Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #376Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #376
Title: “Personality Conflict”
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Dale Keown
Inker: Bob McLeod
Colors: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Rick Jones and Betty are asleep in the back of a truck as they and Bruce are hitching a ride to Rick’s apartment. Bruce mutters, “Quiet! You’ll wake Betty and Rick!” Bruce tells them that he means it. Bruce’s face changes as he says, “Oh, I’m so scared, you need us, buddy boy. Remember that.” Bruce’s face changes into an angry scowl as he says, “Need no one. All puny. All fools.” Bruce starts telling them to stop again when he realizes that his arms are now large and gray. Rick wakes up and asks Bruce if he is up. He says that it will be an hour tops until they are at his place. He says that he finally has a decent place because of his book advance. He tells Bruce to wait until he meets his new girlfriend. Rick is about to tell Bruce her name when he notices Bruce is sweating and feverish. He asks if it is the Hulk, but Bruce snaps that it isn’t. He says, “No. It’s not… him. Them.” He says that everything is fine and tells Rick to go back to sleep and that he will wake them when they are in Reno. He adds that he is sure that Rick’s girlfriend is very nice.
At Rick’s empty apartment, the answering machine picks up an incoming call. Marlo is on the other line and tells Rick to call her. She says that she knows that she shouldn’t worry, but that she does.
Inside a giant rock butte, Prometheus is told to tell them what happened in his own words. Prometheus says that he got his butt kicked. Paris says that it was a simple search and seize and asks how it went so wrong. Prometheus says that the job always looks easier from the other side of the table. He says that he was in a car that was equipped to deal with the gray Hulk. He says that he is lucky to be alive. Atalanta asks what happened. Prometheus says that he wound up fighting with the green Hulk. He says that his gimmicks couldn’t even slow him down. Prometheus says that he believes that the green Hulk never really disappeared and that Banner was just bottling him up. Prometheus says that he couldn’t keep him bottled up forever and that you can’t cork a volcano. A bald, white bearded man stands in the shadows. He asks for Prometheus’ recommendations. Prometheus says, “Well well well. Look who dee-cided to put in an appearance. You want my recommendation, Agamemnon? Fine. We take him. His strength would be invaluable. And if we can do something with his mind… then he… and we… would be unstoppable.” Prometheus flicks his cigarette butt at Agamemnon and it bounces off his robe.
Inside the mind of Bruce Banner, Bruce and
the gray Hulk stand before the large metallic barred door of the
savage Hulk. Gray Hulk says that he is going to kick his butt.
Bruce tells him to calm down. Hulk tells Banner to shut up. He
says that Banner isn’t the one that is always being compared
to him. He says that he has had it with him and that if Banner is
too gutless to get rid of him that he is not. Gray Hulk smacks
the blocker off the door. The door swings open. 
Light pours out.
A voice says, “At last. At last, Hulk will smash.” Gray
Hulk says that he got that right and leaps into the door. The
door slams shut and Bruce bars the door again.
In Rick’s apartment, Betty and Rick hear a loud scream. Rick and Betty run up to the bedroom. Rick says that he hopes that Bruce isn’t changing and that he just had his place painted. They burst through the door. Bruce is sitting up in a sweat. He says, “They’re… they’re gone.” Rick asks if there was someone in there. Bruce says, “The Hulk… the gray Hulk went to confront the green… and my mind… sealed them off, as if to protect me. Maybe… maybe they’re going to kill each other. Kill each other… and I’ll be free! Rid of them both!” Bruce starts to laugh and says that they are all gone. Betty sits next to Bruce and hugs him. Rick asks what if he leaves them alone for a while. Betty says, “How ‘bout if you do.”
A while later, Marlo gets out of a cab. A homeless man sees her and says that if only he were younger. Marlo says that or if she were older. He whistles at her and she tells him to make her day The homeless man tells Marlo to make his life.
Inside again, Betty and Bruce are downstairs in the kitchen. Rick says that they look refreshed. Bruce tells Rick to stop smirking. Betty takes a bite of Rick’s burger and says that it is interesting. Rick says that it is Kal-Kan. He says that it is lots cheaper and that meat is meat. Betty starts to choke, but Rick says that he was just kidding. He says that they are so serious sometimes. He says that his new girlfriend will cheer them up. He says that she is on her way and that he met her in Vegas. Betty asks Bruce if that isn’t exciting. Bruce says, “Oh… immensely.” Rick says that he was taking one more shot at having a singing career. He says that he was opening for Joan Rivers at a place that was just reopening called the Coliseum. He says that they had just renovated after some trouble that no one would talk about. Rick says that he met this girl and that they just hit it off. He says that she was planning on moving to Reno anyway and that she had broken it off with some guy. He says that is when he used his “Sidekicks” advance to buy the place. Rick hears a knock and says that must be her. Bruce thinks to himself, “Vegas. It couldn’t be her.” Rick and Marlo appear and Rick says that he landed a big one this time. Bruce’s eyes widen and says, “Marlo!” Marlo sees Bruce and says, “Bruce?” Rick asks, “Bruce?” Betty coldly says, “Mar… lo?”
A red car pulls into a gas station and asks for directions to Maple Street. The attendant asks if he is looking for someone is particular. The man inside the car says that he is looking for Rick Jones. The man says to drive three, or maybe ten miles, and then turn at the firehouse that burned down three years ago. The man says that he will find it and drives off. The attendant says good riddance and then says as if he would give good directions to a long-haired punk rocker.
Inside Bruce’s mind he watches the metal door bending as the two Hulks fight. Bruce is listening to Rick say that he doesn’t understand how she knows Bruce. Marlo says that she knows him from Las Vegas. She says that his brother Joe is the guy she was involved with before she met him. Betty says, “Brother? What brother?” The bickering continues and Bruce says, “Please quiet. Let me think.”
Inside Rick’s kitchen, Rick asks who Joe is. Marlo repeats that he is his brother. Betty asks Bruce when he was in Vegas and wants to know what Marlo is talking about. She says that he told her that he couldn’t remember. She says that she is his wife. Marlo asks if Bruce is married. She says that neither he or Joe told her about that. Rick shouts, “Who’s Joe?” Marlo says that he is Bruce Bancroft’s brother. Betty asks who Bruce Bancroft is. Bruce quietly says, “it wasn’t me.” Marlo looks at Bruce and says that he is Bruce Bancroft and that he is Joe’s brother. Rick asks who the heck Joe is. Bruce quietly repeats, “It wasn’t me.” Marlo says, “Joe Fixit! The guy I was involved with, with the weird skin…” Betty and Rick say, “Weird skin?!” Marlo asks if she is missing something. Bruce says again, “It wasn’t me.” Betty says, “Robert Bruce Banner! How could you, how could you be involved with this… person?” Marlo tells “Little Mary Sunshine” to cram it until she realizes that she said Banner. She asks if that is the Hulk guy. Betty says, “That’s right, Einstein. The Hulk guy.” The bickering goes around and around.
Inside Bruce’s mindscape, the savage Hulk smashes into the gray Hulk and the two of them go smashing through the metal door.
Bruce leaps up
into the air. Parts of him are growing large and gray while
others are growing large and green. Still others are remaining as
Bruce’s. Bruce shouts at the top of his lungs, “IT
WASN’T ME” Betty rushes towards Bruce and asks how they
could have forgot. Bruce is morphing all over and smashes through
the wall of Rick’s apartment.
Inside the mindscape, Bruce is trying to hold apart the savage and gray Hulks. Savage Hulk says that he has been waiting to destroy the fake Hulk. Gray Hulk asks, “Destroy me? Hah! You and what army, cabbage head?” Savage Hulk leaps at the gray Hulk’s throat and says that he doesn’t need an army. He says that all he needs is his hands to grab and his strength to kill.
The freaked out Banner goes running down the street holding his head. Rick watches from the hole and says that he has seen him change a million times, but that he never saw anything like that before. Bruce crashes through the wall of a grocery store. The Hulks are grabbing at each others’ throats. Banner tells them to stop, but gray Hulk tells Banner that this is the major leagues and that he is strictly softball. The savage Hulk says that he will destroy puny Banner after he gets rid of the gray Hulk. Gray Hulk says that he couldn’t get rid of a cold. Bruce is tossed aside in the struggle. Savage Hulk hits gray Hulk and says that the fake Hulk likes fancy words and insults and that is what makes him fake. Hulk says that he knows that words and insults don’t matter and that only strength counts.
In the real world, Banner and the two Hulks are still arguing, but as the Hulk’s fight the eternally transforming Bruce Banner is tossing himself around the grocery store.
Gray Hulk tells
savage Hulk that he can keep it coming, as he punches him again,
but that it won’t change a thing. Gray Hulk says that savage
Hulk is history. He says that he is boring and predictable. He
says that nobody wants him around. Savage Hulk says that he
doesn’t care and that all he cares about is shutting the
fake Hulk up.
Banner tears through an aisle.
A police car races by as Rick, Marlo, and Betty run down the street. Marlo says that this was the kind of insane things that would follow Joe wherever he went. She says that is why he dumped him. She tells Rick that he told her that he wasn’t involved with super beings anymore. Rick says, “Yeah, well, no matter where I go… there I am.” Marlo asks Betty if she is really his wife. She asks how long they have been a couple. Betty says, “Since forever.” Marlo asks how she lives with it. Betty says, “One day at a time.”
Savage Hulk lifts gray Hulk over his head. Gray Hulk tells him to put him down. He says that he isn’t impressed. He says, “You’re just making me mad! And the madder I get…” Savage Hulk finishes, “…the stronger Hulk gets!” Savage Hulk throws gray Hulk and gray Hulk says, “Crud. He’s right. I hadn’t considered that.”
Bruce flies out of the grocery store and lands on the police car in the street. The mutated Banner smashes things and flips cars while he continues to talk to himself. The gray Hulk says that green Hulk can toss him around all he wants and that he doesn’t have the “stones” to try and finish him. He says that green Hulk gets choked up fighting Bambi, but that when he gets his hands on him that he is toast. The savage Hulk says that he isn’t afraid of anything. Another police car arrives and gives Banner a warning. The other cop with him says to stuff the warning and to look at him. They fire on Bruce, but the bullets just bounce off. The first cop says that he doesn’t even know they are there. The other cop is glad since he thinks it would only hack him off. Both of Bruce’s hands grabs his throat.
Inside the mindscape, the two Hulks are choking each other. Bruce tells them that they are killing one another. Gray Hulk says that Bruce has to pick him or the green Hulk. Bruce says, “There is no him! There’s no you, and there’s no me! There’s only us! And you’re going to get us killed!”
Mutated Banner says, “If… I die…take you… with me…”
Betty, Marlo, and Rick are still running. Betty starts to huff and puff. Marlo tells her that she should jog more, but Betty tells her to shut up. Two police are telling them to keep back, but Rick quickly takes them out with one move. Betty and Marlo just keep running. Rick says that he is going to regret that before too long. Betty sees Bruce choking himself. She says, “Bruce!” Marlo says, “Joe!” Rick asks if anyone has a third guess. Betty’s tears start falling on Bruce’s face. She says that they are killing each other and that they are taking Bruce with them. She says that they don’t care about anything but hatred. Betty pleads with Bruce to do something. She says that he is not “puny Banner”. She says that he is not helpless and that he can be strong. She begs him to be strong.
Bruce shouts at the two Hulks that it is
enough. He says that they still don’t get it. He says that
they don’t understand reason, logic, or sanity. Banner says
that he will make them understand. He says that he will speak
their language. 
Bruce reels back
his fists and hits both of the Hulks. He says, “Banner…
is the strongest one there is!”
Bruce falls to the ground with a hard thud. He says, “Betty… did… it.” Marlo and Rick run up and she asks Rick if he turns into someone else too. Rick says that he turns into Elvis. Betty asks what they are supposed to do now. Doc Samson is leaning up against the red car and says, “Now? Now we go to work.” He apologizes for being late and says that he couldn’t get decent directions. Rick compliments the car and Samson says that it was a rental.
No Excuses rating: 10 out of 10
The scenes within the mindscape, Bruce getting busted for knowing Marlo, the insane transformation and the fight that follows are all intense. Hulk against Hulk. You can’t get a better fight than that. Keown’s pencils are very strong and his storytelling between what the fight looks like inside Banner and what it looks like in the real world is amazing work.
Review and pictures by The Leader