Story
continued from HULK VS. THOR: BANNER OF WAR ALPHA.
At
Avengers Mountain, Iron Man tells the assembled heroes that he has located Hulk
at the Black Hand of God, spinning a yarn about his high-tech capabilities for discoveries
in space to impress Reed Richards. And then he reveals that Thor’s ravens
actually told him and announces his plans to head out there and fight Hulk.
Captain America tells him not to, that Thor has the matter in hand but Shellhead
reminds them of the beating he took at Hulk’s hands (in HULK #1) and then
blasts off for revenge….
Inside
Hulk’s head Odin confronts Bruce Banner—but there, Odin is a ghost and Bruce is
god. He initiates auto defenses and Hulk’s armor fires bullets at Thor. Odin
struggles with him inside and Bruce is knocked out…and his mind goes back to
the El Paso incident that the Avengers are after him for. Bruce is afraid as he
and Odin (as the bartender) watch the tragedy unfold. A patron accidentally
spills beer on Bruce’s laptop and Bruce reacts in rage—but it spread to all of the
men in the bar, turning them green and angry. Then something took over Bruce’s
body and his mind was forced to watch helplessly as he killed seventeen men in
a bar fight. Before Bruce and Odin can process this revelation, Thor recalls
his hammer and Odin with it. And then Iron Man arrives…wearing the new Celestial
Hulkbuster armor….
Story
continues in HULK #7.
“If
This Be Mercy!” 4/5
Writer:
Tom DeFalco. Plot: Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. Pencils: Ron Frenz. Inks: Brett
Breeding. Colors: Matt Wilson. Letters: Joe Sabino.
Synopsis:
Amora the Enchantress has been troubled by nightmares that she is being killed
by Skurge the Executioner in retaliation for Amora’s allowing her sister
Lorelei to die in her place. Amora laments losing the love of Skurge and all
she has is his axe, to be bestowed on another who will be her protector. A
delegation from Odin arrives; Amora thinks they have come to arrest her but it
is merely an invitation to dinner, as a testy Odin explains. Imagining that
Odin is expressing love for her, she makes preparations to cast a spell of
seduction over the All-Father to become Queen of Asgard. But her schemes are
obvious to Odin who rebukes her then offers her pity. He is concerned that for
all her divine power she is full of fear and insecurity, always trying to
manipulate a man into being her protector. She reveals that her guilt over
having failed Skurge and Lorelei has led her to this. Odin counsels her to walk
the path of righteousness. And then he casually asks her where Skurge’s axe is
and she claims not to know. And she would forever wonder whether Odon’s promise
was genuine and she could have been truly happy.
"Thor’s
Wedding” 4/5
Writer:
Nadia Shammas. Art: Simone D’Armini. Colors: Pete Pantazis. Letters: Joe
Sabino.
Synopsis:
Thor asks a favor of Loki: that he would inquire of King Thrym of the giants
whether he has stolen Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Loki visits Jotunheim where the
king openly admits to having taken Mjolnir to force Thor to agree to the
wedding of Thrym and Thor’s sister Angela. But Angela refuses any such
arrangement. So at Loki’s suggestion, Thor disguises himself as a woman and, accompanied
by Loki as the prettier bridesmaid, he heads to Jotunheim. At the wedding
feast, Thor wolfs down an amazing amount of food then demands the return of the
hammer. Thrym hands it over and Thor uses it to kill all of the giants and on
their way home, Thor tells Loki that the only favor he will ever allow his
brother is not to kill him. “Fair enough,” Says Loki.