The Thing (Vol. 2) #6

Background

As you might know, Benjamin J. Grimm has come into a lot of money thanks to his share of the patents the Fantastic Four own. However, his ongoing series details that while money may might life different, it by no means makes it easier.

Story '...There Goes the Neighborhood!'

At the construction site of a youth center the Thing has financed on Yancy Street, the Sandman and Trapster have arrived to to basically destroy the Yancy Street neighborhood by exploding dumpsters full of debris and creating shrapnel. Of course, Ben Grimm is having none of this and is fighting the Sandman while Trapster sets the bombs. Wanting to even the odds a bit, the Thing shoots off the Fantastic Four signal. However, the Fantastic Four are currently helping out elsewhere, leaving the Thing to battle alone. Or does it?

Spider-Man, in his new costume, sees the flare, and decides to head over to Yancy Street to see what's up. While the Thing, Trapster, and Sandman are all less than enthusiastic over his arrival. Spidey claims that since he's a member of the Fantastic Four, he was honor-bound to stop by and lend a hand. The Thing, obviously, thinks that Spidey's stint in the "New Fantastic Four" hardly counts. However, he does appreciate that Spider-Man is helping more than wise-cracking.

The two heroes quickly dispatch the two villains, though there's still the problem of the bombs Trapster set. As the time dwindles down, heros and villains alike begin to panick. In the end, Ben throws himself on top of the final disarmed bomb and saves the day. The villains are out of the way, and Ben and Spider-Man sit down to have a little heart-to-heart.

Ben asks Spider-Man about the three arms on his new costume (apprently, Tony Stark thought they'd make Spider-Man look cool) and Spidey asks about Ben's financial situation. Ben remarks that it's like having a new power that comes with a lot of responsibility. Spider-Man swings off after hearing this, for obvious reasons.

Soon, the youth center commences and completes being built. At the center's opening gala, Ben has Peter Parker see if Alicia Master's new boyfriend sets off his spider-sense. Peter answers in the negative, to Ben's chagrin. The gala ends, and the last to leave are Alicia Masters, her boyfriend Arlo North, the Thing's boss, and the Thing himself. Arlo and Alicia bid the Thing goodbye, and Sheckerberg (the Thing's boss) bids him to "get back to work".

General Comments

This book is on the verge of being cancelled? It can't be because of Slott's writing, as it's top-notch. The action scene was excellent, but not the highlight of the book. No, the highlight was the Thing's inner monologue and his interaction with the cast of supporting characters and guest stars. The little heart-to-heart with Spider-Man after the battle was especially good, as was the dialogue during the battle. Slott really has a handle for making characters realistic, and in his hands, Spider-Man is actually funny.

The second half of the book, featuring the opening gala at the Grimm Youth Center, gets sort of sentimental but is still well-done and fits the theme of the book. The ending of the book is quite good, which is why I did not detail it in the above section. It's not a big cliffhanger or surprise ending or anything, but you should still read it for yourself.

The art of the book a little time to get used to. It's sort of bold and cartoony, but fits the style of the book quite well.

Overall Rating

It was like reading a very good cartoon. Some of the exchanges and one-liners made me laugh out loud, garnering odd stares from the people around me.