ps "Don't Fear the Reaper" is one of my favorite songs. I'm a huge Blue Oyster Cult fan and they are one of the few bands I ever got to see live (well, 3 out of the original 5). Interestingly, most of my favorite songs from them are Buck Dharma's, including this one. This has a special connection, though. A couple of years ago, my cat, Mr Man, was dying of kidney failure, and we had made an appointment, with our vet, to end his suffering. My wife and I were saying our goodbyes to him, before I took him to the vet's office. We put him on the bed and he crawled onto my wife's laptop, a favorite warm place. We didn't have the heart to move him off. He shifted his paws and somehow activated a music file, which was "Don't Fear the Reaper." It was as perfect a moment as you will find in life.

I haven't actually.  Imaginos was the last album I bought of theirs and then they lost their record company backing.  Everything I saw in a store after that was a compilation.

This splash page I used to draw over and over again during high school on the inside of my notebooks. it was just such a cool visual to me. And Janson on inks made this series soooo much better looking. I can safely say I would LOVE it if Marvel asked Janson to re-ink the entire series and then republish it. 

Interesting how Deathlok doesn't recognize Spider-Man, still they leave the thing ambiguous enough ("Is it the future of Marvel Universe, or ISN'T?!?")

Marvel Two-in-One #27



Creative Team: Marv Wolfman-story, Ron Wilson-pencils, Pablo Marcos-inks, John Costanza-letters, Len Wein-colors (), Beth Bleckley-computer lettering

Synopsis: So, in the previous issue, Nick Fury recruits Ben Grimm to assist him in rounding up Mentallo and the Fixer, who are out to use Ben to infiltrate the Baxter Building. Mentallo and Fixer get aboard the Helicarrier (that thing really has lousy security, considering it lies through the air) and Fixer zaps SHIELD grunts with mind-control devices, adding them to their firepower. They are able to overwhelm Fury and Ben and turn Ben into their puppet. He gets them inside the Baxter Building (while everyone else is out shopping, or something) and they activate DDr Doom's time machine. Fury tries to head them off and nearly gets transferred to Arlington National Cemetery, in the bargain. He is able to remove the mind-control device from ben, who wakes up; but, the pair find themselves facing Deathlok, who has them at point blank laser range.



Deathlok is told by The Fixer that they are on his side and to watch out for Ben and Fury and he opens fire. Trusting fellow. That computer isn't much help. Ben fights back with a piece of the floor and Fixer gets a mind-control device on Deathlok. Mentallo conjures mental illusions of dinosaurs, for Ben and Nick and then take Deathlok away with their flying discs...



They are prepping for some operation that will net them billions. We find out that Mentallo happened upon a dazed Spider-Man, after he returned from Deathlok's future and pulled the mental images of the fight with Deathlok and the zombies. They conceived the plan to use Ben to get them in the Baxter Building and use Doom's time machine to pluck Deathlok out of his time (his disappearance in Marvel Spotlight #33). They are going to use him to assassinate Jimmy Carter, at his inauguration!

By coincidence, the FF have been invited to the ceremony and get dressed up, the week after the fight with mentallo and the Fixer. The Torch flies off and is spotted by Mentall; but, they think they are still okay. Deathlok is given a rifle and sent on his merry way. Fury is in DC, as part of the security detail, watching for Mentallo and the Fixer. Deathlok takes position, somewhere near the White house garden (even though there is no place surrounding where he would have a good vantage point, and the oath of office is taken at the Capitol Building). Luther's brain is trying to fight the Fixer's device and he can't raise the computer. He is stuck in the situation. Meanwhile, the FF arrive at the White House and are ushered in by guards, where they meet Nick Fury...



He briefs them that SHIELD sources say that Mentallo & Fixer will try to kill Carter and he needs the FF's help. Reed solemnly goes and makes a phone call to the one person that can help. What, you can fight Galactus but can't handle simple assassins?

Deathlok reports back to M&F and mouths off; but, can't disobey. He tells them they will be the next target, when he gets free. They send him off to kill. Deathlok turns up at the inauguration and takes a shot at Carter...



and hits him!



Ben attacks Deathlok, while Reed and Johnny go after Mentallo & Fixer. They corner them and beat their mind games and gadgets, and the pair is taken into custody by SHIELD. Ben bashes Deathlok until Suzie gets him in a force bubble, neutralizing him. However, he isn't safe until they can deactivate the mind-control device. They check on Carter, who is fine, and revealed to be the Impossible Man...



Pretty decent story, as these things go. You don't have to read the previous issue to follow along; but, it does help. Marv Wolfman had a decent handle on Ben and he seemed to want to undue some of the past uses of SHIELD as a stand-in for the CIA and their secret wars of questionable morality. Instead, he seems to want to remake them into a global peacekeeping force, which is what they were supposed to be. In that, I applaud him, as I prefer SHIELD that way. Ron Wilson is a young artist then; but, he handles the thing well and would later handle his solo series, as well as provide the art on the excellent Super Boxers graphic novel (well, I liked it!). It's got some cartoony touches, reminding me, a bit, of Frank Robins, though not quite as rubbery, in the action scenes. The backstory that Mentallo pulled out the images of Deathlok and the future from a dazed Spider-man is a bit too convenient; but, works well enough for the set-up. There are some gaps here, as we never see how Fury finds out that Mentallo and the Fixer are targeting Carter. Come on Marv, we need the leg work. Reed's phone call makes no sense, until we get the reveal of Impy. Better than risking Carter, I suppose; but, couldn't SHIELD have provided and LMD?

Much better story than the Marvel Team-Up one.

After this, Deathlok is a background figure over several issues of MTIO, as Thing and Alicia travel to London, to recruit a Dr Krt, to help Deathlok recover control of his body. They get caught up in battles with HYDRA, alongside Shang Chi and with and against the relatively new Spider-Woman. They meet up with Nighthawk and Skull the Slayer, as well. We really don't see Deathlok as anything more than an imobile figure, during all of this, ;leaving him dormant until MTIO #54, our next issue.

This was actually a pretty decent era for MTIO and Wolfman had a good handle on benjy's adventures, even if coincidence is a big factor in the stories and logic often flew out the window (and the rest of the FF were always conveniently elsewhere.

Marvel Two-in-One #54



Creative Team: Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio (not the Karate Kid)-story, John Byrne and Joe Sinnott-art, John Costanza-letters, Bob Sharen-colors, Roger Stern & Jim Shooter-editors

Synopsis: The Pegasus Project, Part 2: "Blood and Bionics." In the previous issue, Ben Grimm had returned to Project Pegasus to check in on Wundarr, the mentally under-developed inter-dimensional alien who was sent to Earth by his father, to save him from the destruction of their world (in a Superman pastiche, with the gimmick that the scientist father was wrong. It was a Gerber story.). Wundarr floated around the early days on MTIO, getting into trouble, while his energy dampening field caused problems for others. he was brought to the project to try to help control what was happening to him. Ben meets Wendell Vaughn, aka Quasar, the ex-SHIELD super-agent, who is the security chief for the facility, which consists of underground laboratories, built in modules, around a central core. The Project is attacked by agents of the Nth Command, a secret group out to undermine the project's study of alternative energy sources, including superhumans. ben stays on to aid the security team.

In this issue, Ben is walking down a corridor, while Deathlok lies in wait...



Deathlok takes aim and fires his Maser pistol (Microwave Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation). He hits Ben, who starts bleeding!



Ben is suitably POd and crushes Deathlok's bionic hand, then grabs him in a chokehold, demanding answers. deathlok responds that he no longer contains organic matter and Ben notices the changes, with metal shells on both sides of Deathlok's head. Deathlok kicks him away and knocks Ben loopy. he gets the drop on him with a Derringer-sized maser, pointed at Ben's head. He is interrupted by Quasar and security and heads off for his primary target...



Deathlok proceeds to the area known as"the Compound," where super beings are held for study. It's a high security area, so he switches to a maintenance shaft to descend to "The Pit," and area for nuclear waster storage. He starts assembling the components for something called an Nth Projector. Quasar tracks his radiation signature with his energy bands and confronts Deathlok, in The Pit. deathlok attacks and Quasar blocks his maser bursts with an energy shield. Deathlok injures Quasar and draws a bead when Ben surprises him from behind and crushes his remaining hand. Ben has his wounded arm in a sling; but, is still able to fling Deathlok into a wall. deathlok rises to attack an is shot by a Pegasus security guard, destroying one of his bionic arms. Deathlok attacks ben with exposed wiring and another guard opens fire, causing further damage. deathlok activates a self-destruct mechanism and Quasar blasts him, destroying most of his torso. Deathlok completes the destruction by destroying his head and remaining body parts, leaving a stain on the floor and a couple of pieces. The rest of the issue revolves around Thundra in a test match against members of the Grapplers, a group of lady wrestlers, and Dr Lightner, a spy within Project Pegasus, who is part of the Nth Command. he is in a radiation suit and enters into the chamber that holds Nuclo and releases him to wreak havoc on the facility, as a distraction. Meanwhile, Bill Foster, aka Black Goliath, shows up with the dead body of Atom Smasher, for study at the facility. The next issue will see Foster become Giant-Man (no Black adjective) as he and Ben battle Nuclo, adding to Foster's radioactive woes, as his previous battles with Atom Smasher have exposed him to high radiation levels.

Thoughts: Project Pegasus was the single best storyline of Marvel Two-in-One (apart from the Thanos chapter, in Annual #2). The idea for Pegasus came from the movie The Andromeda Strain, and the Wildfire research facility, in the movie. It was a series of underground labs, designed for the study of alien microbes, to prevent the spread of potentially cataclysmic infections and infestations, from space. In that film, the alien microbe has killed all but two inhabitants of a small town, near where a satellite crash landed. Here, the facility is being used to study alternative energy resources, including superhumans. This was during the post-OPEC Oil Embargo, when President Carter placed great emphasis and government funding on alternate energy research, including solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy. The Project appeared earlier in MTIO, when Ben meets up with Captain America, and a "misunderstanding" leads to a fight (doesn't it always in the MU). This time, ben came with hat in hand and aids Quasar in battling the Nth Command, with Giant-Man, Thundra, and Wundarr/Aquarian. Thundra ends up falling in with a wrestling manager and finds herself recruited into the Grapplers, who act as mercenaries for the Nth Command. It is there we first meet Screaming Mimi, who would go on to become Songbird, in Thunderbolts.

Here, Deathlok is completely robotic, with no organic matter left. It appears that his story in the present is put completely to rest. When last seen, he was in the custody of SHIELD, as they tried to release him from the hold of the Fixer's device. Quasar informs Ben that he disappeared from a SHIELD depot, some months ago. Deathlok states he no longer contains organic tissue, leading us to wonder what happened to the rest of Luther Manning's body.

The art by Byrne is great, as he was at his height. This ended his run on the series, and he would be followed by George Perez, who continued the high standards of dynamic art. Byrne is in his element. Gruenwald and Macchio probably had their best writing, in terms of an action story and suspense. This was one of the better uses of the team-up format, with a strong central storyline bringing in different guest stars. Unfortunately, it would be a rare thing.

It is eventually established that Deathlok's organic parts were disposed of by the Nth Command, making him pure robotic. His destruction removed Deathlok from the present-day Marvel and he would not be seen again, for a few years. He would return in Captain America and we would see that not everything is hat it appears, in this story. next time, we will examine that Captain America storyline and also see the return of Godwulf.

Just for the hell of it, here is the schematic of Project Pegasus, as seen in MTIO #53...