Tales to Astonish #71
Escape...to Nowhere!
Namor is trapped by a giant killer squid that is protecting the cave that has the first clue to Neptune's Trident. With nothing else to defend himself, he uses the clue, a shell with Neptune's mark, to slay the creature. With the monster dead, Neptune's spirit appears before the Sub-Mariner and congratulates him for passing the first test. The spirit tells Namor that he will have to travel to the Forbidden Depths in order to find the next clue to the Trident's location.
Boring his way out of the cavern, Namor is attacked by minions of Warlord Krang in an attempt to kill Namor. The Sub-Mariner easily defeats them and swims off to his next location. Monitoring this from afar is Krang who is furious but has not given up destroying Namor. Lady Dorma, his helpless prisoner vows that if Namor dies her heart will die with him as she truly loves him.
As the Sub-Mariner approaches the Forbidden Sea he sense that he is being followed. Turning, he finds an elderly Atlantean who pledges allegiance to Namor despite the fact that Krang has usurped the throne. The Sub-Mariner is touched and thanks the ancient one for his faith in him, resuming his quest. While, back in Atlantis, Lady Dorma is consumed with guilt -- if she allows Krang to marry her she could be queen, but she is in love with Namor who refuses her advances. With Krang in full control he begins ruling Atlantis as a dictator, demanding high taxes and having his minions kill whoever opposes him.
Namor meanwhile arrives at the Forbidden Sea and and faces his next challenge: The Seaweed Man, a creature made entirely out of seaweed. Namor's initial attack appears to have no effect on the creature who then begins to impose its strength on him.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Lady Dorma, Warlord Krang, Vashti, Neptune
Like a Beast At Bay!
With the Hulk about to attack the gigantic humanoid, Rick rushes to stop the Hulk before he gets caught in the explosion of the giant "Sunday Punch" missile deployed by General Ross. Hulk finally hears Rick's warning and he grabs the boy and tries to escape. The missile meets its mark, hitting the humanoid and exploding, and while Rick and the Hulk were clear of the explosion itself the two are rocked by the shockwave. Landing on a plateau, Hulk realizes that Rick has been knocked unconscious and performs artificial respiration on the boy to revive him.
Elsewhere, the Leader watches on his monitor as his gigantic humanoid is toppled. As the military tries to take custody of the gigantic android, the Leader causes it to self destruct. The Leader then decides to try to either make the Hulk his ally, or destroy him.
The military meanwhile spots the Hulk making his escape with the revived Rick Jones, and manages to follow the two to Banner's secret lab, where they have the two cornered. In spite of the Hulk's defensive attacks, hurling rocks at the military personnel, Ross orders an air strike on the base and orders the Hulk to surrender or else be bombed from above. The Hulk, not wanting to put Rick in danger, sends the boy out to safety and prepares for the worst. At that moment, the mental image of the Leader appears and appeals to the Hulk to be his ally as he has the means to teleport the Hulk out of his current predicament, giving the Hulk just moments to decide.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Rick Jones, General Ross, Major Talbot, Leader
