Man-Thing/Ted
Sallis has brought Hulk into the Nexus of Realities and pleads for his help in
defeating the Swamp Witch, once the spirit of a murdered girl, now a hateful
and angry monster luring people to their deaths in the swamp. Hulk refuses to
help, tearing Sallis in half but Sallis reminds him of the girl he came with
and asks Hulk if he will let her die….ulk’s
help in destoryoning the
Meanwhile, the
Swamp Witch has seized Charlie after luring her close with a tentacle that resembled
her dead younger brother Earl and is about to drop her into its maw when help
arrives. Hulk and Man-Thing have come and Hulk tears the monster apart with a
little help from Manny. Once it is dead, Hulk sees Charlie weeping over the
false brother, consumed by guilt. Then Hulk transforms back into Bruce Banner
as Betty Ross appears before him. Charlie calls it an illusion but Betty
establishes her reality by turning into the Red Harpy. She is speaking on
behalf of the Eldest who wants the Hulk. Once she has him, she will give Bruce
and Betty new, normal bodies. Bruce asks why the Eldest wants Hulk but Betty points
out that Hulk is slowly erasing the Banner personality and he may not have much
time left, before she flies away….
“Power Man No
More”
Writer: Vita
Ayala. Art: Alitha E. Martinez. Colors: Matthew Wilson. Letters: Travis Lanham.
Synopsis: As
the story opens, Power Man (Victor Alvarez) is fighting the Hulk and mostly
losing, having been in the area when Hulk fought the Red Creek monsters (issue
#3) and so tracked down the fugitive monster….
Afterwards,
Bruce Banner and Victor chat around the campfire as Charlie sleeps, sharing
their history of lost identities. Bruce has come to realize there is no dividing
line between himself and Hulk, he is just a void the big green guy fills. Victor’s
power comes from absorbing other people’s chi and with it their memories and he
has taken the name of another hero. The two part on friendly terms and Victor resumes
his original errand: visiting his father’s grave. He tells his dad that he will
give up trying to fill someone else’s shoes and set out on his own….