Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four is a character that lends himself to comedy quite readily, and writer Ron Zimmerman taps into that here. The script is reminiscent of the Kieth Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis humor from Justice League in the 1980s (and today, in Formerly Known as the Justice League), but it also allows for more dramatic moments. Don Kramer's artwork is stunning. It's detailed and expressive, and I hope to see more of it in the near future. The problem with this issue, though, is that the reader is left with one nagging question at the end...
"What was the point?"
Nick Fury recruits Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing, for a crucial mission, interrupting a night of rest and relaxation. The rocky hero is escorted to the middle of the desert by an awestruck, greenhorn soldier, and the Thing decides to share a few stories with the camouflage-clad fellow to pass the time. He recalls a night he took on the Wrecker single-handedly, and a mission to the Inhumans' city of Attilan to stave off a war (and rekindle a diverting fliration). Grimm also thinks back to a night when an old enemy tried to take away his most prized possession: family.
Kramer's artwork here is stunning. His name seems familiar, but I can't remember if I've seen his stuff before or not. Whether or not I've seen it before, I know I want to see it again. His work strikes me as a cross between the styles of Darick (Wolverine) Robertson and Kevin (Formerly Known as the Justice League Maguire. His take on the Thing captures the brute lovable side, but he also captures the immense power that the rocky form provides him. Studio F's colors bring a dark, mature look to bear here as well.
My favorite sequence in the book is the Thing versus the Inhumans plotline, as Zimmerman makes fun of some of conventions of the super-hero genre. He also brings a sitcom-esque love triangle element that pokes fun at the otherwise regal and lofty tone of the Inhumans. Zimmerman also explores the heart of this character and his appeal as a piece of the Fantastic Four puzzle.
What surprise me about this book, though, is that Zimmerman forgets a key element: he doesn't tell a story. He offers flashbacks to action sequences, but there's no real conflict pushing the story forward. It brings me back to my original question: what was the point? The writer says nothing new about the Thing. Furthermore, it seems as though Marvel put out the call for Thing projects, and instead of selecting one, they're publishing a whole string of them. This one-shot follows way to closely on the heels of Night Falls on Yancy Street, and while the script is entertaining and the art impressive, this one-shot fails to stand out as anything more than simply generic.
