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Ben Grimm is Targeted by the World’s Deadliest Assassin in The Thing #2

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In issue #2 of “The Thing,” penned by Tony Fleecs and illustrated by Justin Mason, with cover art by Nick Bradshaw, Kingpin dispatches Bullseye to thwart The Thing from exposing his intricate scheme. Unbeknownst to him, he’s chasing a conflict that he may not be equipped to handle.

Ben Grimm, once tormented by his childhood bully, sets out towards Midtown to find a lost 6-year-old girl. En route, their bully shows up on a rooftop sign, threatening The Thing for being there. A brawl breaks out, and the bully admits knowing nothing about the missing child. The Thing trusts him, knocks him unconscious, and decides to stay put to monitor whoever comes to retrieve him. Ben’s instinct leads them to a fishy rendezvous that grows more questionable with each passing moment…until an explosion rocks the scene, sending everyone scattering.

A Strong Start

Ben Reminds Readers of Who He Is

While Ben is taking Marty, his former tormentor, to midtown, readers get a peek into their past. They witness their old relationship directly. Before Ben had his tough hide and superhuman strength, he was simply a kid who got bullied for doing homework with the sister of the wrong guy.

In a bid to dismiss the entire incident as a harmless prank, he’s trying to pass it off. This line from Ben Grimm in the issue stands out as one of the best. Ben pressures Marty to justify the humor behind beating up a child. However, when Marty fails to provide an explanation, Ben sarcastically remarks, “Oh, so funny.” It’s perfectly in character for him and a fitting response. Despite the high tension, Ben remains steadfast that saving this young girl is more crucial than any personal feelings he might have.

This initial encounter serves as an effective prelude to the ensuing conflict. Here, readers are given a glimpse into Ben’s nature before he finds himself in peril alongside Bullseye. There ensues a series of playful exchanges, followed by Bullseye’s signature throwing stars, which seem more irritating than menacing when they rebound off The Thing’s robust hide. However, the tide turns when Bullseye successfully lands a blow, showcasing his newly acquired super-strength. This development leaves Ben alarmed and eager to uncover the truth behind it all. While the fight itself may lack excitement, Ben’s character development and the growing mystery keep readers engaged, providing a promising foundation.

The Plot Is Muddled

A Few Too Many Details Confuse Readers

As Bullseye’s battle with The Thing neared its conclusion, he vehemently denied any knowledge of an 8-year-old girl. Despite the natural skepticism one might harbor toward a comic book antagonist, his denial struck many as genuine.

Moreover, The Thing also trusts what he says. Since Ben assumes they won’t extract any valuable information from him, The Thing strikes Bullseye unconscious and waits for someone to retrieve him. Unsurprisingly, some lesser thugs carry Bullseye off, but the peculiarity lies in the fact that these very same thugs are transporting the exact girl who Bullseye claimed he knew nothing about.

It’s quite plausible that Bullseye was merely a hired assassin with no knowledge of Kingpin’s broader scheme, only instructed to take down the big rock man. Finding Bullseye unconscious and the missing girl he had recently interrogated in the same vehicle seems far too coincidental and without explanation at this point. After all, if the missing girl wasn’t on Kingpin’s premises, why would he feel compelled to conceal her if The Thing was not there? Since Kingpin has nothing to hide, it seems odd that he would be worried about The Thing approaching him.

In a less contrived manner, this convenience appears to merely expedite The Thing’s discovery of the girl rather than contributing significantly to the narrative. A more organic approach could have been to transport the girl in the fancy car instead of the white van. This would achieve the same objective without appearing so coincidental. However, it currently seems as though there might be reasons behind this choice that will be revealed later, but for now, it only serves to generate additional questions and not in a favorable way.

The Thing Is…

…This Issue Could Have Been Stronger

In this narrative, the characters weren’t particularly well-developed as the readers didn’t get many opportunities to witness compelling character decisions. Initially, The Thing seemed promising, but as the plot unfolded, he lacked intriguing dilemmas to grapple with. Consequently, there were no instances where he gained new insights or faced difficult choices.

At first glance, limiting the flashback sequence to just one instance appeared to be a shrewd choice for providing insights into Ben’s character background. However, upon further reflection, it might have been more beneficial to delve deeper into his past. If the narrative wasn’t intended to reveal fresh information about Ben in the current timeline, then it could have certainly provided additional insight into his past instead.

Regarding the action, there were enjoyable instances throughout this situation, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver in this aspect as well. The confrontation between Bullseye initially offered some engaging exchanges and reached a thrilling peak when Bullseye showcased his power by revealing his strength. However, things took a sudden turn when The Thing swiftly knocked out Bullseye.

Instead of altering the course of the battle, this pivotal moment should have given Ben a chance to demonstrate a defining act of character. Faced with the challenge of battling Bullseye at an elevated level, he’d need to rise to the occasion. Overall, while this issue was somewhat underwhelming after a promising start, readers will remain curious about where the story might lead next.

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2025-07-05 19:42

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