Over the years, Benjamin Grimm, better known as The Thing, has become an irreplaceable member of the Fantastic Four, an endearing husband and a loving father to his adoptive Skrull and Kree children. One thing that has never changed is his famous battle cry, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!” Making its first appearance in 1964’s Fantastic Four #22, the catchphrase has become synonymous with the character, with famous wrestlers like CM Punk using it in their entrance. Clobberin’ Time #1 reignites one of Marvel Comics’ greatest rivalries as the debut issue of this miniseries goes a different route, reuniting the Hulk and Thing in a team-up. This kaiju-infested, space-time-bending issue features story and art from Steve Skroce, colors from Bryan Valenza and letters from VC’s Joe Sabino.
Clobberin’ Time #1 opens with the banished Watcher, Tuvah Tu, acting as the narrator for the series. Reed Richards and Bruce Banner are working together on a science project in the Baxter Building when Ben Grimm brings lunch for the three of them. Suddenly, a mysterious intruder — an Iron Man-Doctor Doom composite — walks into them. Panicking, they send Bruce and Ben hurtling through time and space and onto a world where big and malicious kaiju rule over technologically advanced smaller beings who have learned to harness magic for space-time travel. However, before Hulk and Thing can go home, they need to sort out the strange planet’s hierarchy issue.
The best way to describe Clobberin’ Time #1 would be a modern-day take on the retro Fantastic Four crossovers from Jack Kirby and co., where The Thing and Hulk would duke it out for fan service. Writer Steve Skroce replaces the gladiatorial outing for a smashing team-up as the two heavyweight champions clobber monsters and their masters side-by-side as pals. The story is very linear, setting up the cordiality between former rivals before abruptly shifting into full-blown sci-fi territory. It doesn’t make the reader wait until the exposition is finished, with the Hulk’s impatience playing a part in propelling the plot. With the fists doing as much talk as the Watcher’s narration, the mysterious soon turns outrageous through Joe Sabino’s artsy onomatopoeia that fits in like a glove.
From mechanical scraps conjoined to create a composite suit to Ben Grimm’s rocky musculature blending in with the alien flora and fauna, Steve Skroce’s line work is a joy. There is a pattern in the irregular lines and grainy inking that gives a rugged look to both of the men’s features in each panel. However, where the artwork truly shines is the designs of the colossal monstrosities, lurching with their bare fangs and crustaceous scales like something straight out of a kaiju movie. Colorist Bryan Valenza replicates shadows using varying grades of the same shade, whether it is the orange of The Thing or the green of the Hulk, to give volume to their frame. Meanwhile, the multicolored monsters against the amber-toned skies create a striking aesthetic in the book.
At its core, Clobberin’ Time #1 is a fantasy adventure that happens to have lambasting action and bone-crunching fistfights that gives fans a new form of Hulk vs. The Thing rivalry to spectate upon. While there is not much in the way of the plot, with the white savior trope staring right in the face, it is mostly the high-octane spreads and the nostalgia of an old-school feel that makes the book memorable. Despite the fighting, Clobberin’ Time #1 is still steeped in mystery as the identity of the man in the suit remains up in the air, not to mention the new Watcher’s presence in the book, giving the series a cosmic touch.
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