Love Will Keep Us Together - Or Will It? Incredible Hulk 148

Incredible Hulk #148 (February 1972)
"But Tomorrow -- the Sun Shall Die!"
Archie Goodwin-Herb Trimpe/John Severin

Doug: A couple of weeks ago I sang the praises of John Severin's inks over Herb Trimpe on the Incredible Hulk book. I was initially going to review Hulk #140, which features the 1st appearance of Jarella. But after noticing that her second appearance contained the above mentioned art team, the decision was pretty easy. So here we are. I'll be reading and scanning from the trade paperback, The Incredible Hulk: Heart of the Atom. I've read several of the stories from the start of the book, and while certainly no Hulk aficionado, I have enjoyed myself so far.

Doug: We open in the New Mexico desert at Project: Greenskin. Assembled are General "Thunderbolt" Ross, Betty Ross, Major Glenn Talbot, and Dr. Peter Corbeau. This was a nice bit of Marvel history for me, as I'd only known Corbeau from the first Sentinels story in the All-New, All-Different X-Men. Everyone's there to discuss how Corbeau's plan for the Hulk, using his StarCore technology, is going to work. Corbeau is convinced that he can permanently free Dr. Bruce Banner from the Hulk. Of course, he has to have the Hulk to make this work. That's where the Hulk-Busters come in. Right then (because, you know, this is a comic book and we only have 20 pages to work with), Ross is alerted to a local Hulk sighting. Immediately four fighters are dispatched to bring in the Jade Giant. Quick comment -- Trimpe's love of aviation really shows in these few panels! We cut to the back 40, where the Hulk lumbers along, oblivious to all around him. We the readers, however, can see over his shoulder the approaching jets. Archie Goodwin does a nice turn when he writes, "Of machines that can out-distance their own sound, that can all but sit on your massive neck before they're heard...?" And then BRA-KOW! Seriously -- bra-kow and the Hulk goes tumbling, his ears ringing. The second pair of planes are on him immediately, strafing him with sedative-tipped missiles. Down, and out.

Doug: We cut to another world, where we see the fair queen Jarella leading a small detachment of men through a wilderness. Above, men loyal to the traitor Visis wait on winged steeds. As soon as Jarella's column emerges from cover, they are set upon. The battle rages, and most of Jarella's men are slain. The queen fights well, and still stands at the conclusion of the fracas. She thinks to herself that she needs a warrior, the man she loved from before. Bruce Banner. For those of you not aware, the Hulk had been shrunk to atomic size by the villain Psyklop, emerging on a microscopic world where he became a champion for the queen. That queen, Jarella, pledged to marry him, which really ticked off Visis, her suitor who would be dictator. As the Hulk could not speak the language of the strange world, Jarella's sorcerers concocted some magicks that not only allowed him to learn the language but also gave him the brain of Bruce Banner while still the Hulk. Got it?

Doug: Jarella makes her way to the retreat of her chief sorcerer and tells him that she would like to regain the services of Banner. Torla, the magician, says that it would take incredible sorcery, and might be so dangerous as to shake not only their world but the very cosmos! Cut to earth, where the Hulk is now bound in the presence of Dr. Corbeau. Corbeau relates that he has more than a humanistic stake in this operation -- he and Banner were college friends, so it's personal. Corbeau says that StarCore's sun-facing orbit is going to allow him to harness the energy of the sun, project it to Earth, and bathe the Hulk in enough solar energy that it will completely eradicate the gamma energy stored in his cells. Guess what? It works! The Hulk shrinks/changes to Banner, and nearby technicians report that there is no presence of gamma radiation anywhere in the area. Banner has indeed been cured! But immediately StarCore's sensors alert the scientists and military brass to a new danger -- a huge solar flare, large enough to have destroyed the Earth. Ross asks Corbeau for an explanation -- Corbeau can only hypothesize on the coincidence of what has just happened with the Hulk.

Doug: Cut again back to Jarella's world, where she is in the process of being sent in search of Banner. Her sorcerers warn that the consequences could be dire. Bravely, she goes through with it. But we see that someone spies on this process. It is Visis, who knows enough magicks of his own to be able to send his top assassin into the stream behind Jarella -- with orders to slay the queen and her champion. Back on Earth, all concerned are monitoring the sun's activity. Banner, hero that he is, tells Corbeau if he really thinks the process to remove the Hulk's presence is to blame, then reverse the process. Corbeau will hear none of it, and offers that Banner should go to Corbeau's retreat on the coast, get some separation and relax. Banner takes him up on it, and after a military flight soon finds himself listening to the surf. Just then a green aura begins to glow on the sands. Suddenly Jarella appears, human-sized, and greets Banner. Bruce is elated to see her and hops the deck's fence to embrace the girl he'd loved those months before. But Fialan the assassin has also made the passage and lurks just yards away. But his malevolent plan is interrupted by the noise of a helicopter. It lands, and Glenn Talbot emerges to ask Banner to return to the desert with him.

Doug: Back at Project: Greenskin, Banner is updated on the sun's status. It seems that the sun has been affected not only by the process they'd used on Banner, but also by "the appearance of some object that ripped the very fabric of our time and space... something that broke from another dimension." Yup - Jarella. And the sun's cure for it's current condition is to burn itself out! Banner speaks up and says that any thoughts of sending her back will surely send her to her death at Visis' hands. Corbeau says to relax, that he's working on an alternative. However, if the solar system burns out, Jarella's world will along with our earth. Very soon a SHIELD craft lands, piloted by none other than Dum Dum Dugan, who has brought Col. Nick Fury himself to the desert. And Fury's brought with him a present -- a Life Model Decoy of Jarella, perfect in every sense. The team gets to work immediately on making the dimensional transfer of the LMD in Jarella's place, which is a mystery to me. Was it just that any transfer was made, or is it Jarella's presence here that is the problem. Seems to me (and what the heck do I know about it?) that if they sent the LMD but she stayed here the problem would not necessarily be ended. Ah, Marvel science. Gotta love it! Anyway, Banner reports that his part of the operation is successful, so they should be good to go. Jarella suddenly appears, to speak in private with her potential betrothed. But again standing just off-stage is Fialan (how's that security at Project: Greenskin, hmmm?). He gets off a shot, and then hovers menacingly above our couple.

Doug: Bruce breaks from Jarella and runs away. Fialan scoffs, as the coward has now left Jarella to him and his mission. As he levels his blaster at her, the building begins to shake. A rumbling emanates from the closed door behind which Banner had locked himself. And suddenly, bursting forth is the incredible Hulk! Fialan levitates higher, out of reach of the behemoth. Hulk turns to see Jarella, and they come together. Just then Fialan blasts a large bank of machinery, causing a huge explosion. Jarella is killed in the chaos, and a distraught Hulk emerges from the smoke right in front of Fialan, whose ability to escape has been destroyed as well. Hulk grabs him, and in one of the very few times I can ever recall metes out his own brand of justice. The following panel is interesting, as Hulk cups his face in his huge hand and says, "Hulk did it... but... It does not bring Jarella back!" But it's Jarella who approaches to console the Hulk -- Corbeau and Ross had planned to employ the LMD once they knew Jarella's assassin was on site. But now Hulk is faced with a new dilemma -- the military still need to save our sun. Hulk stands against them, but he's shot from behind with the heavy tranquilizers. Now down, Corbeau tells Jarella it is time. She consents, and soon is back in her subatomic world. The sun almost immediately begins to quiet its activity and all is right with the world. That is, except for the broken heart of the Hulk.

Doug: I've found these tales of Jarella captivating. It's interesting to read them as stand-alones. Although they tie together, the many adventures that came between these stories make me wonder which is better -- to read this as a running narrative, or as treats dispersed to the reader along the way? Jarella's first appearance was in Hulk #140, the follow-up is in today's issue (#148), and then we saw her again in #156. Then we don't find her until #202, around four years later! So I'd love for any of our readers who came to these stories off the rack to discuss their impact on you. Did you feel that this was a plotline that should have been explored on a more frequent basis? Or did you think perhaps that, knowing Jarella's ultimate fate as we do, the story should have been compressed and told over the course of maybe just a year's worth of issues? While Goodwin's script forced me to suspend my disbelief a time or two, I thought the art was fabulous. Herb Trimpe is a penciler who has a unique style and I'm not always his biggest fan. But under the influence of John Severin, the art here is a winner. This was overall a nice 20-minute diversion.

Suggestion Unboxed - Appreciating the Underappreciated

Doug: You may recall that back on October 9, in the midst of a fit of non-creativity, we solicited readers' thoughts on post ideas. What we got was amazing, and we've already mined that one-day flurry of brainpower for several good days' conversations. Today I'm pulling two thoughts from the same comment. Both were in a cornucopia (seasonal reference there) of offerings from Martinex1, and since they are related I am putting them together in the same post. I'll take the liberty of leading off with some thoughts of my own. Many thanks again to all -- and this isn't the last time we'll be doing this, so if you took a penny for your thoughts, you'll yet be further rewarded.

Mike S. (Martinex1): Under appreciated comic book artists and writers (no Kirby, Byrne, Lee, Claremont here...).

Mike S.: Under appreciated heroes and villains. If you were in charge who would you give a title to?

Doug: In answer to the first question, I've always enjoyed the inks of John Severin and Sam Grainger. Certainly Severin was a star in his own right in the 1950s, but most Bronze Age fans will remember him best as the inker over Herb Trimpe on early issues of the Incredible Hulk. Severin brought a polish to Trimpe's pencils that really did give it that throwback look to the period right before the Marvel Age dawned. Great pairing. Grainger worked into the 1970s and shows up all over the Marvel Universe. I most fondly recall his inks over a young Sal Buscema in those turn-of-the-Age Avengers tales. Again, Grainger really polished Sal's work and gave it a rich texture. Grainger also inked Dave Cockrum in the first issues of the All-New, All-Different X-Men.

Doug: As to underappreciated characters, count me among anyone who digs Kid Flash. While I don't know if Wally West could have carried his own series, he was always a favorite of mine in the Secret Society of Super-Villains and the Teen Titans revival.  Oh, and you want an underappreciated villain? I always thought the Gladiator had a great look. The whirling blades on his wrist seemed dangerous enough, but especially to him! I enjoyed his appearances in Daredevil and wished he'd crossed over into the Peter Parker or Nova books (for examples).

Big John's Barbarian: Conan 25

Conan the Barbarian #25 (April 1973)
"The Mirrors of Kharam-Akkad!"
Roy Thomas-John Buscema/Sal Buscema/John Severin (cover by Gil Kane)

Doug:  We've reviewed several issues of Conan the Barbarian here on the BAB, ably chronicling the brawler's adventures under the pencil of Barry Smith.  Amazingly, we've yet to showcase a story drawn by perhaps his most renowned artist (certainly if we speak in terms of longevity), John Buscema.  We'll take care of that today with Big John's very first Conan story.  So buckle in, and be sure to leave us some comments at the end in the Barry vs. John discussion.  Oh, and that's a pretty nifty cover by Gil Kane, huh?  Thanks in advance.  And away we go...

Doug:  It had been awhile since I'd read our last Conan review, "The Song of Red Sonja".  Consequently, I couldn't figure out why this story seemed to pick up right in the middle of an adventure.  Well, a little page flipping later and I recalled that ol' Kharam-Akkad had appeared in the two previous issues.  So yes, we are sort of dropped into the middle here -- but we'll get through it together!

Doug:  We open with Kharam-Akkad gazing into a crystal at Conan of Cimmeria, just at the conclusion of the previous issue's adventure with Red Sonja.  The wizard attests that he almost had the barbarian dead, but has failed.  He then references the mirror, the more-than-thrice-accursed mirror that taunts him.  As he strides toward a gigantic draped mirror, his nervous musing is interrupted by Chumballa Bey, the captain-of-guards.  Kharam-Akkad tells him of the presence of Conan, and bids him to capture the intruder.  As Bey leaves, the wizard seats himself and fidgets in his sulking.  He is suddenly joined by the Tarim Incarnate -- a god-man, a Hyrkanian deity.  Kharam-Akkad offers him to sit, and then relates for him a story of the mirrors of Tuzun Thune.

Doug:  Our creators then give us a two page illustrated text featuring King Kull.  I got caught wondering about where Kull fit into Marvel's licensing of Robert E. Howard's characters.  A quick database search showed me that Kull actually appeared in Conan the Barbarian #1 and went solo very shortly after.  So my initial reaction here that this story might be some sort of springboard for a Kull series was erroneous from the start.  Anyway, here's the gist of the mirrors tale:  Kull had become sullen, rejecting all adventure.  A maid of the court came to him and suggested he journey to seek out Tuzun Thune, a wizard who could speak to the dead.  Kull seemed oblivious to the girl's true intentions, and so rode off alone.  Arriving at the House of a Thousand Mirrors, he indeed had an audience with the old man.  The wizard recommended that to cure his spirit, Kull should gaze into all of his mirrors.  The king did so, and saw visions of the past and of the future.  As Kull gazed at himself, he began to feel enveloped by the mirror, as if he was somehow merging with it.  At that moment the glass shattered and there stood Kull's friend Brule the Spearslayer, the wizard Tuzun Thune dead at his feet.  King Kull had failed earlier to notice that the maid who spoke to him had evil intentions on her mind -- in collaboration with this now-dead wizard.  Brule had rescued his liege from the power of the mirrors...

Doug:  Kharam-Akkad continued to address the Tarim Incarnate, noting that after many civilizations had perished as foretold by the mirrors, those glass fortunetellers had passed into his own hands.  But he also confided as to his true fears -- ripping the green drape away, Kharam-Akkad unleashed the image of his fears.  There on the mirror was frozen an image of Conan, blood-soaked cutlass in hand and straddling the dead body of Kharam-Akkad.  Above Conan's head were iconic images of a lion, an eagle, and a serpent.  The wizard cried out for meaning, but got no immediate answer.  The wizard falls away in a pile, but rights himself to see a statue of a serpent coiled about a griffin.  He thinks that it must be that sculpture that somehow is perverted in the reflection of the mirror.  He turns, thinking he hears the workmen he's commissioned to remove the carving.  Sensing he's right, he encourages the living Tarim to leave the chambers.  I thought this whole thing with the fleshy god was weird...

Doug:  Cut now to Makkalet, where a weary Conan has returned "home" to sleep for the night.  However, he's ambushed by the agents of Kharam-Akkad, led by Chumballa Bey.  Conan is offered the opportunity to come peacefully, and surprisingly takes it.  As the party walks away, Conan mutters something about the size of this guard come to capture a simple horse thief.  Bey scoffs at him, telling him that it is the wizard who has requested Conan's arrest, and that they are on their way to the temple.  Conan suddenly goes crazy, swearing to never enter the temple again.  He bashes some skulls, appropriates a sword, and makes a quick getaway.  His route, though, leads him back toward the palace grounds.  As the sun has now risen, the king and queen are out on the grounds.  Conan crashes through the brush, knocking the king away and coming face-to-face with the queen.  Thinking of his options, there's no time to act as a large stone suddenly bounces off his Cimmerian cranium and drops him.

Doug:  We scene-shift to a hill outside the city of Makkalet, where the Prince of Turan, Yezdigerd, prepares for a raid on the city (groundwork for this portion of the plot had been laid over the two previous issues).  His vizier asks that he consult the mages to foretell their fortunes.  Yezdigerd puts no stock in their "mumbo jumbo" but nevertheless obliges.  He is told that "the griffin shall bite the serpent in twain -- when the horse spawns walking swords!"  What the...?!  The vizier explains that with this news -- of Turan as the griffin and Makkalet as the serpent -- the men will be ready as ever to take the city.  There is no time but now.  Yezdigerd rallies his men.

Doug:  Later, and now bound, Conan lay at the feet of Kharam-Akkad.  Waking, the barbarian is chided by Kharam-Akkad to tell the secret of the three animal heads above the image of Conan slaying the wizard.  Conan knows not of what he speaks, so Kharam-Akkad turns Conan toward another mirror -- one that shows a death image of the barbarian himself.  Conan feels terror, and even moreso as the images in the mirror begin to shift until a giant octopus begins to manifest itself, its tentacles actually reaching out to envelope the Cimmerian.  Conan bursts his bonds, but is further sucked into the psychic drama.  But without warning, Chumballa Bey lashes out with his voice and his sword, snapping Conan out of the trance.  Kharam-Akkad will not hear of this opportunity potentially lost, and so strikes down Bey.  As Bey falls, he pushes his sword toward Conan.  Conan takes it and begins to slice away at the tentacles that now seek to choke the life from his body.  All this time, Kharam-Akkad has moved toward two swords hanging on a nearby wall.  As Conan's monstrous nemesis falls dead, he turns to face the wizard.

Doug:  Kharam-Akkad is armed with sword and shield, and tells Conan there will be no prophecy fulfilled this evening.  Outside, the Turanian army has massed on the border of Makkalet; on the ramparts of the castle, the king and queen discuss their fate and that they will meet it together.  Back in the temple the clash continues.  Kharam-Akkad is able to knock Conan backward, but as he moves in he sees the hilt of the barbarian's sword -- with the head of an eagle as an adornment!  Staggering backwards, the wizard does everything he can to parry Conan's charge.  But the Cimmerian is strong, and as he strikes and strikes again, Kharam-Akkad's shield is battered to the point that the straps break -- straps made of a serpent's skin!  Kharam-Akkad is now thoroughly terrorized, and as a last gasp grabs one of his mirrors and attempts to draw on the power of the living Tarim.  Holding it aloft, he bids Conan to look deeply into it.  Conan rebukes his enemy, and with one hard thrust of his blade runs the wizard through.  Felled, Kharam-Akkad staggers over to the large mirror with green drape and pulls it away.  Conan now stands full in front of the vision that has plagued the high priest of Makkalet -- an image of himself over the dead man, a lion, an eagle, and a serpent.  And Roy Thomas leaves us with this foreshadowing:  one day, years in the future, Conan will sail the western seas and his men shall call him Amra... the lion.  To be continued.

Doug:  This issue was pretty dense plotwise, and as I said it was actually the third chapter in a much longer story.  I wonder if for readers who came to this at the newsstand there was a big lack of continuity.  In the first chapter, Barry Smith was embellished by Sal Buscema, Dan Adkins, and Chic Stone.  In the aforementioned "Song of Red Sonja", he stood alone on the art chores.  As you see above, John Buscema now took over with the services of two famed inkers.  And with the next issue Ernie Chan began his long collaboration with Big John.  So while Roy Thomas attempted to weave a seamless story, it had to be jarring visually.  But seriously... who would complain about all of these hall-of-famers jammed into such a short period?  Not this guy!

Doug:  I think in this issue we see Buscema somewhat grappling with his version of Conan.  Smith's rendition had become increasingly more muscled as his tenure wore on; of course here we see the Conan that most of us would recognize throughout the latter 1970's and beyond.  But there's just something here that's not quite fully John Buscema, and I can't put my finger on it.  Sure, we see certain poses that we immediately identify, and the dynamic panels, each bursting with motion and action are a JB hallmark.  I don't know -- maybe it's the updated computerized coloring.  I guess at times this just looks a little slicker than I'd like to see, especially immediately following Smith's ultra-detailed renderings.  But what sayest thou?

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EXTRA:  You may have noticed on our reading list on the sidebar that I had the conclusion of this tale scheduled to run two weeks from now.  Yeah, well, I'm just not feeling it.  I read the next issue, and since my main point was to showcase Buscema's pencils under Ernie Chan's influence, I can do that here.  I was having a hard time finding the right mood for re-reading the conclusion and doing a write-up. So instead, I've decided to do something out of the Garcia-Lopez Superman book I purchased in August.  I don't think anyone will mind.  However, since I had the introductory paragraph already written, it was easy enough to scan a couple of pages from Conan #26 and attempt to make my point.

In case you were wondering about the resolution of the plot, the kingdom is invaded and laid waste by Yezdigerd, the king is killed and Conan considers making it with the queen, and the living Tarim is exposed as a madman not even capable of thought.  So in spite of some serious fighting and near-death experiences, all's well that ends well (I guess).

Give your thoughts on Chan's inks as compared to what you've seen above in today's review.  I'll add that the updated coloring is going to be an influence on any art discussion we have, in my opinion.  So, without further ado, here's a sampling of what you won't see in two weeks but will instead get to comment on now --

Conan the Barbarian #26 (May 1973)
"The Hour of the Griffin!"
Roy Thomas-John Buscema/Ernie Chan

Doug:  I'm going to say right from the top that the arrival of Ernie Chan, the inker perhaps most associated with John Buscema's run on the color Conan the Barbarian, is striking.  And I don't necessarily mean in a good way.  After last issue's tag-team of Sal Buscema and John Severin -- two veterans from the Silver Age -- embellished Big John's pencils, Ernie Chan buries them.  For my money, this is all-Ernie, all-the-time.  Now it's not an unfamiliar look -- we've all seen it.  But the 3-issue transition from Barry Smith inked by himself to Buscema/Buscema/Severin to Buscema/Chan is jarring.  Toss in Gil Kane's cover on issue #25, and Conan fans may have been wondering just what the heck was going on in their favorite sword-and-sorcery magazine!

Of Green Hair, Purple Pants, and Concentric Circles

Incredible Hulk #150 (April 1972)
"Cry Hulk, Cry Havok!"
Archie Goodwin-Herb Trimpe/John Severin

Doug: When Karen and I reviewed the first appearance of the Beast this past Monday, I mentioned that I was reading from the X-Men Marvel Masterworks, volume 7. Included in that tome is Incredible Hulk #150, containing an appearance by Alex Summers and Lorna Dane, known in the longjohn world as Havok and Polaris. I appreciate that Marvel has taken care in the Masterworks and Essentials to sometimes add in books that are not in the main series the volume is dedicated to. Many owners of the dvd-roms have long lamented the exclusion of Giant-Size issues and crossovers from those otherwise fine collections.

Karen: I'm working from a genuine, 1972 copy! And yes, it has that "old comic" smell!

Doug: Ah, yes -- a little newsprint mustiness! I just get ink when I open one of these Masterworks... Well, if this is the Hulk's book, then you know we have to begin with the Jade Giant on the run from some army-types. And so, we find our hero hiding from soldiers led by none other than General "Thunderbolt" Ross. In the bowels of a Project Greenskin base, Hulk had battled the Inheritor the previous issue. Now he steps out into plain view and is immediately hit with nerve gas. The antagonists don gas masks, and Hulk is able to grab one before he passes out. Now stable, he fights his way to Ross. Grabbing his nemesis, the Hulk decides it would be better to let him go; using the most powerful legs on Earth (and the hardest head), Hulk jumps up and out of the base.

Karen: First off, Trimpe's Hulk never looked so good as when John Severin inked him. Secondly, this scene points out how much more powerful Hulk became over the years. I doubt that any writer in the last ten years would even imagine that gas could affect the Hulk. The Hulk is also much more man-sized here; bigger than a normal man but certainly not as huge as he would become.

Doug: I think you can chalk that up to modern creators without much of an appreciation of the history of our beloved characters -- today it's all for show, for effect.

Doug: Once free, Hulk rests on a large plateau where his mind drifts back to Jarella. He loved that pretty green maiden in a sub-atomic world and misses her now. As he muses the Air Force has located him and brings a little shock and awe his way. If you think back to the first Hulk film, the attack scene in the desert is very reminiscent of this scene. As Hulk scrambles against both air and ground assaults, the attack is suddenly squelched by an order for Ross to appear at a Congressional hearing in Washington. With the Hulk in their sites, the mission is abandoned.

Karen: The scene on the mesa was very beautiful. I also thought of the first Hulk film when reading the battle scene. But then the Hulk did spend a lot of the time in the desert fighting the army. I was a wee bit surprised that Ross backed off so readily.

Doug: We then look in on Glen Talbot and Betty Ross, speeding along in a jeep trailing the Hulk. Suddenly the Hulk takes off, bounding quickly across the sands. We then get a nice camera angle on a convertible being run down by a biker gang. Hulk lands right in the middle of the motorcycles, scattering bikes and riders everywhere. But he quickly realizes that the car is still moving and being hotly pursued. Hulk mutters to himself that he must save the girl driving; he must save Jarella, for you see -- our driver has green locks. Hulk makes another leap, but when he lands he finds motorcycles littering the landscape and the car open and unoccupied. He picks up one of the riders, but all the guy can say is that the girl pointed her hands at them and caused all the destruction.

Karen: The panel where the Hulk comes crashing down on the biker gang is just full of energy; I really like it. I think it is interesting that the Hulk never really seems out of control or furious -he's driven but still surprisingly calm.

Doug: We then see our damsel in distress up close, and long-time X-fans should have immediately recognized her as Lorna Dane, one-time object of Bobby Drake's infatuation and soon-to-be girl of one Alex Summers. Speaking of, as Lorna walks toward a house the last biker suddenly revs it up over a dune. He's picked right out of the air by a powerful blast -- but not from Lorna! It's Alex, aka Havok! Lorna runs to him and they greet each other. It's pretty obvious that our green-tressed lady was on her way to find Mr. Summers; he's happy to see her. But when he finds that she's come to recruit him back into the X-Men, he's less than thrilled.

Karen: Lorna, the mistress of magnetism, makes some remarks about how she feels so weak. "Each time I over-extend my magnetic powers, it's always the same!" She's got the same disease that the Scarlet Witch, Marvel Girl, and the Invisible Girl all had back in the 60s and early 70s - the inability to use her powers more than once in a fight scene! It's a bit maddening how all of these so-called heroines are pretty much useless. I doubt Magneto would have had any trouble with those bikers.

Doug: As they reflect on the tussle between Bobby and Alex over Lorna, Alex remarks that his power is still his worst enemy, and that he's a true danger to anyone around him. Enter the Hulk. Lorna, upset at Alex's stubbornness, fled crying just as ol' purple pants sets down. Alex, sensing this isn't headed in a positive direction, sprints into his hut and emerges seconds later in costume, the concentric circles that limit his atomic powers much more important than sartorial splendor. Hulk, in the meantime, has grabbed Lorna and is doing his best King Kong impression. But once at the top, he gets his first good look at the girl he now knows is not Jarella. Now believing he's been tricked, Hulk's anger is interrupted by the sound of an approaching jeep -- bearing Glen and Betty.

Karen: You gotta love how Alex runs into his little adobe shack to change into his costume -and then notes that while he did that, the Hulk took off with Lorna! I was thinking that the way Hulk was holding Lorna by the arms -surely they'd be pulverized?!

Doug: The Havok costume is one of my all-time favorites. I just love it. Neal Adams outdid himself on that one.

Doug: Everything is also interrupted by a blast from the ground. It would seem that Havok wants his girl let down gently. What he gets is about a half ton of gamma-irradiated rage jumping on him. And, this is where it gets weird. We know Havok hadn't had too many appearance prior to this, so perhaps his powers were undefined. But telekinetic-like prowess? Havok stops the Hulk's descent and keeps him aloft, lowering him ever so gently. Hulk's not really interested in rationalizing this mess, and strikes Havok. Grabbing his arm, Hulk gets a faceful of energy from Alex's other hand. Yeah, not a good idea. Hulk then uproots a huge chunk of the plateau atop which still sits Lorna. He squats with it over his head, looking a lot like Atlas. Alex knows that he's got to do something incredible (no pun intended) to right this. I said above this is weird -- Alex focuses his powers into the thinnest beam, aiming it right at Hulk's forehead. As the pain becomes acute, Havok coaxes the Hulk to put the rock down. He then envelopes Lorna in energy and lowers her to the ground.

Karen: Everything about this sequence was weird. The Hulk seems far stronger than I recall, but it's Havok's bizarre use of his powers that really throws me, especially levitating Lorna! How would that be any different from Cyclops pulling that stunt? Of course, she should be blown to bits. But maybe Archie Goodwin just didn't have a handle on his powers. Or -I guess he was trying to re-define them. But yeah, it seems odd. But the big panel with Hulk ripping the mountain up was pretty sweet!

Doug: As Lorna and Alex walk away, the Hulk changes back to Bruce Banner, resting under the very mountain he'd just moved. The jeep pulls up, and Betty runs to Bruce, much to the chagrin of Glen Talbot. Betty is moved to tears, however, when Bruce whispers into her ear and says, "Jarella... my love". You see, Glen knows all about that adventure, and he's now right there to pick up the pieces. As they say, to be continued!

Karen: Oh, that infamous love triangle! Or is it a quadrangle now? Well, it was a fun little romp, and a good looking book for sure.

Doug: This was a really good story, much better than some of the others in the Masterworks volume and certainly among the best Hulk stories I've seen in my very-limited Hulk-reading. John Severin's inks quite simply work miracles over Herb Trimpe's pencils. I remarked to Karen that while there is no doubt that the Hulk is Trimpe's, the rest of the book has Severin's fine stamp all over it. It's a really nice-looking story. Archie Goodwin's script is OK -- he has everyone's voice down pretty well. But as I said earlier, I'm just not sure about the abrupt change in Havok's powers. To the best of my knowledge, we've not seen Alex do any of this since. Does it make him more interesting? Well... yes. So maybe others should have run with it instead of always falling back on the "I'm too powerful, I'm dangerous" schtick. What sayest thou?