Comics Behind the Comics: It's Clobberin' Time!

Of all the renowned superhero catch phrases, one of the biggies belongs to Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing of the Fantastic Four. First shouted out as he charged into battle way back in Fantastic Four #22 (1964), "It's Clobberin' Time" has been Ben's tried and true war cry ever since.

However, did "It's Clobberin' Time" just kinda happen...or did Ben Grimm try (and reject) a number of different phrases before landing on that famous phrase?

* from Hanna-Barbera's wretched "Fred and Barney Meet the Thing"

Comments

[Ivan Wolfe]

Man, I had totally forgotten about that Thing cartoon until today.

I'm not sure if I should thank you for dredging up those memories.

[Reggie]

I wish he had kept the complete phrase. "Yay BO", indeed.

[De]

Sadly, I own every episode of that horrid Thing cartoon. Benjy Grimm indeed.

[Mark Engblom]

I remembered that dreadful show, but I had forgotten about the Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble angle until I started looking into it online. This was about the same time Hanna Barberra was draining every last drop out of the already bone-dry Flintstones well, alongside other classics like "Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo".

So, De...do you have the episodes on video or DVD?

[suedenim]

(Obligatory "for the record" nitpick: Fred and Barney never *actually* meet The Thing in that series; it's just a package of two unrelated cartoons.)

But, yeah, that series sucked....

I didn't realize it took Ben that long to utter his signature phrase! #22 is pretty far along there.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, I was surprised to learn that as well. I would have assumed he first used it long before that...but #22 is it.

Boy, the perfect time to unveil it would have been the time travel adventure in FF #5 (during Ben and the boys' brief stint as pirates).

[Marionette]

I would have gone with "Thing thump!"