Issue(s): Marvel Two-In-One annual #3
Cover Date: 1978
Title: "When strike the Monitors! / The mystery unfolds! / As Tokyo goes, so goes the world! / Wrath of the Monitors!"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Frank Giacoia & David Hunt - Inker

Review/plot:
This is a more or less disposable story about the Thing and Nova teaming up to fight some aliens.

The Thing constantly refers to Nova as "kid" and comments on his lack of experience, but in fact Nova doesn't really come across as a novice (although there is a cute scene when they first meet and the Thing says he can't be sure that Rich is really Nova since they'd never met in person before, and Nova responds by providing him a pile of his press clippings).

Actually depicting Nova as a neophyte compared to the veteran FF member and letting Nova learn a little from the team-up would have been a much more interesting story.

This story has a vague curiosity value in the sense that the bad guys are called Monitors, since Wolfman would go on to create the Monitor and Anti-Monitor characters for DC in Crisis.

Anyway, mostly harmless.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this between Nova #19-20 and between Fantastic Four #201-202. Nova initially thinks that the Monitors energy display is the work of Blackout, so it must take place after Nova #19. As Nova approaches the Baxter Building, he remembers that he read that the team broke up (as of FF #188 and until about FF #201, which means they are actually back together at this point.).

One of the Monitors, Nygorn (the Last Monitor) will later appear as a member of the Starblasters.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

FOOM#20 announced this as a MTIO/Nova crossover, not a separate Annual.

I believe the Monitors turn up again on the Stranger's homeworld during an adventure in Quasar's book.

Hey! That guys, the monitors, are the Hickman´s builders!!

FNORD - I brought this up earlier -

I believe the Monitors turn up again on the Stranger's homeworld during Quasar #13-16.
should they be tagged as characters appearing?

I don't know if we can prove that the Monitors here are the same ones that appear in the Quasar story? I think tagging them here would be like having a tag for "The Skrulls". I think the Inbound Reference from the Quasar story is all that is needed here.

By the way, Marvel's Wiki page says that the Monitors are from a race called the Marvanites from planet Marvan, which is pretty funny.

Who was the cover artist for this issue?

It's apparently not certain, but Steven Tice reported in 2005 that the cover's pencil artist was probably Ron Wilson, according to the Grand Comics Database (GCD) at comics.org. Inks were by Pablo Marcos.

Thank You Holt, you rule