Retro Comic Recap: The Thing #11

Good afternoon, folks,

Welcome to my eight hundredth blog post! This article will be dedicated to the eleventh issue of the Thing and the loving memory of my aunt Dorothy, who passed away on Monday. I'm taking some time afterwards to properly mourn her and remember other family members that we've lost over the years. Rest in peace, auntie. 

The cover showed Ben Grimm riding a flying lizard, with the image of the Thing's face in the background. The tale was titled "Rocky Grimm, Space Ranger." The issue had a cover date of May 1984.

The story started right after the events of the first Secret Wars. Ben had opted to stay behind on Battleworld, with She-Hulk taking his place on the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) surmised that the planet's unique nature allowed Ben to change back and forth from the Thing at will, and left his old friend a control that he could use to return to Earth when he wanted to.

Ben tossed the remote in the air, only to have it snatched by an alien riding a large winged creature. Grimm set off after it, but saw it disappear into a large tower-like structure. Ben entered a local cantina and learned that his device was now the property of the takers. 

While he was trying to figure out how to gain access to the top of the tower, Grimm was approached by a young woman named Llrrllllnnllyrrl. She had hoped to retrieve an item that the takers had stolen from her, and had approached the tall human for assistance. Even though everything in his current surroundings seemed relatively new, he accepted the story that the girl's personal possession had been taken some sixteen years prior and agreed to help.

She led him to a lair housing one of the large flying beasts Ben had seen earlier. It took some time, but Grimm eventually managed to get the creature long enough to enable him to control it and soar towards the thieves. They floated through the tower and landed outside the villains' lair.

Ben ran on foot, changing into the Thing along the way. He burst through the doors and demanded the return of his remote control. The diminutive beings gladly offered it to him and promised to find the item that the young girl was desperately seeking. They admitted the search could take years, but weren't about to upset the stranger any further. Ben walked away, thinking how he'd changed to his rocky alter ego subconsciously and would have to rein that in moving forward.

I wasn't a big fan of this particular storyline at first, but it did give us a deeper look inside the characteristics that made Ben Grimm a noble hero. Some of the reasons why he was rarely able to revert back to his human form on Earth in the past were explored in this saga, but then were largely forgotten or treated as if this would never be a possibility again moving forward. Personally, I thought it would have been cool if Ben had control over the transformations, much like Bruce Banner could control the change to the Hulk at the same time before succumbing to Nightmare's occupation of his mind. 

Tomorrow, I'll cover the twelfth issue of the Thing. Another chapter of Ben's life on Battleworld unfolds then, as Grimm encounters a new foe and someone who he's very familiar with. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.