The Thing #1: Ever-Lovin’

The Thing, written by Tony Fleecs with art by Justin Mason and Alex Sinclair, is a solid start to what promises to be a fun romp through the Marvel Universe.  It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but a good story doesn’t always have to. Instead (and especially in ongoing fiction), it serves as comfort food, giving readers what they want, what they love about their favorite characters in healthy dollops.

And that’s what this latest Thing miniseries does. Don’t expect startling revelations or newly-revealed layers to our titular hero; this isn’t that story. This is a story about going home (in this case Yancy Street) and how it can always reopen old wounds no matter how much time has passed. In Ben’s case, it’s the call of an old Yancy Street Gang bully to help solve a missing child case that lures him back home. But that doesn’t change that Yancy Street was a tough place for Ben to grow up, and those ghosts of old follow him no matter how big of a superhero celebrity he’s become. Melancholy, thy name is Ben Grimm.

Adding a complicating turn to the kidnapping case, though, is a mysterious call going out to seemingly all of the Marvel U’s heavy villain hitters that it’s open season on The Thing. Why? We don’t know yet, but it surely has something to do with Ben’s return home, especially with the startling inclusion of [REDACTED] at the turn of the final page!

Writer Fleecs is reveling in getting to play in the larger Marvel Universe, where anything can – and most certainly will – happen. His inclusion of Josie’s Bar and several characters known more for hanging out in Daredevil’s corner of the world shows a keen understanding of the interconnectivity of Marvel’s characters, and he plays to that strength. Justin Mason is a keen artistic find; his Thing is big but never hulking and overwrought and his attention to detail is chef’s kiss. Add to that Alex Sinclair’s dynamic coloring and Joe Caramagna’s polished lettering, and you have one of the best-looking books from Marvel in a good long while. And although The Thing #1 doesn’t seem to reinvent the wheel, it doesn’t have to. It knows its lead’s strengths and plays to them like a champ.