Well, it is what it is, folks -- a super-hero comic that adapts a head-to-head super-hero fighting video game. The plot isn't the strongest, and at least one conflict among the characters lacks any real logic for happening in the first place. But one has to give credit where credit is due. Writer Greg Pak and artist Renato Arlem have managed to foster a truly creepy and alien atmosphere that helps to elevate the book above its core nature as a marketing tool. There's not a lot of storytelling going on here, but the feeling that the creators manage to elicit from the audience is palpable.
For centuries, an alien race has been developing a weapon to defend itself against a vicious and unrelenting foe. The weapon in question is a serum that transforms a biological subject into a powerful and bloodthirsty monster, but the problem is that it lasts only seconds before the subject's body breaks down. As the years pass, the aliens try to improve and refine the potion, but they also seek out heartier subjects upon which to test the weapon. It isn't until they discover Earth that they find and abduct four new guinea pigs: Spider-Man, the Thing, Wolverine and Elektra.
Renato Arlem's interior artwork captures the same sort of dark feel as Jae Lee's cover. Arlem's work here reminds me of the styles of such artists as Lee, Alex (Daredevil) Maleev, Michael (Alias) Gaydos and Paul (Devil's Footprints) Lee. There's a kind of vague quality that overtakes the storytelling when the monster-serum is employed initially, but the lack of clarity in that savage violence adds to the effect, allowing the reader to fill in the nasty details in his imagination. Arlem manages to capture a classic look for the Thing without sacrificing the darker, brooding tone of the issue.
The same holds true of the script. The Thing's lighter tone shines through thanks to some playful banter with some kids, and the "who'd win" dialogue in that scene touches upon the one-on-one deathmatch approach to the kind of fighting game this comic tries to recreate. I was surprised and honestly a bit impressed that Pak's script pays the least attention to Spider-Man. One would think that the most recognizable and popular of Marvel's characters would get more face time, but Pak doesn't follow that predictable path.
Despite those strengths, the book cannot overcome its reason for being. This is about setting up an excuse for mindless fighting between heroes, and ultimately, the plot is transparent in that goal. Furthermore, the Wolverine/Elektra melee right before their abduction makes no sense and just spotlights the cliched nature of such repeated clashes between popular characters. 5/10
