You still mad about that? Let it go, Talbot.

I mentioned the other day, "Hulk's Greatest Hits" issues; and kind of expected to see Xemnu the Titan in this one, but nope! Still, there are some villains you may or may not recall, and maybe some light treason, in today's book! From 1980, Marvel Super-Heroes #89, reprinting 1971's Incredible Hulk #139, "Many Foes Has the Hulk!" Written by Roy Thomas, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Sam Grainger.

The Leader puts his massive intellect to the problem of how to get rid of the Hulk, and comes up with "...a bunch of guys?" He's on to something: most of the Hulk's baddies can give him the hassle for at least a bit, so maybe a bunch could wear him out; although maybe not to the point of a heart attack like he hopes there. But, the Leader needs to use the government's new "brain-wave booster" to do it, so he goes to Major Talbot, who had been burned by the Leader before, but his hate for the Hulk will always win out. Same for General Ross; although admittedly both of them are still mad about Betty being turned into glass, and Ross goes to Washington for clearance, for a change, instead of just doing it. The brain-wave booster was supposed to be able to turn mental energy into physical form, although nobody had the mental power to actually use the thing, except maybe the Leader...your tax dollars at work. (Why build that thing?)

For his part, the Hulk nearly befriends a deer, before it skitters off, and is quietly minding his own business; so better have the Rhino attack him right away! Hulk pounds him into the ground in short order, but is then attacked by Xeron, the Star-Slayer! A personal, childhood fave! Also wrapped up quickly, but the Sub-Mariner then knocks Hulk into the drink. Hulk buries the faux-Subby under a mudslide, then as he's coming out of the water, gets kicked in the face by the Missing Link! While the mental gears aren't running at top speed, the Hulk is becoming concerned by this chain of events, and was almost winded at this point. Possibly by carrying on a complete monologue with the Sub-Mariner, mid-fight, underwater; but still.

Talbot has second thoughts about being an accessory to murder, but too little, too late; and the Leader mentally freezes him and Ross simply enough. The Hulk continues fighting several recent foes: Nightcrawler--not that one! The Night-Crawler from Hulk #126! The Mandarin! The Sandman, who the Hulk had just fought, the Glob, and Iron Man! But while the Hulk's heart was working overtime, the Leader's main plan is working: the fights were moving the Hulk ever closer to the hospital where Betty Ross was...I was going to say "being treated," but she had been turned into glass, they weren't doing squat. What were doctors going to do, give her an IV? This is also just to feed the Leader's ego, like it would another thing to rub Banner/Hulk's collective nose in, before killing them. Except, the Hulk shows up there instead! Terrified, the Leader runs around panicked and confused, until he was surrounded by Hulks, and freezes up: Jim Wilson had messed with the wiring of the brain-wave booster and reversed the polarity of the neutron flow...that would've made about as much sense.

With his foes disappeared, the Hulk is free to leave; and Betty, while still glass, was safe...for now. Talbot would eventually buy the farm, after committing more treason while trying to kill the Hulk; and much later his...identical, adult nephew would also hassle the Hulk. For some reason I thought he had a niece or younger sister or something that filled that same role.