Incredible Hulk #156
Holocaust at the Heart of the Atom!
The Hulks shrinking through the Microverse has come to an end and he has found himself on a world where he has the mind of Bruce Banner. Banner realizes that he must have reached the world of K'ai, home to Jarella, the woman he loves. Bounding to the location that was her village, Bruce is shocked to find that it has been destroyed. He is soon attacked by minions of Lord Visis who attack him on flying creatures, however, they prove to be no match against the superior strength of the Hulk.
Banner is then approached by warriors led by Torla, Jarella's head sorcerer who welcomes Bruce back to K'ai. When Bruce asks where Jarella is, his is told that she is the prisoner of Visis. At Visis' strong hold, Visis asks once more that Jarella take his hand in marriage. She once more refuses him telling him that she would rather die than to marry him. Visis has other ideas in mind and shows her his dungeon, full of her countrymen who he vows to torture relentlessly unless she agrees to marry him. Believing that she has no other choice, Jarella surrenders.
While on Earth, on an island resort, Betty Ross and Glenn Talbot are on vacation together they come to terms with their growing relationship. Betty tells Glenn that she has to put her past with Bruce behind her and see what sort of future they have together.
While back in the Microverse world of K'ai, the Hulk rallies up a stampede of Warthos and sends them crashing through Lord Visis' castle interrupting his forced wedding with Jarella and rescuing her. In the days that follow the Hulk and Jarella lead her resistance army to victory after victory pushing Visis and his loyal followers into retreat. With no other choice, Visis and his people set sail to the Isle of Assassins. The island is populated by beings who hold the last of the many technological weapons that once existed on K'ai that had vanished over the ages. There they procure a weapon that manifests an opponents deepest fear into reality.
With this weapon, Visis challenges Jarella's greatest champion against one of his own choosing. Naturally, Banner is sent out to face whatever Visis throws at them and he is shocked when the device from the Isle of Assassin's creates his darkest fear: The savage Hulk himself. With the savage Hulk pound Bruce to the point of defeat, Jarella begs Torla and the other magicians to reverse the spell that gives the Hulk Bruce Banner's mind on K'ai. Upon doing so the construct of the Hulk vanishes out of existence. The Hulk, furious, turns his anger at Visis and his castle and charges. As he speeds toward the castle the size changing formula the Hulk ingested begins to wear off and the rapidly growing Hulk smashes Visis' castle, seemingly destroying the tyrant as well.
As the Hulk rapidly grows, he realizes that he is once more losing Jarella and as he rapidly grows and traverses out of Microverse the last thing he sees is Jarella shedding a single tear. When the Hulk finally grows enough to return to his normal size on Earth, he too sheds a tear although his hazy memory can just barely recall why.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Jarella, Sorcerer’s Triad (Torla, Holi, Moli), Major Talbot, Betty Ross, Visis
Continuity Notes
At the start of this story, Banner's mind is in control of the Hulk's body thanks to a previous spell cast by the Pantheon of Sorcerers in Incredible Hulk #140.
This story states that Jarella's world is contained within an atom. However, the realms of the Microverse are actually in another dimension. A traveler accesses that dimension through the process of shrinking. Eventually, they shrink to the point where they cross the dimensional threshold. This was first explained in Fantastic Four #282.
The Hulk recalls how Jarella came to his world for help against Visis in Incredible Hulk #148.
Betty recalls how she almost married Bruce Banner. This happened in Incredible Hulk #114. The wedding was crashed by the Leader and the Rhino in Incredible Hulk #124.
In this issue, Glenn Talbot proposes to Betty Ross. The two get married in Incredible Hulk #158. They eventually got divorced in Incredible Hulk #238.
Although Visis seemingly perishes here, he resurfaces years later in Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #2.
