REVIEW: THE THING No.6 (OF 6)

I do not know how Mosley did it, but he did : drawing off the era of Jack Kirby, this Thing mini-series ended up with the type of esoteric mysticism and high science expected in a Fourth World tale mixed in with acid washed art where the action is clearly within the panels, yet somehow transcends to the farthest reaches of the imagination where all creation originates.

Mosley and crew have facilitated an ending that has completely come out of left field for their story on the Earth element representative of Marvel’s First Family. And it’s all the more fitting since in the astrological mythos the Earth sign is representative of Saturn/Satanic energy … so in the conclusion to “The Next Big Thing” Ol’ Blue eyes finds himself in the thralls of a necropolis in an attempt to rescue the love of his life from the clutches of Death herself, and with the way that Tom Reilly draws her, I find it hard to believe that only Thanos and Deadpool would be jealous over the fact that she has eyes only for Yancy Street’s favorite representative here in this tale!

Jordie Bellaire once again brings the skills that he has taken to Themyscira to bring color to the necropolis that a majority of this tale is centered around. After his recent work on “Wonder Girl” and this story here, I have been left to wonder where does he derive his inspiration from to make a place so cold appear so warm while so dark? Bellaire’s colors are reminiscent of the same work that made the Sirens look so elegant as they told their stories mired in Greek lore off vases from Disney’s “Hercules” – I would not be surprised if Jordie got some of that steez from the animators who curated one of Disney’s last great 2D features.

If there was anything that I learned from Aaron’s “Avengers Forever”, a cosmic Thing is always a good thing. So I am glad to see Mosley tapped into that same well as here in one of the only splash pages, The Thing becomes omniscient for a spell, and handles himself with better decorum than Mr. Fantastic is doing with The Watcher’s sight in Slott’s current run. Though the side characters have no memorable names, they are fun to have along the ride with their distinct lines and flavor to the point where if they popped up again later down the line (like any of DC’s Monitor’s that didn’t go all Anti ) they would get the warm welcome they deserve from True Believers.

With this issue capping off the mini, Mosley and crew have satisfied their audience by telling a story that, though rooted in the past, was timeless as ever without ever feeling dated. To meld the ancient with the current is a certain form of alchemy that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and this book is filled with such magic that it still reverberates in the most mundane of events like in the pages of previous issues where The Thing is just having conversation in bed un-assumedly with Death.

From the dialogue to the art and the expansion of the characters (Dr. Doom was barely even there and I cared about his problems), “The Next Big Thing” was handled with a precision rare for most mini’s, and this conclusion follows suit like forty thieves.

Score : 5/5

(W) Walter Mosley (A/CA) Tom Reilly