Sunday, March 9, 2014

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK – “The Incredible Hulk” #386 (October 1991)

'The Incredible Hulk' #386 (Oct. 1991)
This week’s “Comic Book of the Week” is “The Incredible Hulk” #386, which was published by Marvel Comics in October 1991. This issue was titled “Little Hitler” and sold for $1 at newsstands.

This issue’s creative team included Peter David, writer; Dale Keown, penciller; Mark Farmer, inker; Joe Rosen, letterer; Glynis Oliver, colorist; Bobbie Chase, editor; and Tom DeFalco, editor in chief. Keown was the cover artist for this issue.

This 32-page issue begins with the character Delphi, who’s staring into a pool of water and seeing a disturbing vision of the future. It’s a world ruled by a blonde, Adolph Hitler-style dictator who appears to be holding the tattered remains of Captain America’s uniform. In this world, the young and old are forced into concentration camps by futuristic soldiers under the dictator’s command.

Delphi’s friends, Ulysses and Achilles, hear her scream in reaction to her vision, and Achilles goes to check on her. Delphi tells Achilles that the vision was of events 30 to 40 years in the future. The scene ends with Delphi asking Achilles if he would kill a child if he knew that doing so would prevent millions of deaths.

From there, we cut to a bar where Betty Banner and Marlo Chandler are watching a performance of Rick Jones and his rock band, Seduction of the Innocent. The Hulk is also there, taking in the performance. While at the bar, Agamemnon appears before the Hulk, but no one else in the bar can see the long bearded messenger because his holographic form is keyed to the Hulk’s unique brainwave pattern.

Agamemnon tells the Hulk that the Pantheon needs his help because they sent Achilles on a mission (to deal with the young Hitler-kid), and Achilles is believed to have gone renegade. While they talk, Jones exchanges a few witty, flirty words with Betty and Marlo. However, once Jones sees Hulk in the back of the room, he scurries off to his green-skinned friend because he can tell something’s up.

The next scene takes us to Jerusalem, where a Mr. Rabin, a representative of the Israeli government, is welcoming Ambassador Meer of the Republic of Draburg and his wife, who is an American by birth. Rabin apologizes for an earlier attack on the Meer family that occurred in Tel Aviv and explains that while they haven’t caught the parties responsible, they’ve got their top agent, Sabra, on the case. While they talk, in comes young Max Meer, who is obviously the kid who’s going to grow up to be the horrible dictator. As Max shakes hands with Rabin, we see Achilles, at a distance, watching them from outside through a window.

Meanwhile, Hulk and Jones are flying toward Israel, and Agamemnon’s holographic form is explaining that 13-year-old Max will one day marshal his home country of Draburg into “one of the most devastating war machines on earth.” Achilles was sent to Israel to convince Max’s parents to turn the boy over to the Pantheon for safekeeping, but Achilles tried to kill the boy instead. Sabra prevented the boy’s death. Agamemnon wants Jones and Hulk to bring back Achilles and Max if possible.

Back in Israel, Max and Rabin’s daughter, Gretta, are bored to tears while attending a function at the Draburg Embassy. Being kids, they sneak off to see the “old city.” Two security guards in the room, one of whom happens to be Sabra in disguise, see them run off. The guard in charge takes off after then and orders Sabra to stay put.

Jones and the Hulk also watch the kids leave the embassy. Jones begins to tail the kids and hopes that Achilles will be drawn out by their excursion into the heart of Jerusalem’s old city. Jones thinks that the security guard is Achilles, so he punches him out in a dark alley.

Max and Gretta find their way into an old bookstore. Max finds a book he likes, and it’s then that we see the first inklings of his dark side. As he and the store’s owner haggle over the book’s price, Max exerts some sort of subtle mind control over him that bends him to his will.

As they leave the store, Achilles catches up with Max, who recognizes him from their earlier encounter in Tel Aviv. Max drills Achilles in the face with the book he just bought and takes off down the street with Gretta. A foot chase ensues, and they run right past the Hulk.

Sabra’s come out of her security guard uniform and is now flying over the city in her superhero costume, complete with a big, blue cape. Not recognizing the Hulk, she flies down, knocks him off his feet and tries to arrest him, telling him that she’s Sabra of the Israeli Super Soldiers. Before Hulk can explain what’s going on, Sabra shoots him with four darts that are meant to paralyze him. Instead, they render him speechless by paralyzing his larynx.

Achilles finally chases Max and Gretta into a dead end alley. Achilles has his gun out, and for some reason Max’s mind control doesn’t work on Achilles. Right before Achilles can pull the trigger, Jones runs in with a flying tackle and knocks down Achilles. As the Hulk and Sabra and Jones and Achilles control to wrestle with each other, Max and Gretta take off.

Max and Gretta eventually find a crowd of grown ups and when they turn to face the running kids, Max does his mind control thing and puts the mob under his spell. Max shouts, “Listen to me! A man down that alley tried to kill me! Get him! Kill him!” Without a word, the crowd marches off and the issue ends with the mob looming menacingly over Hulk, Sabra, Jones and Achilles.

This comic (unless I’ve sold it) and others are available for purchase through Peacock’s Books on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in buying it, search for it there by title, issue number and date of publication.


No comments:

Post a Comment