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Andy Mokler
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 January 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 2799
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| Posted: 26 February 2014 at 11:13pm | IP Logged | 1
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Contrary to popular misconception, the Thing is NOT made of rocks or stone. As Jack Kirby once said, "He's like a super-strong gorilla covered with dinosaur hide."
According to Scott Shaw over on Facebook, this is a quote from Kirby. I'd never heard it before and wondered if anyone else has? All of the other threads with "the Thing" in the title are closed but with all the various discussions about how he should be drawn and what his hide is like, I wondered if this had ever been brought up?
I know JB's often described it as a dried lake bed and I wonder if that is an evolution of what Kirby had said?
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Anthony J Lombardi
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 1:35am | IP Logged | 2
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I read heard and read that along time ago Andy.
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Robert Cosgrove
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 4:18am | IP Logged | 3
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Me too.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 5:53am | IP Logged | 4
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The "dinosaur hide" comment originated at a San Diego Con, when someone in a panel audience asked Kirby what he had in mind when he designed the Thing. Which he'd done almost twenty years before, at that point.The character changed a lot over the years: 
"Dinosaur hide" certainly describes the early years. By the time Kirby left the book, tho, not so much.
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James Lansberry
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 9:01am | IP Logged | 5
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JB, from your collage, which version was your inspiration when you regressed the Thing in FF #238?
I know you've stated that the Kirby/Ayers version of the Hulk from Avengers #1 is "your Hulk". Do you have a favorite Kirby version of the Thing?
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John Byrne
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 12:28pm | IP Logged | 6
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…which version was your inspiration when you regressed the Thing in FF #238?•• Something in the top row.
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Thom Price
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L’Homme Diabolique
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 12:43pm | IP Logged | 7
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Some of those early faces (top row) are horrifying; he looks like a man who had acid poured over him. I like the face from the third row, far right. Close to the shape of the famous version of the Thing, but still looks like the skin is "hide" rather than "stone".
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John Byrne
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 12:54pm | IP Logged | 8
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What we see in that montage is the evolution of the "cute" Thing. As Marvel became more and more mainstream, so did the FF. Reed bulked up, Johnny got older -- and Ben started down the path to what I would later dub "Fozzie Thing." One of the challenges I set myself during my tenure on FANTASTIC FOUR was to remind readers, as often as possible, that the Thing is a man trapped in the body of a monster.
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Greg Kirkman
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 1:01pm | IP Logged | 9
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I've never been comfortable with the description of the Thing's skin as
being "rocky", which isn't properly organic. Too many people seem to
think that the character is literally made of rocks.
The early version, at least, has a very lumpy, leathery sort of organic
look.
Something more organically descriptive seems appropriate, although
"rocky" is a decent enough shorthand, I guess.
Personally I tend to see the scales/plates covering Ben's body as being
essentially a really dense and scratchy version of fingernails--tough, yet
organic. Sorta like a bunch or keratin squirted out of his pores, and
hardened into this bizarre plate structure.
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Greg Kirkman
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 1:14pm | IP Logged | 10
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What we see in that montage is the evolution of the "cute" Thing. As
Marvel became more and more mainstream, so did the FF. Reed
bulked up, Johnny got older -- and Ben started down the path to what I
would later dub "Fozzie Thing." One of the challenges I set myself
during my tenure on FANTASTIC FOUR was to remind readers, as
often as possible, that the Thing is a man trapped in the body of a
monster.
+++++++++
As I've noted over in my FF reading thread, the Thing pretty quickly
evolved into a comedic character, to the point where there were only
occasional reminders for new readers that he didn't like being the
Thing.
In the period I'm currently reading, there are lots of "idol of millions"-
type references. If one went in with no knowledge, it wouldn't be hard to
assume that the Thing was just a weird-looking guy with a big ego.
Of course, Ben's sense of humor--and gallows humor--are interesting
traits. I'm not saying that Stan and Jack made a mistake by lightening
the character up, but it certainly laid the foundation for "Fozzie Thing".
It's a fine line to tread. On the one hand, joking and still trying to wear
human clothes (like trenchcoats and sunglasses) make Ben feel more
human. On the other hand, his constantly being used for humor and
wearing things like bunny slippers can greatly diminish the inherent
tragedy of the character.
And, while the refined Kirby-Sinnott Thing still looks craggy and
monstrous, it's not a big jump to get to Fozzie Thing. The character is
inherently cartoony-looking, what with his having four digits on each
hand, a Muppet-mouth, and what people (not me!) often describe as a
big blue diaper.
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tho ha
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| Posted: 27 February 2014 at 8:02pm | IP Logged | 11
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This was covered in Comic Book Legends Revealed #253
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Topic Closed)
