The Thing: Night Falls On Yancy Street #2

Posted: Sunday, July 13, 2003
By: Jason Cornwell

Writer: Evan Dorkin
Artist: Dean Haspiel

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Plot:
As the Thing finds himself falling for Hazel, the new woman in his life, we see he's unable to deal with the fact that he has yet to break off his relationship with Alicia, and as such Ben finds himself growing more & more frustrated with himself. However, when he discovered an unsettling truth about Hazel, we see this love triangle may very well be shattered by outside forces.

Comments:
While Mark Millar's Trouble is the book that's grabbing all the attention for dredging up the romance comic, I have to say that this miniseries fits right into the romance comic genre, as we have all the various staples, from the love triangle, to Ben's encounter with the jealous ex-boyfriend. Now sure we also have the various trappings of the super hero comic, as our lead character has to take time out from his romantic pursuits to battle a rampaging Dragon Man, and the ex-boyfriend just happens to be a member of the Frightful Four who move in to attack on the final page. Still, the heart & soul of this book is Ben's pursuit of the ever elusive perfect relationship, and the largest obstacle in his path is himself, as he's unable to decide if he wants to remain with Alicia, or to take a chance on Hazel, who by all outward appearances has also won over Ben's heart, though the arrival of her ex-boyfriend might put a damper on his feelings toward her. I like the fact that this book isn't avoiding the idea that Ben is in effect cheating on Alicia, and that he feels like scum because of his self-serving cowardice that has him unable to tell Alicia the truth. The scene where he lashes out at his teammates is also a very effective display of his frustration with himself.

As for the art, the book has a nice old school look to it that suits the more classic elements of the material. I mean one has to love the fact that the art is able to convey Ben's shy awkwardness when he arrives outside her window. The big impact visuals of the final page are also quite impressive.

Final Word:
This issue continues to deliver a very impressive show, as Evan Dorkin has proven to have a very solid understanding of the Thing, and what makes him tick. I mean creating a love triangle that involves the Thing is certainly hard enough, as the idea that a woman would look at Ben & instantly fall in love is a rather fantastic premise by itself, and for as long as I can remember Ben has always been with Alica, so having him return the affections being shown toward him by another woman is in direct contrast to Ben's standup guy persona. However, the book has deftly addressed both these stumbling blocks, with the latter one taking a lion's share of this issue's attention. The book is a very compelling romance scenario, with a pretty exciting action closer to pull us into the next chapter.