Incredible Hulk #260
Sunset of a Samurai!
Hulk seeks shelter on an extinct volcano after arriving in Japan. He sympathizes with a little statue of Buddha after he finds food next to it.
At the base of the volcano, a Japanese movie crew begins filming Dragon Over Tokyo. The film's director, Sanshiro Sugata, is contractually obligated to direct the piece, but feels that the location for the shoot dishonors the traditions of his people.
Meanwhile, Glenn Talbot continues his hunt for the Hulk. He flies his War-Wagon to Mount Kuroishi and engages the Hulk in combat. He first firebombs the area where the Hulk is resting, then hits him with the Wagon's sonic cannons. Naturally enraged, the Hulk fights back, hurling large chunks of rock at the War-Wagon, which Talbot deftly deflects. Talbot then fires a cluster bomb at the Hulk which explodes into a series of miniature gas grenades. The Hulk leaps through the gas to attack the War-Wagon directly, but Talbot activates the vessel's electro-shields, sending hundreds of volts of electricity through the Hulk's body. Talbot's repeated assaults cause geological instability on the island and the volcano becomes active. Donning an encephalo-helmet, Talbot takes manual control over all of the ship's higher functions. The Hulk leaps upon the War-Wagon a second time, but now Talbot mentally experiences every impact as if the Hulk were actually striking him and not just the ship.
Meanwhile, lava from the volcano threatens to destroy Sanshiro Sugata's movie set. More importantly though, it threatens to destroy a large jade Buddha, which Sugata holds in high regard. He operates the controls to his mechanical dragon prop and uses it to create a canal that reroutes the lava flow, thus preventing the destruction of the Buddha.
On the other side of the island, a violent burst of lava explodes from the side of the volcano and consumes the War-Wagon. The ship plummets to the ground as Talbot is still plugged into the encephalo-helmet. The mental shock proves too much for him, and Talbot is killed.
Afterwards, the Hulk finds the diverted lava flow and sees that it still threatens to overwhelm the jade Buddha despite Sanshiro Sugata's efforts. The Hulk likes the Buddha so he pushes it out of harm's way before leaping off to find solace.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Rick Jones, Glenn Talbot, Teen Brigade
Continuity Notes
References to Russia being called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Likewise, the depiction of the Twin Towers at the site of the World Trade Center should be considered a topical reference as well. The original towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001.
