Marvel Team-Up #17

Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic make for a genuinely compelling pairing in this January 1974 issue, and the cover by Gil Kane (pencils) and Frank Giacoia (inks) sells the premise with real energy — Reed Richards stretches his elongated arms across the frame while Spider-Man leaps into the fray, both heroes converging on a cavernous underground setting swarming with yellow-clad Moloids and the Mole Man himself, staff in hand. The bold cover blurb "The Mole Man Strikes Back!" sets the tone perfectly for Len Wein's story, "Chaos at the Earth's Core!" A fun reminder of what made Marvel Team-Up such a reliable monthly treat — two heroes, one underground threat, and a whole lot of subterranean trouble.