Startling Stories: The Thing – Night Falls On Yancy Street (2003) #4

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Dorkin continues to get better this issue and Haspiel nicely evens out. It’d be hard to get much worse than last issue, so at least he arrested the art decline.

It doesn’t become clear what Dorkin’s really doing with Yancy Street until the last few pages and, once it is clear, well… It’s unfortunate.

For all his repetitive Ben Grimm standards the first couple issues, Dorkin actually tries to do something significant (it’s irrelevant because, based on the time period, it’s clear the story was never in continuity) with the character.

And Haspiel is the wrong match.

I mean, Dorkin needs a strong editor on the series to reign in some of the nonsense and to sharpen the narration and to pace out the last two issues… but the series could have been something amazing.

Instead, Yancy Street’s a mildly interesting effort, one with the wrong art for the script.

Startling Stories: The Thing – Night Falls On Yancy Street (2003) #3

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It’s really too bad, but as Dorkin’s writing gets better, Haspiel’s art continues to get worse. This issue is frequently hideous, what with the Sandman having an all new costume. It looks like a cross between a jester’s outfit and something from the sixties “Batman” TV show.

Dorkin’s trying—finally—to bring some authentic New York flavor to the comic, which doesn’t work particularly well, but at least he’s trying. He also foreshadows (or maybe not, maybe it’s just predictable) the death of Ben’s squeeze. Dorkin also takes another crack at dealing with Ben and Alicia’s relationship like it’s important. He does better, but not well.

I assume the final issue will have more troubled art (Haspiel and the superhero outfits is complete failure) and all questions will be answered. Well, the questions raised this issue. Dorkin either didn’t bother before or just executed those scenes incompetently.

It’s nearly mediocre.

Startling Stories: The Thing – Night Falls On Yancy Street (2003) #2

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Dorkin’s pacing is still excellent this issue, maybe even more than in the last one. And I guess this issue is somewhat better, even if Haspiel’s artwork fails to impress (he does a lot of superhero stuff in the second half and most of it falls flat). What’s troubling is Dorkin’s characterization of Ben.

The series, regardless of it being a Startling Stories title or having an indie creative team, seems to be shaping up to being about Ben cheating on Alicia. Dorkin comments on it, then handles it like Ben’s an adolescent. The series is set during the period when Johnny was dating Crystal, which I think was in the seventies. In other words, Dorkin has a wide timeline to work with and chooses the temporal setting for a reason.

Then he handles it like a Saturday morning cartoon.

Still, the series is getting better, thought not particularly good.

Startling Stories: The Thing – Night Falls On Yancy Street (2003) #1

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I’m not particularly literate in Fantastic Four, but even I have read this comic before. It’s Ben Grimm all upset about being the Thing so he hoofs it back to Yancy Street so he feels better about himself.

It’s pretty much every Thing comic stereotype thrown into an issue, with the possible exception of a new love interest (after Ben storms out on Alicia… she was being nice to him again).

The only other difference is it’s from Evan Dorkin and Dean Haspiel, which I guess is to give it an indie edge. Given Ben’s a talking wall, I’m not sure how anyone could draw him without some kind of indie sensibility and the Haspiel artwork is lovely.

As for Dorkin, I’m as unimpressed as I usually am with his writing. He overwrites the narration (in a misguided Stan Lee homage?), his observations are trite but it is paced well.