What I Bought 6/30/2025 - Part 3

I do enjoying running. It helps me order my thoughts sometimes, or just clear them out. Which is one of the lousy things about summer. Unless I get out and get moving really earlier, it's so muggy as to be a miserable experience. I can't get into my preferred mindset.

The Thing #2, by Tony Fleecs (writer), Justin Mason (artist), Alex Sinclair (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - The things Ben agrees to do for charity.

The Thing and Marty are following the cryptic comments Gladiator made last issue when Bullseye calls the Thing "ugly" and "gravel pit." Seems like someone's looking to die, as the most Bullseye seems able to do is annoy the Thing. He gets him in the eye with one throwing star, gets him with a razor blade in the gums, but that barely slows the guy down. Even the fact Bullseye apparently also got a super-strength boost barely helps.

Fleecs still has the Thing being pretty relaxed and reasonable. He does take a couple of swings at Bullseye with a light pole, but it almost seems like a way to distract him while Ben asks questions. Once he figures out Bullseye doesn't know anything, knocks him out with one punch. And then Ben is smart enough to lay low in an alley and wait for someone to pick up Bullseye, so he can tail them. Which leads to a warehouse on the docks, and Hammerhead, and an explosion. Hammerhead working for the Kingpin is a little strange - I figured those guys as rivals, or at least Hammerhead would see them that way - but maybe they figure it's mutually beneficial to be able to amplify people's strength.

There's something about the way Mason draws the Thing that ties into how Fleecs is writing him. It's hard to explain, but he draws him so you can tell The Thing is a big guy, without having him overwhelm the page or panels. He draws him as contained, under control. He's not gesturing wildly, not snarling threats or promising to clobber anybody. When he actually hits or swings at someone, Mason pulls back the view so Ben's not as large. And so far it's been one hit. Enough to end the fight, but no more.

Dark Pyramid #4, by Paul Tobin (writer), PJ Holden (artist), Sara Colella (color artist), Taylor Esposito (letterer) - It's a like a puzzle. When you arrange everything correctly, people start dying.

Well, the last panel reveal was a fakeout. Becca quickly figures out the corpse isn't Hooky. It's a soldier that died earlier the general was going to use as the alleged corpse of Hooky, destined to be lost in a plane crash as the remains are transported to civilization.

At this point, General Cho starts explaining stuff. The military's theory is that whatever being created life on Earth, uses the pyramid to hold all the things it created that just didn't work. But the pyramid's failing, so stuff escapes and the U.S. Gubmnit decided those things should all be killed. In the particular panel where Cho says that, Holden draws a bald eagle perched in front of an American flag. Good old normal animals, representing the greatest country on Earth! 'MURICA!

Shailene would rather he didn't tell them all this, because if they know, he definitely has to kill them. Jokes on her, he's not going to kill them, he's going to use them to distract any other monsters they encounter. Like Sasquatches with half a domino for a head! The soldiers kill the "Pile Drivers" with only minimal casualties, Becca and Shailene not among them. They don't take the opportunity to run, however, so they're lined up to be a distraction again. Shailene does thoroughly cuss out Cho, which is fair, and hell, if they're determined to kill her, she might as well. Maybe she can trick him into getting close enough to take an eye, or tear out his throat with her teeth or something.

In better news, Hooky - not dead after all - ambushes a solider and steals his uniform. So the ladies have one person on their side in all this mess. Oddly, the last panel says "Concluded Next Issue" and I was sure this was 6 issues. Either that's a mistake, or somebody changed their mind on how long this thing is gonna run. Guess I'll find out later this month!