Nick Peron

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Incredible Hulk #389

Nick Peron

Of Man and Man-Thing

Credits

While at the Pantheon's Mount, Paris assigns the Hulk and Rick Jones to investigate a series of disappearances in the swamps of Florida. Mostly, they are teenagers, but the Pantheon is interested because one of the missing is a former scientist Sumner Beckwith. Beckwith was associated with the Pantheon and was researching a possible cure for cancer. Not long after his disappearance, the teenagers began missing and signs of some kind of monster in the swamp started emerging. The Hulk and Rick Jones take a plane out to Florida. When they are over the area, the Hulk jumps out and knocks down enough trees to build a runway for Rick. After they land and move on, their passage attracts the attention of the Man-Thing. Drawn by their emotions, the muck-monster shambles after them, unseen. Elsewhere in the swamp a group trio of teens named Fred, Angel and Randy are looking for their friends Richie and Todd, who are among the missing. While Fred thinks they're dead, Angel thinks they are probably playing a prank and is determined to find them. However, while Angel is preoccupied ranting about how there probably isn't a monster, she neglects to notice that Fred and Randy have suddenly disappeared leaving her in the swamp all alone.

Starting to panic, Angel starts to run for it when she suddenly runs into a strange creature made out of the mud. She screams and tries running the opposite direction and runs right into the Man-Thing. Drawn by her fear, the creature grabs her arm and it instantly starts to burn. Angel pulls free and manages to get away, running into Rick Jones. Soon they are surrounded by the two muck monsters. Rick tries to club the Man-Thing with a stick, but it passes harmlessly through the mire that makes up the creature's body. Rick then tries a flare gun and as the Man-Thing is distracted, they manage to slip away. Meanwhile, the Hulk finds Professor Beckwith's lab. Finding his hidden diary, he learns that Beckwith was trying to duplicate the Super-Soldier formula that created Captain America, after finding the lost research of Ted Salis. However, something went wrong after injecting himself with the formula. When the Hulk exits the cabin he finds the police have surrounded the cabin. However, he has little patience for the officers and easily bowls through them.

Elsewhere in the swamp, Fred and Randy are laughing about leaving Angel in the swamp when they are suddenly attacked by the Glob who grabs them by their faces and pulls them out of the swamp as they drown in his grip. Meanwhile, Angel lures Rick Jones to a cemetery where he is attacked by a bunch of youths. As Rick fights them off, their leader, Luc, emerges. Apparently, these teens have been trying to capture the monster and intend to use Rick as bait. When Rick refuses he is knocked out and tied to a tree.

When Rick wakes up the Glob is upon him, and it pushes his face into its mucky body. His screams not only alert the Man-Thing but also the Hulk, who knock the Glob away from Rick before he can be smothered in the muck. Mistaking the Glob for the same creature he fought years ago, the Hulk laces into it. Beating it to the point where the creature actually begins to experience fear. This angers the Man-Thing which incinerates the Glob with its burning touch. With the danger over, Angel is upset to see that Fred and Randy are dead. Rick and the Hulk then give her a stern warning about taking needless risks. As the Man-Thing shambles off, the Hulk can't help but wonder if the creature is Ted Sallis, and what sort of sins Ted might have committed to being condemned to such a fate.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Rick Jones, Paris, Man-Thing, Glob

Continuity Notes

  • The origins of the Man-Thing are recapped here as they were originally told in Savage Tales #1.

  • The dates in Beckwith's calendar are all dated in the year 1990. These dates should be considered topical references per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

  • Luc hopes he will get on the The Arsenio Hall Show if they catch the monster. The Arsenio Hall Show ran from 1989-1994. Although the show experienced a brief revival in the 2013-2014 season, this should also be considered a topical reference.