Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #10Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #10
Title: “This Power Divided”
Writer: Jerry Ordway
Co-Plotters: Jerry Ordway and Ron Garney
Penciller: Ron Frenz
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Bruce Banner struggles against his restraints as Tyrannus holds Arch by the neck. He says that he dared to drink the water from his fountain of youth. Bruce starts to freak out. Once Tyrannus sees that Bruce Banner is starting to change he tosses aside Archer aside and tells a subterranean to lock him away in case he has another use for him. Hulk starts to yell that he is going to kill Tyrannus, but Tyrannus yells at a subterranean to start the process. The subterranean says that the procedure is very complicated, but Tyrannus just yells at his “slave” to begin. The power starts to transfer from Hulk to Tyrannus. Hulk says that he feels funny.
The subterraneans stand around thinking that the master will no longer need them. Archer realizes that this is the worst thing that could happen. He picks up a giant rock and throws it into the machine draining Hulk’s power. Tyrannus has half of the Hulk’s power. The subterranean starts to tell Tyrannus that it wasn’t his fault, but Tyrannus says that it was because he ordered the human to be locked up. Tyrannus says that he will have all of the Hulk’s power. He orders the subterranean to fix it while he deals with the pest. Tyrannus is about to hit Archer, but Hulk comes in and decks Tyrannus. Hulk says that Tyrannus has something of his and that he wants it back. A subterranean runs over to check on Tyrannus, but Tyrannus throws him off and says that he told him to fix the machine.
Tyrannus leaps at Hulk. He says that
originally he was using the Hulk to show the world how
destructive and then as his tool Tyrannus planned to force the
world to surrender control to him. He says that now with this
other machine however he will gain the power of the Hulk for
himself and he won’t need Hulk at all. 
Hulk pounds
Tyrannus and causes him to be buried in rubble. Hulk starts
looking around for Archer thinking he might know how to get his
power back. Tyrannus gets up and decides to play Hulk. Tyrannus
says that Hulk beat him fair and square. He says that he sees
that he was wrong to take the power now. He invites Hulk to stay
and have something to eat while the machines are fixed for him to
get his power back. Hulk says that he is hungry.
Elsewhere in a prison cell, Archer Leopold is telling the subterraneans about various times he was on strike, and how the power of the majority can affect change. He says that Tyrannus is not very nice to any of them. He asks why they listen to him. The subterraneans reply that he is the master. Arch realizes that they are going to need some more convincing.
At Ayers Air Force Base, which suffered from government cutbacks, is actually most active underneath where SHIELD has a secret base. Agent Davis has just gotten Nick Fury out of bed. He tells Fury that they have just tracked the Hulk’s radiation signature up in the Appalachia Mountains. Nick Fury recounts the facts of the case, but as he does so Davis says that it sounds like Fury doesn’t quite believe the story. Fury tells Davis to have a team with a containment unit and as much knock out gas as they can carry.
Hulk is still eating when a subterranean comes up to Tyrannus to report. Tyrannus palms the subterranean’s head and squishes it as a lesson to the others not to interrupt him again. Tyrannus asks Hulk, his “friend”, if he is already done eating. Hulk attacks Tyrannus and says that he is not his friend. Hulk says that he just tricked Tyrannus to get his food. Tyrannus says that was a good trick since the food was laced with powerful sedatives. Tyrannus yells at a slave to activate the machine before the Hulk turns into Banner. The process begins and Hulk starts to get weaker. Tyrannus has his hands raised in victory, but soon finds that he feels weaker than before. The process stops and Tyrannus is left normal. He starts to yell at his slaves, but the subterraneans reveal that they took the power of the Hulk for themselves. Each subterranean received some. They surround and grab Tyrannus.
Archer Leopold wakes up to find his prison door opened by green subterraneans. They inform him that they have learned from his teachings. Arch smiles at Tyrannus as they hold him back. Tyrannus wants to kill him, but the subterraneans have Tyrannus taken to the machines. The spokesman says that they will attend to Bruce’s injuries as he too has been wronged by Tyrannus and they would make amends. He says that when Bruce is well that he will guide them to the surface.
A short time later the spokesman is carrying the unconscious Bruce Banner and walking with Archer to the surface. Archer says that he doesn’t know what they have planned for their former master, but he urges them not to resort to torture and killing. The spokesman says that Tyrannus killed and brutalized them. He asks if that isn’t what Tyrannus deserves. Archer says that he does, but that they don’t want to be like him. He says that if you’re going to replace a bad situation that you want to run things better when you’re in charge. He thanks Arch for the advice. The spokesman hands Banner to Arch to walk the rest of the way.
As Archer makes it out of the cave he finds Nick Fury and SHIELD waiting for them. Fury takes them into custody. Fury puts Archer and Banner in adjoining cells. He says that he looks forward to hearing Archer’s side of the story, but that for now he may be considered an accomplice to murder.
No Excuses rating: 6 out of 10
An average issue on all accounts. The writing is finally moving towards an ending, but the ending is neither particularly interesting nor entertaining. The resolution of the story, as does the premise of the story, still doesn’t make sense to me since the subterraneans were always depicted as barely functional intelligence wise and that now they are scientific wizards. I’m normally a Ron Frenz fan, and I’m always a Sal Buscema fan but this issue just didn’t really work for me. There was nothing wrong with it- it was just there.
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