Happy Monday, folks!
It's time for me to talk about the twenty-eighth issue of the Thing. The cover showed Ben Grimm standing in front of a brick wall, where a poster advertising his Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation match against Demolition Dunphy that evening had been placed. The story was called "In This Corner." The issue had a cover date of October 1985.
The tale began with Grimm riding a motorcycle that had sidecars on either side of it. He was in an arena with his fellow Thunderiders, practicing a trick that allowed his teammates to abandon their own vehicles and form a human pyramid on Ben's bike, with the Thing in the middle. All the while, Grimm was thinking about how he'd joined the group a few weeks back after auditioning in the hopes of getting closer to a woman named Sharon Ventura, only to serve as her replacement on the team.
Afterward, the Thing's travel companion, a young Vance Astrovik, ran towards the group. He complimented the Thunderriders, most of whom left for dinner, leaving a disgruntled Ben behind, thinking about his predicament. He was worried that his exploits would get one or more of his colleagues killed.
Vance tried to reason with his friend. Ben had been struggling with a decision, but had apparently made up his mind after entering the locker room. He was about to leave a note when he spied a flier advertising his appearance with the team at the Thunderiders' next event. Moments later, Cowboy emerged from the shower, seeing that Ben had noticed the promotional piece.
He knew what Ben was going to say before he had the chance to tender his resignation. It was clear that Grimm's heart wasn't in the work. Cowboy tore up the poster, and Ben agreed to purchase the motorcycle that had been specially designed for him. He drove off with Vance a short while later. The two wound up sharing a hotel room several miles away that evening.
They started talking for a while, until an advertisement appeared on television for the Unlimited Class Wrestling Foundation. Vance thought it was a perfect opportunity for Ben. Grimm wasn't so sure, but he arrived at tryouts in Las Vegas the next day.
Afterward, Ed Garner announced that the stars of the opening night's match would be the Thing and Demolition Dunphy. After Ben left the room, Garner approached Dunphy about throwing the match, a conversation that was overheard outside the window by Astrovik.
Vance told Grimm what he'd just heard, and Ben returned to confront him. The two wrestlers agreed to a fair fight, which began two weeks later before an eager in-person audience. True to their word, Grimm and Dunphy had a fair contest, which was won by the Thing.
This isn't the first time that the Thing engaged in a wrestling match, the most recent being against the extraterrestrial being known as the Champion in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7. The UWCF would play a role in most of the issues in the remainder of this series' run. Dunphy would go on to be known as Demolition Man and become an ally of Captain America.
I wasn't surprised to see Grimm leave the Thunderiders. He seemed to have lost interest after hearing that he would be Sharon Ventura's replacement on the team. I couldn't picture him as much of a motorcyclist, anyway. By the way, I'm just starting to read the original Team America series that I bought at a local comic convention over the weekend, and I've heard that another publisher has produced a new Team America book for the modern age. Haven't read that yet, but if you have, feel free to let me know what you think about it.
That's all for now. Tomorrow, I'll discuss the twenty-ninth issue of the Thing. Ben's wrestling career continues, as he takes on someone who sought a little assistance in acquiring the special abilities necessary to combat Grimm in the ring. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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