DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Thing and the Human Torch embark on a Fantastic Voyage in Marvel Two-In-One
Having previously teamed The Thing with a host of different characters, classic ’70s series Marvel Two-In-One is returning in December. Written by Chip Zdarksy and drawn by Jimmy Cheung, it will once again feature Ben Grimm, who will be reunited with his hot-headed Fantastic Four foil, Johnny Storm.
“We’ve taken the literal title of it and changed up the premise,” Zdarksy tells Red Alert. “So now the ‘two’ is strictly Ben and Johnny for now, and the ‘one’ is them finally coming together after all this time and being a team again. I’m hoping we manage some of the vibe of the original Two-In-One, but I’m more focused on getting the vibe of Ben and Johnny and their familial relationship.”
As the title of the opening storyline “The Fate Of The Four” indicates, Ben and Johnny will set out to discover what has happened to the two remaining members of the Fantastic Four, Reed and Sue Richards, who have been missing from the Marvel Universe since the conclusion of Secret Wars in 2015 – so expect to see some other familiar faces. “Ben and Johnny’s combined supporting cast and enemies will feature prominently,” reveals Zdarksy. “And Doctor Doom helps kick it all off, because writing Doom, especially with how Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev have been portraying him in Infamous Iron Man, is a ton of fun.”
With The Thing rushing to the aid of an ailing Human Torch, Zdarksy insists that writing about the pair as a double act is similar to them being half of a quartet. “Even in Fantastic Four, the dominant relationships were between Reed and Sue, and then Ben and Johnny,” he reasons. “So it’s pretty easy to slip into writing them as a duo. They’re brothers without being related, looking out for each other while driving each other nuts, which is really enjoyable to write!”
Marvel Two-In-One #1 is published by Marvel Comics on 13 December.