Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #4Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #4
Title: “Turbulence”
Writer: John Byrne
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Dan Green
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Matt Idelson and Tom Brevoort
(These events take place between Bruce being jailed and the Avengers discussing him) A form that appears to be the Hulk crashes through the “red eye” commercial flight that is coming out of Los Angeles bound for Philadelphia. People are whipped around as the plane loses cabin pressure. People fly out of the plane as the monster smashes through to the cockpit. The plane spirals to the ground and explodes.
Four hours later most of the fires are out. Paramedics, policemen, and fireman search through the wreckage looking for bodies. Some of the bodies will never be properly identified. A reporter is talking to a captain about what happened here when the Hulk-like figure smashes out of the downed airplane. The people stand frozen staring at Hulk. “Hulk” leaps away.
Andrew, Kitty’s husband?, pours another cup of coffee for Jonas. Jonas is recounting again what a dope he is. Andrew says that Bruce proved himself in front of the town and there was no reason Jonas shouldn’t trust the life of his young daughter with a homeless drifter. The news report comes over the television that the Hulk is responsible for an airliner crash. Jonas runs out of the house and drives towards the jail. He runs into the building to find that it has been completely trashed. Jonas helps his deputy up, but Ezekial has no idea what happened. Jonas finds a giant hole in the floor. Jonas notes that the appearance of the hole is that something dug up through the hole as opposed to Hulk digging down.
The chained Bruce Banner shouts at Tyrannus about how he could let all those people die. Banner mistakenly says that the Hulk never killed anyone, but Tyrannus says that Hulk is making up for lost time. A subterranean tells Tyrannus that the beast is returning. Tyrannus tells him to prepare the machine and that they don’t want any accidents. Tyrannus says that they may need to make the transference immediately. As Bruce is chained to a bed Tyrannus reveals his plan and how he came upon his equipment.
Tyrannus was digging new galleries for his
kingdom when he found a room full of machinery. Tyrannus figures
out what the machines do and then brags that he knew of a use for
it. Tyrannus then took over Bruce Banner’s sleeping mind and
triggered the transformation into the Hulk. Tyrannus then leaped
out of the house and destroyed everything. Tyrannus transformed
back into Banner and then climbed back into bed. Bruce reminds
Tyrannus that he did manage to resist him once. Tyrannus says
that it hurt too and moves to cut his head off. One of the
subterraneans reminds him that the captive must not die. Tyrannus
says that when he does die it must be by his own choice.
Suddenly
“the beast” returns, but it is out of control. Tyrannus
says that there was another machine that siphoned off power, and
that now they must undo that to prevent the beast from destroying
everything. Tyrannus tries to return just enough power to Banner
to subdue “the Hulk”. The power flow goes out of
control and Bruce is transformed into the true Hulk. Hulk swats
away the subterraneans on his way out. Tyrannus commands Hulk to
stand where he is, but Hulk just hits Tyrannus and starts to dig
his way up to the surface. Debris from the hole falls on
Tyrannus.
Elsewhere in a swamp the Man-Thing stands. Man-Thing feels something and starts towards some people. He watches as a woman calls out to the animals. The animals surround her lovingly. Everyone is happy that “the promises” have been kept. The woman says that if anyone deserves a new life she, Betty Ross Banner, has.
No Excuses Rating: 4 out of 10
Despite the fact that the real Hulk finally appears in his own book with issue #4 this story is still lousy. Well Hulk has been controlled the entire time, and the master villains reveals that his “master plan” was that he found a bunch of equipment somebody else made and he is using it…sigh. Tyrannus seems unhinged here. Where as usually he has a manipulative plan and executes it with this plan he seems somewhat insane and without any intelligence. Instead the formerly near vegetative subterraneans are suddenly scientific scholars.
What can I say about the art except that I really wish it were centered around a story that was even slightly entertaining or relevant.
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