Since I started collecting Spider-Man comics “seriously” or whatever in 2018, there have been a lot of obvious things I was not going to get. Marvel Team-Up #1, for example. The first issue of only the 2nd series ever for Spider-Man? Pricey. And, also, maybe not that important, in the scheme of things. Something I could not afford and probably was ok with that. And yet, once again on eBay, I find someone selling a lot of 10 issues of MTU for $20, including 1 & 2. Why? How? I don’t know. But I got it, and here it is. Not a great cover for a first issue. “Two of Marvel’s mightiest… neither looking at you, both getting trashed.” That’s another thing, MTU was originally conceived as a Spider-Man & Human Torch title. Every issue, just the 2 of them. I much prefer the variety of future issues. We got Roy Thomas writing, future ASM artist Ross Andru penciling, and the ubiquitous Mike Espositio inking. It’s Christmas Eve, and Peter Parker is at the beach to take shots of the Polar Bear Club doing their thing for JJJ, when one of them feels something weird in the sand, like a snake or a tentacle.
Well, alright. What a horrible suit for Sandman. Sandy beats up the cops and has fun with it as Peter switches into his Spidey gear and gets in there. They go a round, but when Spidey makes a joke about it being Christmas Eve, Sandman is distracted, and vanishes into the sand.
I guess Roy is forgetting ASM 18 & 19, but I looked it up, and shockingly, this is their first meeting since ASM 19. Sandy’s been off harassing the likes of Thor, The Hulk, and by far most frequently, the Fantastic Four, as a member of the Frightful Four. They’re ever-so frightful, don’t you see. And because of that, Spidey has gone to The Baxter Building looking for help. Johnny Storm was just casually shooting fire rings out the window without knowing he was out there. Johnny says he’s the only one home on Christmas Eve because of “girl problems,” and does not elaborate. Spidey tells him Sandman’s on the loose and basically says, “He’s one of yours, do something,” which is pretty funny and very out of character. Torch thinks back to the first time he met Sandman, on the George Washington Bridge. The heroes assume Sandman is from New Jersey, since he was coming into the city both times the boys ran into him (Uh, sure, ok), so they head that way in a Fantasticar. They don’t find Sandman, but they do find some guys trying to mug a woman. Spidey flips onto the bottom of the Fantasticar and does his thing as Johnny swoops in…
Well, ok. Justice done, but still no Sandman, so they keep on flying, when Johnny spots a tanker truck out of control on the icy road. Johnny flames on to melt the ice in front of the truck, giving it a chance to stop. So they’ve saved yet another day tonight, but are no closer to finding Sandman. Johnny says he’s had enough of all this Merry Christmas stuff and is going home.
The heroes go after him, but they don’t work together very well as a team, and keep getting in each other’s way.
No comment. Spidey saves The Torch, and then they rush their foe, who makes his body paper thin, so they just smash into a wall behind him, knocking themselves out. Grade A superheroing, guys! When they wake up, Sandman has tied them up inside a water tower, which he proceeds to fill up to drown them. Spidey has apparently forgotten he’s super strong? He figures out they’ve been tied up through a ring on the bottom so only one of them can reach the surface at a time. Spidey thinks he’s “too weak” to break the ropes (Why?), so he dives down to let the Torch get enough of himself out of the water to flame on. They free themselves and soon pick up the Sandman’s trail asn he climbs into the window of a building.
And that’s that. Not exactly the most exciting start to a series, but honestly, probably a fitting start to this series. And the two heroes will, indeed, get Sandman next time, along with his Frightful Four buddies, but that’s still a ways off.