My Rating
“The Hulk & The Thing: The Big Change”
Yancy Street – Lower East Side Manhattan, the year 1987, Ben Grimm stands at the entrance to a back-alley slum, a recently thrown tomato drips down his face. Laughter from a teenage boy echoes off the brown stone walls leading deep into the urban canyon. Ben’s blue eyes dart side to side searching down the alley attempting to spot his assailant. Yes, the young punk has been spotted! Time to go teach his lifetime nemesis a lesson in manners. As Ben Grimm lumbers toward the Yancy Street Gang a beam of light engulfs his body. The young thugs watch as the rocky orange mass of the Thing disappears into thin air.
The Utah desert, in the exact same moments, an elderly stone worker breathes a sigh of relief as he stands back to admire his life’s dream. His art project has taken years off his life. The monetary cost to his family and two ex-wives has been tremendous. It matters little as the man looks out upon his five-story carving of his favorite superhero, Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing.
A smile creeps across the artist’s face as the sun begins to set behind the monument. As a tear of joy begins to roll down his weather-beaten face, the sounds of a guttural roar can be heard in the near distance. Within seconds a large green figure bounds his way into the worksite. It’s none other than the Incredible Hulk himself. The old man’s smile quickly turns into a shocking grimace as the monster leaps towards the statue of the Thing. In one subsonic descent, the Hulk crashes into the artist’s life work, smashing it into pieces. Before the old man can protest, a beam of light engulfs the Hulk. The old man sees the monster vanish.
Across the galaxy on the planet Maltriculon, the Thing and the Incredible Hulk materialize from their sub-molecular particle state. In front of them a gangly hunched over blob of a humanoid stands in front of them. This is apparently their abductor. The alien doesn’t seem to be hostile or malevolent, rather in a depressed state of desperation – if that’s possible. Within the next few minutes the lowly Matriculon minor bureaucrat named Stamen Mallet offers the two heroes the deal of their lifetime.
What is the secret food additive created by Matriculon nutritional scientist Mall Addy? Will Ben Grimm and Dr. Bruce Banner become human once again? Can the two heroes find suitable disguises? Is the Matriculon most popular horror television show really “Earth, the six o’clock news”? Buy the graphic novel to find out!
Reviewer Notes
After reading Marvel Comics newest Ben Grimm series Clobberin’ Time #1, I had flashbacks to this graphic novel featuring the Hulk and the Thing. In 1987 graphic novels became popular since standard issue comic books were still mainly printed on newsprint paper. The shiny pages, the high color prints, it was a miracle!
I had this book when it released in 1987 but I either sold it or traded it decades ago for something shinier (I think anyways). Clobberin’ Time inspired me to find and read this classic Hulk and Thing team up. I’ve found that any time these two are cast together the laughs get turned up to an eleven. It is true with Marvel Graphic Novel #29. If you are into classic Fantastic Four and Incredible Hulk storylines, you will love this one.
The only downside to this book is the price point. Everyone selling online seems to think this novel is made of gold bullion or something. It took me a few weeks, but I found a copy for just $6.99 plus shipping. If you are looking to collect the graphic novel I recommend waiting for a reasonable price. There are plenty of copies out there waiting for new owners.
In short, “The Hulk & The Thing: The Big Change” is not tied to a main story arc so I think it still holds up for modern readers. I really did enjoy reading this one as the art and writing are well done. I’m giving Marvel Graphic Novel #29 four out of five stars.
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