The next story opens with a beautiful splash page of Nighthawk.
Nighthawk reveals that he dons his costume to escape from being an heir of a vast fortune - which he suspects himself of being more than capable of losing through an act of incompetence. Wow, how plausible, I won't be surprised if there are actual heirs who feel like this.
The tale takes several threads and weaves them together. First there is Dr. Kort and Deathlok from past stories. Then the aforementioned Kyle Richmnond. And of course, Ben, who - by the way - is still in England. The British arm of Kyle Richmond's company has found, for want of better words, a 'thing in the ice' - something gigantic. They contact Doctor Kort to help them with this mystery. The Doctor, having turned over a revived Deathlok to Nick Fury, takes Ben in tow. Eventually the thing in the ice stands revealed.
In a unique turn, the monster (or what seems to be a monster) doesn't lash out physically. It emits smoke from its mouth that knocks everybody out.
A jaunt through the English countryside reveals that this monster - as I suspected - isn't really a "monster".
Ha! Look at this.
Kyle Richmond nonchalantly reveals his identity to Ben Grimm.
So we have a vicious-looking alien who looks savage but is actually civilized and friendly (the smoke from it's mouth, it turns out, is a characteristic "greeting"). This "monster" is judged solely by it's looks and is being hunted by two men with rifles on one hand and by Thing and Nighyhawk on the other hand. The two men are out to kill it while Ben and Kyle, no strangers to the weird set, are withholding judgement. With bated breath, let's see who finds the alien first. By the way, this creature came from Siberia in 1908. What happned during that time? Huge meteor impact - flattened the surrounding forest for miles. Turns out it wasn't a meteor after all but a ship.
Both groups find the "monster" at the same time. Thank God Ben is on hand to prevent any mishaps.
Great monster comment. Every racist should become the same race that they're harping on. Every bully should experience being bullied. If only, if only. It would be a better world. The monstrous and frightening Thing is hunting a monster, the empathy is automatic and the decisions are correct - backed up by ninety tons of lifting power; always handy.
It's heartbreaking really. A nearby house is engulfed by fire. Both Ben, Kyle and the "monster" go into full rescue mode. The best panel is a nighthawk rescue panel.
It is Ben who ultimately douses the fire by using a huge church bell filled with water. Consider that the Thing had to lift a massive metal bell for some distance, scoop up a huge amount of water from a river and throw that water many feet into the air. This is an incredible feat of strength.
But not before the "monster" is shot by some foolish people while rescuing children.
These two panels give us the tragic end of the tale
