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Marvel Team-Up #52

Dec 1976
Gerry Conway, Mike Esposito

Marvel Team-Up #52 cover

Story Name:

Danger: Demon on a Rampage


Synopsis

Marvel Team-Up #52 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3.5 stars

Spider-Man is swinging along on his daily business when a port suddenly opens in the air and a huge green monster emerges and goes on a rampage. Spidey swings down and the monster hits him, leaving Spidey thinking it’s the hardest he’s ever been hit, worse than Thing, Hulk, or Thor. But then the monster runs away and more people emerge from the portal: the Falcon and Leila Taylor first, followed by Texas Jack Muldoon, then the Night People, and finally Captain America. The portal closes; Spidey tries to tell Cap about the monster but Falcon has been driven mad by his sojourn in the other dimension and Cap must subdue him and get him help. The police round up the crazed Night People and one tries to arrest Spidey but he webs up the cop’s gun and departs….

Elsewhere, Batroc the Leaper relaxing in his penthouse apartment, abusing his butler, spies the green monster in the alley below. Dreaming of the possibilities of a thief having a monster for a partner, he goes down to talk with the creature….

Peter Parker stops by the Daily Bugle offices where he sees Robbie Robertson and is snubbed by J. Jonah Jameson….

At a private docking area, a SHIELD hovercraft transporter is landing, delivering a shipment of trans-uranium when Batroc and the monster arrive. The latter disables the craft and together they take down the guards—but then Captain America arrives, having been at SHIELD HQ nearby. Batroc dreams of finally killing Cap when Spider-Man also arrives and the battle is a little more evenly matched. Cap fights the monster while Spidey takes on Batroc until the two heroes are forced back-to-back. But Cap has an idea: as the two enemies lunge for the kill, Cap and Spidey jump out of the way, leading to the villains crashing into one another. Batroc is out but the monster is still standing. The monster begins to glow, which can’t be good, and it runs away. The heroes hand Batroc over to the police and follow the big guy. It hijacks the Staten Island Ferry, trying to get back to its own dimension. Cap and Spidey leap aboard the boat and Spidey occupies the creature while Cap rigs the craft to blow up and the two heroes jump in the River. The boat explodes, killing the monster….

Epilogue: Pete and Mary Jane Watson pick up Aunt May at the hospital to take her home. Pete spots Cap also leaving the place (dejected over Falcon’s suffering) and doesn’t know why he’s there, envying the hero who seems to have everything….



 

Review / Commentaries


Marvel Team-Up #52 Review by (November 1, 2023)

Review: The issue starts off on an odd note, with a generic monster coming literally out of nowhere, and it gets odder as we wrap up a Captain America story arc which did not previously involve Spider-Man. Then a French bad guy befriends the monster offscreen, as it were, because explaining how they crossed the language barrier and found a common cause would take too much thought. Then comes the great mystery: Pete goes to the Bugle offices for no apparent reason so they could sneak in appearance of two top supporting characters for no apparent reason. But the big trouble is Cap: sure, he can be excused for being brusque with Spidey as he’s concerned about his partner the Falcon. It’s at the end: Spidey wonders whether they should be trying to help the monster get back home as it isn’t his fault he’s trapped on Earth. But apparently all Cap can think to do is to kill the creature, ending Spidey’s internal debate. This seem a bit too dark (and inconsiderate) for the Cap we know and love.

Comments: Cap and company are returning from an extra-dimensional adventure in CAPTAIN AMERICA #201-203. Spidey refers to the events of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1, published the same month. Batroc refers to his battle with Iron Fist in MARVEL PREMIERE #20 and his first encounter with Cap in TALES OF SUSPENSE #75. Dave Hunt inked the backgrounds. The letters page includes one by Ed Via, future editor-in-chief of Claypool Comics.




> Marvel Team-Up comic book info and issue index

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito
Don Warfield
Al Milgrom (Cover Penciler)
Frank Giacoia (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Layouts: Sal Buscema. Letterer: Joe Rosas.

Characters

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Batroc the Leaper
Batroc the Leaper

(Georges Batroc)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Falcon
Falcon

(Sam Wilson)
J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson

(JJ Jameson)
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson

(Mary Jane)
May Parker
May Parker

(Aunt May)
Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson

(Joe Robertson)
Spider-Man
Spider-Man

(Peter Parker)
Plus: Leila Taylor, Night People, Texas Jack Muldoon.

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