Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #315

Title: “Freedom!”

Writer: John Byrne

Penciller: John Byrne

Inker: Keith Williams

Colors: Andy Yunchus

Editor: Dennis O’Neil

Hulk pounds away on a concrete door. He shouts to let him go and that they can’t hold him. He says that he is stronger. Hulk is within the cage that Banner used to have Rick Jones lock him up in when he first became the Hulk at night. Hulk asks puny Banner if he hears him and repeats to let him go. Banner says that he will never let him out again. He says that Hulk has ruined his life for too long and stolen everything that he has ever cared about or loved. He says that Hulk is finally imprisoned and that he is going to stay that way. Hulk says that Bruce is a fool, and that he has always been a fool. Hulk tells Banner to look around. He says that Banner has him locked in the little room, but that he is locked away too. He says that Banner has no life without him. Banner says that maybe Hulk is right, but that maybe he doesn’t deserve any better. Banner says that he brought Hulk into this world and that he has to keep him out of it. Suddenly the large pole holding the concrete door in place shatters. Next the door itself shatters. Banner falls to the ground. He looks up and sees the Hulk standing before him. Hulk says that he is free again, and that he is going to smash Banner. Hulk swings, but Banner ducks, and Hulk’s fist hits the wall. Bruce looks at the crack Hulk’s punch made and sees daylight outside. Banner says that he only has once chance. He slips into the thin crack and crawls to the surface. Hulk says that Banner won’t get away that easy, and that he isn’t going to get away at all. Hulk grabs the two sides of the crevice and tears it wide open. Hulk leaps onto Banner and asks him if he hears him. He says that he can’t escape him and that wherever Banner goes that Hulk will follow. Banner shouts, “No! No!” Hulk says, “Yes, puny Banner! Yes! Hulk is not a monster, not a demon you can run and hide from! Hulk is you! Hulk is your own dark thoughts… your anger, your rage!” Suddenly Hulk is no longer on top of Banner. Hulk looks over and sees Banner standing off in the horizon. Hulk asks how Banner got there. Hulk leaps at Banner again and says that Banner always has tricks, but before Hulk reaches him Banner disappears again and appears even further away. Hulk says that it will not help Banner, and that he will chase after him, but the more Hulk runs after Banner the further away Banner seems to get. Hulk falls to the ground. He says, “Banner is… gone? And Hulk… cannot… think…”

Samson looks down into a large tank where there are two distinct figures… one smaller and pink and one large and green. A tech says that the separation is complete. Samson says that he has stopped hallucinating and to disconnect the equipment. A reporter named Diane Bellamy is standing before the large tank. She says that she doesn’t know if the viewers can see through the nutrient bath, but that Doctor Leonard Samson has just physically separated Bruce Banner from the Incredible Hulk. She says that she is reporting from the newly re-instated Gamma Base and that they are going to try to speak to the man of the hour, and perhaps the century, Doc Samson. Diane says that Samson must be pleased and asks if he can explain exactly what has happened. Samson says that he doubts the viewers would understand it if he explained exactly. He says that what they have done is separate the mind of Bruce Banner from the body of the Hulk. Diane asks how that is possible since they are essentially the same person. Samson says that isn’t exactly true. He says that when Banner was irradiated by the gamma bomb that his transformations went through a series of variations. Samson says that it is as if his body was trying to deal with the impossibility of what had happened, but that the core of the transformation remained… that Banner was a prisoner within the body of the Hulk. Samson says that the duality had reached such an extreme that essentially Banner was brain dead within the Hulk’s body. Samson says that he was then removed from the Earth through mystic means. Samson says that he doesn’t know how, but that the Hulk was brought back to Earth. He says that he went after him and tracked him here to New Mexico. Samson says that he was startled to realize during their fight that Bruce Banner was still alive within the Hulk. Diane says that Samson then got the government to refinance Gamma Base to perform this rescue operation. Samson says that in a way that is too complicated to go into they have managed to sift out the cells that were still uniquely Bruce Banner. He says that they have essentially edited him out of the Hulk’s body. He says that the tricky part was making sure that Banner’s brain went with his body. Diane asks if he thinks this is the case. Samson says that they are about to find out. Two techs have fished out Bruce Banner’s body from the nutrient bath.

The two techs say that Banner’s blood pressure is a little low. Samson tells them to proceed with the electro-encephalogram. The readings start coming in and they reveal that Banner’s brain did indeed come with his body. Samson says that the signal is so weak because Banner is in a deep coma. Samson says that it isn’t too surprising seeing as how the procedure is probably more traumatic than being born. Diane asks about the Hulk. She says that if there is no Banner in there then who is he. Samson says that the Hulk is a true blank slate now. He says that he without memories or a personality of his own. He says that he possesses none of the intellectual factors that constitute a human being. Samson says that as a psychiatrist that he is very excited about this. He says that the Hulk represents a “laboratory of the mind”. He says that he can be trained now as a child could be, and that he may even be able to re-enter society as a whole functioning human. Clay Quartermain arrives with a couple other SHIELD agents and tells Samson to hold the phone. Samson asks Clay what he is doing there and that this doesn’t involve SHIELD. Clay says that Samson should know that SHIELD is involved in just about everything… including the final disposition of the Hulk. Samson asks what Clay is talking about and says that he was promised final authority over this project. Clay says that he guesses that Samson was lied to. He says that as far as SHIELD is concerned that the Hulk is a high-potential hostile. He says that it is their responsibility to make sure that he never endangers the civilian populace ever again. Diane says that she will leave the two of them to fight this out amongst themselves. She thanks Samson for the story. Clay tells Diane to just hold on. He says that in case she doesn’t understand that this is a SHIELD operation and that it is top secret. Diane points out to Clay that her broadcast just went out live. Clay says that he hates to burst her bubble, but that they have been scrambling her outgoing signal for the better part of an hour. Diane says that they can’t do that. Clay guesses that she is going to cite the freedom of the press. He tells her to wake up and smell the coffee. He says that they can do anything deemed necessary to protect the American citizens. He says that includes locking a few of them up. Clay tells one of the agents to escort them to their new lodgings.

Diane and her crew sit in their cell. Diane says that this stinks. She wonders why the station didn’t send someone out to check on them when the signal went scrambled. One of the men says that “ol’ man Murphy” probably put on an episode of “My Favorite Martian” and that he probably got better ratings with it too. Diane wonders if maybe SHIELD contacted him as well. Samson opens their door. He says good morning to Diane and asks if she has a moment to talk. Diane asks how he is still free. Samson says that he still has some clout with SHIELD, but that it obviously isn’t enough. Diane asks how Banner is. Samson says that he is still comatose. He says that he has arranged to have him transferred to La Paloma Medical Center in town. He says that there is a young hotshot doctor there. Diane asks about the Hulk. Samson says that he will be loaded into a special SHIELD transport and moved to a top secret installation for “disposal”. Diane asks if he means they are going to kill him. Diane asks if they can do that. She asks if they have the power or the right. Samson says that he is fairly sure that they have the technology necessary to reduce him to atoms, and that he is sure they won’t hesitate to do so now that Banner is no longer in danger. He says that part of him wonders if they are right. He wonders if it would be wrong of him to interfere, but that part of him hears the Hulk crying out for help. He says that this is the toughest decision he has had to make, but that he is going to rescue the Hulk.

Later, Clay comes to tell Samson that the Hulk has been loaded and that the news crew has been sent home, but he discovers that Samson has tunneled out of the room.

Clay contacts the helicopters monitoring the transport that carries the Hulk. He tells them that there is a “red alert” and that Samson has escaped and could be heading toward them. The helicopters say that they will be ready for him if he tries to intercept.

Samson’s two hands stick out of the road as the car passes overhead. He catches the car, which pulls him out of the ground, and drags along the bottom. Samson bends the bottom of the car and climbs inside. Samson spots Hulk hooked up into a neuro-neutralizer. Samson says that is typical military redundancy. He says that the Hulk has no mind of his own and that they have him hooked up into a device designed to neutralize brain activity. He says that this could work out for him though. Samson reverses the process and the Hulk is being stimulated. Samson goes to take care of the driver and sees that the truck is being controlled by a remote. He says that with no additional lives at stake that he doesn’t have to be subtle.

The pilot of the helicopter says that he has lost control of the truck. The truck drives off the side of the road, rolls over, and explodes. The pilots say that nothing could have survived that, but then suddenly the Hulk emerges from the wreckage. Hulk spots the helicopters. He grabs a hunk of metal and hits one of the copters with it killing the pilots who didn’t even get to finish their sentence. The remaining three helicopters attack, but Hulk leaps right through one of them, killing the pilots aboard it. The other copters chase after Hulk as he leaps away. Samson emerges from the wreckage. His hair is burned and outfit torn. He says that he was wrong. He says that even without Banner’s humanity that the Hulk is still a creature of undiluted rage. He says that maybe Banner’s influence was even a moderating influence. Samson says that reversing the neuro-neutralizer brought the Hulk to the peak of his anger. Samson says that all this death and destruction is his fault. He says that he can never make up for it, but that he can track down the Hulk and kill him this time.

Betty shows up at the hospital Bruce was taken to. She hears on the radio that the Hulk was responsible for some rampage. Betty tells the nurses that she was going to ask for Bruce Banner, but that she heard about the Hulk taking at least four lives. The nurse says that it is crazy, but that Bruce Banner is there. She says that she is afraid that he isn’t allowed any visitors however.

No Excuses rating: 6.5 out of 10

Review by The Leader

Picture by Captain Nate

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