Wyatt Wingfoot is possesed.
A dude named Jeremiah is summoning demons, and it was his fault.
Meanwhile, Looter steals some stuff and both Spider-Man and Nighthawk are on the case.
After they first meet (and, of course, fight for no reason), Nighthawk pokes Spider-Man in the chest. Then they team up and fight The Looter, who now calls himself Meteor Man, but he’s just as unmemorable. Nighthawk awkwardly recuses himself from the battles (he thinks Meteor Man needs mental help and not fisticuffs), and Val decides she’ll help take him down. Yes, a demigoddess is apparently needed to help a superhuman with spider powers take down…The Looter.
The dialogue is terrible.
Meanwhile, some cult leader named Jeremiah has decided his disciples need to kill Spider-Man. At this point, Strange and Human Torch take over the story, and along with Valkyrie take down Jeremiah.
Maybe it’s because this is basically a Defenders story, but the church angle feels a bit Steve Gerber-y, rather than Gerry Conway (who tends to be more conventional). Overall, the interconnectedness of these issues makes it feel like a more complex story, and it’s definitely less “stupid” than the earlier and more simplistic issues of Team-Up, but the book still has a ways to go before it’s really good.
I totally disagree! Marvel Team-Up#32, in particular, featuring the Human Torch and the Son of Satan, is one of my all-time favorite comics! The theme of demonic possession was still pretty radical for 1975, especially if you weren’t a regular follower of Hellstrom’s adventures over in Marvel Spotlight! ( as well as his own short-lived title by the end of the year ) Johnny Storm, of course, serves as the focal point for the readership, mostly whom haven’t seen “The Exorcist” movie, or read the novel. Johnny clearly has a hard time with the proceedings. Even when he’s literally having the life choked out of him, he still cannot quite grasp what’s happening. The art team works hard to convey that this entire adventure transpires solely at night, which seriously contributes to the story’s eerie mood. Even though the writer apparently understands that he has only thirty-two pages to tell this tale, the denouement nevertheless works quite well for me, because 1) It is nighttime 2) The problem is a case of demonic possession 3) The Human Torch can generate staggering levels of light, all of which means Hellstrom’s solution to the problem does make sense. ( “For all evil things FEAR the LIGHT……” ) It makes sense to me. A simple Human Torch-generated sunburst should be sufficient to exorcise this demon. Hey! It’s been done with a lot less! So, a creepy, mid-Seventies tale featuring a pair of charismatic superjocks ( I’ve always felt that the core premise of “The Son of Satan” was, simply, Superman meets The Exorcist-right-?? ) who tackle a straight-on case of Good Versus Evil- and WIN, using a brilliant combination of smarts and super-talent! As I say- one of my all-time favorite comic-book adventures!
Again, good points. I love that you are counter-pointing my posts. It shows how rich and wonderful the world of comics can be.