Was anyone besides Ben Grimm considered to star in Marvel Two In One?

[Riv86672]

Anybody have some behind the scenes information on how Bashful Benjy came by that gig?

I mean I get Spidey nabbing the Marvel Team Up book, he was the Company’s flagship character.

But why Ben?

I personally LOVE Ben Grimm, btw, I’ve always just been curious how it all came about.

[MajorHoy]

Anybody have some behind the scenes information on how Bashful Benjy came by that gig?

I mean I get Spidey nabbing the Marvel Team Up book, he was the Company’s flagship character.

But why Ben?

I personally LOVE Ben Grimm, btw, I’ve always just been curious how it all came about.

By the way,
* Spider-Man wasn't the only hero to be featured in Marvel Team-Up.
Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) was the co-star with Spider-Man for the first three issues, and later on there were a few issues where the Torch (not Spidey) was the lead and teamed-up with other heroes (#18, #23, #26, #29, #32, and #35).
* Prior to Marvel Two-in-One #1, Ben had two team-up feature stories in Marvel Feature #11 and #12.

[gurkle]

Roy Thomas, who was editor-in-chief at the time, talks about this a bit in his foreword to the first Marvel Two-in-One Masterworks. Basically, the Spidey team-up book was selling well, so Stan Lee told Thomas to launch a second team-up feature with Ben Grimm as the star. There was no one else considered, at least not by anyone other than Stan.

He doesn't say why Stan wanted the Thing as the star, but I can guess: during the 60s, the Thing was one of the most popular of all Marvel characters, and easily surpassed Johnny Storm, Spidey's understudy in Marvel Team-Up, as the breakout character of the Fantastic Four. (Which is why Johnny's solo feature soon became a co-starring feature with Ben.) He and the Hulk were the kind of fight first, ask questions later characters who are very popular with children, but the Hulk couldn't possibly work as a team-up character, while Ben is the nicer, smarter version of the Hulk and could team up with anybody.

[Riv86672]

Roy Thomas, who was editor-in-chief at the time, talks about this a bit in his foreword to the first Marvel Two-in-One Masterworks. Basically, the Spidey team-up book was selling well, so Stan Lee told Thomas to launch a second team-up feature with Ben Grimm as the star. There was no one else considered, at least not by anyone other than Stan.

He doesn't say why Stan wanted the Thing as the star, but I can guess: during the 60s, the Thing was one of the most popular of all Marvel characters, and easily surpassed Johnny Storm, Spidey's understudy in Marvel Team-Up, as the breakout character of the Fantastic Four. (Which is why Johnny's solo feature soon became a co-starring feature with Ben.) He and the Hulk were the kind of fight first, ask questions later characters who are very popular with children, but the Hulk couldn't possibly work as a team-up character, while Ben is the nicer, smarter version of the Hulk and could team up with anybody.

^^^Thanks, gurkle, for the great response!
You made me really nostalgic.

[JudicatorPrime]

The weird part: I loved the Thing in MTIO more than I ever did in the pages of the FF. To this day I don't know why. I wish the series was still around, because I could use a Ben Grimm meets Adam Brashear 3-part story arc right now.

[Username taken]

The young ones here might not understand but Ben Grimm was one of Marvel's most popular characters in those days.

Even in the 1980s the character was pretty popular.

[Digifiend]

The weird part: I loved the Thing in MTIO more than I ever did in the pages of the FF. To this day I don't know why. I wish the series was still around, because I could use a Ben Grimm meets Adam Brashear 3-part story arc right now.

They essentially just revived it under a different name - Clobbering Time. The first issue had him team up with Hulk.

[Riv86672]

The young ones here might not understand but Ben Grimm was one of Marvel's most popular characters in those days.

Even in the 1980s the character was pretty popular.

The weird part: I loved the Thing in MTIO more than I ever did in the pages of the FF. To this day I don't know why. I wish the series was still around, because I could use a Ben Grimm meets Adam Brashear 3-part story arc right now.

They essentially just revived it under a different name - Clobbering Time. The first issue had him team up with Hulk.

^^^Man, every time I saw an issue of MTIO on the racks, I’d get so excited.
And yeah, Ben was always popular; he was the R-Truth of comics. You could put him in any situation and he’d steal the show.

I wouldn’t mind a new series but I can’t see it being as fun as it used to be. It’d prob. be used to advance plot lines in other books, instead of having standalone adventures for the sake of having those adventures.

[CaptCleghorn]

The weird part: I loved the Thing in MTIO more than I ever did in the pages of the FF. To this day I don't know why. I wish the series was still around, because I could use a Ben Grimm meets Adam Brashear 3-part story arc right now.

MTIO stories were often really good. Ben built up friendships, had his own adventures even with subtitled arcs, and gave him a multi-faceted life that many readers of FF would like to see for the team now.

They essentially just revived it under a different name - Clobbering Time. The first issue had him team up with Hulk.

Clobbering Time's first issue had a very basic team-up plot but the dialogue was incredible. A line or two in the first seem to indicate an overarching arc for the series.

[K7P5V]

The young ones here might not understand but Ben Grimm was one of Marvel's most popular characters in those days.

Even in the 1980s the character was pretty popular.

I know, right?! Loved when he became the Four's head-honcho (LOL):

MTIO stories were often really good. Ben built up friendships, had his own adventures even with subtitled arcs, and gave him a multi-faceted life that many readers of FF would like to see for the team now.

OMG! Totally agree!! The Project: Pegasus Saga will always be a personal favorite...

[Hypestyle]

there should be an animated series with the Thing teaming up with a new hero every episode. Set it up like the animated Batman Brave & the Bold

[Riv86672]

[center]

OMG! Totally agree!! Project: Pegasus will always be a personal favorite...

^^^As I read CaptCleghorn’s comment on subtitled arcs, the Project Pegasus storyline immediately came to mind.

SO GOOD!!!

[K7P5V]

^^^As I read CaptCleghorn’s comment on subtitled arcs, the Project Pegasus storyline immediately came to mind.

SO GOOD!!!

I know, right?! Also, let's not forget the first-ever appearances of The Super-Hero Poker Games (XD)


Marvel Two-In-One #51





Marvel Two-In-One #75

[shooshoomanjoe]

Why was the series canceled and replaced with Thing's solo series? I enjoyed the solo series but it wasn't as fun as Marvel Two in One.

[danielsan52]

I’d love for Two-In-One to come back but unfortunately it would need a popular writer and artist to have any sort of longevity.