Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #50Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #50
Title: “Dark Minds, Dark Hearts part 1”
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciller: Mike Deodato Jr.
Inker: Mike Deodato Jr.
Colors: Studio F
Editor: Alex Alonso
At the secret government facility, two of the landscapers are standing talking. One is saying that if this place is a secret facility then why would they have to wear badges. The other says that it is so they know that they are authorized personnel. The first man says that it is a hidden facility and that everybody there knows about them. He asks why they have to wear badges then. A SUV pulls up to the guard stop. From the driver’s side window a badge is pressed up to be seen. The guard salutes. As the SUV drives in the guard falls over dead. The SUV passes the two landscapers and they also drop over dead. The SUV pulls up to the building. One woman and one man, both wearing gas masks, get out. As they make their way through the building everyone they encounter dies. They take a key off of the last man they kill. They walk up to the door that says “NO ADMITTANCE BEYOND THIS POINT!” They insert the key in the door and open it.
Bruce Banner walks down a hill towards a diner and general store on the side of the road. Inside the store, Bruce is looking at an enormous pair of pants. A woman asks if she can help him. Bruce asks if she has any more pants in the size he is holding. She says that there may be one more in the back and asks if he is planning on gaining weight. Bruce says that one never knows and asks if she has any of the pants in purple. She just looks at him and Bruce says that it was just a joke. Bruce asks her if the diner is open next door. She tells him to go over and that the owner will be right back. Bruce says that he will be back to pick up the pants in a minute. In the diner, Bruce sits at the table. The same woman from the store asks if she can take his order. Bruce says, “Well! Fancy meeting you here!” The woman apologizes about the dust, but says that there is only her there and that the wind is always blowing. She adds that the place does not make a profit, but that they all have to carry on. Bruce says, “Words to live by.” And asks for a cold coke. She says that the supply truck isn’t going to come until Tuesday and that all she has is coffee. She asks if he wants regular or decaf. Bruce takes regular. She says that he is actually the first customer is days. Suddenly a red truck pulls up with a bunch of guys inside the back. The woman says, “Oh, Lord… it’s payday down at the derrick…”
Inside the
government facility, the man and women walk out into a catwalk.
At the end, the Abomination sleeps. On the screen, the video of
Emil and Nadia continues to replay. The woman says that it is
asleep and the man asks how she can be sure. He reminds her that
they told them that it wasn’t human. The woman repeats that
it is asleep and that the chamber is free of gas. She takes off
her mask and tells the man to get to work. The man loads a gun.
He aims and the woman tells him to make it count. The man stalls
and she tells him to shoot. The man says that he can’t get a
bead on the neck. He says that he can’t see in the dark and
wonders why they weren’t given infrareds. The woman shouts
that infrareds don’t work in there and grabs the gun from
the man. The woman aims and shoots a dart into Abomination. She
hands off the gun to the man and asks if he can manage
disassembling it. The man says not to talk down to him and that
she is just as scared as he is. The woman counts down. She says,
“Emil Blonsky… can you hear me…? We’ve come
to make you an offer. Emil’s eyes open.
The men walk into the diner. The woman says that she will be with Hank in a minute. Hank orders six beers right away. The woman says that there isn’t any beer yet and that the truck is late this month. Hank asks the boys if they heard that. The woman says that she has some nice pie. The men laugh and say to ask her if it is fresh and if it is cherry. Hank tells the woman to give her a little kiss. She tells him to stop it. Hank starts to move in, but Bruce taps him on the shoulder. Hank asks Bruce if this is his day to die. Bruce tells him to leave her alone. Hank laughs and punches Bruce across the face. Bruce’s eyes glow green as he stands perfectly still without flinching. He says that she is all out of band-aids as well.
In the secret facility, the woman asks Emil if he can understand her. She says that if he agrees to their terms that they guarantee him freedom. She says that if he declines that there is an explosive device in his carotid and that any attempt to take it out will trigger an aneurism that will act like a lobotomy. She asks if he understands. Abomination says nothing. The man says that he isn’t responding and that he is gone. She tells him to shut up. On the screen is an image of Bruce Banner. She asks Emil if he remembers Bruce Banner. An image of the Hulk comes up and she asks if he recalls that creature. Emil says nothing still.
Hank is about to bust Bruce across the face
with a chair, but Bruce grabs Hank’s arm and brings him to
his knees with the pressure. The five guys that Hank was with
jump on Bruce, but Bruce still doesn’t move.
The woman
watches as Bruce lifts one of the men over his head with one arm
and then throws the man through the window and through the back
windshield of the truck outside.
The woman tells Abomination that all
attempts to contain the Hulk have failed. She says that they know
now that the only way to capture the Hulk is to defeat the Hulk.
She says that man and his technology can’t do that. She says
that of all living creatures that Emil alone has the best
capacity to defeat the Hulk. She says that in return they
guarantee his freedom from the chamber and the safe removal of
the dark in his neck. She asks Emil if he will help them. Emil
says nothing again. She shows him a picture of the desert taken
two days ago. She zooms in on the remains of a campfire. She says
that this was Banner’s last campfire and that they know his
fires by heart now. She says, “About five clicks due east of
the camp site is this little supply shack in the middle of
nowhere. On his present course, Banner can’t help but
encounter it. We’ve tried to take him in the open
before… unsuccessfully. Besides… as I said… we
don’t want Banner… we want the Hulk. For that we need
you. Will you help us? We await your answer, Emil Blonsky.”
Emil says nothing again. 
Finally he
starts to laugh. He laughs and laughs harder and harder. The man
and the woman run for the door. The door is locked and the man
can’t get it open. The woman opens it the right way and the
two of them run out to the SUV outside. The man says that was
productive, but the woman tells him to shut up and contact Home
Base.
Some of Hank’s friends have already started to run. Bruce grabs one and says, “Runnnnnnnnnn…” The men pull off in their truck. The woman looks at Bruce with fear. She falls backwards into a booth. She looks up at Bruce is stunned silence. Bruce holds out his coffee cup and says that he thinks he will try the decaf instead.
Inside the SUV, the man says that they are dead. The woman says, “Almost. Thanks to you.” The man says that she doesn’t understand because she is new to the organization. He says that “he” isn’t going to like this, and that when he doesn’t like something that someone always pays. She tells him not to be an idiot as she applies her lipstick. He says that he would rather be a live idiot. She tells him to wipe the sweat off his face and to keep his mouth shut. The woman phones in to Home Base.
The woman walks Bruce out to a little building off to the side. She says that it isn’t much, but that there is only one bed above the café. Bruce says that he appreciates this. The woman turns on a light. She says that it is musty and that it is the least she could offer him after what he did. Bruce says that anything will be better than freezing in the desert at night. The woman looks at the mattress and says that he can’t sleep in there. Bruce says, “It’ll be fine, really. Thank you… uh…?” The woman says, “It’s Nadia. Just… Nadia.” Bruce introduces himself. Nadia looks at Bruce. She tells Bruce to sleep well and that breakfast is at seven. She tells him to let her know if there is anything else he “needs”.
S-1 asks if that is all. The woman says that he won’t cooperate and that it is possible that he is insane. The man says that he tried. S-1 says that Supervisor Three tried and that he, S-2, wanted to drive away. S-2 says that it was just a thought and that he was rattled. He says that you can’t imagine the hideous laughter or the size of the thing. S-1 says that is why it is called the Abomination. He tells S-2 to press the red button on the dash. S-2 freaks, but S-1 repeats to push it. S-3 leans over and pushes the button for him.
That night, a lightning storm starts. Inside
Bruce’s “bedroom” the water starts to come through
the ceiling. A light flashes in his eyes. He looks and sees Nadia
holding a flashlight. She says that it is a cloudburst and that
he will have to come into the café. Bruce and Nadia run into the
café. Nadia tries the lights, but the electricity has gone out.
Suddenly her flashlight goes out as well. Bruce asks if she has
any candles. Nadia says that she might have some in her
nightstand. Nadia freaks when the lightning hits. Bruce says to
relax. Nadia says that she has been afraid of the dark since
childhood. She asks if he minds coming with her. Bruce agrees.
Upstairs, Nadia lights two candles that she found. She says that
she wish she bought more. Bruce says that he is gonna curl up
downstairs in one of the booths. Nadia offers Bruce a candle, but
Bruce says that he doesn’t need it. He says that she is a
girl afraid of the dark living in the middle of nowhere. He asks
her why. Nadia says that they don’t always control their
destiny. She says, “…sometimes it forces compromising
situations… needful decisions… Do you agree?”
Bruce says that he doesn’t. He says that there are some
tough choices, but that they are still choices. “Even if
only a lesser of two evils…? Nadia pushes the shoulder off
her nightgown. 
She stands
before Bruce completely nude and lies down on the bed. Bruce
looks at her and asks if he is the lesser evil to the dark. Nadia
says that he is her needful decision.
S-1 tells S-2 and S-3 to press the green button now. S-3 pushes the button. On the screen is an image of Banner. S-1 says that he is headed exactly the way they thought he would. S-2 says that they could grab him, but S-3 says that hasn’t worked before. S-1 says finding Banner was phase one. Engaging Abomination was phase two. He says that now they begin phase three. He tells them to press the red button again. S-1 shows Banner walking into the store that they figured he would. S-1 says that the next pictures were taken later that same evening through the owner’s bedroom window. S-2 says that he thinks they have inducement.
In bed, Bruce lies on his back. Nadia is lying on his chest. He asks her if she is asleep. Nadia says that she isn’t. He asks her what she was thinking about. Nadia says that she was thinking about how long it had been and that she is surprised by how much she missed it. Bruce says, “And what about ‘needful decisions’? You said before I was your ‘needful decision’. What did you mean?” Nadia says that it was nothing. She says that she was just trying to vamp him by being mysterious. Bruce says to consider himself vamped. He reaches out for the scar on Nadia’s face. She freaks and tells him not to. Bruce says that it is very attractive and endearing. Nadia says, “There’s nothing endearing about scars… they make a burden of everything reflective.
S-1 tells them to put the DVD in the
recorder. He says that their new information is burning now. When
the DVD is done he tells them to remove it and get to their
business. They arrive back at the door and S-2 comments on
S-3’s scars. S-3 says, “In the trenches, Sparky…
in the trenches.” S-3 steps out on the catwalk again. She
asks Emil if he can hear her. Emil says nothing. She says that
they thought she might be weary of watching the same endless loop
on his screen. She says that “even such heart-felt pathos
must be tedious after three thousand viewings… but then I
suppose that was the point, yes?” S-3 asks Abomination to
excuse the grain and that the photographer was using a long lens.
The DVD shows Bruce Banner walking to the café that they said he
would probably be arriving at. She says that the café isn’t
that far from where they are now. She says that it isn’t as
high tech as his housing, but that in its own way it is just as
much a prison. S-3 says, “Which brings us to… our
leading lady.” S-3 motions to Nadia. She continues,
“Yes, the woman you’ve been watching on that screen
over and over again for months now… saying her tearful
good-byes to you… Nadia Blonsky, your sweet wife. Last
reported in the good old USSR… now apparently here in
America… searching for you perhaps, Emil? Tracking her
missing husband? What a courageous woman… tracking you
almost to this secret government facility! Nearly achieving her
goal but for a few hidden miles! Such selfless devotion! Such
drive! Such… oh dear! What’s this?… did devoted
little Nadia’s drive get sidetracked?” Emil sees an
image of Nadia wrapped around Bruce in bed. S-3 continues,
“Not that one can blame her, I suppose… probably just
making up for all those lonely nights without you… those
looong… loooong nights…” 
Abomination
starts to scream. The entire building begins to rattle. S-2 runs,
pushes a button, and runs out of the room. After the rumbling and
collapsing rubble stops, S-3 pulls herself up on the catwalk
railing. She says, “…I’ll take that as a
‘yes.”
No Excuses rating: 8 out of 10
You have to admit this is pretty messed up. I have many problems with this issue, but I’m hoping that all will be explained in the next four issues. First- Nadia Blonsky was back in the USSR? I might have missed something, but the USSR has been gone a while. Nadia was a stage actress and I don’t understand why she isn’t doing that. Second, I don’t know why the supposed genius Banner doesn’t even recognize Nadia. He was there in issue #25 when he tormented Emil with the tape of he and Nadia to say nothing of the time he saved Nadia from Emil back in Hulk vol. 2 #383 and #384. Lastly there seems to be some sort of time problems here. When S-2 and S-3 go into the installation and later run out- it is daytime. When they head back in it is after Bruce and Nadia have “conjugated the verb” at night. They sat there the entire time? And even if they did… when they show Emil the DVD of Nadia and Bruce, Emil breaks through the wall. Daylight comes pouring in. Something is off. Deodato’s style has evolved to an amazing level. His style, facial expressions, and characterizations are really something. Lastly, this is a double size issue and still not much really happens. Jones needs to kick his storytelling into overdrive if this is his norm.