cover a hugely entertaining era in Marvel Two-in-One. Ben, gruff and quick-tempered but still rivalling Spider Man as the best representation of pure heroism in the Marvel Universe, is a perfect choice to headline a team-up book.
September 5, 2021
I enjoyed the cosmic start to this collection and it was nice to see a softer side to the Thing. Most of the stories were good but not the best.
November 28, 2023
There is some good stuff in here. The Hulk issue was a big disappointment. The Man-Thing, and the Daredevil issues were good. It was also good to see Wundarr again.
June 18, 2025
Avengers Annual #7 & Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 - This volume kicks off with a real big bang. A two-part epic featuring the Avengers, Captain Marvel, Adam Warlock, Spider-Man and the Thing as they square off against Thanos, the Mad-Titan. Definitely sets a high standard for this collection. This little masterpiece is from Jim Starlin, who handled both writing and pencils on both chapters. (These is also included in Avengers vs. Thanos, Marvel Two-In-One Epic Collection, Vol. 3: Remembrance of Things Past, and Avengers Epic Collection, Vol. 9: The Final Threat) (5/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #37-39 - Ben gets framed and used by The Mad Thinker and it takes a sort of Defenders ancillary reunion to get him free and clear (Daredevil, Yellowjacket, the Vision, and the Thing have all had short stints with the non-team). It’s a fun story, but the Mad Thinker’s plan is as utterly ill-conceived and illogical as always. (3/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #40-41 - Ben and the Black Panther look into the mysterious disappearances of numbers highly prestigious African Americans. But the story takes a wild twist when it appears a vampire might be behind the disappearances. Then T’Challa finds himself among those kidnapped and Ben had to team-up with Brother Voodoo rescue everyone. Another unremarkable story, but still entertaining. (3/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #42-43 - This 2-parter returns Wundarr to this series, gives us Project: Pegasus, the return of the Cosmic Cube, the Cult of Entropy, Victorius, Captain America, and even the macabre Man-Thing. And there’s even art by John Byrne on the second story. What more do you want? (4/5)
Marvel Two-in-One Annual #3 - Nova recruits Ben to fight the Monitors in this rather cliched end-of-the-world story. Nothing special here. (2/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #44-46 - These next three stories are definitely played for laughs. Guest-stars include Hercules, Captain Marvel (or rather Mar-vel), and the Hulk). The first has Ben relating an adventure to a bunch of kids about him helping out Hercules free the other Olympians. It’s a tall tale indeed. Then Ben deals with an old threat that has revenge on his mind, it’s a Skrull, and what better way to find a Skrull than side by side with a Kree warrior. The jokes here are that the enemy is from the planet of gangsters, so there’s a lot of 1930s visual references. I usually love a good Thing / Hulk brawl, but this one is not one of them. It’s all just a contrived mess to promote the new (at the time) Incredible Hulk tv series. All three of these stories are rather disappointing as they rely on joke premises or narratives that are just filling the pages. (2/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #37-39 - Ben gets framed and used by The Mad Thinker and it takes a sort of Defenders ancillary reunion to get him free and clear (Daredevil, Yellowjacket, the Vision, and the Thing have all had short stints with the non-team). It’s a fun story, but the Mad Thinker’s plan is as utterly ill-conceived and illogical as always. (3/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #40-41 - Ben and the Black Panther look into the mysterious disappearances of numbers highly prestigious African Americans. But the story takes a wild twist when it appears a vampire might be behind the disappearances. Then T’Challa finds himself among those kidnapped and Ben had to team-up with Brother Voodoo rescue everyone. Another unremarkable story, but still entertaining. (3/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #42-43 - This 2-parter returns Wundarr to this series, gives us Project: Pegasus, the return of the Cosmic Cube, the Cult of Entropy, Victorius, Captain America, and even the macabre Man-Thing. And there’s even art by John Byrne on the second story. What more do you want? (4/5)
Marvel Two-in-One Annual #3 - Nova recruits Ben to fight the Monitors in this rather cliched end-of-the-world story. Nothing special here. (2/5)
Marvel Two-in-One #44-46 - These next three stories are definitely played for laughs. Guest-stars include Hercules, Captain Marvel (or rather Mar-vel), and the Hulk). The first has Ben relating an adventure to a bunch of kids about him helping out Hercules free the other Olympians. It’s a tall tale indeed. Then Ben deals with an old threat that has revenge on his mind, it’s a Skrull, and what better way to find a Skrull than side by side with a Kree warrior. The jokes here are that the enemy is from the planet of gangsters, so there’s a lot of 1930s visual references. I usually love a good Thing / Hulk brawl, but this one is not one of them. It’s all just a contrived mess to promote the new (at the time) Incredible Hulk tv series. All three of these stories are rather disappointing as they rely on joke premises or narratives that are just filling the pages. (2/5)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews