THE THING #16

Cover shows strong gloss and bright colors with sharp corners and no visible creases or color breaks. There is minor spine stress with a couple of faint ticks near the top, and slight surface glare from the protective sleeve makes fine detail assessment difficult in a few areas. No tears, stains, or writing are visible. Interior and back cover were not assessed, and the book is in a protective bag which may hide small edge wear.

Published with an October 1984 cover date, The Thing #16 continues the "Rocky Grimm, Space Ranger" storyline that carried Ben Grimm's solo title through the year following Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. Mike Carlin scripts, with Ron Wilson pencils finished by Joe Sinnott and Danny Bulanadi, Bob Sharen colors, Jim Novak letters, and a Bob Layton cover; the issue was produced under Bob Budiansky and Jim Shooter. The chapter finds Grimm swallowed by a crevasse and confronted by a subterranean race of Thing-like creatures while Tarianna searches for him, and it advances the Alicia Masters/Tarianna triangle that gives the Battleworld sequence its emotional spine. Tarianna, herself a construct of Grimm's subconscious born of the Beyonder's world, debuted a few issues earlier and dies before the arc closes, making this a connective chapter rather than a milestone.