Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #344Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #344
Title: “Pyrrhic Victory”
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Todd McFarlane
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colors: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
A soldiers sits in his checkpoint station and thinks about the girl he lied about being a lieutenant to. A truck drives up and stops at the checkpoint. The man comes out and tells them to state their business. The truck’s door opens and slams the soldier in the face knocking him to the ground. Redeemer stands over the soldier and says, “We’re here to steal a gamma bomb. Honest.” The soldier is sent flying away from the base. Redeemer reports to Leader and says that the sentry has been disposed of without firing a single shot. Leader tells them to save their ammo and that they will need it. Leader tells Redeemer to adjust his chest camera and that the view is a little fuzzy. Redeemer asks Leader why he sent them instead of his pink humanoids. Leader says that the humanoids are immediately identifiable with him and that the world thinks that he is dead. Leader says that he doesn’t see the need to send up a flare unless Rock and Redeemer don’t think they can handle it. Redeemer gets back into the truck and asks Rock if he is ready for some murder and mayhem. Rock, who is sitting in the back of the truck, tells Redeemer to stop screwing around so they can do this. The truck smashes through the gate. One of the soldiers says to alert the base. Redeemer points his arms, with rockets inside his blaster, and tells them to alert the entire base for all the good it will do them. Redeemer fires.
Bruce holds Betty’s face to his chest and he cleans her face with a damp cloth. Betty thinks about telling Bruce that she is pregnant, but she doesn’t want to break the blissful silence. Betty wonders if Bruce really wants her back. She thinks that if he knows about the baby that he will feel he has to. She decides to wait. Bruce thinks to himself that she ran out on him and that he should be furious, but that he is only overjoyed to have her back. He thinks that he is a scientist and that he isn’t supposed to accept things on face value. Bruce says that even at face value this doesn’t make any sense. Bruce thinks that this is obviously a stall tactic. He wonders who it has been brought on by, and decides that he doesn’t care. Bruce says to Betty that he sees she is letting her hair grow. Betty asks Bruce if he likes it. Bruce says, “I love your hair very much. I’m so glad to…to see your hair.”
Rick and Clay stand outside the movie Robocop. Rick says that he thinks that Rom would have loved it. Clay says that he thinks that he never should have listened to Rick and Bruce. Rick says that Bruce and Betty need some time together and that it won’t kill them. Rick asks Clay if it will. Clay says that he is happy to see Betty too, but that he keeps thinking of the timing and that someone is trying to slow them down. Clay says that if someone is trying to slow them down that it means that they are in a race and that they didn’t even know it. Clay says that he should have been firm, but that Bruce will just pent it up and that the Hulk will take it out on him. Clay says that he doesn’t need that and that his skull is still ringing from last time. Rick asks what they are going to do when they get to Yuma anyway. Clay says that they have to show the world what is there and that they are going to steal a gamma bomb.
Redeemer drives the truck right through the soldiers. The soldiers call in to command and says that the truck is bulletproof and that they aren’t stopping them. Command says that they are only one truck and that he wants them stopped. He tells them to shoot out the tires. The soldier says that the truck has stopped, but just then Rock flies out of the back. General Classon keeps shouting for Blue team to stop the intruders, but the soldiers can’t answer. Rock has started spinning around and tearing through the place like a tornado. The General tries to raise Green team, when Blue team doesn’t answer, but Redeemer is blasting them away. The General shouts for someone is report in.
Bruce and Betty are in the park together. Betty says that she doesn’t know what to say. She says that she was in a motel room in West Virginia when a robot grabbed her. She says that she passed out and the next thing she knew she was being chased through the woods. Bruce tells Betty that he understands why she left, but that she should have at least left him a note or something. Betty says that she did at the hospital. Bruce says that he never saw it. He asks her if she remembers what it said. Betty says that it was something about how she was tired of living in fear. She says that it said that she had to try and find a normal life without gamma rays and spies. Bruce says, “…and Hulks?” Betty says, “Yes, and Hulks.” Betty pushes away from Bruce and Bruce asks if she is that afraid of him. Betty asks why she would be afraid of someone that is so afraid of emotions that he has to show them through something… or someone else. Bruce says that he isn’t afraid of emotions. He says that he is just afraid of what can happen when they get out of control. Bruce says that for him that getting upset or angry has always gone hand in hand with violence. “First with my father, and then with the Hulk.” Betty says that Bruce has gone overboard. She says that he is afraid of violence ad has locked everything else out. She says that she doesn’t think that he even married her out of love. She says that he probably saw it as an obligation or something that should be done. She says that scientists hate loose ends. Bruce admits that they do. He asks where they go now. Betty asks Bruce if he loves her. Bruce says, “With everything I have to give.” Betty holds Bruce’s face and tells him that it isn’t enough. Bruce asks what she wants from him. Betty says that it is something that he can’t give. Betty takes Bruce further into the park. Bruce asks where they are going, but Betty tells him that he will see. Betty sits down when she finds a clearing. Bruce asks what she is doing. Betty says that the two of them have gone as far as they can go. She says that she has spent years loving him, leaving him, crying over him, and fighting with him all because of “him”. She says that they are going to wait there until sunset and then she is going to have a chat with the Hulk. Bruce says that he won’t allow it. He starts to say that the Hulk might do something, but Betty says that no one knows better than her what he could do. Betty says that this is what she wants. She tells him that he can leave if he wants to, but that if he does that he will never see her again.
Rick and Clay return to the RV. Rick says that this is just great when he sees that they are not there. Clay says that they have to go find them. Rick asks if Clay thinks that they know it is only an hour till sundown. Clay says that he hopes so. Rick says that at least it’s a full moon tonight and that Hulk should be in one of his better moods.
Leader is surveying the damage done by Rock and Redeemer. Leader tells them that they are doing excellent. He tells them that five hundred feet west of where they are that they will find an elevator that will take them to the gamma bomb storage facility. Leader tells them that that they are justifying his faith in them. Leader thinks to himself that they are fools. He says that he will only need them a while longer, but then reconsiders. He figures that they have their uses and that no one uses others better than he does.
Two shadowed figures watch the Leader. One asks if the Leader knows that they are watching him. The other says that of course he doesn’t. He says that Leader is just a means to an end and that end is the Hulk.
Bruce and Betty stare at one another for an hour. Finally Bruce runs off into the woods. A tear rolls down Betty’s cheek as she listens to Bruce scream while he changes. She wipes away the tear knowing that the Hulk would hate seeing it. Hulk walks out of the woods. He says that is better. Hulk looks at Betty and says that Bruce has found her again and that now his puny life is complete. Betty says, “Yes, you found me again, Bruce.” Hulk starts to say that he isn’t Banner, but Betty says that he has said that over and over. She says, “Methinks thou dost protest too much.” Hulk says, “Oh, thou dost, dost thou?” They hear Rick and Clay yelling for them. Betty asks Hulk if they can go somewhere and talk. Hulk asks why he should. Betty says that she understands if talking to her makes Hulk nervous. Hulk tells her not to pull that “reverse psychology crap” with him. He says that they will have her little talk. He says that it is about time that he got her out of his hair once and for all. Clay and Rick see Hulk leaping away with Betty on his back.
Redeemer and Rock ride down on the elevator. Redeemer says that this is a lot of work and that it is too bad he couldn’t matter transport one of the bombs out of there. Leader says that he has his reasons and that the foremost of them is that molecularly disassembling a bomb might cause it to explode prematurely. Leader says that soldiers are waiting for them to get off the elevator. Rock breaks through the bottom of the elevator and Redeemer rides down on his back. They smash through the ceiling where the soldiers are waiting for them. Rock says that he thought of a new shape. Rock’s exo-skeleton takes a human form. Rock and Redeemer tear through the soldiers. Rock and Redeemer come to a door and Redeemer says that they must be through there. He says that he will blast it open. Rock says that if they are there that Redeemer will kill them all. Rock punches a hole through the door. Rock and Redeemer look inside and find thousands of gamma bombs all in a line.
Betty and Hulk
stand on top of a mountain. Betty wonders how Hulk would react if
she told him about the baby. She decides that she isn’t
going to tell Hulk because it would be like admitting to herself
that he wouldn’t accept her for who she is. She says that
she might win, but that it would be at the expense of her
self-respect. She thinks to herself that it is so cold up there.
Hulk tells her that if she is about to start crying to forget it.
He says that won’t cut any ice with him. Betty says that she
doesn’t have any tears left. Hulk tells her to also forget
about whining about getting hurt. He says that was Banner’s
fault and that he shouldn’t have been holding her when he
changed. Betty says that it isn’t about that either. Hulk
asks what she wants from him then. Betty says, “Just…
accept me.” Hulk says that is a laugh. He says that she,
Rick, and Bruce have been trying to get rid of him for years. He
asks if he is just supposed to forget about all that. Betty says
that Hulk doesn’t understand. She says that she isn’t
going to fight him anymore, but that she won’t be afraid of
him either. Hulk says that she was afraid enough to run off
“with that Ramon character”. Hulk asks if that is her
idea of a real man. She asks if he showed her a good time. Betty
says that Hulk sounds jealous. Hulk says that is ridiculous and
to answer the question. Betty says that nothing happened between
her and Ramon because she couldn’t stop thinking about
Bruce. Betty says that she has come to realize that she
can’t get rid of Bruce anymore than Bruce could get rid of
Hulk. She says that they are both too deeply rooted. Hulk says
that is where they are different. He says that he will never stop
trying to get rid of Banner. Betty says that he can’t. She
says that he is part of him, just as Bruce is a part of her.
Betty says that Hulk will always deny Bruce just as Bruce will
always deny Hulk. She says that she is just tired of being caught
in the middle. Hulk tells her to save the psycho-babble for Doc
Samson. Hulk says that he isn’t Banner and that he never
will be. Betty tells Hulk that sometimes she sees some of Hulk in
Bruce when they are arguing for being intimate. She says that she
just gets a glimmer before he covers it p. Betty asks Hulk to let
her see some of Bruce in him. Hulk says that he is out of there.
Betty reminds Hulk that he said he would talk. Hulk says, “I
lied. I do that sometimes.” Betty thinks to herself that she
can’t fail at this. She tells him that she isn’t
finished. She says that he is going to stay there and talk to
her. 
She tells Hulk
that he isn’t just anger and rage. She says that he has
Bruce’s real love and passion locked in him. She says that
it isn’t fair. Hulk says that nothing is. Betty begs Hulk to
give her a piece of Bruce. Hulk says that he isn’t giving
her anything. Betty tells him that he already has. Hulk asks what
that is supposed to mean. Betty reminds herself that she promised
herself that she wouldn’t. Betty breaks down and tells Hulk
that she is pregnant. She says that she knows what he will say.
He’ll just tell her that it is Banner’s and not his.
She says that it doesn’t matter and to go ahead and leap
away. She says that Hulk and Bruce are two different people.
Betty says, “You win. You always win. Me… I just…
I just don’t care anymore.” A tear rolls down
Betty’s face. Hulk picks her up and holds her. He says that
he thought she said that she didn’t have anymore tears.
Betty says, “I lied. I do that sometimes.”
No Excuses rating: 10 out of 10
Again, this is a different kind of 10 than the last two issues. The turning point in the relationship between Bruce, Betty, and Hulk is a giant of an issue. Betty makes several points that show Peter David’s idea of what the Hulk is to Bruce and vice versa. Peter David has said in interviews that he has always had the merger of #377 in mind when he started with the Hulk. It really shows in this issue. Todd does an amazing job with the pencils and if it is possible the inks in this issue make his work look even better than usual.
Review and pictures by The Leader