Incredible Hulk (Vol. 3) #9

Stay Angry! (Part 2)

Deep below the ocean, the Kukkelburr Brothers are hunting when they are informed by another of the people that their seaweed crops have died. The news is spread to the Beederbat Twins, and the Krooger Cousins as well. When they inquire as to why they discover that the magic that made the seaweed grow is now gone.

In a nearby city, the Hulk has woken up to discover that an Atlantean woman had performed surgery on him, implanting an object in his chest. Realizing he is at the bottom of the ocean, he demands to speak to Prince Namor. The woman tells him that he is in the Free-State of Southern Submera, and that Namor's law does not reach this deep in the ocean. The woman explains that she purposely injected Banner with adrenaline to trigger a transformation into the Hulk after the surgery as Banner offered her access to better equipment in exchange for her assistance. He demands to know what is inside him, but before he can get an answer, the Kukkelburr Brothers and their allies come crashing into the room, flooding it with water. Seeing the female doctor in the room, they warn her that she is going to be punished by Old Sharkey for her betrayal. Before they can take her away, the Hulk fights his way through the Atlantean rednecks and escapes with the woman. Once outside, he sees the ruins of Ancient Atlantis, which the doctor tells him that there is much magic in this region. Suddenly, the object implanted in his chest begins to glow. She explains that the object she implanted with him is a small piece of rock that contains the last vestige of magic this town has left.

In the seaweed fields, Old Sharky confirms that their crop has died off since the removal of the mystical rock. Correctly deducing that the surface dweller was responsible for the theft of the rock, Old Sharkey orders the Crab Riders be deployed to deal with the intruder. As the Hulk is led away by the doctor she tells him that her people used the rock to grow seaweed that, when mixed with other ingredients, is turned into an alcoholic beverage called the Black Mash. She warns him that ingesting the Black Mash makes her people strong, angry, and paranoid, as well as prone to inbreeding. As she explains this, Old Sharky and his minions drink some Black Mash and are instantly enraged and begin pursuing their foes. The locals soon catch up with them and attack with a legion of fighting squids and Crab Riders. The Hulk tries to fight them off when suddenly a Cave Whale begins passing through. The Hulk grabs the doctor and the two hitch a ride on it to escape. When his people report back to him, Old Sharky orders that they get the Breederbate Twins some Sharkroot buckshot and a big jug of Black Mash.

They catch up to the Hulk and his unwitting ally firing Hammerhead Sharks at them. The Hulk tries to fight them off, but he is blasted by the sonic screams of sirens who are riding along with his foe. Feeling the change back into Bruce Banner happening again, the Hulk needs something to make him angry again and ward off the reversion. Wondering what the Black Mash would do to him, the Hulk smashes into Old Sharky's ship, spilling Black Mash into the water. The Hulk then ingests this booze and finds himself hypercharged with anger. He smashes Old Sharkey's forces and escapes to an island on the surface with the woman. There he demands that she cuts the rock out of him. When she tells him that they came to this island for an airline ticket that Banner left for her, he realizes that she had been working for him the entire time. When he tries to stop her, she reveals that she is a siren also when she screams in his face. The pain of the sonic blast causes the Hulk to blackout.

When the Hulk transforms again, he begins ripping out of a spacesuit, realizing that he is in the void of space.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Old Sharky