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Essential Marvel Team-Up #2
Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 2
Horrific heroism, kung fu crimefighting, courtroom chaos: Spider-Man's up for anything in this selection of shared sagas! Co-starring Daredevil, the Incredible Hulk, the Thing, the Beast and the Frankenstein Monster! Join Spidey on a titanic trip through the timeline in one of his most incredible epics yet, followed by the trial of the Wraith and the debut of Jean DeWolff! Plus: guest-stars from the Avengers and the Defenders! Also featuring the Human Torch's team-ups with Iron Man, Doctor Strange and more!
Collects Marvel Team-Up #25-51 and Marvel 2-in-1 #17
528 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 1976
53 people want to read
About the author
Len Wein
1,585 books154 followersLen Wein was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men (including the co-creation of Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen.
Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 13, 2022
Len Wein, and then Gerry Conway write mostly insipid team-ups, with an average rating of 3 out of 12 from me. The along comes Bill Mantlo, with now regular artists Sal Buscema, and after a few weakish issues, from #42 the quality of storytelling improves drastically, including the debut of Captain Jean DeWolff and an alliance with Dr Doom! I read the comic books Marvel Team-Up #25-51 and Marvel 2-in-1 #17 that make up this collection. 5 out of 12 overall.
2014 read
2014 read
April 15, 2014
A solidly diverting romp through the 1970s Marvel bullpen madness. It's your basic introduction to what's going on with other characters, bringing in rarely used or even steady heroes in be like "before I go on an adventure, let's name drop some storyline an issue number in the current run of Spider-Man, or Deathlok, or Killraven," what have you.
The stories themselves are pretty solid hero/villain beat-em-ups. There are some solid tangents like "Spider-Man" is travelling through time, or "hey, multi-issue storyline actually". In general, every issue has a solid mix of banter dialogue and quick transitional violence that tries to set up shocking endings and moralism. You know, Marvel comics.
The writing is solid. Bill Mantlo writes better than he usually does, Len Wein and Gerry Conway are solid bullpen ramblings, nothing special, but good.
The art is AMAZING. Well, relative terms. Jim Mooney is probably the best ever at traditional comic book art, and he does some solid works early on. And then Sal Buscema does what Sal Buscema does, render basic figures of superheroes and actions in a way that is pleasant to look at and is conducive to beat-em-up storylines and stuff.
Solid Marvel comics 5/5
The stories themselves are pretty solid hero/villain beat-em-ups. There are some solid tangents like "Spider-Man" is travelling through time, or "hey, multi-issue storyline actually". In general, every issue has a solid mix of banter dialogue and quick transitional violence that tries to set up shocking endings and moralism. You know, Marvel comics.
The writing is solid. Bill Mantlo writes better than he usually does, Len Wein and Gerry Conway are solid bullpen ramblings, nothing special, but good.
The art is AMAZING. Well, relative terms. Jim Mooney is probably the best ever at traditional comic book art, and he does some solid works early on. And then Sal Buscema does what Sal Buscema does, render basic figures of superheroes and actions in a way that is pleasant to look at and is conducive to beat-em-up storylines and stuff.
Solid Marvel comics 5/5
July 30, 2023
I reread this one and I have to say... all the Marvel anthology books of the 70s were hit or miss depending on the issue. But this volume of Marvel Team-Up is pretty damn solid. Sure there were typos. And there were issues that were clunkers. However, this 25 issue or so collection has three major saving graces.
The first being the super massive epic time travel arc that runs from the start of Spider-Man's team-up with Scarlet Witch, follows through with the Vision, and Dr. Doom, and Moondragon, and taking a pit stop in a sorta bland Killraven story, a nice little Spidey and Deathlok before closing out in the first of the series many crossovers with Marvel Team-Up. (Okay, technically second or third... as the Human Torch and Son of Satan teamup in this volume sorta gets a major follow up in Marvel Two In One vol 1.'s Thing and Ghost Rider story... as well as a more direct follow up in MTO.)
But yeah... this book is loads of fun. it is something I think the big two have stopped doing over the last 20 years or so and it just baffles me.
The first being the super massive epic time travel arc that runs from the start of Spider-Man's team-up with Scarlet Witch, follows through with the Vision, and Dr. Doom, and Moondragon, and taking a pit stop in a sorta bland Killraven story, a nice little Spidey and Deathlok before closing out in the first of the series many crossovers with Marvel Team-Up. (Okay, technically second or third... as the Human Torch and Son of Satan teamup in this volume sorta gets a major follow up in Marvel Two In One vol 1.'s Thing and Ghost Rider story... as well as a more direct follow up in MTO.)
But yeah... this book is loads of fun. it is something I think the big two have stopped doing over the last 20 years or so and it just baffles me.
July 9, 2023
1970’s Marvel is like a warm hug. The plot for almost every issue as as follows: Spider-Man runs into a random character (usually someone who isn’t popular for their own series), the two end up fighting, they inevitably realise they’re on the same side, they team up to defeat a mutual enemy. Oh, the misunderstandings Peter Parker seems to have on a daily basis!
October 10, 2021
Mostly average but the introduction of Jean DeWolff was wacky and quite enjoyable.
December 24, 2024
As with volume 1, I wish the comics were reproduced in color. The stories are often silly and contrived, even for comics, but you’ll enjoy them if you’re a Spidey fan.
July 28, 2015
This book collects twenty-six team-up issue from Marvel Team-up #26-51 and Marvel Two and One #17.
There are two types of comics in this book. There are individual standalone stories with Spidey or the Human Torch fighting someone and then there are several story arcs. (The Torch is the lead hero in Issues #26, #29, #32, and #35)
There's not a whole lot to say about the standalone. They're interesting enough and the guest stars range from the Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor to the more obscure Nighthaw and Valkyrie.
The first story arc from Issues 33-35 has Spidey and the Torch (in Issue 35) teaming up with three different members of the Defenders to face a common foe. This story was more okay than anything else, with heavy dialog on crime and when mental health treatment is more appropriate.
Issues 36 and 37 are a bit more interesting as it has a team up between Spidey and Frankeinstein's monster to fight a mad scientist who's determined to bring monsters to life for his nefarious ends. Man-wolf gets involved for good measure.
Issue 39 has the Human Torch and Spidey team up to fight the old enforcers from the Silver Age and revisit a classic Spider-man tale. The story continues in Issue 40 though the Torch takes a powder in the middle leaving the Kung Fu group, "Sons of the Tiger" to help Spidey mop up. It's a good story overall, though the Torch bowing out is annoying.
Issues 41-46 starts an epic time travel arc that's insane. Cotton Mather is kidnapping people from the twentieth century to be put on trial for Witchcraft. It begins with the Scarlet Witch being kidnapped but that's not all as Vision, Doctor Doom, and Moondragon all join Spider-man in the 17th Century. The story has Mather in the most bizarre light. While history suggests a bit more nuanced view of him, it's a Marvel comic, so you can't complain much. This is an enjoyable read if for no other reason than for how crazy it is. The last two issues of the arc have Spidey travelling into the future (or perhaps an alternate future) to join with one-off characters in Marvel anthology titles, Deathlok and Killraven. Spidey's kind of freaked out by the fact that this could be the near-future but get hints that these could be alternate futures as the post-apocalyptic worlds of these two characters weren't exactly compatible.
Spidey returns to his own time for a two part team up with the Thing that beings in Marvel Two-in-One #17 and finishes in Marvel Team-up #47.
The final four issues are probably the crown jewel of the book. The four party story arc introduces Captain Jean DeWolff, a no nonsense NYPD captain and has Iron Man and eventually Doctor Strange battling the mysterious Wraith. There's a little bit of soap opera to the plot, but it's a great Spider-man story and enjoyable in its own right.
Overall, there are some great stories and even better story arcs in this book. The final four are essential for the next decade of Spidey stories.
There are two types of comics in this book. There are individual standalone stories with Spidey or the Human Torch fighting someone and then there are several story arcs. (The Torch is the lead hero in Issues #26, #29, #32, and #35)
There's not a whole lot to say about the standalone. They're interesting enough and the guest stars range from the Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor to the more obscure Nighthaw and Valkyrie.
The first story arc from Issues 33-35 has Spidey and the Torch (in Issue 35) teaming up with three different members of the Defenders to face a common foe. This story was more okay than anything else, with heavy dialog on crime and when mental health treatment is more appropriate.
Issues 36 and 37 are a bit more interesting as it has a team up between Spidey and Frankeinstein's monster to fight a mad scientist who's determined to bring monsters to life for his nefarious ends. Man-wolf gets involved for good measure.
Issue 39 has the Human Torch and Spidey team up to fight the old enforcers from the Silver Age and revisit a classic Spider-man tale. The story continues in Issue 40 though the Torch takes a powder in the middle leaving the Kung Fu group, "Sons of the Tiger" to help Spidey mop up. It's a good story overall, though the Torch bowing out is annoying.
Issues 41-46 starts an epic time travel arc that's insane. Cotton Mather is kidnapping people from the twentieth century to be put on trial for Witchcraft. It begins with the Scarlet Witch being kidnapped but that's not all as Vision, Doctor Doom, and Moondragon all join Spider-man in the 17th Century. The story has Mather in the most bizarre light. While history suggests a bit more nuanced view of him, it's a Marvel comic, so you can't complain much. This is an enjoyable read if for no other reason than for how crazy it is. The last two issues of the arc have Spidey travelling into the future (or perhaps an alternate future) to join with one-off characters in Marvel anthology titles, Deathlok and Killraven. Spidey's kind of freaked out by the fact that this could be the near-future but get hints that these could be alternate futures as the post-apocalyptic worlds of these two characters weren't exactly compatible.
Spidey returns to his own time for a two part team up with the Thing that beings in Marvel Two-in-One #17 and finishes in Marvel Team-up #47.
The final four issues are probably the crown jewel of the book. The four party story arc introduces Captain Jean DeWolff, a no nonsense NYPD captain and has Iron Man and eventually Doctor Strange battling the mysterious Wraith. There's a little bit of soap opera to the plot, but it's a great Spider-man story and enjoyable in its own right.
Overall, there are some great stories and even better story arcs in this book. The final four are essential for the next decade of Spidey stories.
December 22, 2012
Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 2 has some good things going for it but is rather on the mediocre side. This volume features most of the period in which the Human Torch alternated every third issue with Spider-Man as the book's star. With the exception of the first two (reprinted in the previous volume), the Torch stories had "fill-in" written all over them. In fact, half of the stories in this book have that feel to them. It's not until you get to issue #36 with the Frankenstein Monster does the story quality take a turn for the better. The Frankenstein/Man-Wolf team-up was fun, as were the Ditko-esque two-parter with Spidey, the Torch and the Sons of the Tiger.
The time-travel arc from #41-46 is the main highlight of the book, having Spidey, two Avengers and Dr. Doom battle a cosmic villain during the Salem Witch trials, followed by sojourns into the worlds of Deathlok and Killraven. A Marvel Two-in-One crossover and an excellent tale with Iron Man and Dr. Strange round out this volume of team-up stories.
The art is the main redeeming factor of the book, with Jim Mooney and Sal Buscema predominating. Gerry Conway and Bill Mantlo handle most of the scripting, but most of Conway's stories are the ones that seem rushed. This book also features the worst Jim Starlin cover I ever saw (from #27), one of the single worst stories Marvel ever made (#28 with Hercules) and a cover where they even forgot to put the wings on Thor's helmet (#26).
The Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 2 is, like many in this series, not really "essential", but it is affordable book, with nearly 500-pages of comics, so it's a good afternoon's reading on a rainy day.
The time-travel arc from #41-46 is the main highlight of the book, having Spidey, two Avengers and Dr. Doom battle a cosmic villain during the Salem Witch trials, followed by sojourns into the worlds of Deathlok and Killraven. A Marvel Two-in-One crossover and an excellent tale with Iron Man and Dr. Strange round out this volume of team-up stories.
The art is the main redeeming factor of the book, with Jim Mooney and Sal Buscema predominating. Gerry Conway and Bill Mantlo handle most of the scripting, but most of Conway's stories are the ones that seem rushed. This book also features the worst Jim Starlin cover I ever saw (from #27), one of the single worst stories Marvel ever made (#28 with Hercules) and a cover where they even forgot to put the wings on Thor's helmet (#26).
The Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 2 is, like many in this series, not really "essential", but it is affordable book, with nearly 500-pages of comics, so it's a good afternoon's reading on a rainy day.
May 28, 2013
7/10
This was a lot better than the first 24 issues, the two main story arcs, firstly spidey transported back in time to the Salem Witch Trials and secondly his and Iron Man's battle with the Wraith were both quite well done.
The title was just starting to get into it's stride, though it must be said that even at this stage it was a far better comic book than DC Comics Brave and the Bold.
This was a lot better than the first 24 issues, the two main story arcs, firstly spidey transported back in time to the Salem Witch Trials and secondly his and Iron Man's battle with the Wraith were both quite well done.
The title was just starting to get into it's stride, though it must be said that even at this stage it was a far better comic book than DC Comics Brave and the Bold.
November 4, 2014
Spiderman or the Human Torch sometimes, team up with other superheroes. This time there are longer stories, with better plots than just fighting. The Salem Witch Trials story is particularly worthy of mention, involving the Scarlet Witch, the Vision, Spiderman and Dr Doom! A fun read that is nice and light. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews