Fantastic Four #13

Dan Slott- Writer

Sean Izaakse – Artist

Recap – “Ben scheduled his island honeymoon with Alicia to take place during his annual transmutation, when he becomes human for a short period of time. But before the honeymooners could even get settled, the Hulk crashed their vacation! But this is more than another contest of strength – The Hulk is under the control of Alicia’s stepfather, the villainous Puppet Master, who’s furious that Alicia coerced him into approving her nuptials with Ben. The brawl between Ben and the Hulk resulted in a rockslide that trapped Alicia and other bystanders! As the clock ticks down, can the Thing defeat Hulk before reverting to his human form?

*Note – Ben has 51 minutes to stop the Hulk, not 51 seconds previously reported in my last review. *

Ben asks the Hulk to stop the fight and help him save Alicia and the other people trapped underneath the rockslide. The Hulk asks if it’s his Alicia and that’s the moment Ben realizes the Hulk is under the control of the Puppet Master. Ben pleads with the Hulk to fight the villain’s control and stop the madness.

Meanwhile, Alicia rallies the trapped individuals to find a way out of their predicament on their own. She doesn’t want the Thing to worry about them, so he can focus on stopping the Hulk.

The Hulk has the upper hand during the renewed fight and a well-placed uppercut sends the Thing flying. Alicia runs over to Ben and helps him to his feet. She tells him that the strength of his heart, not his muscles, will be the deciding factor in the fight. The Thing, with the clock hitting zero on his watch, summons all his might into one last punch that connects and knocks the Hulk down and causes the Puppet Master’s statue of the Hulk to explode. The Thing reverts to his human form and collapses in a heap.

The Thing awakens in Reed’s laboratory, surrounded by his family. He has been unconscious for a week and Reed has fashioned a Vibranium cast to help support his broken left arm. During that time, he reverted to his signature rocky look. After the fight, Alicia called for help using a communicator in the Fantasticar. There was no sign of the Hulk when the Fantastic Four arrived on the island. The Thing can rest easy knowing he has finally defeated the Hulk when it counted.

An epilogue to the story reveals that The Hulk has broken into the Raft, the supermax prison for bad guys. He finds the Puppet Master and breaks both of his hands for taking control of his mind. The issue ends with Hulk saying his hands aren’t the only thing he’s going to break as a scream is heard, the exterior of the prison in flames.

Another classic battle in the mighty Marvel manner! THE THING IS THE STRONGEST ONE THERE IS! Can we really be sure though? The Hulk was not happy with the Puppet Master taking control over his body and this loss will sting awhile and be hard to digest for the Jade Giant. Is this their final battle? Too soon to tell but add another notch to this rivalry that was well done. This was a nice two issue story and worth checking out. There is a beautiful splash page of the Thing’s punch rocking the Hulk and the panels featuring the fight are worth the cover price.

Next Issue – POINT OF ORIGIN begins! One of Reed Richards’ biggest regrets leads to a voyage to the one place in the universe the Fantastic Four have never been. A bold new chapter into the heart (and the start) of the Marvel Universe… and it all begins here! Don’t you dare miss this one! In Stores September 4, 2019.