If you could say that the Fantastic Four had a breakout star, it would be easy to say that it would be Benjamin Jacob Grimm, aka the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing. It's not hard to see why. Ben's grumbly scrappy nature, yet being the reliable rock (pun semi-intended) and heart of the team? It's not surprising that he would end up being one of the more popular members of the group. Even the comics themselves noted this by calling him the "Idol o' Millions".
Ben Grimm's popularity would lead him to not just be a stalwart character in the FF's own book, but he'd get opportunities to shine outside of the team. This first happened in the anthology title Strange Tales in 1964. Starting with issue #124, these tales technically focused on his FF comrade Johnny Storm, the second Human Torch. However, Ben would be brought along due to the humorous interactions and chemistry between them. The Torch's solo era would end less than ten issues, before Nick Fury Sr. took that spot.
Ben would get to shine in two issues of Marvel Feature in 1973. The success of those two appearances led to the title Marvel Two-in-One, a team-up book. Much like Spider-Man would join forces with another character in Marvel Team-Up, Two-in-One focused on Ben Grimm's adventures joining forces with various characters around the Marvel Universe. Many issues would feature Ben joining forces with rather obscure characters, and the book would occasionally be used to help tie up storylines from other series. Two-in-One would become notable for "The Project Pegasus Saga", as well as one of the early epic battles against Thanos under the pen of Jim Starlin. Issue #21 would also feature Ben meeting Doc Savage of all people. Sadly, due to rights issues, that comic has never been collected in a trade.
The comic we're looking at today is the first issue of Ben's first solo series. Two-in-One had ended in 1983, lasting 100 issues and getting seven Annuals.
The story begins with our man Ben Grimm walking around his old neighborhood of Yancy Street. The neighborhood has seen better days. Nowadays, it's rotting. Ben notes an old building.
Page 5, Panel 3
He recognizes it as the apartment building he grew up in. Ben mentally laments the state of Yancy Street. It was no Heaven on Earth when he was growing up, in those halcyon days before the rocket flight that forced his life on a fantastic new path. However, nowadays, it seems to have turned into a Hell on Earth. He wonders how things got so bad so quickly.
Ben walks down to the basement, which dredges up memories of his childhood. He played hide-and-seek here as a boy. The superintendent of the building at the time, a Mr. Knudsen, lived in the basement. Ben remembers hearing the noises of Knudsen arguing with and abusing his wife. It did not end well. Knudsen ended up strangling his wife and killing himself in prison.
But Ben hears new noises. Younger noises. Noises of the present. As such, he decides to introduce himself.
Page 8, Panel 1
A gang of street kids has made this place their home, and they are not happy with Ben's intrusion. They throw bricks and bottles and planks at our hero. Ben Grimm's rocky hide can shrug off bullets, so these assaults barely tickle him. He demands to know who the leader of this motley crew is. The leader reveals himself, still trying to play the tough guy, despite his facing The Thing.
Ben laments that this kid is playing tough guy. The gang leader mocks Ben for his being in the FF, calling him a "traitor" to Yancy Street. Ben is not happy to hear this, as he was born and grew up in this neighborhood. So he decides to tell the kids a story.
Ben grew up much like the kids in the current Yancy Street Gang here: in a poor family. And among said family, he had an older brother he saw as a god: Daniel Jacob Grimm.
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Ben's mother and father argued a lot. Mainly because the Grimm boys' father couldn't hold a job longer than six months. That was because he preferred to spend his time (and presumably his paycheck) on being a drunk. One night, young Ben overheard one of those family arguments, this time with Daniel.
Page 14, Panel 3
You see, Dan was the leader of the Yancy Street Gang, the same gang that Ben thought was pranking him endlessly in the early days of the Fantastic Four. Mr. Grimm hated gangs, and hated that Daniel was involved in one, mainly because any money Dan may have made in the gang was through criminal means. Dan argues that at least he is bringing in money for the family.
On this night, Dan snuck out of the Grimm's home. Ben wanted to know what Daniel was up to, and he also (despite his young age) had a feeling something very bad was going to happen. Ben followed his elder brother to Thompson Avenue. Ben's fears increase. After all, that was forbidden territory for Yancy Streeters. Thompson Avenue had their own gang, and they would happily put a Yancy Streeter in a body bag. Ben ends up in a basketball court...
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Where a fight is going down. The two gangs brawl it out.
Ben watches the fight, and much to his horror, Daniel becomes a casualty.
Page 16, Panel 2
It was the first time Ben Grimm saw someone die. He had seen death a lot since then, through his military service in Siancong, to the Fantastic Four. An enraged and mourning Ben jumped into the fight, something he now realizes that Dan would have been against. Thankfully, the cops arrived and broke it up.
Ten years later, Ben Grimm was an angry 18-year-old, and himself led the Yancy Street gang. He led a new generation of the gang, as Dan's friends were now dead or locked up. One day, Ben runs into his uncle Jake, who has some sad news for him: His parents have passed on. Jake and his aunt Alyce take Ben in. Still full of anger and vinegar, the young man is not exactly appreciative of his new guardians, something that Ben ends up regretting. However, Jake and Alyce don't give up on him, and Ben starts to straighten out. They get him into school, where Ben not only discovers the joys of education, but another passion:
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Yup, football. Benny is a king on the gridiron, the sport allowing him to not only find a release for all his emotions regarding his losses, but it also got him a scholarship. A way to college. And to college he goes. It's there he meets two people who would be major parts of his life in the future: Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom. Reed claims he wants to build a rocket to visit the stars. Ben jokes the if Reed does pull it off, he'll fly it.
(mistake)
Years pass. Ben joins the Air Force, as part of its test pilot program. Years later, History of the Marvel Universe would also establish that during this time, Ben had served in the Siancong War. Eventually, Ben meets back up with Reed Richards, who managed to successfully develop his rocket. He asks Ben to pilot it. He joins Reed and the Storm siblings (Sue and Johnny) on a flight that would make history, as it would bring about the birth of the Fantastic Four, igniting a new age of superheroics not seen since the First Line some years earlier.
The kid hears this story, and he is not impressed. He points out that Ben left Yancy Street behind, and anyone can make it outside of Yancy Street. As far as the kid is concerned, there's only Yancy Street, and you do not betray Yancy Street. You stay here, and you try to survive. Ben notes that the kid is like a cracked mirror image of his own childhood self. Ben leaves, saying if that kid was as smart and tough as he thinks he is, he'll turn his life around.
When he emerges from the building, he finds the kid's father. Turns out that they're old friends, and the dad asked Ben to come talk to him. Ben worries the talk may not have helped, but the dad assures him that he tried. That's all anyone can ask. But for right now, let's get some beers.
This was an enjoyable issue. It's basically a recap story, but the delivery of it is rather clever in my opinion: Ben trying to get a kid to quit the gang life. Ben was already a tragic character in the Marvel tradition, a man given great power by a twist of fate but got changed into a monster. This story shows that tragedy is something Ben knows well. Despite that, he ended up becoming one of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe.
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Thing Classic Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry!
