When Attuma Strikes!

Hank Pym is working on a project involving his ants. He calls Janet over to bring him a box of tubes, which she accidentally drops. Pym gets angry with Janet, causing her to get upset, thinking she means nothing to him and runs to her room. While in her room, Janet van Dyne thinks about how she feels foolish for being in love with a man whom she feels will never return the affection, and decides to leave her partner for good. She packs away clothes in a suitcase, and boards a plane to an undisclosed location, leaving a note behind for Hank to read. While she's on the plane, Hank figures out a way to work around Jan's error, and goes to look for Jan around the house to celebrate, feeling guilty over the way he treated her. He finds the note on the desk, and goes ballistic, feeling that he's the one to blame for losing "The one precious thing I hold dear in life!" During his moment on anger, he uncontrollably becomes Giant, breaking various pieces of his home, before finally passing out on the floor, back to his normal size.

Meanwhile, Janet's plane gets taken into a fountain of bubbles by Attuma. Attuma is still embarrassed over the defeat that happen to him at the hands of The Sub-Mariner, and decides to redeem his honor by attacking the plane and planning on taking a human from it to study. The plane is taken to a newly created island next to the bubble fountain. Janet is chosen by Attuma to be the person for the underwater enemies to study. Janet frantically eats the crumbs from a previous reducing capsule in her pocketbook, which allows her to send a message to Hank from an ant, to come and rescue her. Hank receives the message, and frantically hurries out to chase Attuma, and begins attacking Attuma's various henchmen. Hank then rescues Janet from a paralyzing beam and gives her her old costume, which she puts on. Hank then angrily tells Attuma that he cannot treat his "gal" that way, revealing his feelings for Janet. They both attack Attuma. Janet and Hank both begin to beat Attuma and his men, with Janet musing to herself that she enjoys fighting at Hank's side again. While Hank is rescuing Janet from another paralyzing ray shot, Attuma turns on his emergency flood control tank, causing everything around Hank and Jan to flood. Jan once again confesses her love for Hank, thinking that it's all over, but Hank finds an air bubble for the both of them to breathe in. Attuma does not realize this, and turns off the chamber, causing Hank and Janet to attack him once more. Attuma flees. Jan and Hank also flee in their own ship, holding hands and reconciling with each other, as Hank also apologizes. They tell each other how much they missed each other, as the story ends.

Recurring Characters

Giant-Man, Wasp, Attuma

Continuity Notes

• Attuma mentions his previous battle against the Sub-Mariner from Fantastic Four #33

The Horde of Humanoids

Starting as the last issue ended, Bruce Banner is locked in a government prison for allegedly trying to steal a device that he created for the Army. He has been taking tranquilizer pills to keep him from turning into the Hulk while in jail, but Thunderbolt Ross and Major Talbot simply assume he is taking them to keep from panicking. When Bruce is moved to Washington DC prior to his trial, Rick Jones pays him a visit, and tells Bruce that he should just tell everyone the truth about who he is. Bruce says that he can never do that for if enemies of America discovered who he was and how he got his powers, they might try to study him and use his powers for their own desires, or maybe even make a whole army of new Hulks. Banner thinks aloud that he would reveal his identity but only to someone who would never let the information get out. This gives Rick an idea, and he goes see the President of the United States himself, Lyndon B. Johnson. At first Rick can't get through to him, but he gets through easily once he shows the staff his Avengers badge. Once President Johnson knows the truth, he immediately gives Bruce Banner a pardon.

Now a free man, Banner is ordered to travel to Astra Island with Glen Talbot to test his new nuclear device. Talbot still does not trust him however. This mistrust coupled with the fact that Banner has run out of his tranquilizer pills sees Banner turn into the Hulk again. He is able to get away from Talbot first, and thus Talbot simply thinks that Banner called the Hulk somehow. At that moment, the Leader's army of Humanoids strike the Hulk, attempting to capture him for the Leader so the Leader can learn the Hulk's secrets, and possibly convince the Hulk to work for him. His logic is that since they both have green skin they must have both gotten their powers in the same way, and thus have a connection to each other. As the Hulk is battling the Humanoids, Talbot protects the device and then radios the Army for help.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, General Ross, Major Talbot, Rick Jones, Betty Ross, The Leader, The Chameleon

Continuity Notes

• The President of the United States is depicted as Lyndon B. Johnson. This should be cosnidered a Topical Reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.