Smith, Todd - Marvel Fanfare #46 pgs.29 & 30 - The Thing Silver Age Story! - $1,500

These two consecutive pages from a short story titled, "The Day After", published in Marvel Fanfare #46 back in 1989 and fully illustrated by Todd Smith, offer a heartbreaking look at Ben Grimm’s second day as The Thing. By showing Ben trying to visit his old apartment and reconnect with his past life, these pages highlight the deep personal tragedy behind his physical transformation. The transition from Ben’s hopeful internal monologue to the harsh reality of people recoiling in the streets makes his isolation feel incredibly heavy and real.

The emotional climax hits hard on the second page when Ben finally faces his girlfriend, Linda. Seeing her initial shock turn into a terrified scream and a literal run for the door is a gut-punch that perfectly captures the "monster" Ben feels he has become. Smith’s use of tight, claustrophobic panels during their encounter makes the rejection feel even more personal and inescapable. The final image of Ben alone, lashing out in pain at the idea of the "inner man," is a powerful reminder of why he’s one of Marvel's most relatable characters.

With pages from the original early issues of Fantastic Four now being financially out of reach for the majority of collectors, pages like these (also "vintage" themselves now!) are the only real way to affordably own original art featuring important and classic tropes of the characters we love so much.

NOTE: I'm very reluctantly offering these two pages for sale, as I'm downsizing my collection, but am still not sure if I should part with them or not. If I can place them in another collection soon enough, that would be great. Otherwise, I may ultimately decide to hang onto them if I don't find a buyer fairly quickly.