Project Pegasus: The Age of Aquarian!

Marvel Two In One #58 (Dec 1979)
"To the Nth Power!"
Writers: Mark Gruenwald/Ralph Macchio
Artists: George Perez/Gene Day

Karen: This is it, the conclusion of the Project: Pegasus saga! We start with an unconscious Ben being threatened by Klaw, who knocked our heroes out at the end of the previous issue. Suddenly Klaw is overcome and his body begins vibrating madly, and is sucked back into the metal blaster of his hand. As Ben regains consciousness, we pull back and see that Klaw's undoing is the work of Wundarr, who is now dressed in a white and sky blue outfit. It kind of reminds me of Dove over at DC.

Doug: Yeah, the new outfit does have that same color scheme. Hey, art question right off the bat -- who do you think did the roll call headshots on the side of the splash page? It sort of looks like Kerry Gammill, or maybe Ron Frenz... no one is credited, and I could not find any more information on the various databases I consult. Readers might notice, too, that this issue has Perez providing breakdowns and Gene Day the finished art. There are times throughout the story when some of the faces seem a bit off. While the art is certainly solid throughout, it's not holding a candle to last issue's Perez-masterpiece.

Karen: For the most part I really liked the art, but I know what you mean when you say a few things were off. As for the headshots -you got me! It certainly doesn't look like the rest of the art.

Karen: Ben is startled and happy to see Wundarr up and around -and quickly realizes that he is changed -not just in appearance, but in intelligence. This is not the man-child he once knew but a far more eloquent man. Wundarr explains that his encounter with the Cosmic Cube has expanded his energy-nullifying powers to a phenomenal degree. The Cube is also responsible for his mental transformation. He declares that he is Wundarr no longer, but shall now be known as the Aquarian. He says he will bring peace to the world.
Doug: You just know you had these lines going through your head while you were writing all of this:

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

Karen: Oh yeah, hence my title to this post! There's definitely some Christ-like symbology here, but it's so wrapped up in this action-packed story, it doesn't come across too heavy-handed.

Doug: You're right. In fact, it's almost like it's 10 years too late to have any real relevance. I wonder what the influence was that spurred Macchio and Gruenwald to this idea?

Karen: After Ben and the Aquarian take Giant-Man and Quasar to the infirmary, they head off to find the "spatial distortion" that Aquarian senses inside the project. We then get a nice full-page display of what has become of Dr. Lightner: he's used the Nth device to turn himself into a living space warp! And he's sucking the entire project into the void of his body. Ben tries to stop him, thinking he can throw enough objects into him that he will "block him up", but the matter only makes Lightner grow larger.

Doug: Loved the scene where Aquarian hoists Giant-Man with one hand. I've always wondered why our giant friends don't automatically revert to their normal heights when passed out? I'm thinking of Hank Pym in Avengers #140 here...

Karen: Maybe it has to be a conscious effort? The Aquarian then tries to use his energy-nullifying abilities to shut Lightner down; he has some mild success, but also turns off the power in the compound, freeing some of the prisoners, including Thundra. Ultimately, Aquarian fails.

Doug: This was an interesting sequence of events, that like most of this story seemed pretty well-thought out. I think with two writers on the book, or in other cases when there is very close collaboration between the writer and the artist, some of the rough edges get smoothed out, and some of what we might normally find to be plot holes are closed before they become a problem/see the light of day.

Karen: Both Quasar and Giant-Man recover and head for the site of the distortion, to be joined by Thundra as well. Quasar attempts to destroy Lightner -or the Nth Man, as he calls himself -but his energy only feeds him. Giant-Man offers himself up -he says he can try to grow from within Lightner's void and fill him. Quasar objects, saying it might kill Giant-Man. And we finally learn why Giant-Man has been so driven: he's dying of radiation poisoning. He had hoped to find a cure at Pegasus, but that never materialized. So he launches himself at the Nth Man -only to disappear. It didn't work.
Doug: I can't decide if the revelation of Foster's illness makes me like him more or not. Pity him, perhaps. But now his motivation is just to make a legacy for himself -- it just doesn't seem like anything he does is out of altruism. I don't know... sort of just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe he isn't noble at all?
Karen: Well, I think he has a big chip on his shoulder, if nothing else. Aquarian tells the others that he might be able to save Giant-Man, and others, by entering the Nth Man. But they will need to form a living chain in order for him to do so. Despite losing their strength so close to Aquarian, the heroes hold on as the young man plunges into the void that was Lightner. Inside, Aquarian encounters a nightmare realm -actually it reminded me of a Ditko landscape from an old Dr. Strange. He recovers Giant-Man, who is losing his mind there. The Aquarian fires up his null field as much as he can, hoping that it will have a greater effect from inside the villain than it did from outside. Eventually he succeeds, and the Nth Man is dispersed, in some more spectacular art by Perez.

Doug: Very nice scene, evoking all of the great let's-band-all-our-energies-together moments. Ben's devotion to Aquarian, and vice versa, was very touching in this scene. The authors did a nice job with that story element throughout. You mentioned Ditko -- certainly. However, I couldn't get past it seeming like the stupid Sentry vs. the Void from some issue of New Avengers. Then I pulled the fork out of my eye.

Karen: As our story wraps up, Ben and Aquarian say their goodbyes. Aquarian plans to spread his message of peace -yeah, good luck with that! Thundra is cleared of all charges for helping to destroy Lightner. And Giant-Man continues to look for a cure, with encouraging words from Ben. The last three panels of the story tell us who was behind the whole Nth projector scheme: that evil oil company, Roxxon. Seems they want an energy monopoly. Now that's a villain that's not so hard to believe in.

Project Pegasus: Klaw + the Cube = Trouble!

Marvel Two-In-One #57 (November 1979)
"When Walks Wundarr!"
Mark Gruenwald/Ralph Macchio-George Perez/Gene Day

Doug: If you thought George Perez was good last issue, just wait. There are panels in this story that are simply breath-taking. And to think that when this mag hit the newsstands, young George had only been getting paid by Marvel Comics for a scant four years. Marvel Two-In-One #57 is the penultimate chapter in the Project Pegasus arc, and mainly serves as a set-up to the grand finale -- which we'll have for you in one short week!

Doug: As we dive in, Quasar has assembled the PP security team to discuss just what the heck has been going on within the Project. The break-ins by Deathlok and Thundra, and the breakout of Nuklo. What's the common thread? Has anyone been seen at or near any of these circumstances? What could be the motive? But more importantly, the security at this energy research center has been compromised, and that is of utmost importance!

Karen: You mentioned the art at the top of this review, and I'll bring it up again. The splash page, showing the meeting room and huge monitors, is pure Perez gold. He would do a similar scene in Avengers vol.3. The man can draw command centers, situation rooms, you name it!

Doug: After a nice recap of the events discussed above, Ben volunteers to attempt to get information from Thundra. However, fish ain't bitin' and Ben leaves no better off. We then cut away to Wundarr's cell, where the alien manchild has awakened and leaves his quarters in a zombie-like state. As he moves down the corridor, his energy-dampening powers dim not only the lights, but the containment apparatuses at the front of the prison cells. The super-villain Solarr takes full advantage, but in attempting to attack Wundarr, finds that his powers fade -- even his physical prowess.

Karen:I liked that all forms of energy, even kinetic energy, were dampened by Wundarr. Of course, he seems immune to his own power, which is lucky for him, or he might not be able to breathe or pump blood through his body!

Doug: Solarr decides he's not going to let the opportunity to escape pass him by, so he seeks an ally in his quest for freedom. Seeing the name "Electro" on a nearby cell, Solarr deactivates the security and enters, only to find that Electro's basically in a body cast! Now some might think this scene was superfluous, but I thought it was great! Most of us who grew up in the Bronze Age would say that what separated Marvel from DC in that era was the continuity between titles, and even the cross-company self-promotion. So while Electro was incapable of assisting his fellow baddie here, we got a nice reference to his recent battle against the amazing Spider-Man. Good stuff -- a nice touch.

Karen: That was too funny -and actually quite realistic -why would Solarr bother with Electro? I agree with you, it was a nice touch, showing once again the inter-relatedness of the Marvel U.
Doug: While the good guys have figured out that Dr. Lightner seems to be the common thread, Solarr finds the cell of Klaw, the master of sound. Breaking in and finding only the sonic prosthesis, Solarr throws it against the wall in anger. However, the clanging and jarring of the device is enough to let the genie out of the bottle, so to speak, as Klaw is reformed from the very claw he wears! Weak and somewhat incoherent, he agrees to assist Solarr in their breakout. In a brief interlude, we see Lightner up to no good, hoping to use the now-assembled Nth projector to transform himself into the Black Sun. However, something goes awry -- but we'll have to wait until next issue.

Karen: The scene with Electro served a purpose: it sets up this scene with Klaw. Here we see that there is some sense of comradeship between thieves, as Solarr seems genuinely disturbed that Klaw might be dead. Sure, they're both a couple of self-serving criminals who could turn on each other, but still, you sense a bit of humanity here as they try to escape together.

Doug: Solarr and Klaw have made their way to the track that surrounds the complex. Hijacking one of the kiddie-cars, they now ride toward freedom. Until Quasar confronts them. His intervention is short-lived, however, as Solarr blinds them. Stepping into the void, Ben and Giant-Man don't have much initial success, until Ben does a maneuver he saw on a Road Runner cartoon and whiplashes the tracks. Solarr and Klaw are disengaged and attacked by a recovering Quasar. Back to Wundarr, the still-entranced youth has found what he was looking for: the safe-keeping place of the now-dormant Cosmic Cube! However, as Wundarr approaches, his energy-dampening powers seem to have the opposite effect, as the Cube now begins to return to activity!

Karen: Again with the art: I really like the way Perez draws Quasar when he's all powered up. He's like a glowing human star -it's really effective.

Doug: We close the story with a nice little battle between our heroes and Klaw, with Klaw of course coming out on the short end. Bill Foster is for the most part useless (although he does knock Klaw out), as he's proven to be in this entire story. I'll tell you, I certainly thought there was more potential in the character than what was ever realized. But he just comes off as a step slow physically and mentally.

Karen: I love that Ben is able to use the experience he's gained form years of facing Klaw to figure out how to get through the villain's force field. Once again, Perez outdoes himself with his depiction of the crackling energy surrounding the Thing and Klaw. Giant-Man does come across as a bit of a third wheel, although as I recall he'll get a better showing next issue.

Doug: While the good guys congratulate themselves on vanquishing Solarr and Klaw, it is the vibrations of their voices that re-energize the sound claw, and it's Klaw who ends with the upper hand. Next issue -- to be concluded!

Project Pegasus: Battlin' Babes on the Loose!

Marvel Two in One #56 (Oct. 1979)
"The Deadlier of the Species!"
Writers: Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio
Artists: George Perez and Gene Day

Karen: This is part 4 of our look at the Project: Pegasus storyline, and this issue focuses on Thundra. Introduced back in Fantastic Four #129, Thundra is a warrior woman from an alternate future where society was divided along genders. Her people, the "Femizons" had genetically enhanced Thundra, granting her incredible strength. Originally she traveled to our time to battle Ben, whom the Femizons believed to be the strongest man of all time. They did fight, again and again, and Thundra became interested in Ben romantically, although this was never reciprocated by Ben.

Karen:We also have new artists starting with this issue. George Perez and Gene Day take over from John Byrne and Joe Sinnott, and they do an outstanding job. So often second or third tier books like MTIO would suffer from very weak art, but that's certainly not the case with this series of stories.

Karen: When the issue opens, we see that Thundra and the female wrestlers from last issue are breaking into Project Pegasus. In flashback, we are told that a mysterious man made her an offer she couldn't refuse to plant a device within the Project. However, once she and her team have placed the device, the lady wrestlers take off deeper into the complex, stating they have other orders!

Doug: Assembling those gals for the mission was sort of like a Dirty Dozen, wrasslin' style! Thundra would definitely be an example of all brawn/no brains, wouldn't she?

Karen: We get a quiet interlude with Ben visiting the still-comatose Wundarr. Ben is feeling guilty for allowing the scientists to use Wundarr in their experiments, and tells the man-child how sorry he is, and then quickly leaves before he starts to breakdown. After Ben exits the chamber, we see Wundarr lift his head and say, "Ben, I understand."

Doug: There have been some touching moments with Ben in this story -- it's a very human look at him. It just goes to show that anyone with talent can write any character -- sometimes we complain about certain writers not finding a character's "voice"; that just isn't the case here with scribes Macchio and Gruenwald. It looks like they've done their research, and stretched what they found just enough to make it their own.
Karen: Who should Ben run into after he leaves Wundarr but Thundra. When she refuses to come with him, the two get into another donnybrook, with Ben at a disadvantage due to to his injured arm (the one Deathlok blasted a few issues back).

Doug: I liked how Ben was startled at seeing her, but in that "Oh, crap..." way; he just knows when she shows up something stupid is going to happen. And it did.

Karen: As Ben and Thundra tangle, we pop in on Quasar and Giant-Man, who are cleaning up after the previous issue's fight with Nuklo. An alarm goes off -the female wrestlers have been detected. Our two heroes split up to go after them, and Quasar runs into Letha and Screaming Mimi. Quasar, ever chivalrous, fires a couple of warning shots and tells the two he doesn't want to "use real force on two women." The aptly named Screaming Mimi then cuts loose with a super-powered howl that causes Quasar's vision to distort - Perez' art here is very effective in getting across the feeling of disorientation. Eventually he overcomes his concerns about hurting the two and lets loose with a blast that drops them. As a side note, Screaming Mimi would go on to become Songbird of the Thunderbolts. It's a much better look in my opinion!

Doug: I really liked the panel with Giant-Man and Quasar working. I've said I'm a sucker for characters who are giants, and the perspective in that panel adds to the awe of it.

Doug: You are spot-on in your assessment of Perez's pencils on the Screaming Mimi scene. That is just really, really well done. I could get a sense of vertigo just looking at that page! Perez's choices of camera angles really added to the speed of the battle. The panel where Quasar flies across the floor into the wall is good, too.

Karen: While Quasar is busy with those two, Giant-Man has his hands full with Titania and Poundcakes. G-M has a tough time with the two of them, getting knocked into a fiery pit, and then nearly having his arms torn out by the two, before he finally manages to knock them out.

Doug: Bill Foster has gotten about as much respect in this story as his mentor, Dr. Henry Pym!

Karen: Truer words were never spoken. What is it about giant-guys?

Karen: Meanwhile, Ben is having his own problems with a certain Femizon. I got a chuckle out of the panel where Thundra has Ben on the floor, twisting his head, and yet proclaiming how the two are destined for each other!

Doug: Isn't that how all women behave?

Karen: Very funny sir. Ben manages to get back up and the fight continues, while Ben gives Thundra a lecture about true love. Eventually it comes to a screeching halt -with Ben caught in a scissor hold by Thundra! - when Quasar, Giant-Man, and the security team arrive with the other wrestlers securely in hand. Ben asks Thundra to come clean, but even though she feels betrayed, she has her honor and keeps silent.

Doug: Ben's line to Thundra about not being able to shine Alicia's shoes, followed immediately by "ya blasted tomboy!" was priceless. This is a really great fight scene, really well-choreographed. You could see this playing out on the silver screen in a sort-of Matrix-style battle.

Karen: Our story concludes with that scurrilous scientist, Dr. Lightner, recovering the device Thundra planted. With it, he will have all the components he needs to make the Nth projector, which certainly sounds ominous!

Doug: I cringed when Bill Foster said "mama" to Thundra...

Karen: You noticed that too? There were a few times during this series when the writers seemed to feel the need to throw some 'jive talk' in there. I might expect that from Luke Cage, but from Bill Foster? A biophysicist? This issue was a lot of fun; once it got going it was primarily one fight after another, and yet all were entertaining. As we re-read this little saga, I'm reminded again of how well all the characters were integrated into the story. Each had their own problems that they were dealing with and got the spotlight at different times. Yet Ben is always the center of the story as a whole. This is just a very well-crafted story, and the art has been fabulous.