See this is where memory fails me. I remember this book emerging out of the 1984 Secret Wars miniseries, with Ben staying behind on the Beyonder’s World where he could change from Ben to Thing at will. But I was wrong! This title got started before the Wars began, as a way to give Thing some solo time. Basically, John Byrne was a legend at this point, so if he wanted to write a solo book, editorial couldn’t say no.
On art, it was Ron Wilson–the best thing to come out of Marvel Two-In-One.
And to announce how this title would be different, emphasizing Thing as a character rather than as a companions-meet-and-fight comic, the first issue was all about Yancy Street.