Happy Thursday, folks!
Today's topic is the fifteenth issue of the Thing. The cover depicted the Thing and Tarianna walking through a neighborhood that looked oddly familiar to Ben Grimm's old stomping grounds on Earth. The tale was titled "It Started on (Alien Characters) Street!" The issue had a publication date of September 1984.
Ben and Tarianna had taken off in the ship they'd gotten off the ground (last issue) to explore more of Battleworld when the vessel started malfunctioning. It took all of Grimm's piloting skills just to maneuver the craft enough to avoid most obstacles and land safely. It came to a stop right before another similar vessel, which it only lightly scratched upon impact.
Afterward, the Thing and Tarianna explored their new surroundings before entering a local watering hole. While Ben was trying to sort out his romantic feelings, the raiders from the start of this storyline were still wading through their vast collection to find the dowry that they had stolen. One of them managed to find a rather impressive weapon.
Meanwhile, back at the bar, another alien tried to stake a claim on Tarianna. Grimm defended her honor and actually defeated his rival while still in human form. For his bravery, he was given a drink, which he soon learned was in a dribble glass. That made Ben think back to the troublemakers on Yancy Street back on Earth, as it was a type of prank that they would usually pull.
As Ben and Tarianna left the tavern, the raiders returned to Llrrlllnnyrrl with the purloined weapon. She was just thinking about how it could be used to defeat the Thing when the gun vanished from sight. The Tantalorian P-Z Lanta weapon wound up in the hands of Ben's opponent. He smiled at his good fortune and set off after the Earthling.
The alien had Ben lined up in his sights until Grimm ducked to follow a wallet tied to a string and unknowingly evaded the blast fired from the cannon. Ben found himself in a dead end, remembering that the gag was also typical of Yancy Streeters. He caught up with Tarianna and walked along with her, until Ben was pelted with eggs from above.
As Grimm's temper began to flare, his foe fired more shells at him. This time, the alien named Gruhl was also unlucky, as the humans evaded them. When another round launched, the smoke cleared in time to see that Ben had changed into the Thing.
Now it was clobbering time. Ben and Gruhl fought for a while. Grimm had chased his adversary into a building and was tripped up by the same group of hooligans as he left the domicile. Tarianna eventually learned that the aliens were behind the pranks that were set up as retaliation for Ben accidentally scratching their vehicle when they first arrived in the town.
Gruhl and Grimm managed to cause more damage to the alien craft before the gun they were fighting over disappeared once more. The small aliens ran off afterward, and the Thing felt like he had just gone through another encounter with the Yancy Street Gang, albeit one from Battleworld.
This was a humorous tome that harkened back to Ben's friendly rivals, and I've no doubt that such an escapade was pulled from Grimm's memory. It explained a lot of the plot and its conclusion. A lighter issue after several more serious stories was appreciated during this series' run.
That's it for today. Tomorrow, I'll wrap up the work week with an analysis of the sixteenth issue of the Thing. Ben and Tarianna go adventuring again, and meet some beings who look very similar to the Thing. The pair also meet an opponent who would prove to be their strongest challenger on the patchwork planet. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment