Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 2 by Len Wein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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.



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