Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #13Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #13
Title: “Snake Eyes part 2”
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colors: Jason Wright
Editor: Tom Brevoort
The Beast stands there howling, waiting for Banner to make a decision. Waiting for Bruce to decide if he will allow himself to be consumed by his own guilt and anger or it will be by some other aspect of himself that he despises. Banner turns to the gray Hulk and says that they need to make a deal. Bruce says that he will free him if Fixit then helps him free the Professor. Banner says that the Professor gets the daytimes and Fixit will get the nights. Banner says that he will remain behind pulling the strings. Fixit says no deal. He says that he knows Bruce is stuck. Bruce starts to walk away, but Fixit collapses and says that Banner wins. Bruce is pulling Fixit’s restraints off and says that the gray Hulk is actually getting smarter with age. As soon as the gray Hulk is freed the Beast attacks. Fixit and Banner jump to safety.
Back in reality Angela Lipscombe watches Bruce. She says that while it is true that drastic times call for drastic measures that she is now convinced that Bruce has been rushed into a therapy for which he is completely unprepared. Angela says that all attempts at retrieval have proved useless. She says that she thinks Bruce is trapped in his own maze. She says that it is going to be up to him to work his own way out.
Fixit decides to charge the Beast without freeing Professor. Bruce shouts that Fixit can’t defeat it alone. He says that he knows what it is. Fixit leaps ahead anyway and the Beast swats Fixit away. Bruce tries to realize that this isn’t a true physical battle, but a battle between his inner personalities. Fixit careens right into the Professor and frees him from his chains. Professor says, “Thanks for nothing.” Professor and Fixit fight with Beast, but Beast is still throwing them around.
As the fight progresses Bruce notices a cave
off to the side. Bruce looks inside and sees thousands of Hulks
frozen inside. Bruce walks in thinking and wondering if all these
myriads of Hulks are all him. 
A voice comes
from over in the corner that says, “Well yes we are, as a
matter of fact. My darling boy… do you know how long
I’ve waited for you?” Bruce looks over and sees a giant
figure sitting in the shadows. He isn’t frozen, but instead
he is chained to the wall. Banner asks who he is. He says that he
has never seen him before. The figure says that they are both men
of intellect, and that naivete does not become them. He says that
he is him. The figure says, “And the great dragon was cast
out. That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan which
deceiveth the whole world.” He adds that religion is the
most wonderfully melodramatic way of avoiding the issue. Bruce
says that the Devil is just a story to frighten children. He says
that he can’t be someone that doesn’t exist. Devil says
hooray for Bruce that he figured it out. The Devil says that
there is a little bit of God and the Devil in all of us. He says
that there is a much more mundane explanation for what is
happening to Bruce, but that his is much prettier. The Devil says
that to avoid succumbing to his rage Bruce has freed two of his
personalities to suppress it. The Devil says that by doing this
he has opened the door for them all. The Devil says that he is
surprised that Bruce didn’t release him years ago. Bruce
says that he rejects the Devil and that he will not be such an
amoral creature. Devil tells him to stop being so childish. He
says that it is a situation of the Devil he knows over the devil
he doesn’t. Devil says that Bruce needs him, and that he is
the only part of Bruce that can ignore all of his guilt. Devil
says that Bruce has released his surly teenager and the
collective of his adult experiences to try and deal with the
Beast, but that they aren’t strong enough. Devil says that
the Beast is the guilt that Bruce feels over Betty’s death
and the fact that he didn’t do anything to save his mother
from his father. Devil says that Bruce isn’t a strong enough
person to face that down. Devil says that he and the others are
Bruce’s army reserve. He says to let him out and that he
will fight for him. Bruce says never, but the Devil says to mark
his words that he will get out. Devil says that Bruce has given
him new hope, and that he has shined a light on his face that he
never did before. He says that he will get out and teach everyone
for rejecting them. He says that sooner or later Bruce’s
self-loathing is going to open the door for him. Bruce runs out
of the cave covering his ears.
Bruce comes upon the Professor getting up
off the ground again. Professor says that whatever Bruce has been
doing isn’t working. Fixit adds that they are getting their
butts kicked. Bruce says that he doesn’t know what to do.
Professor says to think of something and leaps back at the Beast.
Bruce looks over and sees the Savage Hulk looking at him from the
corner of his eye. Banner knows that Hulk is waiting for him. As
Banner approaches Hulk has his arms crossed. Hulk tells Banner to
go away. 
Bruce tells Hulk
to listen to him, but Hulk just shouts to go away. Bruce thinks
back to when he was a child. He remembers being alone in his room
always kept away from his mother and father. He would watch them
leave him over and over. He would pretend that he wanted them to
leave him alone, but what he really meant inside was that he
wanted them to come back. Bruce looks at the Savage Hulk. He
says, “Hulk… I… I need you.” Hulk looks at
Banner and Savage Hulk leaps into the fray against the Beast.
The Beast fights on intensely, but Savage
Hulk, Gray Hulk, and the Professor beat the Beast down. Bruce
looks away. He can’t bear to watch as a part of him is
destroyed. Bruce wonders if destroying is all he can do. Bruce
wonders if that is really him. Suddenly Bruce is pulled back to
reality. 
The next day Angela asks Bruce if he is ever going to tell her what happened. He says that he can’t say for certain, but that he made a pact with the Hulks. He says that soon he will have to leave, maybe permanently. He says that when he does the Hulks will take over. He says that supposedly he will get to maintain some level of control. Angela asks Bruce if he thinks that will work. Bruce replies, “God help us all if it doesn’t…” Bruce gets in the car. He can now hear the Devil in the back of his head talking to him and rattling around.
No Excuses rating: 10 out of 10
I enjoyed this issue far too much not to give it a perfect score. Paul’s system of Hulks works fantastically. Sure I don’t completely agree with his rendering of the “Professor”, but it works particularly well in his arrangement. His feel for Banner is great, and the trip inside Bruce’s mind is outstanding. It makes perfect sense that there is a myriad of Hulks. It makes particular sense that there would be a Hulk for guilt and self-loathing. Everyone has a dark side and the Hulk has always been referred to as Bruce’s dark side. Now his dark side has an embodiment. The Maestro is what could happen, but the Devil is what is. The recognition of the Savage Hulk’s wanting to be alone is fantastic as well. Others might say that Peter David did this first, but if it was so easy to do then why hasn’t anyone since been able to portray it so accurately. Ron Garney continues to amaze. His various Hulks work- both in their physical attributes and with their subtle differences. His power is amazing.
RETURN TO NO EXCUSES MAIN PAGE