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| '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.
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