Hulk (Vol. 2) #30 — Nick Peron

Mar 16

Mar 16 Hulk (Vol. 2) #30

Marvel Two in One

Detecting a strange phenomenon coming to Earth, the Red Hulk is sent to Death Valley to intercept and investigate. Banner warns Thaddeus that whatever it is, it appears to be seeking out a Hulk. When the Red Hulk arrives on the scene he sees a strange vortex floating just above the ground. Suddenly, the Woodgod emerges from the portal, kicking the Red Hulk in the face. Confusing Ross for the original Hulk, Woodgod attacks him as it is his mission to destroy the Hulk. However, the Red Hulk easily overpowers Woodgod. Crying for his father, the Woodgod flees back into the portal. The Red Hulk is then approached by a being who appears to be the green Hulk, but it turns out to be the Impossible Man. He quickly establishes that this is not the original Hulk, but the Impossible Man hardly cares that the being searching for him will care. When the Red Hulk asks what he is talking about, the Impossible Man tells him that he has been sent to record the proceedings for a galactic consortium who has placed bets to see if Xemnu the Titan, who once called himself the Hulk, can defeat him in battle. No sooner does he learn this does Xemnu emerge from the portal. The Impossible Man explains that Xemnu was defeated by the Hulk once in the past and now seeks a rematch to reclaim his old name.

Thinking this foe is hardly a challenge, the Red Hulk leaps at Xemnu but is made to hit himself by Xemnu's telepathic abilities instead. As Xemnu scoffs at his apparently inferior foe, he is knocked to the ground when the green Hulk lands on him. Xemnu is glad to see his original foe and is glad to know that his telepathic powers have no effect on him still. To counteract this, Xemnu has gathered an army of monsters to fight the Hulk as well. The two Hulks are quickly overpowered by this swarm of alien monsters. Not wishing the Earth to be destroyed in the battle, the Impossible Man uses his powers to try and help by merging the two Hulks together, turning them into the Composite Hulk. When the two Hulks realize what the Impossible Man has done they are both furious the impish alien has done this due to their mutual dislike for one another. Despite the fact that this transformation has made their fighting off-kilter, the two Hulks manage to work together to fight off the alien attackers.

Furious, Xemnu unleashes his secret weapon, a creature named Kluh, a pale skinned brute that speaks with great intelligence. Kluh gets the advantage against the Composite Hulk due to the fact that the two Hulks are becoming more and more combative with each other. Knocked clear into the sky, the green Hulk tells his red counterpart that they need to focus on something they have in common, a technique he learned from Doc Samson. Focusing on the thought of Betty Ross, the two find a common ground to work together with. When they land on the ground they easily strong arm and defeat Kluh. Before they can take the fight to Xemnu, he unleashes a Makluan upon them. The Composite Hulk grabs the alien dragon and turns its flame breath on Xemnu, scorching off most of his fur. Cowering, the Composite Hulk then kicks their foe and his allies back through the portal in which they came. The Impossible Man is impressed by their performance, especially since they won him a lot of money and offers them to get into more galactic matches. The Composite Hulk shouts a stream of profanities at the Impossible Man and demands to be separated. With no other choice, the Impossible Men separates the two Hulks, who then go their own separate ways.

Recurring Characters

Red Hulk, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Impossible Man, Woodgod, Xemnu, Zzutak, Taboo, Martian who Walks Among Us, Creature from Krogarr, Blip, the Venusian

Continuity Notes

Xemnu states that he is the "original Hulk". Xemnu originally called himself the Hulk when he first appeared in Journey into Mystery #62. He is seeking a rematch with the green Hulk after he was defeated in Incredible Hulk Annual #5.

The Impossible Man mentions his love of Earth, he instantly fell in love with Earth after his first visit back in Fantastic Four #11.

Save the Date (Part One)

A-Bomb is called to the Yucatan Penninsula by an environmentalist named Chibi who wants him to investigate a strange crater that blew out of the side of a mountain. A-Bomb accepts the task as it is too dangerous for anyone else. After meeting the adulation of the people gathered to see him, Rick ventures into the tunnel.

No sooner is A-Bomb down the tunnel do Chibi and her people spot the She-Hulk and Lyra coming in for a landing. Fearing that these two will interfere with their plans, Chibi holds up her hand as a strange symbol begins to glow. Meanwhile, Rick gets to the bottom of the tunnel and finds a massive cave. Spotting a massive crystal on the opposite wall. Before he can get a closer look he is approached by two hideous creatures. They try to block his path while speaking in a strange alien tongue. A-Bomb doesn't understand what they are saying but takes their actions as a threat and lashes into them.

At first, A-Bomb easily overpowers the two creatures, but when he stops to pat himself on the back, they catch him off guard and knock him out. As it turns out, Rick was tagged with an image inducer that made She-Hulk and Lyra look like monsters. With Rick down, the illusion fades, although Lyra is determined to slay A-Bomb for working with their foes.