Happy Monday, folks!
Today's topic is the twelfth issue of the Thing. The cover depicted Ben Grimm squaring off against a female riding a purple horse with the spectre of Doctor Doom in the background. The second part of the Rocky Grimm Space Ranger saga was titled "Doom!" The issue had a cover date of June 1984.
The story started on Battleworld, where Ben Grimm had chosen to stay behind in the aftermath of the Secret Wars because he could change back and forth from the Thing to his human form at will. He was staring at an alien city before walking toward it.
However, the scenery changed quite dramatically once Ben approached the town. It soon turned into an Earthlike paradise. Grimm had just started to explore his new surroundings when a man on horseback rode past him. He muttered an insult at the person who had almost knocked him down, which was apparently heard by the stranger, who came charging at him.
Only turning into the Thing saved Ben from a gruesome fate. He grabbed the rider from his saddle and set him down before a female on horseback arrived. Grimm grabbed her from the purple stallion and set her down to talk. She was hesitant until Ben changed back to his human form.
Having earned the female warrior's trust, Ben learned that she was named Tatianna, and that she and her heart-mate Hanrak were from a land called Leenn. They were on a quest to eliminate a wizard who had disrupted their people.
During the discussion, Hanrak fled into the bushes. Tatianna and Grimm followed him and soon ran into a large version of Doctor Doom. The giant lashed out at and apparently injured the woman, causing Ben to instinctively turn back into the Thing and get set to clobber his old foe. He finally felled his rival and had time to check on Hanrak and Tatiannaaaa.
Hanrak used his energy lance to lash out at the stranger, and in doing so, knocked Ben into a legion of Dooms. Tatianna urged her love to aid the newcomer and grabbed hold of Hanrak's weapon. She flung it at Ben's opponents, and they disappeared upon impact.
Afterward, Ben picked up the unconscious Hanrak and joined Tatianna on the trek to her homeland. The journey was rather peaceful until they reached the village. Ben gasped, noticing how much it resembled Doom's home country of Latveria back on Earth.
If you think there's more to this than meets the eye, stay tuned for my articles on the rest of this storyline, true believers. I thought that it was a bit odd that the Doctor Doom Ben and company fought wore the traditional garb that Ben and his FF teammates were accustomed to, instead of the newer version of his armor that Victor Von Doom wore for a time after acquiring the Beyonder's powers on Battleworld. I also remember that he changed back to the usual outfit he wore before being sent back at the conclusion of that miniseries. The mystery of how Doom could be on Battleworld after having presumably perished at the hands of Tyros the Terrible (Galactus' former herald Terrax) back on Earth would be explained in a later issue of the Fantastic Four's title.
The mystery deepens tomorrow in my summation of the thirteenth issue of the Thing. We'll see Ben venture into Hanrak and Tatianna's village, and learn more about their people. We'll also see how Doom plays into all this and the return of the alien girl looking for her dowry. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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