Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #36Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #36
Title: “The Gang’s All Here!”
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciller: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Tom Palmer
Colors: Studio F
Editor: Alex Alonso
It is 11:32 PM on death row as a woman sits on her bed sketching a picture of a child. The television is on and the news is warning the people to be on the look out for Bruce Banner though his appearance may be altered from the picture they are showing. The anchor says that they now have the footage of the Chicago incident where little Ricky Myers died during the monster’s rampage. The warden walks up to the cell and says, “Almost time, Miss Verdugo. Any last requests?” Miss Verdugo drops her pad and pencil on the bed and walks to the bars. She grabs the warden’s tie and kisses him. The warden is stunned and Sandra Verdugo says, “Oh… did you mean my wish, warden?” The warden asks if there is anything that she requires. Sandra asks if he has a key for the lock to her cell for her. Sandra and the warden turn to see the video footage of the Hulk plowing into a building and how the rubble from the building crushes Ricky Myers.
Doc Samson sits on his couch watching the footage and flicking his lighter. The phone rings. He picks it up and says that he is watching the footage now. Samson asks who is calling him. Samson replies, “Yes, I know who you are. Let’s put it this way: when was the last time you saw the Hulk kill anybody, let alone a ki… when? I’ll be there.”
Two men are looking at pictures of an incident in Bogota, Columbia. Eighteen DEA agents had the building surrounded. One of the men asks the other if they found the other man’s “Slater”. The agents charged in. The next picture is of all eighteen men dead inside. The other man replies that Slater found them. The next picture is of a Muslim and Egyptian terrorist making a pipe bomb with Slater. The following picture shows both the terrorists killed when the pipe bomb explodes, but that Slater’s body was never found. The next picture shows Slater running away from the FBI in the Colorado mountains. His only route of escape was a fifteen-foot leap. The one man asks if he made it, but the other man responds that presumably he did but that they don’t know because Slater shot the cameraman. The first man says that the rest of the footage is home movies of Slater kicking the snot out of a world champion martial artist. The second man says that Slater is a blatant egotist. The first man agrees, but says that he is also the best that they’ve seen. The second man says that they need guarantees not promises. He tells the first man to get Slater a partner. The first man says that is impossible and that Slater only works solo. The second man says, “Then present him with a challenge.”
At 11:45 PM, Sandra Verdugo is led to the lethal injection chamber. They strap her down. At midnight the first of three vials begins to enter her system. Her eyes roll upwards and she shakes. The clock reads 12:01:23.
Slater stands in his hotel room putting on his pants as he talks with a dark silhouette on his television screen. The man says that it is simply a matter of extra caution. Slater repeats that he works solo. The man says that he understands, but that they need absolute assurance on this mission. Slater says that they get assurance when they get him. The man says that they will of course adjust his price accordingly once the “quarry is retired”. Slater says that it isn’t about the money. The man asks what it is about then. Slater says that they wouldn’t understand. Slater shuts off the television.
The Hulk tears through a bus and then plows
into a building. The rubble starts to fall and Rick Myers is
buried. His lifeless bloody arm sticks out of the destruction.
The tape starts to rewind. Bruce watches as the Hulk rams into
the building again. 
He stares
blankly and takes off his glasses. Bruce says, “God…
tell me I didn’t do that… tell me I won’t spend
the rest of my life seeing that!” Bruce lies back on his bed
and closes his eyes. The image of Ricky Myers being crushed
flashes through his mind. Bruce looks up at his laptop and
notices a message from Mr. Blue. Bruce puts on his glasses and
reads: “Mr. Green, Advise you amend current itinerary. Two
very strong fronts moving your way. Hot and cold air masses.
Extremely volatile.”
Sandra Verdugo’s limp body is loaded onto a gurney. The gurney is walked out to an ambulance. The witnesses of the execution leave through a door. The ambulance drives off and down the road. Down the road the ambulance comes across an accident. A man lies in the middle of the road. The ambulance driver gets out and rushes to the man, but when he gets there the man in the street gets up, puts a gun under the man’s chin, and fires.
Two cars drive into a housed bridge. They stop inside. Doc Samson sits in his car and says that he is a physicist, not a manhunter. The man in the other car says that Samson is a physicist who can bench press six tons, and that he has tracked Banner in the past. The man says that Samson shares a personal relationship, a friendly rivalry, with Banner. Samson says that no matter what his past with Banner is that he doesn’t hunt for money. The man says that others will, and that others are. He says that their skill and resolve is equaled to Samson’s, and that it is only a matter of who finds Banner first. Samson says that Bruce Banner has a cool head, and that he is always in control. The man asks if Samson would like to call Ricky Myers’ mother and tell her that. Samson flicks his lighter. The man asks if Samson would like a cigarette. Samson says that he quit, and that it is a reminder. The man starts to drive off and says that Samson has twenty-four hours to decide because time is of the essence. Samson still sits in his car flicking his lighter top back and forth.
Slater hangs
upside down from a pole in his doorway as he continues talking
with the shadow on the television screen. The man says that they
have agreed to double Slater’s fee. Slater repeats that it
is not about the money, but that he works solo. A knock on the
door announces Slater’s continental breakfast. The man says
that they simply feel that this mission requires extra manpower.
The maid pushes the tray into the room. Slater tells her to just
leave the tray, but the maid starts pouring the coffee. Slater
says, “Hey! I’ll do that! Take off!” The maid says
that it won’t take a second. Slater says, “I said beat
it, babe!” The maid replies, “I’m sorry sir…
but only my friends call me babe!” Sandra Verdugo takes the
coffee pot and nails Slater in the back of the head with it.
Slater says that is cute, and that he gets it, but that he works
alone. Slater kicks Sandra through the bathroom door. He walks to
the doorway and Sandra swings out kicking him. Slater reaches for
his gun, but when he points it at Sandra he sees that she too has
her gun aimed at him. Slater says that he only needs five more
minutes with her, but the man on the television says that they
both have five days, and that whoever takes Banner out gets a
bonus. The screen goes off. Slater says that they will settle
this after. Sandra says that it is a date and then asks Slater if
he wants cream and sugar with his coffee.
Bruce walks along the side of a dirt road. A truck pulls up next to him and asks if he could use a lift. Bruce thanks the man. The man asks Bruce if he minds driving since he has been doing it all day. As they cross paths Bruce watches carefully as the man reaches into his jacket. Banner smirks as the man pulls out a package of chewing tobacco. As they drive they hear the story on the radio about Ricky Myers. The fat man says that he couldn’t live with himself if he knew he had killed a child. He asks Bruce if he thinks that they will ever catch the guy. Bruce says, “eventually”. The fat man says that it won’t be soon enough for him, and that he wishes he could get a hold of the “worthless cuss”. Bruce stares straight ahead and keeps driving.
At the motor inn, Sandra is taking a shower.
Slater says that they should head east. Sandra says that they
should head west. Slater says that everyone thinks that he is
going west, and that is why he will go east. 
Sandra comes
out of the shower with a towel and explains that is why Banner
will go west. Sandra says that Banner is a chess buff. Slater
says that he doesn’t like it. Sandra says that Slater
isn’t getting paid to like it. Slater holds up a vial and
asks what is inside it. Sandra yells at Slater not to screw
around with it and to hand it over. Slater says that he will once
she tells him. Sandra says that tranquilizer darts failed because
they attack the motor system. That’s fine for Banner, but
not the Hulk. Slater asks where she stole it. Sandra says that it
was a gift from a South American employer. Slater sarcastically
wonders how she paid for it. Sandra says that the pills attack
the pineal gland causing it to step up the production of
melatonin. She says that one pill will knock out an elephant, but
that it is nice and gradual so the victim doesn’t see it
coming “like a knife in the back”. Sandra spins around
and throws Slater’s knife right above his head into the
headboard of the bed. Slater says that he wondered where that got
to. Sandra asks if that is Slater’s contribution to the
mission, and says that she expected something less cliché.
Slater asks how they are supposed to talk Banner into taking
these pills. Sandra says that they will use misdirection and then
throws her towel into Slater’s face. Sandra stands there
naked and says, “My contribution!”
No Excuses rating: 8 out of 10
I’m always a sucker for the villains’ issue even when they are of such standard comic book stock. Slater does everything well and of course he fights better than the world champion. Sandra is a femme fatale that likes to use her physical attributes. No big deal, but the presentation was done quite well. Samson is back and Angela is gone (hopefully some explanation will be given later as we follow Samson’s adventures). Now to the little things… I’m still not feeling that Jones has expressed particularly well that he understands the Hulk and the kind of power that he possesses. When the man that contacts Samson, about finding Banner, throws out that Samson can bench press six tons it doesn’t make me feel any better. Six tons is but a fraction of Samson’s power, and though this may not accurately reflect Jones’ ideas of Samson’s strength it also doesn’t help me understand what he does think it is. The other thing the man says is that Samson is a physicist. It’s true that in Hulk #141 and #315 that Samson does some very physicist-like things, but as recently as four issues ago when asked if Samson thinks that the cure for Banner’s ALS will work Samson reminds us that he is just a psychiatrist. They aren’t huge things, but they do serve as a distraction the same way it would when Stan Lee would continually forget that Betty’s last name was Ross despite the fact that she was standing next to her father General Ross. Romita does another good job with the art this issue and even gets to do a little action. Now the stage is set, the players are introduced, and hopefully we can get into a little more action with the fourth issue.