Ben Grimm, also known as the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing of the Fantastic Four, is breaking out into his own limited series this spring which brings him back to his old neighborhood of Yancy Street in New York City.
The Thing will be written by Tony Fleecs, who made his Marvel writing debut with the recent Venom War: Wolverine limited series, with art by Leonard Kirk, who has drawn just about the whole Marvel Universe at this point, including a previous run on Fantastic Four.
In the story, Ben Grimm returns to Yancy Street without the rest of the FF to track down a mystery that will lead him to clash with villains such as Bullseye and Juggernaut when a bounty is put on his head.
“THE THING CLOBBERS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE! Ben Grimm may be the strongest member of the Fantastic Four, but once upon a time, he was just a scrawny kid from Yancy Street,” reads Marvel’s official description of The Thing #1.
“When an unexpected visitor from his past sends him on a search for a missing child, the Thing must unravel the mystery even if that means becoming a wanted man! Get ready to see the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Thing versus every super-powered criminal and bounty hunter in New York City!” it continues. “Fleecs and Kirk give a glimpse into the history of the Thing that reminds you why Ben Grimm is the heart of the Marvel Universe…and why you don’t want to let him hear you say that!”
Ben Grimm is one of the original superheroes of the Marvel Universe, debuting all the way back in 1961’s Fantastic Four #1 alongside the rest of the team that has come to be known as Marvel’s “First Family.” Back in the ’60s and ’70s, Thing was often one of the characters Marvel used most in its advertising, and he even had his own title well into the ’80s.
“What I love about Ben Grimm is that he’s just a regular hardworking guy – who happens to have super powers. He’s Jack Kirby. He’s not easily impressed by all of the outlandish, cosmic stuff constantly going on around him,” says writer Tony Fleecs in a statement. “The fun thing about this book is trying to figure out – ‘okay, then what WOULD surprise the Thing? What WOULD catch him off guard?’ In that spirit, we’re throwing every villain in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe at him. Trying to pit him against some opponents that you wouldn’t expect. We’ve got Leonard Kirk drawing The Thing! Believe me, you’re gonna see ol’ Benjy clobber some guys he’s never clobbered before.”
“It’s been a decade since my run on Fantastic Four and I am thrilled as punch (pun intended) to be working on this series with everyone’s favorite orange, pugilistic paragon of heroism, Ben Grimm,” adds artist Leonard Kirk. “The villains he goes up against range from the, let’s just say, less than serious, to the absolutely iconic, and I am very much looking forward to drawing all of them. The first issue has already been a fun romp and I know I will love the rest.”
The Thing #1 goes on sale March 5 with a main cover by Nick Bradshaw and a variant cover by Greg Land.
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