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Incredible Hulk #156: Review

Oct 1972

Archie Goodwin, Herb Trimpe

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Story Name:

Holocaust At The Heart Of The Atom!

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Quotes

I want happiness too... But not for a night, a moment.
~ BRUCE BANNER

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Incredible Hulk #156 Synopsis by Julio Molina-Muscara

At last, Hulk reaches K'ai, Jarella's world! The spell cast by the queen's wizards during his first arrival (see Incredible Hulk #140) kicks in, so Bruce Banner becomes in control of the monster's body.

Hulk is attacked by Lord Visis' troops, but he defeats them. Hulk then meets Torla, one of the wizards who tells him that Jarella has been kidnapped by Lord Visis who insists in making her his wife to become the ruler of the planet. She finally accepts to spare the lives of her subjects, who would turn into fatal victims is she insisted her denial.

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Meanwhile, Betty Ross and Glenn Talbot are relaxing on a nice beach town. After her failed relationship with Banner, Betty has decided to move forward, and she speaks about marriage with Glenn (!) who is madly in love with her. He corresponds her with a kiss.

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Back in K'ai, Hulk crashes through the castle walls with a horde of tamed Warthos and rescues Jarella before the wedding ceremony could take place.

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Hulk and Jarella gather their forces and battle those of Lord Visis. Sensing defeat, Lord Visis visits Pitll Pawob, the isle of assassins, asking their leader Krylar for aid. Visis is offered a device that causes inner fears to come to life as a means to defeat Jarella's champion, Banner-the-Hulk.

Torla lets the Hulk know that

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Jarella would like to marry him. But he decides to wait until the war is over so he may offer her a more lasting happiness.

Hulk approaches the castle for a final battle against Lord Visis, and he uses his device against the green monster. As a result, Banner's biggest fear comes to life, a copy of the Hulk! This other Hulk is savage, "mindless", all-or-nothing type of attitude. Such is ultimately "stronger" than a "smart" Hulk, and so the 2nd Hulk is about to kill the first!

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To save him, Jarella orders her wizards to cancel the spell that allows Banner to control the Hulk's form. As Hulk returns to being savage, the second Hulk vanishes and nothing else appears since the mindless brute fears nothing!

Lord Visis believes that Krylar tricked him and murders him. Hulk, looking for the second one, leaps at the castle as he starts to grow! The castle is destroyed when an immense Hulk lands on it, seemingly killing Visis.

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Unfortunately, the Hulk continues to grow, eventually leaving the microverse. Jarella is brought to tears as she loses him once again. And tears the Hulk sheds too when he returns to Earth.

Note: Accidentally, Hulk hits planet K'ai out of its orbit as he grew out of the microverse.

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