I'm starting a new week with a discussion of the fourth issue of the Thing. The cover showed Lockjaw and Ben Grimm, with a mysterious being behind them. The story was called "I, Monster!" The issue had a cover date of December 1983.
The tale began outside a small shack on a warm day. An old woman was tending to her crops before an angry mob began assembling near her domicile. She quickly ran indoors, concerned for the safety of her son, Lucas, a frightened young boy who doesn't appear to be quite human. She went outside to address the townspeople's concerns. They demanded the monster and began throwing whatever items they could get their hands on at Sarah Anne Jackson to force her to comply with their demand.
A few moments later, The Thing and Lockjaw arrived. The Inhuman had teleported them right into the midst of the confrontation. Ben was unhurt, but tried to squash the unrest before things got out of hand. He and Lockjaw stood their ground until the sheriff arrived.
The lawman had never seen anyone like Lockjaw before, but Grimm assured him he was okay. Meanwhile, many miles away, in what appeared to be a deserted castle, several lumps of clay sitting on a table began to move. They slowly coalesced until they formed a gray humanoid.
Back at the cabin, Ben was filling Ms. Jackson and the sheriff in on his return from Atillan. He said that Lockjaw didn't bring him to the Baxter Building because Lockjaw sometimes focused on the mental energies of people in need of help. Apparently, he thought the single mother and her child fit that description.
Grimm wasn't ready to head home just yet. He left Lockjaw with Sarah and her son Lucas, while he rode into town with the sheriff to make a phone call. Life for many in the village had started going downhill at around the same time as Lucas' birth, some twelve years earlier.
Ben called the Baxter Building, but his friend Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) wasn't around. He had just hung up with their robotic receptionist, Roberta, when Lockjaw appeared beside him. The Inhuman fell over, and Grimm saw that he had been shot. The sheriff asked his deputy to find a medic while he and Ben sped off toward Sarah's cabin.
The angry mob had returned to encircle the small house. Ben waded through them, but was unable to prevent all of them from lashing out. One of them threw a rock that crashed through a window and struck Sarah in the forehead. It was the last thing she'd ever see.
Lucas stepped outside to find his mother lying lifeless on the front stoop. He looked out at the crowd and could feel their jumbled emotions. After a while, the people who'd arrived to harm him no longer felt like doing so. They walked away peacefully.
Afterward, Lucas and his new friends buried Sarah. Lockjaw teleported the orphan to Atillan. Ben realized that was one place the boy could be where he'd never be viewed as a monster.
This story reminded me of a tale in an issue of The Incredible Hulk that was plotted by Jim Starlin, where the titular character encountered a child who had been considered an outcast because of their unusual appearance and abilities. It's a theme that we often see in some of the X-titles and spread throughout other books from various publishers. We as humans often fear what we don't know, and sometimes that fear leads people to commit harm against those who are different. Maybe if we took the time to get to know others as the unique human beings that they are, we might be in a better place as a society.
That's all I have for now. Time to have dinner and think about the memories of my aunt, who just passed away earlier this morning. I'll return tomorrow with a recap of the fifth issue of the Thing. The strange being in the abandoned castle we saw earlier will take on a larger role in that script. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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