Good morning, peeps!
I'm kicking off the weekend with a discussion of the first issue of the Thing, a series that began after Marvel Two-In-One ended. The John Byrne-drawn cover showed a triumphant Thing standing in the midst of wreckage all around him. The tale was titled "Lifelines." The issue had a cover date of July 1983.
The story started on Yancy Street, where Ben Grimm grew up. The Thing walked around his old neighborhood, realizing how much things had fallen into disarray since he'd left. He walked into a mostly deserted apartment building and wandered around until he heard noises coming from the basement.
Ben went down the steps and found nothing at first. He moved across the old superintendent's office until breaking down the door nearby. Inside the room was a gang of young teens, who threw everything they had within reach at the intruder. Grimm was unfazed and announced that he wanted to have a few words with the boys.
The leader of the gang came forward when called for and started for a long time at the Thing. Both men looked at one another for several long moments before Ben began a tale from his past. He used to play stickball with his friends, and grew up with his parents and his older brother Dan not far from where they were now.
Dan led the gang at the time, a fact which often caused several arguments with his folks. Ben listened quietly until he saw his brother leave their shared bedroom one evening. The curious young lad followed his older sibling, and witnessed a violent rumble. He also saw the fatal stab that ended Dan's life. Ben ran to his brother's side, but he was already gone.
Ben was filled with rage, and did the only thing he could think to do at the time: he fought back. His parents were furious with him when they picked him up at the police station, but that night had changed things for Ben. In time, he supplanted his brother as leader of the gang. One day, he headed for home and found his uncle Jake standing before their brownstone.
Jake informed Ben that his parents had passed away. Grimm didn't want to believe the news at first, but finally relented. He agreed to move in with his uncle and his wife, Alyce. Ben wasn't accustomed to the higher standard of living that his aunt and uncle had, but he turned a new leaf after a while.
He began to appreciate all of their kindness, even when he was his cruelest to them. Ben figured out that high school wasn't all that bad, and he became a star football player. Being on the field helped Grimm cope with the loss of his parents. It also paved the way for an athletic scholarship. Ben met a young Victor Von Doom at the university before coming face to face with his new roommate, Reed Richards.
Richards and Grimm struck up a lasting friendship. Ben promised to fly the rocket that Reed promised to build, even though he didn't know at the time that he'd honor that promise. Grimm later joined the Air Force and became a skilled test pilot. Reed called upon those abilities once his rocket was finally complete.
Reed, along with his girlfriend Sue Storm and her kid brother Johnny, had signed up for the trip. Grimm was a bit hesitant because of the cosmic rays. None of them were aware just then how much that would play a role in their excursion.
The quartet snuck onto the government base and boarded the rocket. Ben took the controls, and they flew off into space together. Each of them was affected by the cosmic rays and swore to use the abilities that they'd gained from them for good.
The gang leader wasn't impressed with Ben's narrative. He pointed out that he hadn't been given the lucky breaks that Grimm did. That was true, but Grimm knew from experience that it also took a certain mindset to break out of unfavorable habits and conditions.
Afterward, Ben left the building to confer with his friend who was waiting outside. He admitted that he'd shared more personal information with the gang members than he'd ever disclosed with Reed or Sue. The gang leader was his friend's son, and he hoped that his words would get through to him sooner or later. It was a favor Grimm was glad to repay his old pal, but he still wasn't certain that he got through to the boy. His father gave Ben credit for the attempt, which was probably more than most would even try to do. They walked off together to drown their sorrows with a couple of cold beers and talk more about the past.
As you can probably tell, this book began in a different direction than its predecessor. Writer John Byrne, who was in the middle of his legendary run as writer/artist of the Fantastic Four title at the time as well, took a closer look at the man who is Ben Grimm. We saw what motivated him and how he turned from street punk to the ever-loving blue-eyed idol of millions.
There would be more examination of Grimm in upcoming months, including the second issue that I'll recap tomorrow morning. Ben will be revisited by an old flame, and he'll find out that what he remembered from someone he was once very close with has changed drastically over the years that they spent apart. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment