Happy Friday, folks!
Today's topic is the sixteenth issue of the Thing. The cover showed Ben Grimm surrounded by an army of Things. The story was called "One Thing Leads to Another!" The issue had a cover date of October 1984.
The sixth section of this saga began with Ben and Tarianna climbing a large mountain on Battleworld. After reaching the top, the two had time for a brief embrace before the ground opened up underneath Grimm, and he was swiftly swallowed up. Tarianna was left alone to ponder his sudden disappearance.
Ben kept falling down a long cavern. Turning into the Thing protected his body from the impact when he reached the bottom. He slowly crawled out of the hole and proceeded on foot toward a tunnel in the near distance. As he did so, Grimm thought back to recent events, including his thoughts of Tarianna and his girlfriend Alicia Masters, who was back on Earth.
Speaking of Tarianna, she grabbed the sword that was attached to her belt and used it to cut into the ground in the hopes of rescuing Ben. Grimm was pleased at how independent Tarianna was, and soon found himself facing multiple tunnels. He reached into his belt and brought out the remote control that he could use to return to Earth. His Fantastic Four teammate, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) had left it with Ben to return whenever he wanted. Ben decided that now wasn't the time to use it.
Grimm ventured into one path while Tarianna battled with a snake-like monster that had emerged from an opening in the rocky surface. She slew the creature before entering the cavern from whence it came. Ben continued along his current path until he was distracted by a torch that was thrown at him from behind.
He turned to find several humanoids who looked very similar to his super-powered alter ego, many of them brandishing torches as they moved closer to Grimm. One of them grabbed Ben and called him revolting before taking him away. A short while later, Tarianna came across several skeletons. She was hoping that Ben's corpse was not among them. Before she could ponder much further, the undead corpses started to attack.
The aliens took Ben to their underground lair. One of them grabbed the remote from Ben's belt and he ran after them, hoping not to lose it, for it was his only way back home. Eventually, the strangers chased after Ben. He lost them after ducking inside a cavern, which was not deserted.
A woman with a rocky orange face started back at Ben. She called herself Lorra Gudma and seemed to find a kindred soul within Ben. She stepped out momentarily to throw Grimm's pursuers off his path, before advising him to leave. Afterward, the old woman laughed before her appearance changed to something a bit more sinister.
Meanwhile, Tarianna's battle with the undead was just about over. She emerged from it victorious right as Ben was donning a makeshift disguise to get past his pursuers. A rockslide interrupted the goings on, which Grimm learned had been caused by a green-hued being in a blue cloak. He leapt for the mystery person right before the antagonist vanished into thin air.
Grimm crashed into a wall and was soon surrounded. Tarianna had no idea that the green-skinned villain was right behind her. He wrapped Tarianna up in his cloak and whisked her away to points unknown. At the same time, Ben was helped to his feet by the rock people. They apologized for their hasty judgment based on his outward appearance, and returned the remote control to him.
Ben thanked the group before departing. He went down another tunnel, and tried to turn into the Thing. This time he was successful, when before he wasn't able to change. As he proceeded along the path, his thoughts turned to finding Tarianna. Ben stopped in his tracks when he saw Tarianna's sword lying in the pile of bones.
This story finally starts to pick up the action. The previous chapters of Rocky Grimm, Space Ranger, proceeded rather slowly by comparison. Every issue gave us a look into Ben's inner thoughts, and they will all make sense in the end.
Stick with me tomorrow, gentle readers, as I dive into a discussion of the seventeenth issue of the Thing. Ben continues his search for Tarianna, and encounters more danger along the way. He'll also learn that not everything is what it appears to be. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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