Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #339
Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #339
Title: “Native Son”
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Todd McFarlane
Inker: Jim Sanders III
Colors: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Shouts of child abuse come from a house. Inside the house, the father say that no father should have to take this kind of abuse from his child. He says that is enough video games. Alex asks if that means they can go to the carnival that opened outside of town. The father says that maybe tomorrow they can. He says that he has work to do now. Alex asks if he can at least come down with him. He says that he doesn’t see why not. He moves a trophy on the mantle and opens a secret door. The father asks Alex how he is, and says that he has been sweating a lot. Alex says that he has never been better. The wall closes behind them.
At the carnival, a kid is throwing a tantrum about wanting to go into the funhouse. His father tells him to shut up, and that he is louder than the whole carnival. He tells him to get down and stop sticking his tongue out. Bruce walks up to the kid and says that he is giving his father a hard time, and that it is hard enough being a parent. Bruce tries to appeal to the boy to stop, but the kid kicks Bruce in the shin and makes faces at him as his father drags him away. Rick says that Bruce had that kid eating out of the palm of his hand. Bruce says that his humor is ill timed. Rick tells Bruce to lighten up. He says that parents are overrated. He says that he can’t even remember his and to look how good he turned out. The father drags his whiny kid home and says that he is going to use his head as a soccer ball. The kid says that he is bluffing, but the father says that he wishes. Clay says that he is surprised to hear Bruce sticking up for fathers and that SHEILD records indicate that his father was no prize. Bruce says that his father was a sick man, and that he did the best he could. Bruce says that he thinks Clay is out of line bringing it up. Clay says, “the best he could!” He says that the man beat him and his mother repeatedly. Clay is about to go on, but Rick tells him to calm down. Bruce points his finger at Clay and repeats that he is out of line, and that he meant it. He says that the discussion is pointless. Bruce says that the past is the past, and that there is no use dwelling on it now. He says that whatever demons drove his father went with him to the grave. Bruce says that he is going back to the van and that he has had enough “fun” for the day. Clay says to Rick that Bruce’s father’s demons might be gone, but that he thinks he gave him some demons of his own. Rick asks what he is saying. Clay says that Bruce Banner was a victim of violence and that maybe the Hulk is a direct result of that. Rick says that if Clay were any deeper that he would be a crater. He asks where he learned that stuff about Bruce. Clay says that it was SHIELD files, and that there is all sorts of valuable information in there. He says that maybe they can use some information. He says that they have been there for three days and that it is clear that Betty and Ramon aren’t around. He says that they also have no idea where the gamma bombs are being stockpiled.
Betty stands before Ramon and says, “Well?” Ramon says that she is looking good. He asks if she lost a few pounds. He says that pretty soon she will be looking as good as Vanna as he watches the TV. Betty says that is terrific. She tells Ramon that she is feeling sick again. Ramon asks what is with her, and that she has been feeling sick ever since they left Boulder. Betty says she is going to take a shower. Ramon tells her to have a party.
As the sun is going down, Rick tells Bruce that it is smart of him to wear the ripped clothes. Bruce isn’t paying attention. He explains that he was thinking about Betty and that he misses her terribly. Bruce doubles over in pain as the change comes. Hulk asks Rick what he is looking at. He asks if they are still “in this useless burg”. He says that Betty is no where around. He asks if they think he has all year. Rick says that they are leaving tonight after they get some information. Rick asks Hulk if it is more important to find the gamma bombs or Betty. Hulk says that the bombs are more important, and that he couldn’t care less about Betty. Rick asks why Betty was the first thing he started talking about the same way Bruce was concerned about her. He says that he thinks that Clay is right. He says that Hulk isn’t as different from Banner as he likes to think. He says that he is everything that Bruce bottles up… not just anger, but the jealousy and passion he bottles up. Hulk says, “Jones… get out of my face!” Hulk hits a tree and sends it flying at Rick. Rick runs and thinks that is the last time he tries to psychoanalyze the Hulk. Rick thinks to himself that he is glad he didn’t bring up Bruce’s dad the way Clay did. He thinks that Banner may have forgiven his father, but that he bets the Hulk hasn’t.
At 7-11, Rick and Clay are buying seven hoagies and eleven Slurpees. The clerk says that they must be hungry, but Clay says that it isn’t for them. He says that they have the Hulk sitting out in their van. The man laughs that they are such kidders. Rick says, “Aren’t we, though?” Rick looks at the van and marvels at the holographic projector that makes the van look normal instead of as the technological vehicle it is.
Inside the van, Clay says that they are running out of money and that he is worried. As Hulk eats he tells him not to worry and that money isn’t a problem when he is around. Rick says that he can’t just knock over a bank or something. Hulk says that he will knock over whatever and whoever he feels like. Hulk pokes Rick in the chest and asks if he has a problem with that. Hulk turns to Clay and says that he is the big brain super spy. He says, “How do we find B… the gamma bombs.” He says that they have to find them and get rid of them. He says that the last thing he needs is a few hundred Hulks running around. He says that he went to enough trouble to get rid of the Hulk that Jones was turning into. Clay says that he may have something and asks if there are any more Slurpees.
Minutes later, Clay pulls up to a SHIELD safe house. He says that they are scattered all over the country, and that he knows where they all are. Hulk asks how many guys he thinks they will run into. Clay says that it will probably only be one or two, and that Colorado isn’t exactly a hub. He says that it should have all the equipment they need to tap into SHIELD’s mainframe and get all the information they need.
A general is running up the stairs late for a speech. He
says that he if is going to be late that he is really going to have to drop
twenty pounds or twenty years. He wonders to himself why every building in
Washington has to have three million steps. The general trips and his spills his
papers. A man in a hat and trench coat helps him pick up his papers. The general
says that he is much obliged, and that the wind can be vicious.
Leader touches the general’s hand and takes control of him. He says, “Yes. Very
vicious. IT blew the wrong way for another operative of mine, named Half-Life.
Let us hope it blows better for you, general. Allow me to introduce myself. I am
called the Leader. And I wish to know all there is to know about the gamma bomb
project.”
In Boulder, Alex’s father asks him how he is feeling tonight. Alex asks why he is always asking him that lately. The man says that he is an overprotective father. An alarm goes off and the man sees that someone broke in upstairs. Alex asks if they should call the cops. The man says that he doubts it is something that he can’t handle. He pulls his gun and tells Alex to stay put. The man creeps along not seeing anything. He finally spots the Hulk and fires into his chest. Hulk says, “ouch”. He then grabs the man’s gun and hand and squeezes. The man screams. Rick yells at Hulk to let go of his hand. Hulk says that Rick’s lectures are starting to bug him. He says, “You think you’re my father or something?” Rick says that he isn’t and Hulk tells him to butt out then. The SHIELD agents says that they thought Clay was in Texas. Clay says that they were wrong. He tells him to tell them his computer access code. The agent says that there is no way he is telling him. Clay says to tell him or he is going to have the Hulk ask him.
Alex calls out to his “father” and says that he is sweating like anything , and that something is happening to his hands. He asks what is happening to him and says that he is scared.
Clay tells Rick to let him take the lead and that he knows
the SHIELD house layout. Sometime later at the bottom of a long set of steps,
Rick says that he can’t believe how big this place is considering how small it
was upstairs.
Clay
says that SHIELD’s specialty is that things are never what they appear. Rick
finds the main computer and says that this may take a while since he can’t enter
his access code. Rick says that they don’t want SHIELD knowing that they are
there. Moments later, Hulk asks if they are in yet. Clay says that he is working
on it.
Alex sees Rick and Clay, and wonders what the thing with them is. He tries to contact his dad with a communicator, but the thing burns up in his hand.
Hulk asks if they heard something. Clay says, “Shhh! I’m busy screwing this up.” Clay says that it won’t tell him anything about the gamma bombs. He says so that it isn’t a total loss that he will see where Betty is using her credit card. Clay says that she used it to fly from Denver to New Orleans.
Ramon thinks to himself that Betty is going to look like a prune if she doesn’t come out soon.
Rick says that they should get out of there before any more SHIELD agents show up. Hulk says that if they do he will give them what he gave that guy upstairs. Alex charges out and demands to be taken to his dad now. Hulk says, “So that’s where little SHIELD agents come from.” He tells Alex that fathers aren’t worth crying about and that he did him a favor. Alex asks what he did. Rick tells Hulk to stay back and that his hands are glowing. Hulk tells Rick for the last time to butt out. He says that he is just a kid, but then suddenly Alex lets off an enormous blast into Hulk’s face. Hulk runs off screaming and smashes through a wall. Alex says that he didn’t mean to do that. Rick says that they will just go find the Hulk and tell him he is sorry. Alex lets off a blast that blows Rick and Clay off their feet. He says to bring him his dad and that he can stop this. Rick and Clay run after the Hulk. Rick asks who that kid was anyway. Clay says that his nickname is Ashcan, but that his real name is Alex Woolcot. He says that he read his files a few months ago, but didn’t know they had brought him there. He says that Alex’s father was horribly abusive, but a great scientist. He says that he invented some kind of incineration ray, but that Alex had an accident with it and absorbed its properties. He says that Alex wound up incinerating his own father. Clay and Rick hide as Alex runs past them. Clay says that Alex hooked up with Spider-Man, and Spider-Man tried to protect him, but a SHIELD field commander made things worse. He shot the kid with heavy-duty tranks while another marksman hits him with real bullets. Clay says that the real bullets passed right through without hitting anything vital, but the tranks put him out. He says that SHIELD took the kid and let everyone believe that he was dead. Fury took the kid under his wing and fired the agent, but the kid was a basket case. Clay says that he couldn’t remember anything so SHIELD set up a nice calm setting for him, complete with fake father, to make up for what they did to him. A blast flies over Clay’s head. Alex tells them not to run and that he doesn’t want to hurt them. He says that he is just confused and needs help. Suddenly Hulk smashes through the ceiling. Clay thinks to himself that there isn’t a scratch on Hulk. Rick says, “Bruce, hold it! Don’t hurt him!” Hulk tells Rick that if he calls him that again that he will hurt him. Rick says, “He’s a scared, abused kid. Just like you… like Bruce used to be.” Hulk says that Bruce’s heart would bleed for him, but that he nearly fried him, and that no one does that to him. Hulk chases after Alex. Rick and Clay hear metal ripping. They run after Hulk to find that he has blocked the path for them to follow. Clay says that reminding him that he is Banner inside didn’t help either. Rick says that Clay started it. Rick says that the only good thing is that they know where Betty is.
Ramon is pounding on the door and says that this isn’t funny anymore. He kicks in the door to find the bathroom empty. The sink is running and the window is open.
Alex runs out a secret exit in a tree. He runs toward the carnival. Hulk knocks the tree over and says that it figures that people as squirrelly as SHIELD would have exits in trees. He sees the carnival and leaps there. Hulk spots Alex and starts chasing him. Alex accidentally blasts a carnival game over. Alex runs into the funhouse. Hulk says that is a good choice since they are having fun now. Alex tells him not to follow him in since breaking mirrors will get him bad luck. Hulk asks if he is kidding. Hulk says that he isn’t afraid of getting bad luck. He smashes every mirror in the place and says that he isn’t afraid of anything. Hulk says, “What’sa matter, ‘scared, abused kid?’ Runnin’ low on power?” Hulk says that he should have thought of that sooner. Alex asks where his dad is and says that he will save him. Hulk lifts the kid over his head. Suddenly the hall of mirrors is full of mirrors again. Hulk sees young Bruce Banner being tortured by his father. He hears:
“I said come here, you little monster!”
“No dad, please! I’ll be good!”
“Oh you’ll be good, Bruce… when I smack the goodness into you, you little monster!”
“I’m not a monster, dad! Please… nooo!”
Alex is crying. He says that he killed his dad, and that now he is going to die too. Hulk holds the kid and says, “No. No, it’s… it’s okay. No one’s gonna die. It’s okay.”
Rick says that they will get in the van and track them down. Alex’s “dad” says that if anything happens to the boy that he will kill them. Suddenly the door smashes in. Hulk walks in with Alex on his shoulder. Alex says hi to his “dad”. He tells him that the Hulk said he could come with him, and that if he didn’t like it that they could do something. Hulk says, “Level the place.” Alex says, “Yeah, that’s right. Level the place.” Rick says that first he is worried that he will kill the kid, and two minutes later he has him talking like Mr. T. He says that he doesn’t even want to think about what a week with him would do. He say that it may not be much, but that it is the closest thing to normal Alex has. He says that he has to stay there. Hulk says, “Really? Or what, Jones?” Rick says that he and Clay will leave. He says that he and Alex can trash the place and go off on your own, and that when he is Bruce Banner and Alex is tired and hungry that SHIELD will find them and finish him. Hulk asks if Rick is threatening to punish him. Alex tells Hulk that it is okay. He leaps off his shoulder and says that he has decided to stay there for a while. He says that he isn’t ready for the outside world yet, and that he can’t face his mother yet. He says that he thinks that his “dad” really likes him. He says that he will make things okay for him. The agent says that of course he will. Hulk says that if he doesn’t that he will find him.
The van drives off, and Alex says that they should take him to the hospital. Dad says that they will just as soon as he contacts his boss. Alex shakes a glowing finger at his dad, and he apologizes and says that it was just reflex. Alex says, “Now… about my allowance…”
Rick walks up to Hulk. He says that he isn’t knocking it, but he was wondering what stopped him from hurting the kid. Hulk says, “None of your business, Jones… ahhh you wouldn’t understand anyway. Y’know, it’s probably better we left the kid behind. Y’know how you’ve said that being around me brings out things in some people they’d rather forget they had in them? Well, being near that kid… brought out things in me that I’d rather forget. But you never forget, Rick. Never.” Rick thinks to himself that Hulk called him Rick.
No Excuses rating: 10 out of 10
Now looking back at Peter David’s run this issue hits you like a hammer, but at the time it was written this issue was really the only acknowledgment that Hulk vol. 2 #312 was ever written. The notion of the father/abuse angle becomes integral to Peter’s run and all the amazing directions that he heads with it. Todd also has a remarkable issue. The art is incredible. I wish I had better examples to include, but the art is usually intertwined within the boxes or with the text. I included the Leader because… well he’s the Leader, but I included the other one because the Hulk’s size compared to the others is astounding. His calf muscle is bigger than Jones’ head. Cool stuff.
Review and pictures by The Leader
If you don't feel like hunting down the individual issues go out and buy Hulk Visonaries: Peter David Volume 1. It collects Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #331-339 and fits in nicely before Hulk Ground Zero which collects Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #340-346. To order the Visionaries book click here or on the picture to go to the amazon.com page.