The word that best describes The Thing: Freakshow is "quirky." Johns's story mixes small-town life, freak shows, super-hero ethics, some unusual cows and a couple familiar Fantastic Four foes into a slow-paced but engaging adventure. Along with him is Flash penciller Scott Kolins, whose work definitely fits the quirky vein as well, although I must confess that with Lanning's inks and Self's colors, the book looks rougher than the Flash, and I'm not quite as happy with the results here. Still, for those who are bigger fans of the Thing and the Fantastic Four than I, this will provide a very satisfying read, and even those with only a casual interest will find plenty to like in this off-beat tale.
It should be no surprise to anyone, given both the title of this book and the long-standing tradition of Thing stories, that this tale focuses mostly on how Ben Grimm deals with being a freak. He's used to being a celebrity of sorts, but seeing his celebrity taken to another level in such a small town made for an entertaining sequence, and highlighted how amazing it must have been for him to be treated as an idol rather than a monster. The talking-to he gets from the Freakshow Sheriff that brings him down seems monumentally cruel and effective as a result.
However, the story also has a bit of room for a redemption arc for the Thing as well, as he must make peace with his own bullying in the past. I was a little uncertain of the characterization of young Ben Grimm as someone quite so cruel, but it seems to be taking the story off in an interesting direction, and given Ben's "everyman" attitudes and past with youth gangs, I guess it does make enough sense to be a worthwhile inclusion.
I'm amazed that I didn't clue in to it in the first issue, but this issue gives us clues as to who's involved in the plot through the use of a common farm animal, and it's both a nice nod to Fantastic Four continuity and a good way to introduce weird elements into the already-odd small town life. I love that the Thing takes these developments in stride, as his "Hey, fellas" indicates that he has figured out what is going on and that it's not an unusual occurrence for him. It made for some light comedy amongst the more serious cliffhanger of the issue.
Kolins draws an exquisite Thing, and I was particularly impressed with his depiction of the Thing's size and the detail put into his rocky exterior. Kolins's work, particularly with Lanning inks, tends to result in somewhat craggy and rough-hewn faces even on normal people, but it works exceptionally well with the Thing. The body language of the main character is also impressive, conveying a physical power but also a sort of grumpy, normal heavyset guy in the way he carries himself. You can see Ben Grimm, football player inside of the portrait of the Thing.
