Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #106Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #106
Title: “Above the Earth… A Titan Rages!”
Writers: Archie Goodwin and Roy Thomas
Breakdowns: Marie Severin
Penciller: Herb Trimpe
Inker: George Tuska
Editor: Stan Lee
Betty Ross sits distraught in her car. She wonders where Bruce is now and what has happened to him. She says that if only he had stayed with her that she could have tried to help. She wonders if anyone can help Bruce when he becomes the Hulk. She says that she is too confused to think. The police walk up to Betty’s car and tell her that they are trying to cordon off the area. He says that she can’t go through because the Hulk and some monster are fighting. Betty realizes that the Hulk is in danger and floors the car towards the fight. She says that no matter how scared she is of the Hulk side of Bruce Banner that she loves him too much not to help if he is in danger.
Up ahead, Talbot is shooting at the Missing Link. Banner says that the gun is useless. He says that the creature wants him and that Talbot and Rick should make a run for it. Banner realizes that the creature senses that he was the Hulk, but that for once Banner can’t become the Hulk. Talbot hears a car and says that it may be help. Rick asks what it could possibly be that could help against the Missing Link. Link says in his own language that the green skinned one has changed, but that he doesn’t fool him. He says that he will kill him even if he has to kill the other puny ones to reach him. Betty sees that Link is about to hit Bruce and the others. She decides that there is only one thing to do. Betty drives her car right into Link and knocks him backward. Betty is thrown clear of the car and lies still on the ground. Bruce asks if Betty is alive. Talbot rushes to her and says that he doesn’t know.
Elsewhere, General Ross is talking with Nick Fury. He informs Fury that he hasn’t heard from Talbot about whether the machine Reed Richards put together actually worked. Fury says that means it is his turn. Ross says that he doesn’t “like putting it in the hands of you and those James Bond rejects you ramrod”. He says that he wanted the Hulk’s capture to have been am Air Force only show. Fury thinks to himself that he would probably act the same way if someone was butting in on his operation. Fury prepares and orders the gas-launching crews into the glide-saucer. Fury asks what the flight conditions are, but he is told that there is a lot of turbulence fouling up the readings.
Talbot is carrying Betty. Rick is helping
Bruce walk. Bruce asks how Betty is. Talbot says that she is very
weak and that they have to get her out of there. Betty is
mumbling in her weakened state about her darling Bruce. Talbot
says that is only once she would talk about him that way. Bruce
says that they should all get going and not let his wounded leg
slow the rest of them down. Bruce says that the monster will be
out from under the car in no time. The Missing Link is suddenly
up. Rick says that they are too late. Bruce tells them all to
run. Missing Link grabs Bruce’s wrists. He says that he is
going to die now pink skin or green skin. Bruce tells Rick to run
before the radiation hits him. Talbot tells Rick to listen to
Banner and that he will need his help if they are going to get
Betty back to the helicopter they came in and get airborne. The
radiation from Missing Link, that transformed Hulk into Bruce,
now transforms Bruce back into the Hulk. Hulk says that
monster’s touch is burning him and that nothing can hold
him. 
Hulk spins
around and punches Missing Link right in the face. Rick says that
he might as well go since there isn’t he can do for or with
him when he is the Hulk. Hulk says that Link isn’t fighting
the weakling Banner now. He says that one blow from him makes his
skin shatter like glass. Hulk turns when he hears the helicopter
start to lift off. He says that they are taking the girl away
from him and that she needs his protection. Hulk says that he
can’t leap after the helicopter with his injured leg and so
he loses the only thing that he cares about. Hulk says that it is
the glowing creature’s fault. Hulk says that he is mad now.
Hulk turns and punches Missing Link in the mouth. Hulk says that
he isn’t going to stop until Link is bashed to pieces of
crystal and then they will see if he can heal from that. The
police spot Hulk and Missing Link, but they receive an order to
pull back and that SHIELD is going to handle this. Hulk thinks to
himself that too much contact with Link made him turn into Banner
and that it must not happen again. Hulk whips Link into a
building. Hulk says that now the monster learns what happens to
those that defy him. Link hits the building and lands on the
third floor. He says that he could never know peace while an
enemy like the Hulk lives and so he must destroy him. Link says
that he will be the one to bury Hulk. Link grabs a chunk of the
building and hits Hulk with it. Hulk tries to leap at Missing
Link, but because of his injured leg he goes off course and hits
the side of the building. Hulk says that if he can’t leap
that he will climb. Hulk tells the monster not to go anywhere and
that he is coming. Link leaps off the building and drives his
feet into Hulk’s chest. Hulk and Link are about to start
fighting again, but they are hit by a blazing swirl of energy
that starts lifting them up.
Below, Ross says that he hates to have had anyone but him capture the Hulk, but that he has to give those SHIELD guys credit. As Hulk and Link are being lifted into the helicarrier, one of the officers remembers that Fury was supposed to be using some kind of saucer and experimental gas. Ross says that he doesn’t care how they did it as long as the Hulk is out of his hair forever.
Inside the helicarrier, Hulk is trying to smash the walls, but the beam he is trapped in keeps him off balance. The helicarrier speeds off at an incredible speed. Inside the helicarrier, Colonel Brevlov is standing and watching the Hulk and the Missing Link. He says that they are even more impressive than he imagined. He decides to himself that he did what had to be done. One of Brevlov’s assistant says that they have subjected them to maximum density stun mist, but that the Hulk is still standing. Link is curled up on the floor. Brevlov says that it is impressive, but that over time even Hulk will fall. Brevlov radios the flight control deck and tells them to set a course home.
Back at the scene of the capture, Fury comes running up to Ross and says that he is ready. He asks Ross where the Hulk is. Ross says that Fury doesn’t need to rub his face in his success. Fury asks what Ross is talking about. Ross asks if that wasn’t Fury’s ship that just captured the Hulk. Fury says that there is only one guy that could have pulled this off. Fury radios Dum-Dum and tells him that Yuri Brevlov is back in action.
Back in the helicarrier, Brevlov’s men are moving the Hulk and Missing Link inside magnetic transporters, Alexi warns Brevlov of the dangers of the Link’s radiation, but Brevlov says that he sounds as scared as their “accursed oriental comrades”. Alexi says that he doesn’t understand. Brevlov says that they sent the Link to New York because they feared not being able to control the creature, but even now they realize their error and have begun trying to duplicate the Missing Link by experimenting on apes. He says that they have been unsuccessful so far, but if they were to create an army of Missing Links that they might turn on them. Alexi asks why they don’t destroy the Hulk at least. Brevlov says that Alexi’s shortsightedness amazes him. He says that the Hulk is also a creature of a radioactive accident and that he might even be the key to the beast’s creation.
Dum-Dum tells Fury that the foreign helicarrier eluded their radar and that it was last spotted in the arctic. Fury says that is crummy luck and that they have been waiting months to capture Brevlov.
Suddenly, the helicarrier starts wobbling all around. Alexi wonders what it could be, but Brevlov tells him that it must be that their two prisoners have woken. Missing Link says that they have imprisoned him, but that he will break free and then kill them. Hulk smashes his chains and then plows right through the cage that is holding him. A guard starts running to sound the alarm. Hulk says that he would stop him, but that his wounded leg is slowing him down. Hulk says that with every second more strength returns to his leg. Hulk wanders into a room and wonders where he is.
Elsewhere in the helicarrier, Brevlov says that the Hulk must be recaptured. He prefers that it be alive, but that if he cannot that the Hulk must be killed. Brevlov opens the intercom. He tells everyone to get out of the forward section at once and that it will be sealed off in twenty seconds. Hulk says that he doesn’t care enough about them to hurt them, but that he wants to find the glowing monster and finish their battle.
Inside his cell, Missing Link has grown too weak to do anything but remember. He remembers a time, millennia ago, when he was struggling for life upon the Earth. It remembers the volcanic blast that buried it and the mushroom cloud that freed him. It also remembers the dismal darkness that encompassed it in-between and how that darkness enshrouds him now. Link curls up in despair.
Hulk plows through the wall with no effort at all. He sees the men and tells them to tell him where the one he seeks is or he will tear the place apart piece by piece. One of the men runs for a stun mist pistol and fires it. Hulk says that once a mist surrounded him and captured him. He says that he won’t let it surround him again. Hulk leaps clear of the mist. Hulk says that his leaping powers are almost back completely. Hulk says that he had to find his enemy. Hulk tears an entire fuel tank and throws it. The tank explodes and the ship is now on fire. The chemical extinguishers come on, but by then the Hulk has leaped on through the wall.
Brevlov makes an announcement. He tells crews one and two to secure the forward sector and that everyone else should close in on the Hulk. Suddenly one of the men spots Hulk on a camera. Hulk is holding on to the outside of the ship. He says that he didn’t know that they were up this high and that he can’t jump from there. He says that he must hold on or die. Missing Link it seems was also freed by an explosion. He says that he has to find the ones that want to imprison him and destroy them. Brevlov dons some magnetic boots that will enable him to walk on the outside to the Hulk. He says that he will be bringing Hulk back with him or that he won’t be coming back. Some of his men admire his courage while others think that he is foolhardy. They say that no matter what his orders that they have to help him.
Outside the ship, Hulk spots Brevlov coming towards him. He also spots a saucer coming after him. Before Brevlov can fire the saucer takes a shot at Hulk. The saucer misses and hits the ship. The blast dislodges the part of the ship Brevlov was on and Brevlov starts falling to his doom. Hulk manages to grab the end of the ship and not fall off.
Inside the ship, an ever-increasing chain reaction has been building within the Missing Link. Link starts hurting more and more until he finally realizes that he is going to die. Link does die and explodes like a bomb. The helicarrier is destroyed. A piece of the ship hits Brevlov’s magnetic soles and Hulk manages to catch the piece holding Brevlov. Brevlov’s men inside the saucer say that they have to save their Colonel, but wonder if they have to save the Hulk to do it. They hit Hulk and Brevlov with a anti-gravity grappling ray. Hulk says that they have stopped falling but that Brevlov will die if they fire at him again. Brevlov swears that they won’t fire. Hulk says that words mean nothing to him and that he only understands actions. Hulk throws Brevlov up to the saucer and jumps off. Hulk says that the saucer came down close enough to the ground for him to survive. Hulk lands and Brevlov shoots and destroys a farmhouse near Hulk.
Brevlov thinks to himself that Hulk doesn’t know that he missed him on purpose. He says that with the beast destroyed that there is little they could gain from harming the Hulk. Brevlov gives the command to abandon the chase. One of his men reminds Brevlov that they were to capture or obliterate the two monsters. He says to spare him would be an act of treason. Brevlov realizes that he would have a mutiny on his hands and decides that the Hulk must die.
On the ground, Hulk says that he heard someone cry out. Hulk finds a small boy on the ground crying. It looks up and sees Hulk. The boy stops crying and sticks his arms out for Hulk. Hulk says that the boy’s parents must have run when the saucer fired. Hulk realizes that the saucer is coming in for another attack. Hulk says that he should leave so the boy isn’t hurt, but says that the boy is so helpless and alone. Hulk says that the boy is alone just like him. He wonders why he should care about one of the race that torments him. Hulk says that pity is for humans not for him. Still a second later, Hulk leaps off with the boy under his arm. The saucer fires but misses.
Brevlov says that they missed, but that he has a plan that can’t fail. Brevlov wonders what the small bundle that Hulk was carrying was. Alexi says that all that matters is that they destroy the Hulk. Brevlov admits that he is right. Brevlov turns on the searchlight.
Hulk walks underneath. He says that he can’t leap too far because the boy couldn’t survive it. The boy leads Hulk to a shiny rock. Hulk says that he should run with the boy, but that he can take a minute to make the boy happy.
Brevlov spots Hulk with an infra-red scanner. He spots the young boy with Hulk. Brevlov wonders how he can kill the Hulk and doom the young boy. Brevlov says that he has to or he will be branded a traitor.
No Excuses rating: 7.5 out of 10
Well I like the part of the story where Hulk and Missing Link get to mix it up, but I don’t really care for Brevlov- in the story or as a character. I always felt like Missing Link should have been more of a player in the Hulk’s rogue’s gallery. The art is still really good though like I said I wish there was more action. Art gets a 4 out of 5.