Captain Marvel #21

Title: “Here Comes the Hulk!”

Writer: Roy Thomas

Penciller: Gil Kane

Inker: Dan Adkins

Editor: Stan Lee

Hulk lands next to Rick Jones and realizes that he knows him. Hulk says that they sent someone he knows to spy on him and find out where he is hiding. Hulk says that he won’t get to tell anyone what he learned. Hulk says that he will smash him first. Hulk raises his fist into the air, but after thinking he lowers it again. He says that he can’t smash someone who is so small and can’t fight back. Hulk goes to get some water to wake Rick up and says that he will make him tell him who sent him to spy on him. Hulk looks down at the water and says that it is so calm and peaceful. Hulk dips his hand into the water, but when it comes out it is no longer green. Hulk transforms back into Bruce Banner. Bruce says that it looks like he is back in the saddle again. Rick stands up and says that he hopes that he stays that way until Hulk grows a long green Van Dyke. Bruce smiles at Rick and says that he is a sight for sore eyes. He wonders how he could even think of a second that he had turned informer on him. Rick says that he is something even worse and says that he has come there to ask a favor of him. He says that if Bruce does it that he may wish that he had never laid eyes on Rick Jones. Bruce says that there isn’t much a chance of that. He says that he won’t forget about how Rick stood by him when he first became the Hulk. Bruce says that as a fugitive that he hasn’t had the time to keep up with what Rick has been doing. Rick says that Bruce won’t read about it in Newsweek. Rick tells Bruce about how he was Captain America’s partner, but how that ended. He tells Bruce how he came upon his arm bands and how he is bonded to Captain Mar-Vell. He says that he finally has all the powers he dreamed of, but that now he doesn’t know where he ends and where Mar-Vell begins. Bruce says that he isn’t sure he understands, but that if Rick fills in a few gaps that he will do what he can to help out.

On the walk back to the lab, Bruce tells Rick that he has heard of the Negative Zone. He says that Reed Richards published a few hints in professional journals. Rick says that maybe he should be talking to Reed Richards instead. Bruce says that is a “no go” and that Reed has gone on record as saying that the Negative Zone is too dangerous to become common knowledge. Rick asks if Reed thinks that the place is his own private hunting ground. Rick tells Bruce that he doesn’t have to help him if he doesn’t want to. Bruce tells Rick to calm down, and that he has already made up his mind to help him. Bruce says that Reed theorizes that the Negative Zone is somehow related to cosmic and gamma rays. He says that if he can help Rick that he might be able to help himself… not to mention poor Ben Grimm stuck in the body of the Thing. Bruce says that Rick isn’t the only one with problems. Rick says that compared to Bruce’s problem that his is practically a plus. Rick tells Bruce that if he wants him to go to just say so. Bruce says that he is glad Rick showed up and gave him something besides himself to worry about for a change. Bruce says that he is going to find a way into the Negative Zone.

Bruce sets about trying to create a machine that will create a pathway to the Negative Zone. Rick watches Bruce straining and knows that he is tired. Bruce says that he needs to rest for just a little while and then collapses on the bed. Rick says that he guesses Bruce being tired is better than him being angry or excited and turning into the Hulk.

Later, Bruce tells Rick that it is funny how his mind works when there is something he is stuck on. Rick asks what he means. Bruce says that listening to Rick talk about his adventures with Mar-Vell made him think of something by Thomas Randolph, “Justice, like lightning, ever should appear; To few men ruin, but to all men fear!” Rick says that he wasn’t too hot on poetry in school, but that it does have a ring to it.  Rick says that it might make a good theme song if he weren’t trying to get out of the hero business. Bruce reminds him that he is though, but that the line about school gave him an idea. Bruce says that if the phone still works that he is calling an old professor of his. Bruce says that his name is Josiah Weller, and that he is one of the top brains in relativity theory and the head of the research department at Desert State University.

Dr. Weller’s phone rings as demonstrators outside protest the man. They shout that they want Weller. They shout that he better come tell them what they want to hear or they are going to put a torch to his poison gas palace.

Bruce sits listening to the phone ring. He says that he doesn’t understand it. He says that though it has been a few years since he has seen Dr. Weller that he was always in the lab at this time of day. Bruce is about to hang up when Weller picks up. Weller tells Bruce that of course he remembers his most brilliant student. He tells Bruce that coming there right now is impossible. He tells Bruce that it is impossible because a rock just came hurtling through his window. He explains that some student radicals want to put an end to research on the campus whether it is war related or not. He says that he is virtually in a state of siege right now. He tells Banner that it would be worth his life to come there now.

Bruce hangs up and says that they are stupid young fools. Rick asks what is wrong. Bruce says that Dr. Weller is a prisoner in his own cell, and that the students think he is involved in germ warfare or death rays. He asks if they don’t know that he has a weak heart and that something like this could kill him. Rick says that they don’t mean the professor harm, but that they might have a point or two on their side. Bruce asks if Rick is siding with them over him. Rick says that he isn’t siding with anyone. He says that they may be wrong for what they are doing, but that they are fighting for what they believe in and that you have to respect that. Bruce says that all he respects is that their protesting may kill an old man. Bruce’s head starts to throbs from the strain. He says that the kids with their protesting and rioting are menacing everything that he has been slaving for. He says that Bruce Banner can’t reach them and make them pay for what they are doing, but that the Hulk can. Hulk says that he will find them and make them pay. Rick tries to stop Hulk, but realizes that he is too mad to be reasoned with. Rick realizes that since he is the only one around that the one Hulk might end up smashing is him. Mar-Vell tells Rick not to try and fight the Hulk alone. Rick starts to bang his arm bands together and says, “Justice, like lightning… ever shall appear!” Hulk sees Mar-Vell and asks who he is. He asks where the boy went. Mar-Vell says that isn’t the point, and that the point is that the Hulk is going to calm down for his own good. Hulk tells Mar-Vell that whoever he is to get out of his path. Hulk says that he must find the young ones and make them pay. Mar-Vell says that he will over his dead body. Hulk says that if that is the way he wants it and that is how it will be. Hulk leaps at Mar-Vell, but Mar-Vell uses his speed to fly away from Hulk and then dive into his back. Mar-Vell says that if that didn’t finish him that he will try a frontal assault. Mar-Vell hits Hulk, but Hulk says that it will take a lot more than that to hurt him. Mar-Vell says that he will do whatever it takes to stop him from hurting those students. Mar-Vell hits Hulk again, and stands in amazement to find that Hulk is still standing. He says that punch would have shattered a robot. Hulk says that Mar-Vell isn’t fighting a robot… he is fighting the Hulk. Hulk hits Mar-Vell and sends him flying into equipment and knocks him unconscious. Hulk tries to remember who he wanted to smash. He remembers they were called “students”. Hulk says that they are the ones that he wants to crush, but that he can’t remember why. He says that they did something to anger him, and that maybe they tried to hurt him. Hulk leaps out of the cave and says that no one that tries to hurt him gets away with it.

Minutes later, Mar-Vell wakes up to find that the machine Banner was going to use to try and rescue him from the Negative Zone is ruined and that the Hulk is gone. He turns on Banner’s TV monitor to see if there is any news on where Hulk went. The TV tells him that Hulk has been seen heading toward Desert State University. Mar-Vell says that he isn’t sure how long he was out, but that he can sense that most of the three hours before he goes back to the Negative Zone remain. Mar-Vell flies after Hulk to try and protect the students.

Hulk leaps along and says that something in his head is telling him that he is getting closer to where he wants to go. Hulk sees smoke coming up and knows that is the place. Hulk says that he doesn’t know what is on fire, but that it will be worse when he gets done.

One of the protestors is telling the others that he thinks that the Hulk is coming there to join their protest. He says that Hulk is as anti-establishment as any of them. Hulk lands and the protestors start to scatter. Hulk tells them to run like rabbits and that it won’t help them. Hulk pauses for a long time as if something is flickering in his mind. Hulk says that he feels like he belongs there somehow. Hulk says that it is like this place was home to him once and that he shouldn’t smash it. Hulk angrily realizes that it was never his home, since he has no home, but that it was home to Banner and that he hates Banner. Hulk says that Banner is yelling at him not to hurt the running humans, but that as far as he is concerned that is all the reason he needs to crush them. Hulk leaps towards them, but Captain Mar-Vell dive bombs into Hulk’s back and tells him “hands off”. Captain Marvel says that he must summon all his power to defeat the Hulk, and that he can do it because he is Captain Marvel. Hulk says that he doesn’t care what his name is. He says that he beat him before and that he will beat him again. Mar-Vell says that last time he was fighting for himself, but that this time he is fighting for others. Mar-Vell hits Hulk as hard as he can and actually manages to stun Hulk. Mar-Vell decides that he has to hit Hulk harder than he has ever hit before. He unloads on the Hulk. Hulk strike back and knocks Mar-Vell to the ground. Mar-Vell is about to get back up when his bands start crackling like it is time to change back. Mar-Vell says that he has more time, but three hours of energy was used up in minutes fighting the Hulk. Rick gets up and stands before Hulk. Rick says that Hulk can go after those kids, that never hurt him or even saw him before today, but that it will be over his dead body. Hulk snarls for a minute, but then he turns his back and starts to walk away. Mar-Vell tells Rick that he reached the Hulk, and that Rick did something that he couldn’t. He says that maybe they are a better team than they thought. Rick says that they had better be… because the one man that could help them is locked away within a giant green prison called the Hulk.

Legacy rating: 8 out of 10

Review and pictures by The Leader

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