Advance Review: The Thing #1

Ben Grimm’s life has improved a lot from whence he came. Gone is the alway glum, grumpy, angry and pitying Ben and he has a loving relationship with his with and two kids! But superhero comics don’t normally one on happy endings. Hence we get to take a look back at Ben when life was not so rosy.

Coming back from a fishing trip, Ben is left all alone, when an evil spirit and a miss-understanding causes Alicia to want a break. Luckily Ben has a free trial with a peculiar dating agency from which to enjoy love labours lost. Of course, things are not going to go to plan.

Writer Walter Mosley takes us back down memory lane in order to add some angst and comedy to Ben Grimm, as if being turned into a large orange brick covered man-monster wasn’t enough angst for one guy. In doing so, like Peter and MJ beforehand, the quickest way to jettison the baggage of the relationship. Of course this is somewhat of a temporary thing (no pun intended), as we know that Ben and Alicia are going to live happily ever after. Mosley therefore takes a “life’s a journey, not a destination” stance, doing so with a far amount of humour matched with some very peculiar goings on. Ben Grimm has always felt like a funny guy, with his sarcasm driven by the pathos of the man inside the monster. Simpler times perhaps means simpler outlook.

Simpler times are certainly represented by the art of Tom Reilly whose style reminds of the off-kilter, less defined look that you may have seen in various Secret Avengers and Hawkeye books. It is a tad off the beaten path for sure, but fits the vibe and scheme fantastically well. Less is more when it comes to faces (Alicia) and there are some less than impressive poses on show; the art works well for the most part. Also adding to the scene setting is colorist extraordinaire Jordie Bellaire who manages to use a four color effect flying against the multi color norm of the books set in the present day. Letters are supplied by VC’s Joe Sabino with a speaking font and larger font, with the latter giving the book a loudness that I didn’t expect.

The Ol’ Timer in me remembers the fun Marvel Two-in-One book that partnered up The Thing with a guest star, much like Marvel Team-Up and Brave and the Bold for Spider-Man and Batman respectively. As much as I enjoyed the Invisible Woman mini a while back, I am really looking for Thing book, especially one set in the past where there will be no major impact. Fans of the Fantastic Four will probably love the book, for me, I would like more relevant context.

Writing – 3.5 Stars

Art – 3.5 Stars

Colors – 4 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; Walter Mosley
Art by; Tom Reilly
Colors by; Jordie Bellaire
Letters by; VC’s Joe Sabino
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network