It's almost a certainty that The Thing will be realized via CGI when The Fantastic Four finally join the MCU - but what design will be used? Will his features be modeled after the artwork of Jack Kirby, George Perez, John Byrne or someone else? If I was in charge, I would keep his look as close to Ron Wilson's depiction from his run on Marvel Two-In-One as possible, that's the Ben Grimm I see when I close my eyes.
Speaking of that title, Hawkman and The Thing last shared an adventure way back in my MTIO: The Lost Issues days in 2011.
For me, nothing will ever top the Hanna-Barbera version from 1967 as voiced by the inimitable Paul Frees.
ReplyDelete"It's clobberin' tiiiiiiiiiiime!"
Ooops! Nearly forgot to critique today's cover. Are they battling a Haitian branch of Hydra that's trying to take over the criminal underworld of St. Roch, Louisiana?
ReplyDeleteAgree about Ron Wilson - an underrated artist. Still, seeing the original look Thing with golden age art is a real treat!
ReplyDeleteI don't know enough about the artists' styles and designs to comment on that level, but the look of Ben's you used for poker night would suit me fine. Just as long as it isn't the early Kirby design seen here -- though it'd still be OK if we see it while he's in the process of becoming The Thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, I think we can pretty much assume that he'll be done with percap (the only humanoid character realized in regular CGI these days is Colossus in the Deadpool movies). The main reason Michael Chiklis wanted his version done in a suit was because computer systems weren't sophisticated enough to make it look real, and now they are, as we can tell when we look at the likes of the Hulk, Thanos, Rocket, et al.
As for today's cover, matching the early Ben Grimm with what appears to be the Golden Age Hawkman in his original headgear is a sensible match, and the latter makes sense for the story going on.
@Cary: I don't get a Caribbean vibe from these cultists; my first thought was India, though the terrain suggests that this may be a neighboring country such as Pakistan.
I love all the versions of the Thing you mentioned, as long as Joe Sinnott is involved. My favorite, though, is Rich Buckler.
ReplyDeleteHow about a yell out for this Thing to go up against Clayface? Would his strength really help make a difference?
ReplyDeleteIs it bad that I still can't read the name Ron Wilson without mentally adding "Bus Driver!" afterward?
ReplyDeleteLet's see who gets that reference...
@Ben W: That makes two of us.
ReplyDelete@Ben W. & Bob B; I'd say the chances of nobody else getting the reference are less-than-Sky-high. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLike a Thuggee subsect secretly working for the Yellow Claw (or some other Asian Peril trope)?
Oops! Sorry, Bob G. That second sentence was intended to be read by you. :-(
ReplyDeleteHas there ever been a “thing” collaboration? Ben Grimm meets the Addams family’s Thing meets John Carpenter’s The Thing!
ReplyDeleteBen has met John Carpenter's Thing
ReplyDeleteYou do realize, of course, what a chuckle that accidental double-entendre would give to the Yancy Street Gang. ;-)
ReplyDelete@Bobbo: more specifically, they met 11 years ago in MTIO: The Lost Issue #163.
ReplyDeleteI don't think "Thing Addams" was a part of that, though, and I do think that he'd be a fun team-up with at least Ben Grimm. I'm sure Ben would appreciate the family lending him a hand in that regard, and he's sure to say so.
ReplyDeleteThat part inspired me to try to think of who Cousin Itt could be paired with, and even wracking my brain the only thing I could think of was marrying him off to Petunia Grimm.
(Though it did remind me of my wish to see Medusa, Godiva, and Entrapta together as a team.)
A blend of Ron Wilson and John Byrne would be perfect for the MCU. If they go for the current habit of minimizing Ben's brow ridge, and giving him an orange bowling ball head, then I will consider it a fail of epic proportions.
ReplyDelete@Bob Greenwade: what?! No Spider-Girl from the 31st-century LSV? For shame, Mr. G!
ReplyDelete@Anon@2:36: As you said, she's with the LSV, not the LSH.
ReplyDeleteBesides, one of these days I'm thinking to commission a piece of art showing the three above-named heroines in a recreation of the salon scenes from the "Uptown Funk" video.
Then, depict Spider-Girl trying to crash their party (a la Alexandra Cabot vs. Josie & the Pussycats).
ReplyDelete