Good morning, folks!
Hope everyone's been enjoying the weekend. I'm starting the day with a synopsis of the second issue of The Thing. The cover showed a side view of the Thing's head, with images from Ben Grimm's college days superimposed on it. The tale was titled "For Beauty Passed Away." The issue had a publication date of August 1983.
The story started in the Baxter Building in New York City, where Grimm was picking through the wreckage that had been wrought by the Fantastic Four's foe Annihilus while the team was traversing the Negative Zone. As he was picking up, Ben found Annihilus' helmet. He crushed it with the rest of the garbage and tossed it into a nearby disposal chute.
Afterward, he got dressed and prepared to leave, heading for the hospital, where his girlfriend, Alicia Masters, and his godson, Franklin Richards, were recuperating from the villain's assault. On his way out the door, Grimm was intercepted by mailman Willie Lumpkin, who had a first-class priority envelope to hand him.
Ben opened the envelope during the taxi ride to the hospital. He noticed that it had been sent from Central City, California. Grimm froze after reading the message that was inside, but decided to set it aside once he arrived.
Ben's teammate Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) met him on the tenth floor. His son and Alicia's conditions had not changed. A few moments later, Reed's wife Sue (the Invisible Woman) and Ben's uncle, who was a doctor, entered the room. He informed the trio that recovery would take some time, but they were stable.
Grimm headed for Alicia's room after promising to visit Franklin later on. The shock of seeing Alicia bandaged in her hospital bed was something that Ben was still getting used to. He worried about her, of course, but Alicia could tell that something else was on his mind. Grimm admitted that he had another concern and removed the letter from his pocket before starting his story.
Back in college at Empire State University, Ben and Reed were roommates. One evening, Grimm pried Richards from the laboratory to enjoy a night at the pub. Grimm's lady, Allyn Cambers, was waiting for them, along with a woman named Nan Freeman, whom the couple was trying to set Reed up with. Reed already had his eyes set on his landlady Mrs. Storm's niece Sue, but the quartet went out anyway.
A couple of weeks later, Ben was about to take the field with the rest of his football team when Allyn approached him. She embraced him fiercely before announcing that she had to leave, without explaining why. Reed caught up with her in the hallway, where she also exclaimed that she was leaving. Both Ben and Reed were puzzled, but continued on.
Richards cheered on his friend from the stands, but Grimm eventually noticed Allyn's absence, and it affected his performance on the field. His frustration carried over into the locker room after the game. Only his roommate was able to calm him down. The two friends talked hours later. Ben was convinced that he had to let Cambers know how he really felt about her.
Allyn had left the university, but had not moved away. It took three weeks for Ben to track her down, but they finally had a quiet afternoon together. As they walked, the couple came across a tree where Ben had once carved their initials. He reached into his pocket and produced his mother's ring. Grimm wanted to give it to Allyn, but she refused. She had dreams of becoming a movie star, and couldn't let anything get in the way of that dream. She walked away once more, presumably for good. Ben tossed the ring in the pond behind him moments later.
Ben and Alicia were quiet for some time after Grimm had finished telling his tale. Masters knew that Cambers had become a Hollywood starlet and was surprised that she was now reaching out to Grimm. Ben noted that Allyn had asked to meet her, and he was scared of seeing her again after all this time. Alicia's encouragement gave him the strength to see what she had to say. As he exited the room, Alicia softly wished that Ben would be careful.
Grimm waited alone in the Baxter Building for several hours before Allyn arrived. Her appearance was not what Ben expected. A recent stroke had paralyzed the right side of her body. It was something that she'd managed to keep out of the news thus far, but knew that she couldn't deal with it alone. She leaned on her old love for support.
The next day, Ben returned to the hospital. He conferred with Reed, Sue, and his uncle. Because of the attack on Alicia and Franklin, Reed was concerned for their safety. He announced that his family was moving out of the Baxter Building. Grimm was worried that this news might spell the end of the team.
This story was continued in issue #257 of the Fantastic Four. I remember first reading this issue as a kid, back in the days when you could get polybagged comics at the local shopping center or grocery store. It was a very human issue that Ben dealt with, one that made me wonder what happened to Allyn after reuniting with Ben.
That's it for this morning. I'll be back later today with a recap of the third issue of the Thing. Ben will be called upon to assist some old allies in a single-issue story. Until then, have a great day and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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