Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: carlos pacheco, chip zdarsky, doctor doom, fantastic four, Frank Martin, hercules, human torch, infamous iron man, mad thinker, Marvel Comics, marvel two in one, rafael fonteriz, the thing, Valerio Schiti, wolverine

Marvel Two-in-One #3 Review: A Decent if Inconsequential Story

The Mad Thinker is paid a visit by Doctor Doom. Meanwhile the Thing brings the Human Torch to an old friend whom Ben hopes can help Johnny with his power problems. That old friend is none other than Hercules, Avenger and Prince of Power. He takes our Two-in-One team to a person who helped him regain access to his god powers after he lost them.

I'm both surprised and pleased that someone is referencing Greg Pak and Fred van Lente's Herc title from around Fear Itself.

In any case, Marvel Two-in-One has been working partially on the surprisingly focused direction of the story. #3 brings a meandering issue that shatters that focus in one fell swoop.

Now, that doesn't completely kill the issue. The Mad Thinker subplot takes a surprising turn, and a classic Frightful Four member shows up to give Ben and Johnny a bit of Hell. Plus, the interactions between Ben, Johnny, and Herc are really entertaining.

Plus, the character of Rachina Koul is a fun no-nonsense scientist type who constantly demeans every other character in the room constantly. If that streak isn't broken, it could become a little grating. However, it works for this issue if nothing else.

All that said, it's only #3, and I'm already handed an issue that leaves me wondering what was accomplished here. That's not a good sign. At most, we learn a silly explanation about the FF's powers that answers the question of the Human Torch's powers, but it raises a ton of questions that will probably never be answered. The path that led to that answer could have been shortened by a lot, and more could have been accomplished this issue.

Valerio Schiti joins up for the art this time around. His style brings an odd mixture of cartoonish qualities and realistic detailing. It's mostly good, though some close-ups are made a little off-putting. It is a shame that Jim Cheung left the books so quickly, but Schiti isn't a bad replacement. Frank Martin's color art is bright and appealing, though some scenes do feel too oversaturated and are unappealing as a result. That being said, the majority of the comic looks decent.

Marvel Two-in-One #3 stalls out the story already, even if it is still a decently fun read. The art is alright, but it has some that don't look particularly good. The slow pacing leaves a comic where very little is accomplished. However, I can still recommend it based on the Thing, the Human Torch, and Hercules's chemistry keeping most of the book entertaining. Feel free to give this one a read.

The "Where's Wolverine" sections are getting really stupid though.

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