Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #79

Mar 11

Mar 11 Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #79

Tempest Fugit, Part 3

Gwen and Ripley are trapped on Monster Island along with the Hulk. While hiding in a shelter they are visited by a man who appears to be General Thaddeus Ross. They find his appearance to be strange, and Gwen thinks she recognizes him from somewhere. However, he says she probably saw him in the news and leaves it at that. He offers them sanctuary from all the monsters attacking them. While Elsewhere, on the island the Hulk is battling what appears to be the dragon Fin Fang Foom, and his mind keep on going back to events that happened to Bruce Banner while he was a teenager...

... Bruce's Aunt Susan checked the mail that day and found a letter from Bruce's father. Not wanting the boy to have contact with his insane father, Susan crumpled it up and threw it away, wishing that Brian Banner would just stop writing. Meanwhile, Bruce had returned to school after recovering from his injuries from a beating he got from the local jocks. He decides, against the suggestions of the Hulk, to try and talk to Carla to see if she is okay. However, Carla doesn't want to talk to him...

... When Fin Fang Foom offers the Hulk a chance to kneel before him, the Hulk balks at the suggestion. This prompts the dragon to try to incinerate the man-monster with his flame breath. this has no effect on the Hulk, who then grabs the Foom by the tongue and beats on the creature as it tries to fly away. His mind drifts back again...

... Carla is angry at Bruce for stepping in when Ken was harassing her. This is because now everyone is teasing her about it, thinking that she is Bruce's girlfriend when she has no interest in Banner whatsoever. She tells Banner that she thinks he is a freak. She stops herself there, apologizing for going too far by calling him a freak, but tells him to stay away from her in the future. The Hulk tells Bruce not to worry because they will smash them all. Banner agrees...

... Meanwhile, General Ross leads Gwen and Ripley through the jungle, explaining to them that they have stumbled upon something called "Operation: S.M.A.S.H.", which stands for "Synthetic Mirage Artificial Scenario Hallucinations". A device that plucks the images from the mind of a target and creates life-like creations against the enemy. As he leads them to the main bunker, he asks the two young people how they came to be on the island. They explain that they are musicians performing at a private party on a boat which later sank. When Gwen tells Ross his theory on how he thinks they are dead. Thaddeus scoffs at this when he is suddenly attacked by a three-headed dog and dragged off into the woods. From inside the bunker comes a scientist named Professor Stephen Yarish who tells the two young people to get inside. He explains the project has run out of control, but Gwen doesn't want to leave Thaddeus behind. She picks up the General's discarded gun and runs out to save him.

While high above the island, the Hulk continues his battle with Fin Fang Foom. Foom claims that he is controlling everything on the island and is fooling Gwen and Ripley into thinking that this is some kind of government facility. However, the Hulk isn't interested in listening and pins Foom's wings forcing the dragon to plunge into a nearby volcano. The Hulk leaps away, leaving the dragon to plunge into the lava to his doom. Needing answers, the Hulk allows himself to revert back to Bruce Banner, since that is his alter-ego's wheelhouse. Banner tries to make sense of the situation and decides he needs to find the two young people that rescued him. As he sits down to get his bearings, Banner is unaware that someone is watching him from the cover of the jungle, someone with three Adamantium claws.