Incredible Hulk #177: Review

Jul 1974

Gerry Conway, Herb Trimpe

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Story Name:

Peril Of The Plural Planet!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Incredible Hulk #177 Review by Julio Molina-Muscara (March 16, 2018)

This story has plenty of parallelisms with the New Testament of the Bible. Adam Warlock is obviously Jesus, a saviour who has first to die before he can accomplish his mission. Warlock does perish in a cross-shaped table. Before he does, he asks a non-present High Evolutionary (as if he were the Almighty God Father), why has he abandoned him. A few nights before, Warlock shares the last supper with friends who include the Hulk.

The Man-Beast is noticeably the antagonist, Satan. He is called a "demon" by Warlock. The villain wants Warlock dead but he is really after waging a war with the High Evolutionary, again, the person of God Father. The Man-Beast also plays the role of the Antichrist. Through trickery, he becomes the most powerful man on Earth as the US President. And as Rex Carpenter, he's appealing and convincing. The masses love him.

This comic ends with a sound victory for the evil ones. Thus, it matches the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation: The first important battle is won by the wicked. Fortunately, as we´ll see in the next issue, Incredible Hulk #178, the righteous prevail at the end.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Incredible Hulk #177 Synopsis by Julio Molina-Muscara

Bruce Banner is brought unconscious before the Man-Beast who is at the White House (disguised as Rex Carpenter, the US President!) The villain learns that Adam Warlock is on the lose. Fearing his plans could get ruined, he decides to kill Warlock. Since the Hulk befriended Adam's followers, the Man-Beast thinks that the green goliath could take him to Warlock. So his minions implant a micro-transmitter on Banner's neck.

Testing the micro-transmitter proves to be a painful experience for Banner who turns into the Hulk!

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The green goliath escapes through tunnels underneath the White House. There, he meets Porcupinus and his group of revels who take the Hulk to their leader. And the jade giant meets Adam Warlock.

Warlock walks the Hulk through his secret base. It's full of computers and weapons. When Hulk wonders about them, Warlock explains to him that the world is about to collapse into chaos and his group needs them to defeat the enemy. Some would like to flee, but Adam prefers to stay and fight. Hulk cannot agree more with the intentions of his newly-found friend.

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A few days pass by. While Hulk, Warlock and his men are having a supper, the Man-Beast learns of their location and sends a sonar beam to the micro-transmitter in the Hulk's neck, making him go berserk. As they try holding the Hulk, the Man-Beast arrives and a new fight ensues!

Warlock and the Man-Beast get caught in combat, each lashing a mental beam, hate vs the Soul Gem. Those two forces seem evenly matched! Meanwhile, the Hulk gets freed from the micro-transmitter influence and fights back. But the Man-Beast uses an odd-looking weapon to turn Hulk into Banner! Finally, Warlock is captured.

A short time later, the Man-Beast possesses the body of the real Rex Carpenter who uses the media to convince the American public that the enemy is the alien known as Adam Warlock. In a public trial, all witness citizens ask for Warlock's death, so the hero is executed. The lifeless body of Warlock gets self-covered by a cocoon.

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With his enemy out of the way, the Man-Beast can proceed with his plan to loot Counter-Earth and continue with the first Earth.

Also in this story: Weezhil, Cobrah, Lizardus, Barachuudar; Ben Vincent, June Volper.

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