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This Man... This Monster!

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"This Man... This Monster!"
Cover art to Fantastic Four #51.
Art by Jack Kirby.
PublisherMarvel Comics
Publication dateJune 1966
GenreSuperhero
Title(s)Fantastic Four #51
Main character(s)Fantastic Four
Creative team
Writer(s)Stan Lee
Artist(s)Jack Kirby
Inker(s)Joe Sinnott
Letterer(s)Artie Simek
Editor(s)Stan Lee

"This Man... This Monster!" is a Fantastic Four story co-plotted by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, written by Lee, drawn by Kirby and published by Marvel Comics. The story debuted in Fantastic Four #51.

Plot

Roaming the streets, Benjamin Grimm, the Thing, is invited into the home of a scientist. The scientist gives Ben coffee laced with a sedative, and Ben falls asleep on the man's sofa. The man uses a device to transfer the Thing's powers to himself, causing himself to look like the Thing and Ben to become human. A few days later, the imposter Thing goes to the Baxter Building in hopes of proving himself superior by defeating the Fantastic Four. Ben arrives at the Baxter Building to warn the Fantastic Four, but Reed Richards and Susan Storm believe him to be the imposter so he storms out.

Meanwhile, at Metro University, Fantastic Four member Johnny Storm and his friend Wyatt Wingfoot get involved in an argument with football star until it is broken up by the coach. The coach suggests that Wyatt join the team on account of his father's athletic prowess, but Wyatt refuses.

At the Baxter Building, Reed tests a portal to an antimatter dimension, the Negative Zone. He has the imposter Thing hold his safety tether, and the man is surprised to see Reed pursuing scientific advances at personal risk without seeking publicity. He decides to save Reed and pull him back, but he waits too long and the tether snaps. The imposter Thing leaps in to save Reed, sacrificing himself to throw Reed back through the portal.

Ben goes to visit his girlfriend Alicia Masters, hoping that she will still recognize him because she is blind and will not be affected by his appearance. As he knocks on her door, he reverts back to the Thing upon the imposter's death. He returns to the Baxter Building and they realize that the real Thing is still alive. Reed expresses his gratitude for the imposter's decision to save him.

Reception

Writer Peter David uses "This Man... This Monster!" to exemplify plot structure in a comic book in his book Writing for Comics with Peter David.[1]

Comics Should Be Good ranked Fantastic Four #51 as the most iconic Thing cover.[2]

Legacy

The graphic novel Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross reintroduces Ricardo Jones as a memory, after his corpse is transported back into the Baxter Building.[3]

References

  1. ^ David, Peter (2009). Writing for comics & graphic novels (Rev. ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: Impact. ISBN 978-1-60061-687-7.
  2. ^ "Top Five Most Iconic Thing Covers | Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources". Goodcomics.comicbookresources.com. 2009-09-20. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  3. ^ Ross, Alex (w), Ross, Alex (a). Fantastic Four Full Circle (November 2022). Marvel Comics.
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