Written by: Steve Skroce
Art by: Steve Skroce
Colors by: Bryan Valenza
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Steve Skroce, Dean White
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: March 29, 2023

Clobberin’ Time #1 finds the ever-loving Thing and the Incredible Hulk trapped in a faraway world at an unknown time just in time to stop a helpless group of aliens from extinction at the hands of ravenous demons.

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Is It Good?

Clobberin’ Time #1 is unapologetic, simple, roughhousing fun from start to finish. If you don’t want to mire yourself in deep, complicated stories or want to worry about decades of canon, Clobberin’ Time #1 is primed to deliver you a good time.

Steve Skroce’s story centers on a break-in at the Baxter Building during a Lunch break with Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Bruce Banner. The intruder, decked out in armor that’s an amalgam of Iron Man, Dr. Doom, and other Marvel characters, escapes capture by sending Ben and Bruce to a faraway world through a hastily conjured portal. Stuck far from home, Ben and Bruce take up the cause to defend a tiny population of tiny aliens from a hungry demon horde. Much clobberin’ and smashin’ follow.

Where Skroce’s script succeeds when others have failed is in the structure and execution.

Structurally, the plot sounds like a paper-thin excuse for Ben and Bruce to beat down an army of demons. While the beatdown is glorious to behold, the throughline of an enigmatic thief is interesting, and the narrator promises the thief will pop up again in the next few issues, giving this one-and-done adventure some weight.

Regarding the execution, Skroce infuses the hyper-action with witty, snappy dialog that delivers plenty of smack-talking humor. Ben and Bruce regularly insult each other with clever name-calling, and it’s endearing in a way that only masculine men who respect each other could pull off.

In fairness, Skroce’s art style is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it works well here. The action is over-the-top (in the best way), the facial acting between Ben and Bruce when they interact with each other is amusing, and Valenza’s bold coloring is attention-grabbing.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts:

Clobberin’ Time #1 is a big pile of clobberin’, smashin’ fun. Skroce’s snappy banter is highly entertaining, the action is cartoonishly violent (in the best way), and the connective mystery linking this issue to the next is intriguing.

9/10