Hulk #2 continued

Part Three- “Bruce Banner, Wanted for Treason!”

As the smoke clears the lone figure of Bruce Banner stands revealed. Ross says, “So! It was you!” Inside the Toad Men have recovered and use their magnetic weapons to dig a hole out of their ship and dig a tunnel to get away in. The soldiers look inside and figure that Bruce must have handled the ship all by himself. Once they get far enough away the Toad Men surface and send out the signal flare to the other ships. The King of the Toad Men sees the signal and says that it is time to attack.

Inside a maximum-security prison, Bruce stands in his cell. Bruce tells Rick to relax since there is nothing he can do for now. Rick whispers that when night comes that the Hulk is going to be able to bust out of there. Bruce says that the Hulk is so unpredictable that it might be better if night never came. Outside Ross says that he wants a twenty-four hour guard around Banner.

Ross gets home and Betty says that he can’t really think that Bruce Banner is a traitor. Thunderbolt says that he doesn’t know what to think, but that Bruce was in that ship and it is up to Washington to decide his fate. The phone rings and Thunderbolt Ross is told that there is an invasion of space ships. Betty says that if Earth is in danger that they are going to need Bruce’s brains.

The Toad Men descend on the Earth. Suddenly every the Toad Men jam every television and radio receiver. The Toad King appears and says that he is their master. He says that even now his invincible forces control the sky.

Part Four- “Hulk Runs Amok!”

Toad King says that within seconds they are going to fire their magnetic weapons at the moon causing it to come closer and closer to the Earth. The closer the moon gets the more damage it will do to the Earth. Eventually the Earth will be knocked out of orbit. Toad King says that there is nothing that they can do as the Earth even now begins to move closer. He says that soon the buildings will soon be crumbling unless they surrender. Ross says that they will never surrender.

Bruce Banner holds onto the bars in the window of his cell as the moon. Suddenly Bruce turns into the Hulk. Hulk plows through the wall. Hulk rips up a rail from the train tracks. Hulk grabs the rail and runs at some soldiers. Hulk stuffs the rail into their cannon and flips them over with it. Hulk reaches a watchtower and pulls it over. The soldiers say that they have to go tell General Ross. Hulk remembers that it was Ross that put him in the cell. Hulk says that he is his enemy and he will find him. Hulk walks to Ross’ house. Betty asks, “Is that you, dad?” The Hulk walks through the door and shuts it behind him. Betty screams and nearby soldiers come running. The soldiers are about to knock in the door, but the Hulk breaks it outwards into them. Ross has a tank drive up. Rick tells them to let him through and that only he can reason with Hulk. Ross and the tank enter. Ross says to hold their fire because they might hit his daughter. Rick runs up and says, “It’s me, Rick! Your friend!” Hulk says that he has no friends and swats Rick aside. The soldiers rush Hulk.

Part Five- “The End of the Hulk?”

The soldiers all pile on the Hulk, but Hulk shakes them off. Hulk grabs Betty and then rips the side of the house up. Hulk gets outside and closes the house up. Hulk gets away while the soldiers regroup. Rick figures that Hulk might be heading towards Bruce Banner’s lab and goes there.

At that moment in the lab, Betty asks the Hulk why he hates them so. Hulk asks why he shouldn’t hate all mankind. He says that they always hound him, but that now he is fighting back on his own terms. Rick enters and tells Hulk to stop and listen. Hulk sees Rick and says, “You! This time I silence you forever!” Rick starts trying to tell the Hulk that the Earth is in trouble, but the ground starts to shake and knocks them all over. Hulk lies motionless on the ground, but as the sun comes up he transforms back into Bruce Banner. Rick hands Bruce his glasses and fills him in on what has happened. Bruce picks Betty up and puts her on the couch. Rick asks Bruce what they are going to do. Bruce says that the Toad Men use magnetic energy and says that if only he could turn that energy against them. Bruce and Rick run to Bruce’s gamma gun. Bruce rationalizes that nobody knows what the effect of gamma rays would have on the field of magnetic energy.

Bruce enters and says that he needs sixty seconds to activate the gun. Ross and his soldiers are outside banging on the door. The soldiers break through the door. Rick sprays them down with the fire hose to give Bruce time. Bruce fires the gun at the field. The gamma rays reverse the aliens’ magnetic field and sends all of their ships hurtling out back into space. The moon returns to its normal position.

Later since Bruce saved the Earth he is released just before night. Betty tells her father that she told him they could trust Bruce. Ross says that he is still suspicious and thinks that there is some connection between Bruce and the Hulk.

In the desert lab, Rick Jones stands outside the cell he and Bruce created as the Hulk pounds on the door from the inside.

No Excuses rating: 9 out of 10

Kirby is a legend and this issue is a fine example of that. Hulk is drawn with such bestial power. Everything about the art in this issue is perfect. Even the… sigh… Toad Men. Now the writing I give a four out of five. The Hulk is still a fantastic concept and the idea that he is a monster and couldn’t care less about saving the Earth is really bold. But Toad Men with magnetic guns? And their defeat is because their magnetic field was reversed by gamma rays? Well okay, still great, but a little cornier than I’d like.

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