Marvel Two-In-One #8
Silent Night... Deadly Night!
Ghost Rider, biking across the Arizona Desert on Christmas Eve, nearly collides with three men who seem to be the Three Wise Men of Biblical fame and goes on to find a near-perfect recreation of the first Christmas. In New York, Mister Fantastic is observing a strange new star. He determines the location to which the star is pointing--the Konohoti Indian Reservation in Arizona. To prevent Reed from missing his family’s Christmas party, the Thing insists on investigating.
Meanwhile, Ghost Rider gets closer to the recreation of Biblical Bethlehem and finds the "Joseph" and "Mary" of the act. It turns out that all present in the town are members of the Kwazee Native tribe. Ghost Rider is then attacked by the Miracle Man, who hurtles him out of the town in a tornado. When the Thing arrives, Ghost Rider agrees to accept his help and the two sneak back into the city disguised as two of the three wise men.
There they confront the Miracle Man, who reveals to Ben that he conjured up this re-enactment as part of a plot for revenge against both the tribe and the Fantastic Four for his previous defeat at their hands. After a battle against Ghost Rider and Thing, the Miracle Man is knocked out. Suddenly the ancient Native Americans that gave Miracle Man his new powers appear and take him away, reversing all the damage he had done.
Afterward, Ghost Rider departs feeling a little better after the whole experience.
Recurring Characters
Thing, Ghost Rider, Wyatt Wingfoot, Becky Rainbow, Miracle Man, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Medusa, Human Torch), Alicia Masters, Franklin Richards, Annie Christopher, Namorita, Wundarr
Continuity Notes
The narrative states that this story takes place on Christmas Eve of 1974. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the date of publication per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Some facts about the Fantastic Four in this issue:
Johnny is wearing a red and yellow Fantastic Four costume. Johnny began wearing this costume in Fantastic Four #132 to commemorate the original Human Torch of the 1940s. Johnny will continue to wear this costume until Fantastic Four #159 before reverting to the more traditional blue on black costumes worn by the Fantastic Four.
Both Medusa and the Invisible Girl are depicted as being on the team. Medusa joined the group in Fantastic Four #132 after Sue left the team in Fantastic Four #130 due to disagreements between herself and Reed. Although the couple reconciled in Fantastic Four #149, Medusa remained a member of the team while Sue decided what she wanted to do with her life. Sue eventually rejoins the team full-time upon Medusa's departure in Fantastic Four #159.
Past battles with the Miracle Man are mentioned in this issue:
Ben recalls the Fantastic Four's first encounter with him in Fantastic Four #3.
Miracle Man also recounts the more recent battle between himself and the FF in Fantastic Four #138-139 after he was granted extended powers by the Cheemuzwa tribe.
Ghost Rider mentions that his life was saved by a "mysterious friend" who saved his life in Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #9. This was a Christ-like figure who has come to the Ghost Rider's aid. Unknown to Ghost Rider, as later revealed in Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #19, this "friend" was actually the demon Mephisto who had been manipulating the Ghost Rider the entire time.
Per the Sliding Timescale, this story could not have happened on Christmas. However, this story could not be told in any other way so how one could reconcile it is anyone’s guess.
