Clobberin’ Time #3 // Review
Ben Grimm’s giving his parents a check for 5 million dollars. It’s not often someone springs something like that on their parents. Ben’s been meaning to do it for a long time, actually. He kind of ran into a lot of money working for a man who happens to be a genius. That doesn’t mean things are easy for him. Doctor Strange shows up, and things get very, VERY complicated in Clobberin’ Time #3. Writer/artist Steve Skroce continues a fun serial with the aid of colorist Bryan Valenza. More than just a series of disconnected crossovers, Skroce is continuing to develop a fun and dynamic series.
The Thing has been having difficulties with a time-traveling thief known as Ogdu. He and his associates are collecting tech that will allow them to build a machine of some sort. The Thing managed to get a robotic arm and a magical ring from Ogdu...and so he’s going to be a natural target for a very dangerous criminal. Doctor Strange was portaling to Ben when a magical beast hitched a ride and attacked. There’s a good chance it was the work of Ogdu. Now, Grimm and Strange are going on an adventure that will take them from New Jersey to strange places far beyond the mundane world.
Team-up titles can be a little disjointed between issues. Skroce has directed the flow of traffic from one team-up to the next with a thoughtful and logical progression. One might not expect this out of a Hulk/Wolverine/Dr. Strange progression, but Skroce has crafted an over-arching plot that feels really logical and natural. There’s a deep love for Grimm that permeates the series. It’s nice to see Skroce allowing him a few pages with his parents before the action gets going. And once the action gets going, Skroce is excellent at lining up the Thing/guest/antagonist of the week conflicts, which seem to cling so deftly to all of the panels of the series.
Skroce has been using the series as something of a portfolio for his work. He shows his storytelling style and how it articulates with whatever characters he chooses for the book he’s writing. It would be a dream gig for any artist. In the third issue, he shows considerable flair for the superheroic magic of Dr. Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme has perfect poise and dramatic presence that fully lives up to the stature of the character as he contrasts against the big, rocky bruiser from Yancy Street.
Valenza adds a bit of crucial depth and atmosphere around the edges of the action, but Skroce runs everything else with an expert sense of showmanship. Given how completely Skroce’s art and writing style dominates the series, Clobberin’ Time really sets itself apart from much of the rest of the mainstream comics rack. If it weren’t for the fact that Skroce is working with some of the biggest-named characters at Marvel in one of the most recognizable settings in comic books, Clobberin’ Time would feel a lot like an indie comic.
