World War Hulk #3: Review

Aug 2007

Greg Pak, John Romita Jr.

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Story Name:

(Untitled)

Review & Comments

Rating:

World War Hulk #3 Review by Rob Johnson (June 30, 2015)

Before the battle Gen'l Ross learns that some civilians think Hulk is a hero. He remembers another time when Hulk was lauded as a hero and given an an amnesty and an adamantium statue (Hulk #279) after saving the world from an (actually fake) alien invasion (#278). In this period Hulk had Bruce Banner's mind, and he was even made an Avenger (again) (#284). But eventually fate made him the brute Hulk again. And Ross recalls #300 where Hulk attacked Thor with the statue, and Dr Strange exiled him to the other-dimensional Crossroads. Ross also remembers other excuses for Hulk's bad deeds:- Apocalypse possessed him (#457) or Doc Samson separated Hulk from Banner (#315). The SHIELD agent briefing the President is Maria Hill. Sentry still doesn't respond. We get a brief look at Iron Man and Mr Fantastic in captivity. Zom is an ancient evil that Dr Strange temporarily let loose from its confining amphora in Strange Tales #156-157 to combat a bigger evil. It temporarily escaped again as a baby Zom in DrS(1988)#20. Strange possibly uses it here because it doesn't need functioning hands for magic? Whatever hands it has are encased in metal, but I always assumed that was part of its confinement.

WWH: FRONT LINE #3/1 Floyd and Urich watch as the military move in. An old woman refuses to be evacuated from her house, and later her house gets flattened in the conflict. HEROES FOR HIRE #14-15 Humbug hosts the Brood Queen No-Name's eggs. The Warbound keep Colleen Wing and Tarantula to be punished for killing a Brood Hiveling but let the rest of the team go. They meet Scorpion who tells them she killed Paladin. But later Paladin shows up alive and agrees to help the team rescue Wing and Tarantula (in exchange for Moon Boy). The rescue succeeds, and Humbug turns out to have been a plant by Earth's Hive-Mind to sterilise No-Name and kill her eggs. INCREDIBLE HULK #109(p1-16) Amadeus Cho, Angel, Hercules and Namora make a truce with Hulk and the Warbound as Ross's army attacks. Rick Jones is still trying to persuade Hulk to stop, before he is caught by the Warbound trying to contact Dr Strange in WWH#2. WWH: FRONT LINE #2/3 SHIELD use Captain Rectitude as bait for the Hulk. WWH: GAMMA CORPS #1 An old Hulk enemy Gen'l John Ryker has assembled a bunch of people who blame Hulk for something, and gamma-irradiated them. They kill Flux, a previous subject of Ryker's. Team leader Grey is Brian Talbot, younger brother of deceased Major Glenn Talbot. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #12 Punisher fights Mung and the insectoids. IRON MAN #20 Dum Dum Dugan runs SHIELD in Tony Stark's absence. But captive Stark gets a message to him telling him to ready a last-ditch option that will transport the whole of Manhattan into the Negative Zone, to be destroyed in the Distortion Area. AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #5 Henry Gyrich sends his secret Shadow Initiative to rescue the trainees from captivity in Madison Square Garden. Trauma faces up to Hulk alone. It doesn't end well.

WWH: FRONT LINE #4/2-5/2 Danny Granville sees on the security tape ARCH-E getting instructions from Korg to strictly practice Star Trek-type non-interference. He then finds a witness whose life ARCH-E inadvertantly saved, at which point his literal-minded computer brain exploded. Korg takes a little persuading that he himself was responsible for ARCH-E's death, not humans, during which time the Stone Man beats Danny up a bit. But eventually they become drinking buddies, and nobody has to commit ritual suicide. WWH: GAMMA CORPS #2-4(p1-22) We learn the origins of the other Corps members who Ryker has mutated with gamma rays. Mess (Nichole Martin) blames Hulk for the death of her son in a car crash. Prodigy (Timothy Wilkerson) blames him for his son being born disabled. Mr Gideon (Gideon Wilson) blames him for the death of his son Jim who became Hulk's pal, even though he actually died of AIDS. And Griffin (Eliot Franklin) used to be Clown in the Ringmaster's Circus of Crime - for which he got beaten up a lot in prison. The Corps attack the Hulk. Leader-like Prodigy uses Leader-type pink Humanoids, but coated with a toxin derived from Hulk-blood which gradually reverts Hulk to the weaker grey version. Mr Gideon, Mess and Griffin attack Hulk's neck, weakening it so that Grey can snap it. But Hulk recovers and takes the fight to Ryker's base, which he destroys. Meanwhile he causes Gamma Corps to question their allegiance to Ryker. INCREDIBLE HULK #109(p17-23)-110 Amadeus Cho sneaks into Madison Square Gardens with Scorpion. Cho tries to convince Hulk he doesn't want to kill his captives, Hulk tells him the plan to make them fight to the death in an arena. Cho calls in the Renegades. Scorpion injects Hulk with the weaponised thallium she got in Heroes For Hire. Cho provokes Hulk into a rage, but Greenie stops short of killing him.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

World War Hulk #3 Synopsis by Julio Molina-Muscara

As Thunderbolt Ross' men attack the Hulk from all sides, Doctor Strange enters the mind of the Hulk to reach Bruce Banner. Bruce takes Strange to a deserted and destroyed area of planet Sakaar and tells him about how his wife Caiera died. Strange tells Bruce that they had nothing to do with the explosion that destroyed Sakaar, but Bruce asks him to go away. Strange continues his friendly talk, Bruce grabs the Sorcerer Supreme hands and turning into the Hulk, crashes them. Although they were in mystic space, the injury reached Strange's corporal hands somehow.

While the Hulk was absent talking with Strange, Korg and Hiroim covered the Hulk with shields to protect him from the blasts. After returning, the Hulk destroys tanks, helicopters, disabling the soldiers who were shooting at him. Finally, the Hulk grabs Thunderbolt Ross who in a valient act, shots the Hulk directly to his right eye, damaging it; but it soon heals. Ross is down for the count; who's next?

A high-ranked female SHIELD officer tells the US President to ask the Sentry to engage in battle. The president starts reading a script but then continues in a very... peculiar way: "Listen up, now. These eggheads tell me you're nuts... But they also tell me you're a hero. So it's time to shake the schizo act and do what needs to be done! Now let's go!"

Meanwhile, the Hulk is building an arena in Madison Square Garden where he plans to make his captives (the so-called heroes who cast him away, plus those who recently attacked him) to battle each other, using the Obedience Disks, to their deaths. Korg suggests the Hulk that it's a good time to stop. But the Hulk shows Korg a group of people who are already cheering for the upcoming fights and replies "Never stop making them pay".

Rick Jones calls Strange from outside his mansion (an enchantment makes the house look like an abandoned coffee shop.) Rick is found by Elloe, Hiroim and Warhead soldiers. Rick tries to trick them but Hiroim's magic from the Shadow Elders disables the enchantment to discover Strange's home base. At that, Iron Fist, Ronin and Echo come out to fight the aliens. But they are quickly and soundly defeated, becoming new wearers of Obedience Disks.

As Hiroim advances through the mansion disabling the protective spells, Doctor Strange asks Wong to look refuge, and drinks from a enchanted bottle to absorb the spirit of Zom.

Rick Jones reaches the arena and tells the Hulk that the Gladiatorial fights are just nuts. Miek is about to attack Rick when an unconscious Hiroim is dropped on the arena by Doctor Strange who as Zom, dares the Hulk to fight him.

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