WHATEVER KNOWS FEAR: The Man-Thing Returns

The Man-Thing is back…and so is his most famous scribe.

One of my all-time favorite Marvel Comics characters is the shambling, muck-encrusted mockery of a man known as the Man-Thing. The 1970s and 80s runs of this character were collected not long ago in two black-and-white Essentials volumes. My favorite are the terrific 70s comics featuring the stellar talents of Steve Gerber, Mike Ploog, and many others. I can’t recommend them highly enough. When it comes to horror comics, Marvel’s 70s books are some of the best ever done.

Now Marvel has announced the impending release of THE INFERNAL MAN-THING, a 3-issue “lost” tale of the Man-Thing written by the late, great Gerber himself. Even better, it’s to be illustrated by the super-talented Kevin Nowlan.

The Man-Thing has languished in the shadows of the Marvel Universe for too long now—despite a great late-90s revival with art by Liam Sharp, and a recent stint in the THUNDERBOLTS book. There was also a good DEAD OF NIGHT arc featuring the muck-monster not too awful long ago. Before that, Kyle Hotz’s terrific 2004 MAN-THING miniseries was overshadowed by the absolutely horrible  movie that was unfortunately associated with it. (This could be THE worst Marvel movie of the modern age–even ELEKTRA wasn’t this bad.) The Guardian of the Nexus of All Realities deserves better.

I’ve always thought Man-Thing is a far more creepy character than DC’s Swamp Thing–largely because he’s a truly mindless being whereas “Swampy” is still pretty much a human being emotionally and intellectually. The Man-Thing is a true monster. It takes a really clever writer to create stories about a main character who has no conscious thoughts whatsoever. The Man-Thing responds only to raw emotions—he’s an empath—and of course “whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch.”

I’ll be the first in line to pick up a copy of THE INFERNAL MAN-THING. Few writers in comics have left a legacy as rich and innovative as Steve Gerber. And few characters are as fascinating—visually and thematically—as the tormented Ted Sallis, i.e. the Man-Thing.

This is going to be good.