Cease that infernal whistling!

I don't think I picked them all up at once, but I think I got most of Marvel's ninety-nine cent Over the Edge book--there's one with an Elektra cover and nice logo placement that I'll have to check for. This one's a little more basic, but fun for the price! From 1996, Over the Edge #3, "Toad's Night Out!" Written by Ralph Macchio, pencils by Stephen B. Jones (credited as J. B. Jones) and inks by Mike Witherby.

Although not written by Peter David, this is set during one of my favorite stretches of his run; where Betty and Bruce were living together incognito, and Bruce often wore head-to-toe bandages to move around in society. After their car breaks down on the scenic route (possibly from lugging the Hulk around!) they're forced to make a stop in a small town called Blackberry, and have to stay over night while parts are ordered from Mount Pilot...that sounds familiar somehow. A local, looking somewhat crazed, warns Betty that they should get out of town while they still could. Bruce shrugs it off as a nut, and anyway, he was the Hulk; what did they have to worry about? The locals creep Betty out, particulary a waitress that appeared to have scales; but Bruce ignores that to be polite, since she didn't make a scene at his (bandaged) appearance. But someone does see the Hulk unwrapped, as he reads a Stephen King story, "Rainy Season." Bruce seems to find it a bit out there, but it's also appropriate here.

After Bruce falls asleep, Betty sneaks out to investigate: she looks a bit too young here, but also super 90's. Far less 90's: the yokels at the police station, who are very obviously Andy and Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith Show. Betty lifts a gun, and goes back to tell Bruce something is up at the local steel mill: Bruce agrees to check it out, happy wife happy life, but only gets as far as the door before the Toad Men show up! They had first invaded, and hassled the Hulk, back in his second issue in 1962. The Hulk points out it was actually Banner that stopped them before, not the Hulk; but they were small and kind of silly looking and tough to take seriously, even if they were dangerous.

Despite a magnetic trap and the biggest, strongest Toad Man; they are again routed and driven away by the Hulk. But then the twist: the locals had wanted to go to Toadworld! Beats the heck out of wasting away in some nothing small town. And the Toad Men ladies were allegedly quite a draw. (Once you go toad, you never--no, I don't want to know.) Bruce and Betty leave after their car is fixed, but the emperor of the Toad Men promises they will return. They're possibly best known for also hassling She-Hulk in her second Byrne issue, and hey, they can't all be Kree or Skrull or Shi'ar. I kinda like the idea that the Marvel Universe is full of alien races like this, that maybe don't have the huge star-spanning empires, but are maybe technologically advanced enough or so inconveniently located that it would be a hassle for one of the big empires to take 'em. Also, I think I just remembered a long-forgotten bit of resentment I had for the Andy Griffith Show: decades ago on TBS, they ran Lost in Space Sunday mornings, immediately followed by Andy Griffith. So the Robinson family would face yet another cliffhanger ending...then that damn whistling! I associate that theme with the end of fun; but I'm pretty sure that's just me.