Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #32

Title: “Spiral Staircase part 3”

Plot: Paul Jenkins and Sean McKeever

Script: Sean McKeever

Penciller: Joe Bennett

Inker: Tom Palmer

Colors: Avalon Studio’s Arsia Rozegar

Editor: Tom Brevoort

The machine that has been digging a grave is digging at a headstone. The first name is in shadows, but the last name is Banner.

The Professor sits inside the Baxter Building. Thing is trying to read the newspaper, but has to stop and ask the Hulk what he is gawking at. Hulk says that it has been a while and asks Thing how he has been. Thing asks if they couldn’t just beat the tar out of each other. Hulk says that it would be more like him beating the tar out of Thing. Thing asks if that is a fact and Hulk says that it is. She-Hulk tells the both to shut up as she and Angela are trying to hold an actual conversation. She says that if they don’t quiet down she is gonna beat the tar out of both of them. Reed Richard’s head and neck arrive. He says that he is sorry to have kept everyone waiting, but he got caught up in the scientific implications of what they are about to do. Reed asks them to follow him back. Professor asks Reed if he thinks this is going to work. Reed says that it is difficult to tell. He says that according to the Leader’s instructions, it is the transformation back into Banner that jump-starts the alterations. Reed says that it is a radial theory at best, but that he sees no harm in trying it.

Hulk, Thing, She-Hulk, and Angela walk into the room where Reed, Samson, and Ant-Man are working on the procedure. Up on the screen are detailed scenes of the Hulk’s insides. Angela leans over to Ant-Man and asks if he can really do what they’re saying. Ant-Man explains that he is a mechanic, not a doctor, but that Reed says that the body is just a complex machine. He says that all he needs is the proper blueprints and parts. Reed is explaining that while the nucleus of a cell is only a few microns in diameter that it contains up to six feet of DNA. She-Hulk yawns. Thing says, “Fascinatin’, I’m getting a beer.” Professor asks Samson what he makes of this. Samson says that it seems all right, but that he is just a psychiatrist and knows nothing of molecular surgery. Professor says that isn’t what he meant. Samson guesses that Professor wants to know how Bruce is going to take it when he discovers the source of the cure. Samson says that is a good question.

Reed gives Ant-Man a last minute pep talk. He says that it will be like soldering filaments onto a circuit board. Reed gives Ant-Man a little gun filled with pineapple juice. Reed explains that Hulk’s immune system is going to see Ant-Man as a cold and try to eliminate him. Reed says that the pineapple juice will cause the antibodies to break apart. Hulk sits back in a chair. Reed uses a constant flow of a complex antigen that should distract Hulk’s immune system. Reed is using adamantium-laced equipment to put the antigen in. Reed then injects Ant-Man into Hulk’s body. Angela tells Samson that if this works Bruce will be healed physically, but that it will be a rough road for him. Samson says that Bruce won’t be alone. He says that Bruce has Jennifer and that he has them. Reed guides Ant-Man through the body. Ant-Man says that this is the most beautiful place he has ever seen. Ant-Man sees that Reed’s antigen seems to be working well. Ant-Man tries to blast his way into the cell, but the wall keeps healing up as soon as he makes the cut. Ant-Man turns around and spots, what to him is, a huge antibody coming at him. Ant-Man panics and blasts the antibody with the pineapple juice, but accidentally drops the gun. Ant-Man starts to freak and starts to grow. Hulk screams in pain.

Inside Bruce’s mindscape, the Crossroads seems to be crumbling. Bruce is clinging to a tree. Also inside his mind is the mind of Samuel Sterns. Leader says that he has made a terrible mistake. Bruce asks Leader if this is his idea of a cure. Sterns says that Bruce has to help him. He says that what he has found on the other side terrifies him. Bruce says that this isn’t a real good time for him. Bruce looks up again and Sterns is gone.

She-Hulk continues holding the Hulk’s hand as Reed gets Ant-Man to compose himself. Reed says that he has increased the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid so that Ant-Man’s incisions take longer to heal. Reed also says that Hulk has already recovered from the damage to his brain stem that Ant-Man caused. Ant-Man says to give Hulk his apologies. Ant-Man makes the incision at a larger size and shrinks down to pass through the cut as the cut heals up. Reed says that Ant-Man should have no trouble getting into the nucleus. Ant-Man is talking about how cool this is as he lasers off the bad DNA, and replaces them with the repair enzymes. Ant-Man asks what now. Reed says that the enzymes will bond the nucleotides, and that after that cellular mitosis will start to produce a new cell with the refurbished DNA. Reed says that eventually the new DNA will supplant the old. Ant-Man asks where they got this DNA anyway. Reed says that they extracted them from Bruce’s father, Brian Banner. She-Hulk looks down at Hulk with a look of shock and concern.

Samson and Angela wait out in the car as Bruce Banner goes and visits the grave of his father Brian Banner. Bruce says that his life has been full of death. He says that so many people that he has cared about have been taken from him. Bruce says that sometimes he wonders if that isn’t his curse, not the Hulk, but rather all the dying. Bruce says that even with all the death he never stopped to consider his own death. Bruce says that he it took a long time for him to decide if he should come there, and he thought about what Brian would say. Bruce says that Brian was like a pillow smothering him in his hate, even when Brian was in prison he was still like a weight on Bruce’s heart pushing him down. Bruce says that Brian always called him a monster, and Bruce was left to wonder what he did. Brian murdered his mother, and now Bruce says that he understands that Brian’s DNA was responsible for saving his life. Bruce wonders how he is supposed to feel about that. Bruce says that Brian is gone, his mother is gone, and Betty is gone. Bruce gets up from the grave and walks away.

No Excuses rating: 6 out of 10

Uhhhhh what? That’s it? Brian Banner’s DNA was used to cure Bruce’s ailment? Okay. Well that seems a little stupid to me that we just spent twenty some odd issues waiting for that. I mean didn’t they already use Ant-Man to cure the Vision once or twice? Seems like this has been done. Why would Bruce forgive Brian anything because his rotting corpse provided him with a cure? It’s not like Brian would have given it to him freely if he were alive. Well at least it’s over. Speaking of over, did anybody tell Paul Jenkins that this was his last issue? I mean what was the deal with the Leader in this story? While I like that this story makes Leader look more intelligent than Reed Richards it also seems like Leader was just used as a miracle cure and every other part of his appearance is completely tacked on. What the heck did Leader find on the other side? Paul’s gone and Tom Brevoort is going to go soon too. I mean I hope Tom puts some sort of clarity in the next issue, but I’m not holding my breath. 2 out of 5.

Bennett’s work is fantastic here. Palmer’s inking style lends itself very well to his pencils. She-Hulk looks fantastic. Reed and Thing look cool, as does the Hulk. I’m not sure I really care what Hulk’s insides look like, but Bennett can only draw what’s there I suppose. I’d like to see Bennett draw a fight with the Abomination or the U-Foes, but then again at this point I’d like to see anyone draw that. Enough Ryker. Enough stupid aliens. I enjoyed the introspective nature of Jenkins’ run, but it seems that the idea that Hulk needs a villain to fight IN ADDITION to the introspection has been lost. Jenkins’ run was an entertaining one, but I again draw the analogy of the orange that I wrote in issue #12- it was good, but probably mostly because compared to the nothing I was getting it was at least something. Let’s hope Bruce Jones’ run is a little more exciting than the Previews writers have been making it look.

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO HELP THOSE RESEARCHING THE REAL CURE FOR ALS PLEASE CONTACT

ALS Association at www.alsa.org, or ALS Hope Foundation at www.alshopefoundation.org