Marvel Two-in-One #31

Few things rattle Ben Grimm, but the cover of Marvel Two-In-One #31 (1977) shows the Thing reeling in wide-eyed shock — fists clenched, braced against a swirling red force — as the tagline "My Sweetheart… My Killer!" makes clear that Alicia is somehow at the center of the threat. The corner box's bold question mark teases the identity of the "Mystery Menace," and the cover's exclamations — "Cripes! It can't be!" and "They changed my gal Alicia into THAT?!?" — do a masterful job of putting a personal, emotional spin on what might otherwise be a standard slugfest. Ron Wilson's pencils and Frank Giacoia's inks give Ben an imposing physicality that fills every inch of the frame, making this a genuinely gripping 30-cent package from Marv Wolfman and company.