Broken Frontier

From the slums of Yancy Street to the wildest depths of the Negative Zone Ben Grimm, transformed by cosmic rays into a super-strong craggy creature, has made his name and reputation as the Fantastic Four’s working class superhero, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing. As possibly the most popular member of Marvel’s quintessential quartet, the Thing is the sole member of the team to sustain multiple popular ongoing series. The working man’s jet pilot turned horrific monster, Ben Grimm has built several decades worth of appeal, which is only one of the reasons that the new Marvel ongoing series starring The Thing is so exciting!

The first issue of the new series snaps open with a quick recap, followed by the type of pavement-cracking, ridiculous fisticuffs that are the beaten path of our stony-hided hero. The Thing’s newest journey starts with a splash of an entirely different kind, and then it becomes clear that the public sees the figure they’d formerly feared in a completely new and surprising way.

For readers who may have lost touch with the self-styled idol of millions, there’s a question that rears its ugly head: how the hell did Ben Grimm become a multi-millionaire? It’s not explained explicitly in the text: a small complaint, but a nagging one. It’s made clear through the asides of the book’s many guest stars that Grimm is clearly nouveau riche. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper issue of The Thing without appearances by characters from all corners of the Marvel Universe. It’s made clear by the context that this is going to be the status quo, at least for the time being.

Taking over his own little niche in the Marvel milieu is Dan Slott. With tongue-in-cheek gems like GLA and She-Hulk, Slott looks poised to bring the phrase funny-books back to the fore. Slott’s no slouch in the characterization department either. The book is a classic approach to the no-collar hero’s rags-to-riches story, classic Marvel. What will sudden wealth do to a fella who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks? Will all this excessive money go to the Thing’s head or will it make him crumble? Slott asks these questions sharply as Ben takes a bite off of the upper crust. Still, as Ben Grimm cavorts with starlets and supermodels, as he’s pursued by a cleverly named hotel heiress, as he debuts in tailored shirts, it looks like he’s going to be bringing some clobbering time to Central Park West!

The devil is in the details for the art by Andrea DiVito, last seen gracing the pages of Young Avengers. From the end of Mr. Fantastic’s stretchy fingers to the slippers on Benji’s tootsies when he gets out of bed, DiVito finds room for lots of hidden gags in his tightly drawn compositions. Even more impressive is that he creates a layout design for the book that’s clearly reminiscent of the old school stories, while capturing an energy that’s as fresh as daisies.

Usually computer colors are disappointing, poorly envisioned, paint-by-numbers affairs. Not so with the luscious and textured approach taken by Laura Villari. Her colors blend very nicely with DiVito’s art in a way that evokes real human bone structure and musculature, bringing the figures to life. Villari shines brightest in creating a look for the Thing. For the first time in his 45 year career Ben Grimm looks like you could reach out and touch him.

Marvel’s new release of The Thing is a funny, gorgeous and jaw-clenching ride. Slott, DiVito and Villari have a clear reverence for the best stories from Marvel Two-in-One, while paving new paths for the hard-bitten character. This new release of The Thing promises to launch Ben Grimm into the 21^{st century!}