When Roy Thomas kicked off his initial seven-issue run on Fantastic Four in 1972 with a look at their origin story as narrated by Ben Grimm, it seemed fitting that he would follow up with a story which featured the return of the Mole Man, who holds the distinction of being the book's first villain from its premiere issue in late 1961. But judging by the covers for the two-part tale, things aren't looking good for one FF member in particular... specifically, the Thing, who undertakes a mission on his own to confront the Mole Man on a personal issue. Because from what we see at first glance, it appears that if the Mole Man doesn't kill him, the Human Torch will!
But, exactly what is Ben Grimm after in his single-minded quest to the center of the Earth? As the Thing reaches the abandoned site where the Mole Man had created a trap for the FF three years earlier (if we're going by real time), Thomas's narrative brings us up to speed on what preoccupies Ben's thoughts, and why he believes that the Mole Man is best suited to help him.
Part of Thomas's premise regarding Ben's rationale is on shaky ground, which Thomas himself will concede at this story's conclusion while failing to explore the second part of the premise altogether. Yet chances are the reader is at this point swept up on the momentum of the Thing's mission--and as Reed would put it later, as long as Ben holds out hope of success, then we have to share that hope.
And speaking of the rest of the FF: While it was Ben's decision to keep the rest of his team out of this, Johnny Storm has caught wind of Ben's encounter with their belligerent landlord, Collins, and put two and two together regarding Ben's destination. And so, like it or not, the Thing will soon have his closest friends supporting him on this mission.
