The Thing #4
The Thing #4 stands as one of the early solo series' most emotionally weighty issues, deploying the mutant-as-scapegoat theme — then at the height of its relevance in the Marvel Universe thanks to John Byrne and Chris Claremont's concurrent X-Men work — in an entirely different genre register: a rural gothic tragedy rather than a superhero battle. By having a child mutant's mother killed by a mob while Ben Grimm, himself a creature defined by his otherness, watches helplessly, Byrne forces a direct, uncomfortable parallel between Lucas Jackson's persecution and the Thing's own lifelong experience of being feared and rejected. The story introduces both Sarah Anne Jackson and her son Lucas as new characters, with Sarah dying in her very first appearance — a narrative choice that underscored the series' willingness to let consequence carry real weight this early in its run.
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The Thing's solo ongoing launched in July 1983 as a direct successor to Marvel Two-In-One, giving Ben Grimm his first true headlining series. John Byrne, who was simultaneously writing and drawing Fantastic Four, scripted the book's opening arc while Ron Wilson — who had been the primary artist on Marvel Two-In-One — handled pencils, with Hilary Barta on inks and Ann Nocenti as editor. Issue #4, cover-dated October 1983 with a cover by Brent Anderson, arrived just four months into the run and already demonstrated the series' ambition to tell stories grounded in social allegory rather than pure action. Jim Shooter served as editor-in-chief over the line during this period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: 'I, Monster!' — published October 1983 as part of The Thing Vol. 1 (1983–1986).
- Creative team: writer John Byrne, penciler Ron Wilson, inker Hilary Barta, colorist Bob Sharen, letterer Rick Parker, editor Ann Nocenti, cover art by Brent Anderson.
- First and only appearance of Sarah Anne Jackson, a single mother who is killed by a mob in this issue — her death occurs within her debut appearance.
- First appearance of Lucas Jackson, a twelve-year-old mutant boy born in Rock Hollow, Arkansas, with a physically monstrous form and the ability to sense and amplify the emotions of those around him.
- The issue features Lockjaw, the Inhumans' teleporting dog, as a co-protagonist — the pair having arrived via teleportation from Attilan in the preceding issue.
- The series replaced Marvel Two-In-One as Ben Grimm's primary solo vehicle; the same creative spine of Byrne (writer) and Wilson (penciler) continued from that book's legacy.
- The story uses the mutant-persecution theme as its central engine, positioning the Thing — a figure permanently defined by his monstrous appearance — as the sole defender of an outcast mutant child against a fearful, violent mob.
- Issues #1–10, including this issue, were later collected in The Thing Classic, Volume 1 (2011); the complete 36-issue run was eventually gathered in The Thing Omnibus.
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Reprints
Reprinted in The Thing Classic #1 (2011), The Thing Omnibus #[nn] (2022), Die Fantastischen Vier #11
Key issues in The Thing
Variants (2)
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