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Incredible Hulk #161

Mar 1973

Steve Englehart, Herb Trimpe

Story Name:

Beyond the Border Lurks Death

Synopsis

Incredible Hulk #161 synopsis by Theskis13

Rating:

Hulk is wandering through Canada only to have some Mounties stumble across his path. They recognize the American monster and decide to try their luck. Hulk rips a tree out of the ground, upending the Mounties, and retreats into the wilderness, bashing trees out of his way. Having the Hulk in the loose, the Canadian authorities decide to close the border crossings for precaution.

Cut to a car on a bridge at the border trying to get to Canada, where a girl named Vera and Hank McCoy (the Beast) are listening to the radio hearing about the Hulk. Hank uses a pressure point to knock Vera out and turns into his blue-furred self. Bounding past the confused Mounties, he enters the Canadian wilderness with Vera over his shoulders. Later on, Hank changes back to his human form before she wakes up.

Meanwhile, Hulk, still wandering around, starts feeling weak as he moves in a certain direction. He wants to find out what is making him weak!

Hank and Vera arrive at a cabin out in the sticks where Calvin Rankin, the Mimic, is staying. His power, believed gone in X-Men #77, is turning back on. Unfortunately, his is a deadly power since it drains the very lives of people. Rankin asked McCoy to help him eliminate his curse.

Meanwhile, General Thunderbolt Ross is preparing a strike against the Hulk. But the Canadian government commands him to standby.

Back with the Hulk, he got close to the cabin, and is standing on top of a cliff when a wave of dizziness disorients him. As a result, he falls hard into the cabin where the Beast, Mimic and Vera are at.

Hulk realizes the cabin is where his “hurt” comes from and smacks the Beast out of the way. Yes, Mimic was the one draining the energy from the Hulk!

The Beast, determined to save Mimic, attacks the green monster using acrobatics to stay one step ahead. But eventually, Hulk grabs the Beast and is about to smash the “blue monkey”, when Mimic bear hugs the Hulk from behind. The weakened Hulk cannot free himself. Mimic absorbs some more of Hulk’s gamma radiation, which poisoned him, and dies.

That was Mimic’s plan all along; his death to keep the world safe from his murderous power.

Having unknowingly helped to “save the world”, Hulk no longer feels sick, and departs, forgetting all about the incident.

Quotes

Interesting passages found in this comic book.

"Hulk: "Hold still, Monkey! Hulk tries to hit you, and you get out of the way!" The Beast: "Can't help it, Hulk! I promised my insurance agent!""
~ HULK

Review / Commentaries

Incredible Hulk #161 Review by Theskis13 (February 15, 2010)

First appearance of the Beast in a Hulk comic.

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This comic is in the following collection:

Collects Incredible Hulk (1968) #157-178; material from FOOM (1973) #1-2.

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Holy smokes, Batman!
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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Steve Englehart

Herb Trimpe

Sal Trapani

Herb Trimpe (Cover Penciler)

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Beast
(Henry Phillip McCoy)

Hulk
(Robert Bruce Banner)

Mimic

Thunderbolt Ross
(Thaddeus Ross)

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