Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I do love a Starlin recap page:

Especially when I had this issue for some time before getting the previous chapter: Marvel Fanfare #21, "The Clash, part two" Story and art by Jim Starlin, pencils and inks by Al Milgrom.

This was set during a tough time for the Thing: just returned from the Secret Wars Battleworld, Ben had quit the Fantastic Four, and was on his way to pack. Then Dr. Strange summons him, to fight the demon jailers of Xandu. Xandu's also got his hands on the Ruby of Domination, and has taken over everyone in Manhattan, yet can only control one mind-slave at a time. As the Thing laments, Xandu didn't pick the Hellcat...

Starlin cheats a little, since at the time the Hulk was mindless and lost (around issue #300) but he's back to more-or-less normal under Xandu's control. Except, he's sluggish, and the Thing mops the floor with him. Until Xandu releases the Hulk, who is understandably upset that "Rockman" has been punching him for the last twenty minutes...
Dr. Strange is pretty entertaining in this one too, even though he spends most of the story captured. But he makes a pretty good straight man for Ben Grimm. I need to keep an eye out for Starlin's Hulk/Thing graphic novel with Bernie Wrightson.

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