Issue(s): Marvel Two-In-One #6, Marvel Two-In-One #7
Cover Date: Nov 74 - Jan 75
Title: "Death-song of destiny!" / "Name that doom!"
Credits:
Steve Gerber - Writer
George Tuska / Sal Buscema - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker

Review/plot:
This two-parter starts off as a weird but understandable mystical story that devolves into something about the Valkyrie's origin, which is never a fun topic.

For the first part, which is a Thing/Dr. Strange team-up, a young girl playing a harmonica gets semi-accidentally pushed in front of a subway train and turns into a bunch of mystical lights.

Everyone present at the incident is affected by the lights by having their destiny accelerated and exaggerated, with the possible exception of Dr. Strange and Clea since they attempted to help the girl and acquire the harmonica, which has the word Celestia inscribed on it.

So for a couple that stood by and did nothing, a guy loses his face because he felt like he was losing his identity in the corporate world. Dr. Strange helps him out.

The guy who actually did the pushing is a Yancy Streeter named Duff, and his grandmother contacts the Thing (he says she was like a second mother to him while he was growing up, but i don't think we'll ever see her again). The Thing shows up in time to meet up with Dr. Strange and fight off the giant rat that comes after Duff.

But while they are doing that, the Valkyrie shows up at Strange's house and takes the harmonica.

Dr. Strange and the Thing try to hunt down the Valkyrie, who is seeking information about her human host body, Barbara Norriss. We meet her father, who is now a homeless man, Alvin Denton, who was also present at the scene where the girl with the harmonica was killed. Valkyrie's origin makes my head hurt, so i'm not going to get into it. Suffice it to say that nothing here helps make anything clearer, nor is it very important in the long run. It certainly doesn't make for an enjoyable team-up book, either.

There's also a continuation of the strange business about the harmonica that doesn't reach a satisfying conclusion. The Enchantress and the Executioner are involved, but we don't get the sort of epic Executioner/Thing battle that you would want.

I had read issue #7 and Defenders #20 before reading #6, and when i first opened issue #6 i said "Oh no, this is the harmonica story!". But issue #6 by itself is actually kind of interesting. Unfortunately the relationship between the harmonica and the Valkyrie and her father remains unclear to me. I grant you it might help to read it all in the proper order. One day...

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - developments about the Valkyrie's origin.

Chronological Placement Considerations: Continued directly in Defenders #20.

References:

• Dr. Strange and the Thing first met in Fantastic Four #27.
  
• The Enchantress' powers still have not recovered fully after she and the Executioner left Casiolena's realm in Defenders #4.
  
• Talking to the Thing, Barbara's father mentions the fact that she had gotten involved with cultists, as seen in Hulk #126.
  
• The Valkyrie discovers the nature of the enchantment Dr. Strange placed on her sword in Defenders #17 as she draws the sword and suddenly she is out of her civvies and wearing her costume.
  
• The Enchantress created the Valkyrie using the body of Barbara Norriss in Defenders #3.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title comes from the cheesy 1970s TV game show "Name That Tune".

Peter Gillis has a letter in #6.

Don't know if John Popper from Blues Traveller is/was a comics fan, but if so, these would have to be his favorite issues!

According to Legion Outpost #7(spring 1974), Tuska was initially supposed to permanently replace Sal Buscema here.

I'm already enthused by fnord's statement of "devolves into something about the Valkyrie's origin, which is never a fun topic". You said it Sir!

I wish John Popper of Blues Traveller would have lost *his* face to spare us such a horrible band