Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #52Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #52
Title: “Dark Minds, Dark Hearts part 3: Vicious Circles”
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciller: Mike Deodato Jr.
Inker: Mike Deodato Jr.
Colors: Studio F
Editor: Alex Alonso
Inside her apartment the bartender/hooker/secret agent lies dead on the floor. The pretending to be an old lady/john/secret agent holds the gold disc in his hand. He says, “… and the wheel comes ‘round!” for some reason.
Hulk stands before Nadia. Nadia mutters to
please not hurt her. 
Hulk responds
by sniffing Nadia’s breasts.
The agent puts the disc inside a computer. He holds his phone up to his ear and says that he is watching the disc now. A woman lies on an operating table. Knives and spinning blade descend towards her face. The secret agent’s eyes grow wide.
Hulk continues to sniff Nadia while holding her in his hand. He lets out a snort and blows Nadia back with the force. Nadia has a flashback to a previous time and slaps Hulk as a reflex. Hulk looks confused and says, “Na… dia?”
The secret agent finishes vomiting in the toilet. He tells the person on the other end of the phone that he doesn’t care if he thinks he is a wuss. He says that he has been in the business for fifteen years, but that he has never seen a woman’s face being peeled off. He says that he thought he was told that they were ahead of the other side in micro-graft technology. He says that the recovery sequence is coming up. He looks and sees the woman lying in bed with bandages on her face.
Nadia and Bruce are now outside and the Hulk is gone. Nadia asks Bruce if he feels better. Bruce asks what happened. Nadia says that she came out to get the aspirin and that when she turned around that he was lying there in the dirt. Bruce says that he doesn’t remember any of it. Bruce sees her torn robe and asks what happened. Nadia says that she tore it on a nail reaching for the aspirin. Nadia says that they had better get Bruce inside. As they walk back to the house Bruce looks down and sees the giant footprint in the sand. He says that there is something that he needs to confess.
S-3 asks if Emil agrees to stay there until their signal comes. She says that their people will arrange a cover story about an earthquake to cover their activities. S-2 sneaks back into the room. S-3 says that the can come out of hiding and that “momma’s locked down the bad monster down again, all safe and sound!” S-2 says that he has to admit that she has guts. He asks how she got them. He sees the scar on her face and asks where she got them.
Nadia puts Bruce back in bed. She asks Bruce what he wanted to tell her. Bruce asks where she got her scars. Nadia says that is a question, not a confession. She flashes back to having her face smashed into a mirror. Nadia says that it was a long time ago in another place during another life. Bruce asks if someone hurt her. He asks if she was young. Nadia says that she was never young.
The secret agent continues watching. On the forty first day after surgery, the upper bandages are removed and some light traces of scars are seen. He says that whoever did it that it is beautiful work. He watches as the “big reveal” occurs. He says the bandages are off and his eyes grow wide again.
S-3 walks out. S-2 follows her out and says
that they are just scars and doesn’t see what she is so
touchy about it for. S-2 and S-3 walk back to the SUV. She says
that she told him that she got them in the field. She tells him
to back off if he doesn’t want Home Base knowing about him
being a “chicken-#$%^”. They drive off. 
Abomination
smiles.
Bruce says that he didn’t mean to pry and says that he shouldn’t have asked. He asks her if she is mad. Nadia says that she isn’t. She tells him that she will show him hers if he shows her his. Bruce says that he will need his duffel for that. He asks where she put it. Nadia says that she took it downstairs and that it was in the way. Bruce walks down the stairs. He says that he is showing her this because he cares about her a great deal. He says that him staying there is putting her in danger. Bruce says that there are people that would kill for what he is about to show her.
S-3 reports in and says that Phase One is complete and that Blonsky is in compliance with the plan. Home Base says to return and signs off. S-2 asks if that is all they have to say after all they accomplished. S-3 asks what he meant by saying “we” and asks if he expected to be knighted. S-2 says, “He always gets curt like that when he’s just learned some bad news… or when he’s about to pasture an operative.” S-2 says that it is like the day S-1 was killed and S-3 replaced him.
The secret agent says that he wants more money. There is a knock on the door and the “landlord” says that the rent is due. The secret agent says that he knows who he is talking to and that he knows what is on the disc is worth early retirement. He opens the door. The “landlord” shoots him in the chest. The agent doesn’t even budge. He grabs the man and throws him across the room. He says to call off the dogs and that he can spot their men a mile off. He kicks the gun out of the “landlord’s” hand and says that if they mess with him again that he will destroy the DVD. The landlord bashes a chair over the agent’s back. He says to go to the top and to get him his money in twenty-four hours. The landlord stabs the agent in the chest with a knife. The agent kicks the man across the room and bashes his head into the bathroom mirror. The agent takes off his shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest. He says that he will contact him about the drop. He tells the other side to have a nice day too.
The computer shows Nadia footage of the Hulk’s rampage. She sees the footage of Hulk “killing” Rickey Myers. Bruce says that she may have seen it in the papers. Nadia asks if the monster killed the boy. Bruce says that he is that monster. He says that his name is Banner, not Smith, but that the Hulk didn’t kill the boy. He says that they made it look that way to vilify him before the public, the media, and to people like her that might take him in. Nadia asks if the people lied as she walks to a drawer. Bruce says, “It’s their specialty. An organization of liars built on a network of untruths.” Nadia asks where the little boy is. Bruce says that he only knows that he is alive. He says that Ricky is his only means of exoneration and that Ricky is the bait. Nadia says that he continues anyway and asks why. Bruce says that he made a promise to the boy’s mother. Nadia opens the drawer. Inside is a gun, a remote control, and a blue box. She asks if he is a man of his word. Bruce says that he likes to think so. Nadia asks what if the mother lied to him as well. What if she is part of the unseen forces chasing him. Bruce says that it is possible, but that sometimes one just has to go on faith. Nadia reveals the blue box. She says. “Chinese gunpowder! The only faith I subscribe to. Will you toast me with some, Dr. Banner? One wandering soul to another?”
S-2 and S-3 walk to their pod at Home Base. S-3 pushes the button and inside the corridor before the room is a man blocking the door. He tells her not to go in there right now. S-3 asks what he is talking about and says that it is their pod. The man says that he just does as he is told. S-3 pushes him aside and says to get out of her face. Inside the room, a blond haired woman stands. S-3 wants to know who she is. “Home Base” is on the screen. S-3 says that this is her pod and that no one pasteurizes her without notification. She pushes the woman down. S-2 tells S-3 that she is the cleaning lady. “Home Base” asks S-3 if she is feeling paranoid today.
Nadia is talking on the computer again. She says that she is sure he is sleeping because she drugged him. She says that she wants to know why they need Banner to free her husband. “Home Base” says that was not the agreement. Nadia says she is amending the agreement. She says to tell her the plan or the deal is off. “Home Base” tells her to remember that their organization doesn’t respond well to threats. She tells him to just answer the question. Home Base says that he assures her that Banner will not be hurt either physically or mentally and that she has his word on it.
The agent says that he wants the drop in Arroyo Park under the big oak. He says that after that he will contact them about where the DVD is hidden. He says that he is confident because Home Base is going to be staggered by the face on the DVD that they won’t waste time coming after him and that he always covers his tracks. The “landlord” is hanging by a rope around the neck. He says that he is not only supplying Home Base with the face, but also the name. The screen reads. “FOR YOUR EYES ONLY! COPYGUARD ENCRYPTED AMRON INDUS. COMPLETED PATIENT RESTORATION FILE PHOTO NO 676-R9 CODE NAME: MR. BLUE
No Excuses rating: 5 out of 10
Yawn. Is this issue even necessary at all? Here’s what happens. Bruce tells Nadia about him being the Hulk. The secret agent teases the Mr. Blue DVD, and Home Base becomes suspicious about S-3. That’s pretty much it. 1 out of 5 for writing. Deodato’s art is still very impressive, but everything is still happening in the same place and everything pretty much looks the same as it did last issue.