Thing #30 Review - Secret Wars II

Issue Review
Thing #30

Direct Market Release Date: August 6, 1985

Credits

Title: Above and Beyond!
Scripter: Michael Carlin
Breakdowns: Ronald Wilson
Finishes: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Colorist: Robert Sharen
Editor: Marcus Gruenwald
Editor in Chief: James Shooter

Summary

Note: This issue takes place between pages 22 and 23 of Secret Wars II #5.

The Beyonder drowns his sorrows in a bar, telling the bartender his life story. Thurm, a promoter for a superhuman wrestling league overhears the conversation, and sends his two companions to rough the Beyonder up. The Beyonder handles them with ease. Thurm introduces himself and recruits the Beyonder into his stable of wrestlers.

Meanwhile, current Unlimited Class Wrestling Association star Benjamin Grimm, the Thing, is training with Vance Astro. While the Thing has become the UCFW's main attraction, his personal life is in ruins. He lost his true love Alicia to his best friend, Johnny Storm, after being abducted to the Beyonder's Battleworld in the first Secret Wars. He discovered his next girlfriend, Tarianna,was a figment of his imagination when the Beyonder's Battleworld dismantled. And most recently, he lost fellow wrestler Sharon Ventura.

Coincidentally, while walking to the showers, the Thing overhears Thurm introducing his latest star to league president, Edward Garner. As Thurm and Garner argue about the Beyonder's eligibility, the Thing steps into the room. Unaware of his rage, the Beyonder tells the Thing that his recent experiences with women have helped him understand how the Thing must have felt when he lost Tarianna.

The Thing meets Garner privately and tells him that he needs to have a match with the Beyonder, to settle his grievances. The fact that the Beyonder could kill him is irrelevant to Ben Grimm, and he states that all he needs is one good punch. While Garner is afraid to have the leagues main attraction killed, he realizes that the fight will happen regardless, and that hosting it under the UCWF banner prevents the Thing from quitting.

Thurm notifies a morose and drunken Beyonder that the match has been approved, and the Beyonder cryptically states his hope that the Thing can provide what no one else he has met in this universe has.

The Thing is so focused on finally getting the chance to take on the Beyonder that he doesn't hear Vance Astro's message that Sharon Ventura is in the arena for the match. The fight begins, and the agile Beyonder avoids all of the Thing's punches. The Beyonder realizes that the Thing's greatest desire is to hit him, and he allows the Thing to connect with his best shot. The Beyonder, surprised to feel pain, gives up and tells the Thing to release him from this life by killing him. Blinded with rage, the Thing attacks, only to stop when he hears Sharon Ventura's pleas for him to stop. Coming to his senses, a disgusted Ben Grimm realizes that he has lost control of himself, and helps the Beyonder out of the ring.

Quotes

Edward Garner: Ben, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pull rank here. The Beyonder's NOT joining my U.C.W.F.! I've invested too much time and money making you champ -- to have you lose the title and my audience with one grudge match!
The Thing: YOU made ME, champ? Hold it right there, buddy -- I made me champ an' don't you ferget it! That's my head out there gettin' clobbered every night -- an' either you put me up against the Beyonder Friday night or I quit! Either way yer losin' yer BIG DRAW!

The Thing: Hmm... Yer pretty agile fer someone wearin' a Michael Jackson bouffant!

The Beyonder: From the start, I have striven only to understand you people.
The Thing: Well, then hold still an' let me get a clear shot at ya, fer cryin' out loud!
The Beyonder: Would that make you happy?
The Thing: Yes... VERY!
The Beyonder: Then do it. I don't care.
The Thing: AHHHHH, SHUDDUP!

The Beyonder: I have earned this treatment, somehow, by my actions on this world! And while I could use my vast power to heal my battered form... I don't WANT to -- death would be a RELEASE! I must end this in an earthly fashion.

Caption: As the Thing marshals all his strength for one final, pulverizing blow, a jumble of thoughts assault his brain... Is he a killer? Is revenge worth his career... his reputation... His self-respect?

Commentary

A pretty good tie-in issue, drawn by Ron Wilson, who is no stranger to the lead character thanks to his prolific run on Marvel's Two-in-One series. For my money, Wilson draws one of the best depictions of the Thing ever put to paper.

The Thing/Beyonder confrontation has been brewing for some time. Being abducted to the Beyonder's Battleworld not only cost the Thing his relationship with Alicia Masters, but he is also dealing with the fact that his girlfriend on Battleworld was a figment of his imagination. There's a lot of anger that the Thing needs to get out of his system and this issue, along with Secret Wars II #7, spotlight those emotions successfully. The wrestling angle plays out a little cheesy at first, but by the time the story hits the halfway mark it seems to find it's groove.

The theme of this month's Secret Wars II issue was despair, and the Beyonder's character stays true to character here. Perhaps influenced by Boom Boom's suicide attempt in that issue, the Beyonder seems to have given up and finds himself seeking death as a release.

In the vein of a few several other Secret Wars II covers, the Beyonder's appearance on the cover is different from the interior. He is depicted as wearing his outer space costume featured in Avengers #260-261 on the cover, but inside he outfits himself in more traditional wrestling garb.

Up next...

Secret Wars II continues in Doctor Strange #74!