Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #261

Title: “Encounter on Easter Island!”

Writer: Bill Mantlo

Penciller: Sal Buscema

Inker: Sal Buscema

Colors: Bob Sharen

Editor: Allen Milgrom

The Hulk swims along as he has for days since he left Japan. The Hulk looks and sees a body of land that he doesn’t realize, or care, is Easter Island. The Hulk is exhausted and gives one last effort to reach the land. Hulk crawls up on the shore. He staggers up onto the grass. He says that he is tired of swimming, of water, and of everything. Hulk says that he is going to sleep, and that maybe when he wakes up everything that has been making him tired will have changed. As Hulk sleeps he turns back into Bruce Banner. A shadowed figure peaks out from behind one of the giant stone heads and stares at the sleeping Bruce Banner. The Absorbing Man walks cautiously toward seeing the sleeping scientist transform from a giant monster. Creel feels for a pulse and discovers that Banner is alive. He says, “Alive! He’s alive! I should kill him before he wakes up! No one would know! No! THEY might know! He might be one of THEM! And then THEY might come looking for him… and find me!”

In Crusher Creel’s mind, he only vaguely recollects the events of who “THEY” are. Absorbing Man was fighting the Avengers. He begs them to leave him alone, but they wouldn’t. Creel locked up with the Vision and absorbed his ability to phase. Creel couldn’t control the power however and he phased right through the dock and into the water below. Creel had decided that he had enough of getting beaten, and that he would swim out to a ship to get away. Ms. Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, swoops in on Creel, but Creel absorbed the power of the water. It had seemed like a good idea, but the effort of maintaining his integrity was too much for his simple mind to bear. After weeks of drifting Creel physically washed up on Easter Island, but his mind was shattered and could no longer recollect where or who he was. All he remembered was that he was on the run from “THEM”.

Creel decides that the scrawny scientist was too scrawny to be one of “THEM”. Creel throws him over his shoulder. He says that there is no need to kill him right away, and that he will just keep an eye on him.

Inside his Times Square hotel room, Rick Jones has his headphones on and is trying to contact the Teen Brigade. He is making a routine check for any news of the Hulk. Rick doesn’t hear the loud banging on his door. The manager opens the door with his pass key. He is standing there with Betty Ross Talbot. The manager starts apologizing, but Betty tells him that Rick can’t hear him with his headphones on. Rick sees Betty and walks over to her. After the manager leaves, Rick fills Betty in on his activities since they last saw one another. Rick tells her that the Avengers have promised to help the Hulk as soon as he resurfaces. Rick says that he formed a new Teen Brigade. Betty recalls that Rick was the leader of the Teen Brigade when Bruce first became the Hulk. Rick shows Betty all the sightings of the Hulk from over the world. Betty says that she can confirm that the Hulk was in Japan. Betty hands Rick a picture. She explains that her ex-husband, Glenn Talbot, piloted a battle-cruiser called the War Wagon to goad the Hulk into fight over a dormant volcano. The picture shows Glenn’s body in the wreckage. Betty cries and Rick says that he is sorry. Betty says that she is too. She wishes that Glenn had understood that the Hulk is only dangerous when he is provoked. Rick says, “You still love Bruce Banner, don’t you?” Betty says that she never stopped loving him. They hug and Betty asks how you love a man that shares his existence with a monster. Rick says that it is the same way you’re a friend to one. Rick says that he is determined to cure Bruce Banner of the condition he has because he chose to help him. Rick tells Betty to stay with him and that when he finds the Hulk he will need all the friends he can get.

Creel still has Bruce over his shoulder. He says that he has to get back to his hideout and that he has spent too much time out in the sun. He says that he can’t take the chance of THEM seeing him. Bruce wakes up and realizes that someone is carrying him. Bruce shifts his weight and Creel loses his footing. They slide down the hill Creel was walking down. Bruce is about to run when he hears, “Hold it right there, Squirt!” Bruce sees Creel standing there. His hand is on one of the giant stone heads. His body is consequently made of stone. Creel says that he isn’t letting him get away to send THEM after him. Bruce is stunned. He says that he isn’t one of “them” whoever they are. Creel says that he doesn’t look like one of them now, but that he saw him change. Creel says that he has powers like “THEY” do. Bruce asks what he is going to do to him. Creel says that he is going to hide him in case they come looking for him. Creel tells Bruce to crawl into a small cave opening. Bruce says that it is so small, but Creel insists. Bruce nervously crawls down. Creel says that there is no sight of THEM, and that all he has to do now is keep his new prisoner out of their sight.

Bruce is terrified as he is forced to crawl on his stomach because the hole isn’t big enough for him to even get on his knees. Bruce feels his heart begin to race. He says that he can’t change now. He says that the only reason he is getting though is because of his slight build. He says that if he changes he might become wedged and unable to move. Bruce keeps going down until he feels water. Creel tells him to keep moving. Bruce says that he can’t, and that the tunnel is flooded. Creel shoves him in the water. Bruce suddenly realizes that in the water there is room to move his arms and legs. He flails to the surface and takes a long needed breath. Bruce sees light coming from a fire. Creel emerges from the water as water. As he takes his human form he says, “My cave! Hidden deep down in the dark and the rock! So that ‘they’ will never find me!”

Bruce stares with wonder at Creel as Creel sits by the fire. He says that whoever his captor is that he is incredible. Bruce watches as Creel turns his hand into fire and uses his hand to ignite pieces of wood to keep the fire going. Bruce says that becoming wood or stone that his captor could probably live down there without food, but that he can’t. Bruce thinks of escape, but now realizing that he is on Easter Island (because of the stone head) he knows that there is nowhere for him to go. Bruce recalls a theorized history of Easter Island. How the people there were slaughtered after carving the heads, but that some people managed to escape into these tunnels. Bruce looks over and sees some skeletons inside the cave with him. Bruce says that there is a small community on the other side of the island, but that even if he reached them that the island is only visited by boat once a year. Bruce says that his captor would find him and that no one would be able to stop him. Bruce decides that he still has to try when Creel falls asleep. Bruce looks nervously at the small hole he is to climb up.

An hour after Creel has been sleeping, Bruce decides that he has to try and escape. He thinks to himself that he hasn’t been so scared since he was caught in the gamma bomb blast. He wonders why, through all his panic, he hasn’t become the Hulk. He thinks that it must be because he knows that him squeezing through the hole is his only hope. Bruce climbs and climbs praying that he be near the end. Bruce finally reaches a point where the tunnel has grown smaller. Bruce finds that he is stuck and can’t move. He says that something has grabbed his ankle. Creel, in his rock form, has Bruce’s ankle. He tells Bruce that he knew he was one of THEM. He says that he isn’t going to get to warn THEM. He says that in fact they are just going to stay right where they are until Bruce starves to death. Finally Bruce starts to freak out.

Above, the ground crumbles. Finally the Hulk comes crashing out of the ground. Creel says that he knew that he was one of THEM. He says that only one of THEM has the power to punch through solid rock to freedom. Hulk says that he has more power than anyone. He says that he can do anything, and that he is the strongest one there is. Creel says, “Hulk? Yeah, now I remember! You ARE one of THEM! One of the super-freaks I kept fightin’… an’ kept beatin’ me… an’ beatin’ me… an’ beatin’ me!” Creel charges into Hulk and says that he remembers who he is now. He says that he should be able to defeat anyone by absorbing their powers and using them against them. He says that he just kept getting beat until he finally went nuts. Creel punches Hulk and tells him to tell the rest of THEM to stop bugging him. Hulk rips up a large chunk of ground and says that Rock Man’s punches hurt him. Creel says to wait until he absorbs Hulk’s power. Hulk says that no one, but him can have his power. Creel asks how Hulk will stop him. Hulk throws the chunk of ground at Creel. Creel has grown in size. He says that will just make him more powerful, and that he can absorb anything. Creel says that he is already twice as big as the Hulk, and that when he touches him that he will be stronger too. Hulk says that Big Man will not touch him then. Hulk grabs a large tree trunk and hits Creel with it. Creel hits Hulk and calls him stupid. He says that now he has the wood added to his mass as well. He says that they way he is going that he won’t even have to absorb Hulk’s power. Hulk lands in the water. Creel holds Hulk under the water. He asks him if he wants to die beaten to a pulp, or if he wants to drown. Hulk hits Creel off of him. Hulk says that he has fought bigger foes that Absorbing Man. Hulk says that he will defeat him even if he absorbs a whole island. Creel lands on one of the stone heads. He says that he never thought of that, and that the Hulk just gave him the idea of a century. Hulk says that he doesn’t know what Absorbing Man is talking about. Creel says that Hulk wouldn’t, and that he hears Hulk is pretty stupid. Creel says, “Me, I ain’t too swift on the smarts myself, but I can see the possibilities.” Creel says that first he will absorb the entire island. He says that he will be big enough to walk across the Pacific Ocean. He says that he will absorb the power tidal waves and anything else in the water. He says that when he reaches America that he will absorb the entire continent. Creel asks how the Avengers will fight a guy that is half as big as the entire planet. Creel asks Hulk if he understands that he is going to be the strongest one there is. When Hulk hears Creel say that he freaks. He growls and leaps at him. Hulk lands on the stone head, which acts as a catapult, and shoots Crusher into the air. The shock of being moved causes Creel to lose his tenuous grip on his sanity. Creel floats there in the water and lets the waves wash over him. Creel disproves that no man is an island.

Hulk sits back on Easter Island. Hulk says that Absorbing Man is gone, and that he is alone again. Hulk says that he wanted to be alone somewhere far from puny humans. He says that now that he has what he wants, but that it is so quiet there. Hulk says that he will think about what he wants and maybe change his mind tomorrow.

No Excuses rating: 7 out of 10

Sal has some really interesting visuals in this issue. In addition to the ones I picked, the scenes of Creel’s plan are pretty cool. 4 out of 5 for the art. Bill Mantlo makes a couple mistakes in the issue that kind of stick out to me. I don’t want to dump on it too much because I enjoy the use of the Absorbing Man, but… Creel watches Hulk change into Bruce Banner, and then decides that Bruce is too small to be one of the heroes that kept beating him. Well what about the big green guy? One might chalk that up to Creel’s being nuts, but then what’s Banner’s excuse? Banner saw Absorbing Man in both of Creel’s previous appearances in the Hulk. Now he doesn’t remember him? Pretty weak. Love Mantlo’s plan for Creel though and I wish someone would pick back up on it since it sounds like a heck of a fight.

Review and pictures by The Leader

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