This Thing Rocks Vince Yim, Resident OP Stoner SCS IAT Issues reviewed: 1-6 Story by Dan Slott Art by Andrea DeVitto (#1-5) and Keiron Dwyer (#6) Founding member of the Fantastic Four, astro- naut, and pilot Benjamin Grimm became The Thing after being bombarded with cosmic radi- ation, causing him to become super strong with rock hard skin, but with a disfigured appear- ance. Over the years, he learned to accept his situation and even became one of the wealthi- est superheroes in New York. However, money changes a lot of things. With Dan Slott providing the stories, The Thing is superhero fun at its best. Because it is separate from the Fantastic Four team book, we won't be seeing the typical galactic threats regu- larly faced by the Fantastic Four: Instead, we see more self-contained storylines and more attention to plot and characterization. Slott is well-versed in the world The Thing inhabits and is aware of how ridiculous the sit- uations in superhero comics can be. The book reflects that, by placing The Thing and the sup- porting characters in situations such as deadly theme parks and then just having fun with the notion. The book doesn’t take itself too seri- ously, which makes it one of the more enjoy- able reads today. Characterization is razor sharp, moving away from the self-pitying tragic figure of The Thing’s earlier appearances to the gruff-but-lov- able hero that we know today. However, this does not come easier for our hero, even after he becomes wealthy. Most notable of the issues is ace 13 #4, where The Thing is tasked with babysitting Franklin and Val Richards (the children of Reed and Susan Richards, better known as Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman). The end result is a touching story in which the hero learns about the most important things in life. Given Slott’s extensive knowledge of the Marvel Universe, he draws from a huge library of characters to fill the supporting slots. While long-time comic book readers will appreciate the appearance of obscure heroes and villains, there are some downsides to this. New readers will be unfamiliar with the characters and their motivations. Additionally, given the space limi- tations of each story, usually about 23 pages each, Slott tends to gloss over a lot of the little details, which can lead to some confusion, even for regular comic book readers. As it stands, it is not even explained how The Thing became a billionaire. The artwork is top notch. Andrea DiVitto incorporates a lot of detail and expression into each face and figure, which is easily compli- mented by the colouring. There are a few glitch- es in continuity (in one page, The Thing’s wardrobe changes in every panel, even though they all occur within seconds of each other), although most readers probably wouldn’t mind too much. With Keiron Dwyer taking over (as of #6), there is considerably less detail, although it does have a slightly retro feel, some- what reminiscent of the art styles of the 70s. . While not necessarily groundbreaking, The Thing is a fan book and definitely worthy of a look for both comic book fans and casual read- ers. me Hate? email: Have an 2 Opinion? Listen toa new CD you | Know about | something? Now’s your chance! othereditor@yahoo.ca for more information.