Even though posts have been going up, I haven't actually blogged anything--or even sat down with a comic, feels like--for over a week. Let's see if I remember how blog work...We'll start with a fairly recent one, that ties into a pretty old power for the Hulk, that always surprises me when it comes up. From 2025, the Incredible Hulk #27/LEG #808, "The Falling-Down Tree" Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, pencils by Kev Walker, inks by Cam Smith.

I'm definitely not up to speed on current Hulk continuity--I haven't even read all of Immortal Hulk--but this is a stand-alone story, mostly. Chilling in the forest, alone again as usual, the Hulk's solitude is disturbed by a small boy playing, who advises this were his woods, kinda, and did he want to be friends? Remembering recent betrayals and such, the Hulk does not, but the boy warns him to stay away from "the falling-down tree," and explains that he lives nearby, in a bus with his parents and baby sister. Sometimes Daddy gets mean, and they have to go somewhere else...

The boy continues to hang out with the Hulk, over the course of a couple weeks, and it becomes apparent the dad is both abusive and shady, involved with a thievery ring. Speaking through an animal's skull, the voice of Banner tells the Hulk he could help that kid. Sure enough, the Hulk hears a ruckus at the bus: after a shootout, the dad was pulling stakes, but the mom is reluctant to go, since she doesn't want to leave their son...buried alone, under the falling-down tree. Realizing the truth, the Hulk finds the body, then the terrified mom, left behind, finds the Hulk. She pleads for her life, as the Hulk just scowls at her.

The Hulk catches up to the fleeing dad, and over a four-page sequence just demolishes him, screaming "monster." He knew who the real monster was. Later, as the authorities arrive, the boy tells the Hulk his little sister was going to live with their grandma, but wasn't sure what he should do. The Hulk says, "there's no rules...when nobody's looking out for you." He's sorry he wasn't able to help the boy, but the boy's just glad his sister was safe, calling that "hero stuff," and opts to go with her, to teach her hero stuff too. 

 I'm not 100% positive on the issue, but I'm pretty sure the Hulk has been able to see ghosts since way back in Defenders, and that was probably just to explain why the Hulk could see Dr. Strange's astral form in some story! But, Peter David used that one maybe a couple times as well; and later writers have maybe brought that more to the forefront. If I recollect, maybe the Maestro pointed out the Hulk can see ghosts because he was afraid of his ghost dad or something...

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Also, here's a panel where Wave, yells at a wave, I guess.

We did go back and find this concluding issue--I'm not sure I got it where I did the rest of the series, but okay--but we might be kind of hard on it. With dragons, conspiracies, multiple underwater societies, and a grab-bag of assorted superheroes; it was the human element that I don't buy here. From 2021, Atlantis Attacks #5, "Eye of the Storm" Written by Greg Pak, art by Robert Gill and Ario Anindito.

Previously, billionaire Mike Nguyen had taken over Amadeus Cho, and was going to use him to defend his city of Pan, by killing Namor. Nguyen tries to play this off as "no more kings," but the refugees-turned-citizens of Pan are starting to realize he maybe didn't have their best interests in mind. Nguyen denies that, saying money was only a means to an end, and promises to never abandon them; but mind-controlling a Hulk is real super-villain stuff, so...Back in Atlantis, after a bit of posturing and back-biting, everyone has started to realize, they all wanted peace; and maybe you can't blame an entire nation for the actions of one cranky dragon. Talks are interrupted by the incoming Totally Awesome Hulk, but Namor's scientists had discovered Pan's location, so he's able to have him, the Hulk, Shang-Chi, and Sword Master teleported back near Pan. There, Sword Master steps up, to get the mind-controlling crab off of Amadeus. Amadeus is apologetic, but Namor scoffs, he'll soon have something to cry about: the shockwave from the last Hulk punch, had created a tidal wave that would destroy Pan within minutes!

Low on confidence, Amadeus still rushes to try and stop the wave; while the combined Agents of Atlas struggle to get as many people as possible to shelter. And here's where my suspension of disbelief runs out: Nguyen gives his shelter, to a pair of refugees that had been POV characters through the series. I don't see any way a billionaire would've given his life for a kid, even their own kid, unless they had planted their brain inside of them or something. Anyway, the Hulk-slap reduces the effect of the wave, but Nguyen dies.

In the end, Pan is on the way to being recognized as an independent nation; but Amadeus is stinging, feeling used by both Nguyen and Jimmy Woo, and he takes his leave of the Agents. But Woo doesn't have time to dwell on that, since Knull was coming, and next would be King in Black: Namor. Read more!

Somehow, Atlantis Attacked...again.

I poke fun, but I also don't know if I remember seeing this when it was coming out. If I had, maybe I would've remembered it was five issues, not four. Grrr...From 2021, Atlantis Attacks #4, "Secrets Revealed" Written by Greg Pak, art by Ario Anindito and Robert Gill, color art by Rachelle Rosenberg.

This would've been based on much more recent continuity, not going back to the 1989 annual event, or even to Namor's then fairly recent demise (and return) at the hands of the Squadron Supreme. Instead, this followed the creation of the new Agents of Atlas in War of the Realms and was somehow a King in Black crossover as well. High point recap: Jimmy Woo had both his new and original Agents, mostly defending the Pacific rim. Billionaire Mike Nguyen had built a "portal city" called Pan, which featured a teleportation network that could reach numerous cities worldwide, including Tokyo and NYC. (This would've been when the mutants had Krakoa, did everyone teleport everywhere for that stretch?) But, of course there's a dark secret--uh, no, not the dark you're thinking of when billionaires come up--the city was powered by scales of a captured Atlantean dragon! Namor, of course, won't let that stand: most of the Agents aren't especially keen on enslaving the dragon either, but maybe don't want millions to die if the Atlanteans attack the city. Throw in another underwater faction, the Sirenas; who hated both Namor and the dragon, and partnered up with Nguyen against them.

Even with assorted forces closing in Atlantis, Namor is still prepared to fight his way through whoever and destroy Pan himself. Nguyen appears to him via hologram, wanting to cut a deal, since he thought he had all the cards. Namor realizes, as civilians try to defend their homes, that Nguyen had opened the city to refugees not out of benevolence, but more to use as human shields. Nguyen thinks he, Namor, and the Sirenas would be unstoppable together; Namor counters, no one could stop him now, and he wasn't about to make a deal with someone he couldn't trust...a lesson politicians in the real world are maybe starting to learn in dealing with the U.S, but that's neither here nor there.

Namor's fight with newcomers Luna Snow and Aero is cut short, as M-11 hacks Nguyen's mainframe, which exposes Jimmy Woo's secret: there were more dragons. In fact, earth was perhaps secretly ruled by dragons, including Woo's consigliere of the Atlas Corporation, Mr. Lao. But, Woo went along with it, because if the dragons weren't fighting with human proxies, they could destroy the world themselves. The argument continues, while young hero Wave saves Atlantis from the dragon: the second time she'd save Atlantis in this series, so she was pretty popular there, even when Namor shows up. Back in Pan, Amadeus Cho discovers Nguyen's secret bunker, but Nguyen then takes control of Cho with a robot crab, beefing him back up into the Totally Awesome Hulk! To be continued...which is super-annoying, since I found four issues in the same box. That fifth, though... Read more!

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. Read more!

I would love to see an episode where the bad guy was like "The Lone Ranger? AND Tonto?...alright, pack it up. We'll try this two states over."

There's a Lone Ranger movie on TV, and Mr. Morbid asked, so we've got a second before I give this to my dad: from 1976, the Lone Ranger #27, featuring "The Election" and "The Protectors" Written by Paul S. Newman, art by José Delbo.

In the first story, a crooked politician tries to fix Colorado's election, against honest lawyer Len Wylie--nah, the first (and seventh!) governor of Colorado was John Long Routt! Admittedly, that feels like it would've been a pain in the ass to look up in 1976, so we'll move along. The crook had been spying, stealing Wylie's schedule, so he could get there first and rent everything ahead of him. The Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Wylie stage a sting operation: some goons get the schedule, but then catch Tonto watching them. The crook falls for a fake meeting, and the Lone Ranger arrives in time after Tonto misses a meeting. Annoyingly, the Ranger doesn't arrest the crook, saying he'd get his punishment on Election Day, which hopefully didn't backfire on him: "...he's in jail, we've got photographic evidence of his crimes, the Lone Ranger AND Tonto testified against him, and he's still 40 points up in the polls?"

"The Protectors" has the pretty traditional protection/extortion racket, which is on the verge of going under after the Ranger and Tonto stop several of his schemes, and the people have turned against him. So, the extortionist makes a big push: some of his men rob a supply wagon, while others hit the bank. The next day, since the bank owner had been a 'customer' of his, the extortionist makes a big show of reimbursing the bank, out of his own pocket, which of course he does with the bank's own cash. Except, the Lone Ranger had covered the bills with green dye, which was all over the bad guys' hands.

Also this issue: the Incredible Hulk, in a Hostess Cup Cakes ad! Which were from years ago, but still feel too modern to appear in a Lone Ranger comic? Anyway, just looked up, and caught a Lone Ranger fist-fight that also involves them punching each other down a hill. Which just makes me think stuntmen were cheap as heck back then...Also, the Lone Ranger and Tonto just did that thing Batman always does, where somebody's still talking and they're long-gone. Rude. Read more!

We saw the second volume some time back; I'm not sure if this is the third. Definitely isn't the 20th volume, though. From 2019, Marvel Knights 20th #2, written by Matthew Rosenberg and Donny Cates, art by Nico Henrichon.

This was about the same time as War of the Realms, and I managed to fish this whole series from the same dollar bins! Somehow, the timeline or the world has changed, and no one remembers super-heroes, nor do they remember themselves. But a few are starting to, like Bruce Banner, who then tells Frank Castle: this is an unusual story for the Punisher, but it works. Frank didn't have his wife and kids in the altered reality, but had a girlfriend and was reasonably happy...except he knew something was missing, and the sight of a scribbled note with his skull symbol makes him realize he used to have a very different life. (Banner keeps getting weird little notes, mostly with names on them: I thought it was the Hulk writing them when Banner was asleep, but nope!)

While Matt Murdock was starting to remember after a botched visit from Frank, he also now has what might be the ghost of Karen Page keeping him company; as Frank and Banner try to contact another of the names: Elektra Natchios. She beats the stuffing out of Frank, admitting she knew there was something going on, but she didn't want to go back to a life where she hurt people...and was hurt back in turn. Frank refuses to quit, but gets distracted by Banner Hulking out in the back of his cop car. Elektra nearly stabs him in the back, but is stopped by Daredevil. He proposes they work together, but is surprised to realize, they can see Karen Page too...

This was collected as Marvel Knights: Make the World Go Away, which is a better title! It's a fun read, and no spoilers; but the answer for the reality shift wasn't Purple Man this time like I'd guessed, but it does tie-in to the Marvel Knights theme. I don't think I had read the Marvel Knights: Hulk book; I want to say that was from a stretch where they gave anybody an MK-labelled mini-series. Read more!

"Pizza."

I have seen Jen wear little glasses before, haven't I? Amadeus is right, she probably wouldn't need those. And yes, we really only had this one chapter with the Totally Awesome Hulk left, before I pre-empted it for "Seasonal Affective D'spayre." I don't think I had a lot of jokes for Amadeus; but I'm sure Kate will be back at some point. Probably beat-up and broke, sure, but yeah. Read more!

Told today, he probably would've ended up on her Crocs, which might not be a dealbreaker.

 

I was mildly surprised that McDonald's was having a Happy Meal Crocs toy, since Deadpool ruined those for me. The Youngest had a pair, with some of those little Jibbitz shoe charms; click that link and wreck your targeted ads for this month! But, we're going to look at some older-school charms, in today's book! From 1976, the Twilight Zone #73, featuring "A Charmed Life!" Art by Jack Sparling. Cover by George Wilson.

I really want to go to another YouTube link already, the William S. Burroughs/Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy number "Words of Advice for Young People." Namely, because even the GCD summary is like "has a deal with the devil ever worked?" A mobster makes a deal with a dame of a devil, noticing her charm bracelet of famous sellouts--er, celebrities, including a judge. He does lead the proverbial charmed life for a bit, as his enemies can't even kill him when he's right there; but the devil calls in her marker, and asks him to take a fall, to give a boost to an ambitious lawyer who could be governor or better someday. The mobster refuses, although he tries to change his tune after he shrinks down, becoming another charm in the devil's bracelet.

"Premonition" maybe feels closer to a classic episode: returning home on a hot and humid night, a professor is shocked to see himself leaving his house! He gives chase, but then realizes no one else seems to see him. Panicked, he makes his way to a friend's house, and is relieved to be seen there. He stays the night, and after a massive thunderstorm, the professor and his friend return to his house, to find his bedroom destroyed by lightning!

Rod Serling seems thrilled to intro the next one, "The Missing Link," wherein an anthropologist claims to have found evidence of the missing link, but then gets caught in a storm and lost without supplies. He manages to survive, but seemingly becomes his "missing link," and comes to a bit of a non sequitur ending. Finally, in "The Last Voyage" a couple of pirates direct from central casting sabotage their vessel before they jump ship, but get lost in a fog before they can make land. Yeah, that's not gonna go well.

Bonus: another Hulk Hostess ad! A magician turns into a giant frog and terrorizes the city, which is somehow the Hulk's problem. Still, it features a better mayor than Eric Adams!

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For some reason, I thought this was going to be the Hulk vs. the Klan.

Even putting aside the dramatic flames and creepy culty types, "They fan the flames of fear!" is a heck of a tagline. So, I was kind of surprised to find I knew where this was headed instead. From 1979, Incredible Hulk #240, "...and now, El Dorado" Written by Roger Stern, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott.

We saw Hulk #243 some time back, and this was building up to that; as a mysterious 'They' has arranged for the Hulk and his currently-unconscious, unwilling sidekick Goldbug, to arrive at the mystical city of El Dorado. The locals are surprisingly enthusiastic to see him, since they think the Hulk is there to save them; but the Hulk knows this is some kind of trap, and is losing patience waiting for it to go off.

Meanwhile, back at Gamma Base, a pilot makes a showboat of a landing in a "delta-wing" fighter, vaguely resembling a Canadian Avro Arrow. Clay Quatermain surprised to find, the pilot was the returning Betty Ross! Formerly Talbot; her divorce had gone through; and she seemed to be thriving. It's not surprising she picked up a few things growing up on an Air Force base, but she seems to have the run of the place even if daddy wasn't home: "Thunderbolt" Ross had an outburst in front of the press, and was currently under Doc Samson's care somewhere in the Rockies. Betty is somewhat at a loss, but a message arrives for her from writer Fred Sloan, who hoped to interview her for his book about the Hulk.

Back in El Dorado, the Hulk eats a massive dinner, before "They" arrive, the High Triumvirate of El Dorado. The eldest, Des, is somehow familiar to the Hulk; and the geezer guesses correctly that the Hulk wouldn't just smash an old guy. Which leaves the Hulk open to Des's gambit: with a "sight-crystal," he shows the Hulk Gamma Base, where the body of Jarella was still in a lab. Hulk calls that a lie, but knows it isn't; and Des presses on: the scientists and soldiers had her body, and could do whatever they wanted with it, and the Hulk couldn't stop them. Furious, the Hulk smashes his way outside, but in the rain can still hear Des taunting him: he didn't know where he was, or how to get back, and was absolutely helpless in this situation. This triggers something I didn't think happened until much later in the series: to flee this pain he couldn't fight, the Hulk reverts to Banner. Des does not seem surprised by this, but rather disgusted.

The next day, Banner gets some exposition from They: Des was new to the group, the other two had fought the Avengers back in Avengers #30-31. The sacred flame of El Dorado had been snuffed there, but was being rekindled--and Banner was going to be fuel for the flame! Man, I can't believe this plotline was going to run like three more issues; and the next issue box teases "The surprise return of the Hulk's oldest foe!" but that might be chronologically, not by appearances! No spoiler here, but 'Des' was not what he appeared to be... Read more!

If I got zinged by Steve Rogers, I think I'd give up intelligence, it obviously wasn't working for him.

The cover scene doesn't happen inside this issue, but still got me to buy it: from 2015, Hulk #13, "The Omega Hulk, chapter nine" Written by Gerry Duggan, pencils by Mark Bagley, inks by Drew Hennessy.

We've seen maybe some of this storyline before, although I just searched my blog for when...yeah, chapter two, wherein the new, improved? nanotech-altered Hulk as "Doc Green" de-powered Rick Jones/A-Bomb. It took me a second, because I had put Gerry as 'Gary,' had to fix that. Doc Green had by this point depowered Skaar, Red She-Hulk, and the Gamma Corps; but Red Hulk was his main target. Another target might be taken off the board, at least for the moment, as the then-aged Steve Rogers tells Doc Green, that Jennifer Walters was off-limits. Steve floors him with a trick cane, which doesn't seem like the sort of stunt that would work twice; then takes a call from Deadpool, who was currently working for Doc Green, on the trail of the Red Hulk. (This was in a relatively brief window, before Secret Empire, where Pool was a trusted ally for Steve; also post-Red Hulk's Thunderbolts.)

At the Baxter Building--I'm thinking the FF were gone at the time, huh?--Doc Green's assistants were still trying to find Lyra, who was lost in time and/or space. (I forget her deal; I think she was introduced and written out fairly quickly. I mainly recall her as an unreleased Marvel Legends swap figure.) The bedraggled assistants are in over their heads, and Doc Green sadly releases them from any obligations to him. But, he also thinks A.I. might be able to find Lyra, except his "Project Omega" had gone rogue and disappeared. Later, Doc Green storms Red Leader's new lab, killing his new gamma mutate (Gasp! Not Dim!) then depowering him. Doc tells the powerless Sterns to stay out of the gamma business, but Project Omega, under its new name "Gammon," later resets him to his usual green look.

Doc Green then teleports to Deadpool, keeping tabs on the Red Hulk near Yucca Mountain: the Red Hulk could absorb radiation, and Doc Green likens this to "Popeye sleeping with a can of spinach under his pillow." Deadpool says, great, I'm gonna bail, but Doc Green borrows his phone, to call Rick Jones: not to talk to him, though. He knew Project Omega would be monitoring him, and speaks directly to it: find Lyra, and then they can leave each other alone. Pool is amused at Doc Green apparently calling the sky to yell at it, but he has another job for the merc: hit Ross with this special bullet, in the eye or ear, to inhibit his radiation-absorbing ability. Miss or cop out, and Doc Green would tattle, that Pool betrayed Ross.

This still had three more chapters, running to the last issue of this series. Then was maybe Totally Awesome Hulk, a bit of confusing legacy numbering, the traumatized Jennifer Walters Hulk run, then Immortal Hulk. All of which somehow feel longer ago and further away than this one, somehow. (Probably because it's the issue next to me right now; mystery solved.) Read more!