Incredible Hulk #209
The Absorbing Man Is Out for Blood!
They Who Wield Power have brought forth the Absorbing Man and asked him to kill the Hulk. The villain wants to get revenge himself but doesn't entirely trust his would-be employers. They explain how they have previously provided weapons and equipment to the villains known as the Orb and Stegron, as well as instigated a revolt of the Lava Men. Although all of these schemes met with failure at the hands of Spider-Man and others, Carl Creel accepts the job when They threaten to send him back to the New York Police.
Meanwhile, at his newly rented apartment, Bruce Banner entertains his landlord April Sommers. When he laments about the prospect of job hunting, she leaves him with the local newspaper to start his hunt. While at Gamma Base, Glenn Talbot and his wife Betty start having a serious talk about where their marriage is going. With so many problems caused by Glenn's position in the Air Force the couple agree that they should take a break, Glenn deciding to pack his things and leave Gamma Base for a while.
Back in New York, Bruce Banner pounds the pavement on his quest to find work. However, everywhere he goes he finds himself rejected. Banner returns home frustrated by the whole experience. Suspecting this was going to happen, April tells Bruce that she pulled some strings and convinced a friend to give Bruce a job at a construction site on the West Side of the city. Elsewhere in the city, the Absorbing Man appears right where he was plucked away by They and he begins his hunt for the Hulk. At that moment in the American heartland, Jim Wilson continues his trek across the United States in the hope he can come to the aid of the Hulk. Meanwhile, Banner reports for work at the construction site and begins the menial work around the site. Bruce finds that experience a nice change of pace after all the years sharing his life with the Hulk.
However, this momentary peace is interrupted when the Absorbing Man arrives on the scene, smashing his way into the partially constructed building. Spotting Banner, Creel orders him to turn into the Hulk so he can have his revenge. When Banner tries to play dumb, the Absorbing Man tries to take a swing at him, sending Banner falling off the building. While back at Gamma Base, Doc Samson, General Ross, and Clay Quartermain are watching over the mystery stranger Samson found wandering in the desert. When the man wakes up screaming they manage to calm him down. However, when they ask the man who he is, he is shocked to discover that he doesn't remember. Back in New York, Banner survives the fall thanks to another transformation into the Hulk. The two begin to fight, damaging the building's structural integrity.
Soon the building starts to collapse and as they fall, the Absorbing Man reaches out for metal to take the form of. Unfortunately, his aim is off he touches glass turning into that instead, causing him to shatter into pieces when he hits the ground. The Hulk emerges from the rubble more-or-less unscathed. Watching from their secret hideout are They Who Weild Power. They are unphased by this latest setback but are looking forward to plotting against the Hulk in the near future. Meanwhile, the jade brute pulls himself from the rubble and stumbles away. Exhausted form his ordeal, the Hulk collapses in a nearby alley where he instantly falls asleep, triggering a change back into Bruce Banner. As Banner slumbers, he is unaware that yet another shadowed figure has found him and now stands over him.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Absorbing Man, They Who Wield Power (Des, Keeper of the Flame, Prince Rey), Doc Samson, Major Talbot, Jim Wilson, April Sommers, General Ross, Clay Quartermain, amnesiac, Doctor Druid
Continuity Notes
The identities of the They Who Wield Power is revealed in Incredible Hulk #234. They explain some of their past plots in this story:
Outfitting the Orb with weapons in Marvel Team-Up #15.
Providing a flying ark to Stegron the Dinosaur Man in Marvel Team-Up #20.
And lastly instigating a revolt among the Lava Men in Marvel Team-Up #26.
The events of Rampaging Hulk (vol 2) #1-6 and Incredible Hulk Annual #6 happen between pages 4 and 5 of this story.
Glenn and Betty Talbot's marital problems began coming to a head when Glenn was put in a catatonic state in Incredible Hulk #188, then persisted after he was cured in Incredible Hulk #200.
The trouble that Jim Wilson has gotten involved in is with the Corporation as is revealed throughout the course of Incredible Hulk #209 and resolving itself in Incredible Hulk #237.
The mystery man that Doc Samson brings to Gamma Base is revealed to be the Leader in Incredible Hulk #223.
The Hulk recalls his last battle against the Absorbing Man from Incredible Hulk #125. The Absorbing Man recounts how he got his powers from Loki in Journey into Mystery #114.
