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!

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. Read more!

Honestly, I'm not sure why they're yelling for his help, anyway.

The cover is a great one, and I think this series had a few in there; but it's the second of a three-parter, and the parts I recall were in the other two. It's also part of a crossover event I'm positive I've flipped through but am sure you could tell me anything was in it and I'd just have to trust you. From 2013, Thunderbolts #17, written by Charles Soule, art by Jefte Palo. Cover by Julian Totino Tedesco. 

The Thunderbolts at the time were a loose confederation, working under a system where they would take turns picking missions. When the Punisher gets to make a pick, he selects...some mobsters; which Deadpool calls the least surprising thing ever. But, Frank had picked the Paguro crime family, who were so behind the scenes he'd never been able to get at them. Unfortunately, the day of the mission coincides with Thanos's invasion of New York; but Frank isn't about to let a little thing like that hold them up. 

Red Leader was losing his intelligence, while Red Hulk is helping him not out of the kindness of his heart, but just to avoid losing a useful tool. Mercy had gone berserk, since the entire city maybe needed to be put out of its misery. Frank, Elektra, and Venom were murdering their way through the Paguros' goons; when they notice gas. While they don't know what it is, it's not hurting them, so they ignore it: Red Leader explains it's Terrigen Mist, and they also ignore it...even as it transforms some goons into Inhumans!

Meanwhile, having wandered off last issue, Deadpool is still looking for some pizza. Which he finally gets to, but the punchline has to wait until the next issue; and it's not bad. 

Read more!

"Led."

I already had four pieces, so last weekend I sprung for the "Gamerverse" Marvel Legends Ms. Marvel and Iron Man...I forget if that IM had a mark number. There has been so many that now I've relapsed and only recognize four...Anyway, I wanted to get the last two pieces to build the Abomination. Or, "Abomination," since I don't recognize this new guy. I'm calling him 'Dim' for the time being: he doesn't have that classic Abomination head and looks like a mouth-breathing orc. Dim doesn't appear to re-use any parts from the old Abomination, but that Build-a-Figure was itself a re-use from the SDCC 2016 Raft set. Dim's funky foot claws aren't bad, though.

We're left to wonder what the Abomination does on his day off, but man, I'm thinking the Leader has read every one of those pick-up-chicks-through-targeted-negging books and probably elevated that to a science.
Read more!