Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #40Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #40
Title: “Boiling Point”
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciller: Lee Weeks
Inker: Tom Palmer
Colors: Studio F
Editor: Alex Alonso
In a trailer home, a policewoman dresses herself in uniform. On her mirror is an article about how a Denver SWAT negotiater is resigning. It says that she is being blamed for the deaths in a bank hostage situation.
At an office, a man looks down at an article that says that the Dow has plunged. The man opens a desk drawer and takes out a bottle of alcohol. He takes a swig of the bottle and walks over to an open window.
A logging truck passes Bruce Banner. Bruce walks into the town of Miser, but the “Welcome to” sign has a “y” added to the end to call it Misery.
The woman in the trailer home takes out a prescription bottle and pours all of the pills into her hand. She stares at her hand.
The man in the office sits at his desk. A woman hands him an envelope. He opens the envelope to find that he has been laid off. He hangs his head. He opens another desk drawer. This desk drawer has his gun inside it.
Bruce walks into a convience store and
starts making himself a soda. A bunch of kids come in followed by
the man from the office. Suddenly Bruce hears the man cursing at
the cashier and demanding all the cash. Bruce peers around a
corner. The man tells “you in the baseball cap”,
meaning Bruce, to come out where he can see him. Suddenly a
police officer walks through the door. The man with the gun spins
and seeing the cop shoots him. The cop, who was reaching for his
gun, falls to the ground. The man tells everyone in the store
that the next person to move gets the same. Bruce stares for a
minute. 
The Hulk stomps
towards the man as the man shoots at Hulk. Hulk palms the
man’s head. All of a sudden Hulk is holding the man’s
arm instead. The man screams and squeezes off a shot that hits a
young girl. The man with the gun asks Banner if he is deaf and
says that he told him to stay back. Bruce imagined the whole
thing. The cop on the floor radios in that he is down and gives
his location. The man grabs the young girl and puts the gun to
her head. He says to put all the register cash in a bag. Banner
starts meditating in order not to transform into the Hulk.
The woman in the trailer is face down on her bed. The phone rings and she picks it up. She asks where it is and then says to give her ten minutes. She grabs her police jacket and rushes out the door. Back in her sink are all the pills from the bottle.
The man says to put the cash in his attaché. Banner tells him not to do this. The man asks if they have a hero here. He puts the gun to Banner’s head. The man looks into Bruce’s eyes and says that something is going on behind his eyes. Bruce says that nothing is going on and that they should all just stay frosty so no one gets hurt.
Outside the police have surrounded the store. One cop uses a megaphone to say that they have the place surrounded. The woman from the trailer shown on the scene and asks if there is anyone but the foot cop down inside. The cop says that they can’t tell and that the perp isn’t talking. The woman, Riker, tells Gleason to give her the megaphone. Gleason says that he thought she was retiring. She says that she isn’t gone until the new negotiater is there. He asks her if she is sure that she can handle it. Riker rips the megaphone away and tells Gleason to have his men put their guns away and stand down. Riker tells Sarah on the radio to patch her into the store’s counter phone.
Inside the store, the counter phone rings. The man with the gun tells Bruce to answer it. Bruce does and Riker asks if she is talking to the man with the gun. Bruce says that she is not. She asks if he is an employee or a customer. Bruce affirms the latter. She asks for his name and Bruce says, “Smith”. Riker asks to talk to the man with the gun. Bruce holds the phone out for the man, but he just shouts that they had better vacate in five minutes or he will start wasting hostages. Riker says that she heard him and that they may be able to use him as a liaison. She says that if he needs to tell her there is trouble without the perp knowing that he only needs to say ‘everything’s cool’. She says for him to say ‘that’s right’ if he understands. Bruce says, “That’s right”. Riker tells Bruce to tell the man that she needs to speak with her superiors before meeting his demands. She says to tell him that they want to cooperate and that she will call back in one minute.
Two cops talk about Riker behind her back as she checks a map of the store with a rookie. Riker’s radio goes off and she answers. Bruce says that the gunman wants an answer. Riker thinks for a moment about the bloodbath at the bank. She says to tell him that they are close and that they just need another minute.
Inside the store, the man cocks the and holds it to the girl’s head. Bruce says that he doesn’t think that is a satisfactory response.
Riker says to tell him that they want to trade the wounded cop for his demands. She tells Bruce to hold on for a second as a black sports utility vehicle pulls up. A large African-American man steps out of the vehicle. He takes the radio out of Riker’s hand and tells her to excuse him. She asks who he is. The man holds up a FBI badge and says that he is special agent Pratt. He says that they will take it from there. Pratt introduces himself on the radio and asks if he is speaking with the ‘civilian liaison’. Bruce says that he is. Pratt says, “… Good afternoon, Mister Banner”. Banner asks who this is. The gunman is angry. He asks what is going on and holds the gun under Bruce’s chin. Bruce says that they are FBI. The man asks why the feds would be involved and that this is only a convience store.
Outside, Riker tells Pratt that he can’t switch negotiators in midstream. She says that they have a rapport and a trust. Pratt asks if she is Riker and says that most people don’t think that she is very good in the “trust” department. Riker holds out her hand for the radio and says that she at least wants to transfer the authority herself. Riker looks at her and hands her the radio. Riker tells them to back off if that is within reason. Riker tells ‘Mr. Smith’ that the FBI is taking over and that this was not her doing. Bruce says, “Yes… that’s confirmed…” as the gun remains below his chin. He follows, “…Lieutenant? Everything’s cool.” Riker hears the gun cock over the phone. Riker calls out to Mr. Smith, but she gets no answer. Pratt comes and tells Riker that they have changed frequencies and that it is standard procedure. Jerry asks Riker what is going on. Riker says that she isn’t sure, but that it is more than meets the eye.
No Excuses rating: 3 out of 10
Stock character A is a failed hostage negotiater. Stock character B is a failed businessman of some sort. He botches a robbery and some “feds” show up. That’s pretty much all that happens in the entire issue. Weeks does an all right job with the penciling, but there is such a nothing going on that I don’t really care.