Growing up, I always thought everyone’s favorite ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing was kind of basic. He’s strong, seemingly isn’t very intelligent, and solves problems the simplest way possible. Steve Skroce aims to use Clobberin’ Time to show how multifaceted The Thing can be – the first issue proved he can hold the line with Hulk, and in Clobberin’ Time #2, he helps bridge divides in Krakoa. Oh, and totally punches the sweat out of the mysterious traveler from the first issue.
Clobberin’ Time #2 opens with a Watcher named Tuvah Tu introducing us to Krakoa. We soon see Thing taking questions in the Krakoan auditorium. They aren’t easy questions, but he does his best. One can see this scene play out like a lot of conversations we’ve seen on Twitter. Tensions are high, and mutants don’t necessarily see Thing as an ally. He does his best–with some help from tech–before he kicks back with Wolverine.
After some info on Krakoan booze that works on Thing and Wolverine, we soon get into the action. An attack on Krakoa kicks into gear, and it’s the perfect chance for Skroce to show off his excellent art. The thick lines look great on Thing, along with the muscular Logan.
Strong stuff.
Credit: Marvel
One can see Wolverine, and by extension, Krakoa, is used to continue the team-up aspect of the series, given how things play out. That said, Skroce shows some massive battle damage on Wolverine, which should excite fans. He also pulls off a badass move.
In fact, a lot of the visuals show off some grotesque stuff. The cover gives away a majorly painful moment for Thing. Each stone skin piece is pulled away, which looks super gross. Meanwhile, Wolverine is like a Terminator with his metal bones visible and red open wounds looking raw as hell.
The meat of this issue is Thing discovering more about the mysterious stranger briefly introduced in the last issue. A lot is left unsaid, but one can start making conclusions, like what the deal is with the Avenger iconographic tattoos he’s got all over his body. There are clues and hints at his deal, though they are shrouded in sci-fi jargon and whatnot. That suits a story like this since Thing has seen his fair share of mind-bending sci-fi enemies.
The mystery surrounding the villain allows Skroce to turn him into a wacky monster straight out of a Kirby-drawn comic. That battle is a showstopper, with Wolverine and Thing taking a beating but dishing it back as well. Skroce gets to lean into some big ideas with art too. That includes an epic shot of a ridiculously detailed device, helping to get the imagination going regarding who the enemy is and where he might pop up next.
Clobberin’ Time #2 combines good writing with great in-your-face visuals, and features monsters, X-Men, and super imaginative sci-fi only Marvel could provide. What more could you want?
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