Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #56Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #56
Title: “Inside Out”
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciller: Leandro Fernandez
Inker: Leandro Fernandez
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Alex Alonso
Bruce looks for Pamela in the subway. She touches his shoulder. He says that he is sorry if he said something that offended her. He asks if she is okay. Pam’s eyes start to glow. She pushes Bruce in front of an oncoming train.
Zhan tells Creel that he knows what he is doing, but that he doesn’t know how he is doing it. He says that even his scientist’s curiosity won’t allow him to stand by while he destroys innocents. Zhan pulls his gun and fires at the plasma shield.
Bruce falls on the tracks, but it’s the Hulk’s body that the train is destroyed against. Pamela stands over him smiling.
Zhan shoots the plasma shield again and then finally disengages it. Creel’s eyes begin to glow.
Pamela, eyes no longer glowing, says, “Bruce?”
Zhan says that the shield is down now. He says that there is nothing to prevent him from getting out or from something getting in. Zhan aims his gun and asks God to forgive both of them.
Pamela helps Bruce off the tracks. She asks what happened and how they got there.
Creel forces Zhan to point his gun at himself. Zhan reaches to reset the shields. Creel takes over Zhan’s body. He resets the shields. A man comes in looking for Zhan, but Creel in Zhan’s body shoots him.
The police are rushing into the subway. Bruce and Pamela walk out. Pam says that she is losing her mind and that she is having blackouts.
Everyone comes in to see Zhan standing over the body of a dead man.
Bruce and Pam sit on the bench looking out at the water. He asks if her coffee helped. Pam says that the bourbon helped. Bruce reminds Pam of what he said. He says that she thought he meant that she pushed Judy and stormed off. He asks what she remembers after that. Pam says that she must have walked home. Bruce tells her that he followed her into the subway. Pam says that she never takes the subway home. Bruce tells Pam to try and think of the last thing she remembered before helping him off the tracks. Pam looks over. She sees Bruce as a grinning Creel. She drops her coffee.
Johnson walks into the security bay. He sees two guards watching a handcuffed Zhan. Johnson asks Zhan what is happening at three in the morning. One of the guards tells Johnson that there was a shooting. Johnson tells Melton to shut up. He tells them to take the cuffs off Zhan and to get out. Zhan says that he was only doing his job, and that he shot one of the security team. Johnson says that he is gone for four hours and that the whole facility falls apart. Johnson accesses the tape.
Bruce grabs Pam and asks her what she sees. Pam says that for a second there Bruce was a bald gaunt man with leering eyes. She says that she has seen the face somewhere before. She says that he was on TV.
Zhan says that Creel is more clever than he gave him credit for. He says that Creel made him shoot the guard. He says that Creel squirmed into his mind. Zhan says that the guard saw Creel in his face and that Creel couldn’t allow that. Zhan asks Johnson what he is doing. Johnson says that he is revising history a bit. Zhan shows Johnson that he shot the guard. Johnson says that he never said Zhan didn’t. He says that one of the perks of working in a secret facility is the access to the latest CGI computers.
Bruce and Pam are at a newsstand. Bruce shows her a picture of Creel and asks if this is the man. Pam looks at him and walks off. Bruce runs after him. He tells her not to run from it. He says that she pushes him in front of a train. He grabs Pam and tells her to tell him what happened afterward. Pam tells Bruce to let her go and that she is hurting him.
Johnson says that he is done. He says that Zhan tripped and accidentally shot the guard. Zhan says that they are responsible and that this is forgery. Johnson’s eyes glow and he says, “Maybe… but that’s the way we’re playing it!” Zhan says, “Johnson?”, but Johnson says, “Johnson’s gone beddie-bye for a while. Creel pulls Johnson’s gun and sticks it under Zhan’s chin. Zhan guesses that it is Creel. Creel says that there isn’t much to learn in Johnson’s head and that it is all football and pornographic magazines. Creel says that Zhan has much more to offer. Scientific genius that can be used before he kills him. Creel says that Zhan is wondering what it is like to inhabit two minds at once. Creel says that the rational side is lacking, but that sanity is overrated. Johnson tells Zhan to push the alarm. He tells Zhan to excuse him, but that he has an important date. He tells Zhan to be sure to show Johnson the new tape when he wakes. Creel puts the gun down and asks Zhan, “What’s big and mean and green all over?”
Pam and Bruce walk along the bridge. Pam
says that she doesn’t remember anything. Just Bruce on the
tracks. Bruce asks if she remembers what caused the train wreck.
Pam says that it is all a blank. Pam asks what the Absorbing Man
has to do with this. Bruce says that he doesn’t know yet,
but that he has a feeling that Creel witnessed the train wreck.
Pam says that he is in prison. She asks how she could push him in
front of a train. Bruce sees red for a second. He says that it
only takes a shove and sees Pam falling into traffic. Bruce is
left looking at his hands. Pam is still there and asks him if he
is all right. She says that he looks funny. Bruce tells Pam that
he needs to focus and concentrate. Bruce sees Pam as the woman he
sees when he meditates. Bruce tells Pam to run and that she has
to get away from him. Pam starts running. A truck starts to bear
down on Pam. Bruce tackles her and gets her out of the way. Pam
says that the driver tried to hit her. Bruce says that he wants
him not her. The truck spins around. Pam shouts at Bruce, but
Bruce mediates. He pushes Pam out of the way of the oncoming
truck. 
The truck hits
Bruce and explodes. Pam watches as the Hulk emerges from the
wreckage. Hulk’s eyes are glowing.
No Excuses rating: 0 out of 10
For a genius, Zhan sure is a moron. Are we supposed to be nervous that Zhan would shoot Creel? Half-wit! Scores of people have tried to shoot Creel! He absorbs it! That’s why he is called the Absorbing Man, not the mild melding moron. Nothing is explained and we are left wondering if Jones has any idea of what he is doing…. Still. Fernandez is annoying to look at, but I can’t tell in what proportion it has to the lousy writing.
Review and pictures by The Leader