R.L. Stine's Man-Thing TPB Review

R.L. Stine's Man-Thing TPB -

      Years ago, in a lonely swamp, scientist, Ted Sallis, was betrayed while protecting his dangerous serum -  a serum that could turn men into unstoppable killers! Forced to take his own serum to keep it out of the hands of thieves, Sallis, about to die at the bottom of a murky lake in the swamp, transformed into a mindless, immortal beast with the power to make all beings burn in his grasp if they knew fear. Now, having regained his brilliant mind and the power of speech, Sallis is finding it nearly impossible to fit in in a fast-paced, superficial world. But that's the LEAST of his worries - his old self, the mindless beast, wants to dominate him again...And deep in his ancient, swamp-home, mysterious forces have joined, forces powerful enough to abduct the Oldfather, the guardian of the swamplands and protector of the gateway to the Nexus of Realities. Man-Thing hurtles himself into the Nexus to save Oldfather, but is he mighty enough to face powers strong enough to defeat Oldfather, and in an endless maze of realities, can he ever find his way home? 

    From the author of everyone's childhood fave, Goosebumps, comes a new take on an old Marvel character, Man-Thing! R.L. Stine makes his first foray into comics by re-imagining Man-Thing, and turning him into the tragic, active protagonist that we always knew that he could be. Stine returns the power of thought and intent to the mindless monster that we all love, and sends him on a mission, not only to save the swamp but to save our entire reality. So, how does Stine do on his first outing? Pretty good, I think. He manages to make Man-Thing/Ted Sallis likable, relatable, tragic, and a whole lot of zany, and sometimes, corny, fun. You can tell Stine is a comics fan from way back; this Man-Thing arc has an evident Silver Age hokiness to it, mixed with light horror, and loads of one-liners that are sure to make you chuckle, smile...or grimace at the sheer corniness of it all. Stine is in this for the fun - sure, you'll explore Man-Thing's tragic origin and plight; however, Stine didn't write this book for heavy thinkers. It's a total flight of fancy with silly humor, lots of action, and tame elements of horror.  Stine backs this arc up, with a few of his own unconnected stories - short gems from his collection which are a bit heavier on the horror and dark humor, stories in the classic EC style of storytelling. And man, are those GREAT!! Gérman Peralta lays down some lovely, quirky pencils that are perfect for a story that is just as quirky. I suspect that this comic will be a disappointment for some fans of Man-Thing that have come to expect a heavier tone for the character's stories, but for R.L. Stine, this comic book was like a love letter to everything he adored about comics growing up. Sure it has its problems, but I really dig it. 

RATING: 8 out of 10. 

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