Sunday, December 5, 2010

Comics on the Bubble: The Project Pegasus Saga

Originally taking place in Marvel Two-In-One #53-58, this story has been talked about a lot and reprinted in a couple places over the year. I'm calling this an "on the bubble" title, but that's kind of a fake out. While I've never read it, and I would have dumped it if it was bad, with these characters and this creative team, there is about no way that could happen. Mark Gruenwald wrote this with pencils by John Byrne and George Perez, how could that miss?

Issue 53: A team-up with Quasar, Thing joins the Project's security team. Things are going strangely as a long-time Two-In-One villain (Dr. Lightner) is up to no good. KEEP

Issue 54: The cover this is a team-up with Deathlok, but really it has Quasar and Thing teaming up to take out the futuristic cyborg. I'm surprised at what an earnest doofball Quasar is in these issues. KEEP

Issue 55: Bill Foster Giant-Man! This guy should be a bigger deal than he is. He's a great, long-time character with ties all over the Marvel U. He works with the Thing to take on Nuklo, the child-like mutant kept at the Project. KEEP

Issue 56: Thundra is one tough lady. She knocks the Thing around for this whole issue. The best part is, she's doing wrestling moves on the guy! The high point has to be all those lady grapplers, including Screaming Mimi/Songbird. KEEP

Issue 57: Wundarr is the childlike-alien befriended by the Thing, he's the reason Ben Grimm has stuck around Project Pegasus. While Wundarr gets his new mindset together, Quasar, Thing, and Giant-Man take on Solarr and Klaw. KEEP

Issue 58: I love when the team-up books just stick with the same characters. Gruenwald pulls that off here by giving Wundarr a new name; Aquarian. He's a hippy out to save the world, but first he and Thundra have to join the Pegasus security team in taking out Dr. Lightner/the Nth Man. KEEP

Man, this would have been a cool team to see more of. The Thing, Quasar, Giant-Man, Thundra, and Wundarr. This story lives up to its excellent Bronze Age Classic reputation. I'm KEEPing all of them.

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