Incredible Hulk #228
Bad Moon on the Rise!
Dr. Leonard Samson puts the Hulk through his paces, and has him test his strength against a giant hydraulic press inside of Gamma Base. The Hulk grows impatient with the persistent battery of tests and decides to end them quickly by pushing the entire press through the ceiling, destroying the platform base in the process. Deciding that the Hulk has had enough for one day, Ross and Samson agree to let him rest. Jim Wilson leads the Hulk into a bedroom. The Hulk is still impatient, and doesn’t like his bed, complaining that it is too soft.
Later, Ross walks outside to say goodbye to Spad McCracken. The two have been through a lot together recently, and the stress is beginning to take its toll on General Ross. To further anger the General, a crowd of reporters have gathered outside the Press building along with Kropotkin the Great. Ross storms over to clear the area, but they immediately set upon him, asking him pointed questions concerning Doc Samson’s treatment of the Hulk. Ross flies into a rage in front of the TV cameras.
A psychiatrist named Dr. Karla Sofen telephones Doc Samson and asks if she could visit Gamma Base to study his therapy of the Hulk. Samson knows of Sofen’s reputation in the psychiatric community and welcomes her visit. Doctor Sofen is not just an eager psychiatrist however, she is in fact a super-powered agent of the Corporation known as Moonstone.
Arriving at the base as Sofen, she actually intends on stealing top-secret gamma-ray technology. She briefly meets with Samson, but at night, she changes into her Moonstone identity and begins skulking about the base. She breaks into a highly-secure vault, but after acquiring the technology that she seeks, she discovers that the alarm systems have been set off. Believing that her presence has been discovered, Moonstone teleports into a nearby hallway. There she finds that it was actually the Hulk (having grown restless in his uncomfortable bed) who set off the alarm.
The Hulk is still sleepy and believes that Moonstone is only a product of a dream. He reaches out towards her, but Moonstone responds by punching him in the jaw. "Dream or no dream", intones the Hulk, "Nobody hits the Hulk!" Moonstone eggs him on, hoping to spurn him into wilder fits of rage. The Hulk charges at her, and she is barely fast enough to avoid his smashing fists. He finally catches her though and smashes the wall that leads outside.
Down on the ground, Doc Samson and several military soldiers stare upward in horror as the Hulk, in a fully psychotic rage, holds the limp form of Doctor Karla Sofen in his arms. He promises to show the world just how much a monster the Hulk can be!
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Moonstone, Betty Ross, Clay Quartermain, Doc Samson, General Ross, Jim Wilson, Spade McCracken, Kroptopkin the Great
Continuity Notes
Betty Ross-Talbot glosses over his marital problems. She married Glenn Talbot in Incredible Hulk #168. Their marriage hit some trouble when Glenn was put in a catatonic state from Incredible Hulk #188-200. The experience strained their marriage with Talbot leaving in Incredible Hulk #208 and Betty leaving Gamma Base to rediscover herself in Incredible Hulk #212.
Reference is made to the Hulk's late love Jarella she died in Incredible Hulk #205.
