Captain Marvel vol. 5 #3Captain Marvel vol. 5 #3
Title: “One down, Wendigo”
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Chriscross
Inker: Anibal Rodriguez
Colors: Steve Oliff
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Marlo is running away with the camera recounting how the Hulk, Captain Marvel, and Wendigo arrived during their “mockumentery”. Marlo finds Lorraine slumped against the tree. Marlo drops the camera stunned, but still thinks that Lorraine is still taunting her. Marlo sees that Lorraine is really dead, and then notices that somebody has taken a couple of bites out of her arm.
Wendigo holds Rick over his head. Marv tells
Rick to bang the nega-bands together, but Wendigo is holding
Rick’s arm 
around the
wrist. Hulk tells Wendigo to put Rick down. Rick reminds Hulk
that Wendigo isn’t going to understand him, but Wendigo
tells Rick to shut up. Wendigo says that the Wendigo is a curse,
but that every curse can be countered if you know the right
counter spells. Suddenly Rick’s nega-bands flare and Wendigo
drops him. Hulk decks Wendigo and Rick crawls to land. He asks
Marv how he zapped the Wendigo. Marv says that Rick didn’t.
He says that Rick’s body can’t handle it, but that he
managed to get together enough of a charge through the bands to
get Rick free. Rick bangs the nega-bands together and
accidentally fries a rabbit into ash.
Suddenly Marlo comes running out of the woods. She grabs hold of Marv and doesn’t let go. Somewhat flustered Marv tells Marlo to hold him as long as she needs to. Rick shouts so loud that Marv reels from the volume. Marv flies off and says that he has to go do hero stuff.
Back in Rick’s apartment, Moondragon levitates and watches a clone of the Jerry Springer show. She hears a crash and walks to the window. Outside Drax is shouting Moondragon’s name. She gets his attention. Drax flies up and plows through Rick’s wall. Moondragon says that Jones will not be pleased. Drax asks why Moondragon why she left Titan. Moondragon say that Genis needs her help, but Drax says that he does too. He says that Moondragon is supposed to help him get smarter. Moondragon says that she has and that they will talk about it later. Drax says that they are going to talk about it now.
Rick keeps yelling at Marv about hitting on his wife, but Marv says that it is going to have to wait until later. Rick presses so Genis says that he is gonna let Rick go fight the Wendigo. Underwater the Wendigo hits the Hulk in the mouth and causes him to let go of his breath. Marv blasts Wendigo and grabs the Hulk. Marv starts pulling Hulk to the surface. Rick compliments Marv on his blast on Wendigo and says that he bets Marlo will give him a big kiss for it. Marv tells Rick to be quiet or he will seduce Marlo. Rick falls silent.
In another section of Canadian woods two hikers come across a naked man laughing and crying. The man says that he has been forgiven. The couple asks the man if he is okay. The man says that he has never been better and that the curse of the Wendigo is gone.
Marlo is soaked when Marv breaks through the surface with the Hulk. Marlo asks what else could go wrong. The Wendigo emerges from the water and greets Marlo. Marlo guesses correctly, “Larry?” Marv asks who Larry is. Wendigo says that he is Larry. He says that he has studied the curse of the Wendigo for years, and that he consulted shamans and gypsies to learn to control the curse. Hulk says that Larry is nuts. Larry says that Hulk should talk. He says that he is the original poster boy for power without conscience. Rick says and Marv repeats that Hulk’s power was controlled by his conscience. Larry says, “You know nothing!” Rick and Marv reply, “I know more than you, and you can bite me”, but Marv trails off at the end. Marlo says that if he could Bruce would give up his power in a minute. Wendigo asks Bruce if that were true. Marv says to Rick that the Hulk is listening to him, but Rick assures Marv that it’s a sucker ploy. Hulk reaches out to shake Wendigo’s hand. Hulk slams Wendigo against the ground and throws him aside.
Suddenly Marv is transfixed by an image. Wendigo is holding Marlo in one hand. Marlo shouts, “Starface! Don’t just stand there do something!” Marv blasts Wendigo, but Wendigo moves to put Marlo’s head into his mouth. Marv shouts no, but then seemingly wakes up right next to Marlo. Marv realizes that his cosmic awareness is on the fritz again. Marv tells Hulk to wait, but Hulk charges ahead. Hulk comes across the dead body of Lorraine. He feels bad for her and the loss of anger turns the Hulk back into Bruce Banner. Suddenly the Wendigo leaps out of the bushes at Bruce. Captain Marvel blasts right into Wendigo’s back. Wendigo gets up and spots Marlo. Wendigo leaps at Marlo and grabs her in his hand. Marv spots Wendigo holding Marlo in one hand. Marlo shouts, “Starface! Don’t just stand there do something!” Rick tells Marv to blast him, but Marv reminds him that it didn’t work with the cosmic awareness flash. Marv instead offers Wendigo power on a cosmic scale. Wendigo stops short of putting Marlo’s head in his mouth. Marv says that with his nega bands Wendigo could channel photonic energy. He says that with his strength and the bands that he would be unstoppable. Hulk returns to the fight. Wendigo says that if he comes any closer Marlo dies. Wendigo says that they talk to him of conscience, but that with the nega-bands that he will destroy countries. Marv asks if they have a deal. Marlo says there is no way that is happening. To make Larry angry she grabs the earring off Wendigo’s ear and throws it to the water. A fish leaps up and eats it. Wendigo shouts its name as it transforms into Larry’s now mindless body.
The two hikers from before are talking to Andre and say that it is a little hard to believe that he used to be the Wendigo. Andre says that he knows and wishes there were some way he could prove it to them. A power starts to circle Andre. Andre says that it was only a figure of speech. The hikers run for it as Andre is transformed back into a howling Wendigo.
Bruce examines Larry and says that his mind is gone. Marlo asks Marv if he would have really done something as unconscionable as giving that monster his power. Marlo asks Bruce if he really wouldn’t give up the power of the Hulk if he could. Bruce and Marv look at each other and then both say no. Marlo goes to look at Larry. Bruce asks Marv if Marlo knows that he and Rick are joined. Marv says no. Bruce asks, “And you don’t want her to…?”, and Marv says no again. Marlo wonders where Larry’s mind is.
Larry is frantically swimming away from a larger fish inside the body of the fish that swallowed the earring. Larry tries to tell the cannibal to get away from him.
Legacy rating: 9 out of 10
Excellent story- Again it’s Hulk, Marvel, Rick, and Wendigo so how bad could it be? But this story is excellent. Leave it to Peter David to take a mindless monster and find a way to give him a cunning intellect. Hmm that sounds familiar… This issue addresses something that I always felt when I was kid- why in the world would Bruce Banner give up the immense power of the Hulk? I wouldn’t have let it go. Those were terrible issues for me what I was younger when Bruce would find a way get rid of the Hulk (I didn’t know that hardly anything ever really changes in comics).