A satisfying conclusion for the Wraith arc and a solid introduction to Captain Jean DeWolff and a story featuring Spider-Man, Iron Man and Dr. Strange
TITLE: Marvel Team Up Issue #51 featuring Spider-Man and Iron Man
YEAR: November 1976
COMPANY: Marvel Comics
STORY: Bill Mantlo
ART: Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito
LETTERS: I. Watanabe
COLORS: Janice Cohen
EDITOR: Archie Goodwin
In the last three issues, we have seen Spider-Man, Iron Man and Captain Jean DeWolff pursue a villain known as Wraith.
With the help of Dr. Strange, everyone finds out that the Wraith is Jean’s thought-to-be-deceased brother Brian and that he was being controlled by the former police captain, her father.
Due to a brief accident, Brian and her father minds are intertwined and he can control Brian with his mind.
But with all four working together, they were able to stop them.
This begins “Marvel Team Up” issue #51 in which everyone is now in the courtroom for an emergency trial.
The elder DeWolff has an alpha-jammer blocking Phillip DeWolff from communicating with Brian.
What everyone doesn’t know that Phillip DeWolff may not be able to control Brian’s mind but he can control other targets and his target is the SHIELD agent who is in charge of the alpha-jammer. Phillip has the agent turn off the alpha-jammer and thus giving him control off Brian once again.
This leads to chaos in the courtroom as Spider-Man and Iron Man take on Phillip DeWolff and Brian who puts on his Wraith mask.
Then they discover that Phillip has the ability to take objects and turn them into imaginary monsters.
As “Marvel Team Up” goes, this is a happy ending as the good guys overcome the bad guys, and Dr. Strange (who was a brain surgeon) trying to use his power to surgically rejoin his severed neuro-linkages and making him whole again.
But of course, Marvel had to do this character in once again or actually several times and unfortunately, Brian DeWolff’s character became a lame character which Marvel would bring back to life, have him killed, bring him back to life, have him killed and literally becoming like Kenny of “South Park”.
I learned that in “The Amazing Spider-Man” issue #663, a fourth Wraith was born, her name is Yuri Watanabe and similar to Jean DeWolff, is a captain in the New York Police Department.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion for the Wraith arc and a solid introduction to Captain Jean DeWolff and a story featuring Spider-Man, Iron Man and Dr. Strange.