Final Thoughts [6] Marvel Two-In-One (#1-10) by Chip Zdarsky

Marvel Two-In-One (#1-10) by Chip Zdarsky, Jim Cheung (Illustrator)

THE FOUR ARE NO MORE, SO TWO MUST DO! Something is very wrong with THE HUMAN TORCH and only THE THING can help him! It's the Marvel Universe reunion you've all been waiting for (well, HALF of it, at least!). Plus: What monumental secret has DOOM been hiding since the end of SECRET WARS, and how will it completely change the lives of Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm? 

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There were times when I really enjoyed reading Marvel Two-In-One, and times when I almost gave up on the series. It dragged a little in the middle, but I enjoyed their adventures through the multiverse. Ben and Johnny encountered different versions of themselves, and it's always fun to see how things might have been.

I wish Ben had been honest from the beginning, but I can understand why he kept the truth from his friend. Johnny was in a dark place after his sister and Reed disappeared (also his niece and nephew), but I think he would have welcomed facts over hope.

Dr. Doom was in this at the beginning, but it was weird. There was also a woman, but I can't even remember her name. She was looking for something or someone, and then she disappears. Doom vanished with her, and those two characters were never mentioned again. It was weird since they seemed to be an integral part of the story (until they weren't). Ben and Johnny were also stranded without them, in a time and place they didn't belong.

If you've never encountered an evil version of Spider-Man, consider yourself lucky. The Peter Parker they stumbled across was nobody's hero, and he really creeped me out. I am curious how he became this particular version of himself, because the guy was insane.

I've always thought of Ben as a gentle giant, and love that he's comfortable with his rock form. He accepted his new appearance after the initial shock, and he's done a lot of good with his powers. Johnny still teases him, but they're practically family. I enjoyed watching the two of them together without Reed and Sue around to act as buffers. They had to rely solely on each other. 

In the end, I'm happy I kept reading this series. The middle was a little iffy, but the end really brought things together for the two main characters. I wish there hadn't been as many loose ends, and that more had been explained, but I believe they are setting up another comic (The new Fantastic Four, I think!). Everything in Marvel seems to be connected in one way or another.

After spending some time with Google: The "Next of Kin" concluded with issue 10, but I believe there are supposed to be two more issues in the overall series. I'm really not sure... comics can occasionally be really confusing. Maybe those loose ends will turn into a pretty little bow, and I'll get a few more explanations!

Astonishing X-Men (#1-7) by Charles Soule

Astonishing X-Men (#1-7) by Charles Soule, Jim Cheung (Illustrator)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): ONLY THE X-MEN CAN SAVE US! An ancient evil is attacking the world's most powerful minds. It will have them by the time you finish this sentence, and a moment later, it will have us all. A band of X-MEN discovers the truth behind the threat, but there is no time left. PSYLOCKE, OLD MAN LOGAN, BISHOP, ARCHANGEL, FANTOMEX, ROGUE and GAMBIT will attempt to save a world that hates and fears them. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE THE X-MEN. From blockbuster writer CHARLES SOULE and joined by a roster of superstar artists beginning with JIM CHEUNG. ASTONISHING X-MEN. It's the X-book you need.

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I wasn't going to read this one, but again Jacob insisted. I guess I should trust his judgement, because he clearly knows me well! Once I started these, I read them all pretty quickly. The very first issue is full of action and a slight overload of information. There are so many things happening all at once, and I absolutely loved it!

I've always been intrigued by Psylocke, so it was interesting to see how she would be portrayed in this comic. As expected, she kicks ass. Overall, it's an odd but awesome group of X-Men. I enjoy the banter between Rogue and Gambit (which is why I'm also reading their comic), and I don't often see Mystique and Fantomex. Bishop was new for me, too. I've seen him in one of the X-Men movies, but never in a comic. He is a very complex character. If I'm not mistaken, he's from the future and has the ability to jump through time. This knowledge allows him to scan events as they happen and cross reference them against future outcomes. He doesn't just see how it can effect the current reality, but every potential reality. Oh, and he can absorb energy and project it from his body. It's insane.

As for this series, it's a literal mindfuck (because they go to the Astral Plane). I never knew what was actually happening to the characters, and it gets pretty trippy. At the end of the seventh issue, something really shady happens, and now I don't know whether or not to believe it's real. It could be an illusion, or someone pretending to be something their not, and I'm not entirely sure where the story will go from here.

Fantomex! I cannot believe he willingly makes a certain decision, but I was enjoying his time spent with Mystique. They would be an unusual couple, and I think it'd make a wonderful comic! Raven needs a little love in her life.