Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #57Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #57
Title: “A Mind of His Own”
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciller: Leandro Fernandez
Inker: Leandro Fernandez
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Alex Alonso
Hulk, with his eyes glowing, holds Pamela in
his giant hand. The police arrive. One of them is telling Hulk to
put the woman down and they can negotiate. The other cop throws
him a gun and tells him to negotiate this. He says that is the
Hulk. They start shooting, but of course the bullets just bounce
right off. Creel is controlling Hulk. He says that the bullets
kind of tickle. Pam tells Creel that she knows all about him and
that Banner told her everything. She tells him that it isn’t
going to work. Creel asks if that is so and kicks a police car at
the police. He asks why that would be. Pam says that Creel has
taken on more than he can handle. 
She says that
Banner and Hulk are two selves and that they have minds of their
own. Creel assures Pam that he “is more than equal to the
task!” He says that he has practiced and then squeezes Pam
hard enough to make her scream. Pam tells Bruce that she knows he
is in there and to fight him. Creel says that Banner isn’t
home, but that she can leave a message at the beep. Pam tells
Bruce that she understands Creel is invading other people’s
minds, but that his body is imprisoned. Pam is hit by a bullet.
Suddenly Hulk is free of Hulk’s control. Hulk says,
“…P-Pamela…?”
Zhan tells Johnson that he has to comprehend that Creel was inside him. Zhan says that Creel was in him when he shot the guard, and that he was in Johnson when he manipulated the video to make it look like an accident. Johnson asks what he did. Zhan asks if Johnson is listening to him. He says that Creel is out there. Johnson asks where Creel is. Zhan says that he knows that it sounds crazy. He says that Creel made it seem that way. Johnson asks why Creel didn’t just have Zhan shoot himself and walk out of the prison. Zhan says that Creel told him he was saving him for later to use his superior intellect. Johnson says, “I see… Your superior intellect, not mine.” Zhan says that Creel knows there is jealousy between them and that he is using it. Zhan says that Creel is playing them like puppets. He wonders whose mind Creel is in now.
Bruce wakes up in a space that is all black. He calls to Pamela. Bruce sees where he is and says that he would have expected more after dying. A voice tells Bruce that he is his God and to take his shoes off because he is on holy ground. Bruce says that he isn’t wearing shoes. The voice says that is okay because he isn’t God yet. Bruce asks who is talking. The voice says that he is Charlton Heston. Bruce doesn’t understand. The voice says, “The Ten Commandments? 1956?” Bruce guesses that it is Creel. Creel asks if it was his accent that gave him away. Bruce asks where they are. Creel says that it will go faster if he figures that out by himself. Bruce sees light coming from behind a door. Creel says that Banner has to trust him because it will get permanently worse. Bruce opens the door to find a hallway with another door. Bruce says that he doesn’t have time for games. Creel says that he has even less than he thinks. Creel asks Bruce if he has noticed how short on air they are. Bruce asks if he is in his own mind and Creel is torturing him with mind games. Creel says that he is close. Banner tries the other door to find it locked. Water starts to fill the hallway. Bruce asks if this is a joke. Creel says that this is Bruce’s mind. He tells him not to bother trying the other door since it will be locked too. Bruce starts banging on the door. Creel appears floating in the air and tells Banner to start using his genius brain. Bruce tells Creel to just tell him. Creel says that Banner has to believe it. Creel says that Bruce is really drowning. Bruce asks why Creel would care if he drowned. Creel asks Bruce what he remembers last before this situation. Bruce says that he was on a bridge and that a truck was headed for Pamela. Creel says that it was after that. Creel says that Banner shares his mind. Bruce realizes that Creel is talking about the Hulk. Bruce says that Hulk was holding Pamela on a bridge. Creel tells Bruce that the police had him surrounded. The water is almost up to the ceiling. Bruce remembers Pam getting hit by gunfire and changing back into himself to stop her from getting hit again. Creel says that he almost has it. Bruce remembers jumping off the bridge into the river.
Banner wakes up and surfaces out of the water. Bruce swims for shore and feels that Creel is gone from his mind. Bruce says that he must have gone unconscious from the impact with the water, but that Creel stayed with him. Bruce wonders why Creel would save his life. Bruce realizes that Creel isn’t done with the Hulk and that he needs him alive.
On the bridge, the officers are trying to tell their Sergeant what happened. Pamela backs them up. One of the cops says that they had better get her to emergency. Pam says that she is fine, and that she would be very grateful if they took her home.
Pam has the cop drop her outside of Judy’s apartment. The cop drives off and Pam knocks. George answers the door and Pam asks if she can come in. In the hallway, Pam asks if they have rented Judy’s apartment yet. She tells him that she left some papers in her apartment and asks if he will let her in for a minute. George lets her in. Pam tells George that she will lock up when she leaves. Pam starts looking for information about Judy’s secret job. She finds a folder marked confidential in a drawer.
Johnson tells Zhan that no matter what he doesn’t feel like what he is saying doesn’t fall into the realm of science. Zhan asks if he thinks he doesn’t know that. Zhan says that Creel expects Johnson to think that he is mad or exhausted. Zhan says that Creel has already escaped mentally and that his next step will be a physical escape. Johnson tells the guard that Zhan is ordered to a few days of rest. Zhan says that it will be too late in a few days. The phone rings. Johnson answers it, but tells Zhan to wait as it is for him.
Banner walks along. He finds a car. He looks inside and says that the people there are dead and bloody. Bruce turns to see a fat little girl standing there. He asks her if she is all right and if it was an accident. The fat little girl’s eyes glow as she says, “Not really, no…”
Zhan is talking to Pam on the phone. Pam tells Zhan that it was Creel that caused Judy to jump in front of the train. She says that he made her push Bruce Banner in front of another train. She says that the Bruce Banner is the one that turns into the Hulk. Zhan tells Pam that he no longer has any credibility and that there isn’t anything that he can do to help her. Pam says that she wasn’t calling for help, but that Creel is using the Hulk’s body and that she thinks he is coming towards them. Johnson grabs the phone and says that is enough games.
Bruce tells Creel that it won’t work. He says that he is a student of advanced mind control and self-hypnosis. Banner says that Creel isn’t getting the Hulk again. Creel pulls a knife, but Banner says that Creel won’t kill him because he would kill the Hulk as well. Creel holds the knife to the child’s throat. Banner says that he would kill himself that way. Creel says that he would just leap out at the last minute, and that the sight would leave Banner open for a microsecond. He says that in any case that the child’s death would be on Banner’s hands like the death of Ricky Myers. Bruce starts to call him a son of a…, but Creel just says that he was to say nothing of his drunk lout of a father. The police start to arrive. Banner asks what Creel wants. Creel says that he wants Banner’s cooperation for the next several hours. He says that he pledges not to hurt the little girl. Bruce asks what happens next. Creel says that they should talk about that after dealing with the police. Creel asks Bruce if they have a deal. Bruce tells him to go to hell. Creel says that is a pity and hands the bloody knife to Banner as the police pull up.
No Excuses rating: 0 out of 10
How refreshing. Someone is mind controlled and a person that isn’t close to them at all tells them to fight it because “she knows that he is in there”. The trite and heretofore unmentioned rivalry between Zhan and Johnson is also a nice change of pace. Sure its formulaic and boring, but what in this book isn’t? Banner continues to give geniuses a bad name as Creel schools him about the movie the Ten Commandments. I have one other question about this mind numbing garbage; why in the $%$#!@ does Banner take the knife? Is he that simple minded and moronic? I really dislike Fernanadez’s style, but again he doesn’t deserve the 0 he is getting.
Review and pictures by The Leader