Cover Date: July 1981
On-Sale Date: April 14, 1981
Doc shows up once again the our favorite flora based character, Man-Thing's title. This is the last solo issue for our motile pile of vegetation for a awhile. Writer Chris Claremont celebrates/mourns by inserting himself and a bunch from the Marvel Bullpen into the story. Will this have any effect on Manny's imminent appearance in the Defenders and where on earth is this all going to lead?
We're coming off some plot threads from the previous issue which I haven't given a thorough read. I really should read this series in its entirety. It's only 11 issues and I like the character quite a bit. Claremont's self-inserts are only in this issue. We don't see him previously. It's always interesting to see how artists view themselves. Especially as interpreted by another artist.
He's sitting there with an issue of Man-Thing, continuing the tradition that Marvel Comics exists in the Earth-616 universe and publishes stories based on the real-life adventures of the heroes (and others) they portray. Self inserts go back at least as far as Fantastic Four #9 where Stan and Jack made a cameo at the end of the story. This is the first I'm aware of rest of title's editorial showing up as well.
Getting to the story, the three editors gang up on Chris wanting to know why he resigned from Man-Thing. Chris says he thought the stories he wrote were originals, but it turns out that wasn't the case. He starts narrating a flashback where he is in Greenwich Village, sees a pirate ship floating in the air and heading for a strange looking house that just happens to be Doc's Sanctum Sanctorum.
Val's rendering of the Sanctum is far from the worst I've seen, but it still feels a bit off. Chris runs up to the front door, finds it open and goes inside. Running up to the main study with the funky window, he finds the bodies of both Doc and Clea. After a brief moment wondering what happened, Chris turns around and is confronted by John Daltry. He's a former Florida sheriff turned pirate. Well, that explains the pirate ship in the air! John proceeds to stab poor Chris. (How does he manage to write this if he's dead? Read on!)
Next, we move our gaze to Citrusville, Florida. Man-Thing is breaking into the towns library and historical society. (It's one organization. He isn't in two places at once.) He scares the willies out of Barbra Bannister and heads toward our stories other John, John Kowalski. This John is relaxed, despite the walking vegetation approaching him. John says he's been expecting Mr. Thing. John, it turns out, is not alive and therefore doesn't project an aura for Mr. Man-Thing to react hostilely. John then gives a quicky origin for the creature.
Then we get some clues on our pirate dude.
So John Daltry is Barbra's lover. John Kowalski is a grim reaper who's gotten a bit weary and want's to share the love, but not quite in the same way as Billy Batson shares with the rest of his family. Kowalski will help save the other John, but Barbra has to die and become a grim reaper too. He also reveals that his appearance is based on the fact that he's a pretty boring guy. When Barbra becomes a new grim reaper she looks a bit... different.
So Barbra thinks death has great cleavage and a need to show it off! It sure beats that yellow turtleneck. Kowalski and Barbra start hopping around to begin their dead souls collection. For some reason they're dragging Man-Thing around with them. The come across a car accident and Barbra goes to reap her first soul. She experiences the victims entire life in a moment.
Next, the trio travel to some place called Sominus where they are immediately attacked and Manny is shot apart while the other two are already dead and in no danger.
Eventually, the pair start to overwhelm their living attackers. The place is magic so Manny does a Humpty-Dumpty, puts himself back together and collapses a wall that takes care of the remaining soldiers. Barb enters the fortress and Kowalski follows. Man-Thing frees himself from the wall's rubble and follows as well. Inside, Barbra is confronted by...
These are all the souls that the other John has collected. Heck, even Chris Claremont is there! He tells Barbra that he likes being evil. Then he introduces his master, Thog, the netherspawn. Thog imprisons Barbra.
Thog chose other John as his agent because he loves battle and used him to take out anyone who may have defeated him. Looks like he might just succeed, except for one forgotten variable. Manny!
Thog attacks Manny to no avail. They are both powered by this realm's magic. Instead he restores Manny's humanity and Ted Sallis is with us once more.
Thog is about to kill Ted and end Manny once and for all. But, surprise, surprise, Chris Claremont suddenly turns in the Man-Thing! Chris-Thing approaches Thog and Barbra manages to free herself. Other John is on it, but Barbra handles the situation with aplomb. She even manages to avoid touching other John as that would bring him instant death. She tosses him aside and gets grabbed by Thog. But Barbra's a grim reaper now!
Thog offers to leave her alone and free all the prisoners, including other John if she'll just skedaddle off. Before Barbra can answer, Chris-Thing grabs Thog and now Thog is afraid. And we know that whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch.
Thog is gone and Doc has a speech for Kowalski berating him for tricking Barbra into becoming a grim reaper because he's lonely. He releases her from the vow and she's human again. Doc manages to turn Chris-Thing, back into just Chris. Yay!
The gang returns to the Nexus of all Realities, a.k.a. Man-Thing's swamp. The Nexus decides it still needs a guardian and Ted becomes Man-Thing once again. Doc is sad that he has to go through this again!
We return to the bar where Chris is meeting with his editorial. Now we know why he was doing the heavy drinking! Jim Shooter tells Chris he's cancelling the book. They head out and the pub's owner wishes them a farewell. It turns out the "owner" is Dakimh the Enchanter and he's the one who fed the Man-Thing writers with their ideas. He also bids farewell.
So this is a bizarre one. I'm not sure the meta angle works well here, but I've never been a big fan of self-inserts. (it sucked when John Byrne did it in Fantastic Four #262.) As for the actual plot, it would probably make more sense to me if I were familiar with this era of Man-Thing. There's more going on under the surface with this characters than I know.
It boils down to a demon wants to take over the world and takes out obstacles and competition through a proxy. Not incredibly original. Doc's role is minimal. He is technically dead for most of the story, but manages a bit of moralizing and I think it's in character for him. It helps that Chris wrote his book for a year.
As a Man-Thing story, it's okay. As a Doc story, you won't be any worse for the wear if you skip it.
