Within The Swamp, There Stirs... The Glob!

Two years before the Man-Thing began shambling around in south Florida, there was another monster of muck that laid claim to the Florida Everglades, if briefly:

The Glob didn't have an origin as steeped in espionage as that of Ted Sallis; rather, he was a convict who had learned of his beloved's impending death, and escaped imprisonment to race to her side--only to find that the swamp was its own kind of prison, and far more deadly.

But, to backtrack a little, it's the Hulk whom the Glob has to thank for his current state, if this heap of walking swamp were so inclined. But we'll soon see that the Glob has a one-track mind that's instead focused on something else--a dim memory which will end up forcing the Hulk's hand against him.



Yet, what's the Hulk doing in the Everglades? As usual, it involves being in the wrong place at the wrong time--specifically, a missile launch that didn't factor in the arrival of a leaping man-monster:

Crashing in the Everglades, the Hulk discovers that his leg has been injured, but spots a shack a short distance away that piques his curiosity--perhaps containing people who, for once, wouldn't fear or fight him. He's in for a disappointment--and what disappoints the Hulk often pays for it:

And if you think that the location where these radioactive chemicals interact with the swamp waters coincides with the same location where our hapless escaped prisoner bit the dust, then you've probably guessed correctly why these waters are now bubbling with life:

But, what's a Hulk story without General "Thunderbolt" Ross, who never travels without a heavily armed task force? Because if you think a huge expanse of swampland is going to deter this obsessed Hulk hunter, then you're not fit to light the man's cigar.

Unfortunately for the General, the Hulk isn't as green in experience as he is in skin tone, and knows how to make a mockery of the General's tactical maneuvers with a mere gesture (mere for the Hulk, that is):

However, it's time to paraphrase our previous question: What's a Hulk story without Betty Ross finding herself in danger from anything having to do with Bruce Banner's other self? While "Thunderbolt" has been busy forming a useless perimeter around the Hulk, the Glob has spotted Betty at a local resort where Ross had left her for safety (along with Major Talbot, who's probably ordered bath robes for two by now). And now you know how the Glob's one-track mind figures into this story:

Meanwhile, Ross's embarrassing debacle engagement with the Hulk has him thinking "to hell with the environmental impact to the Everglades" and deciding on a different approach:

Of course, when the Hulk spots the Glob heading deeper into the swamp and recognizes the woman he's holding as Betty, he's quick to challenge the monster in no uncertain terms.

The contaminated water begins to do its job on the Glob--but, fortunately, something of the heartsick man at its core realizes the danger to the woman he's abducted:

Ross's task force then finds the Hulk again--but the Hulk abandons Betty and wanders off, leaving Ross to retrieve his daughter and call it a day. Leave it to the Leader, though, to later retrieve the Glob and use him against the Hulk, in another failed attempt at vengeance.

Incredible Hulk #121 Script: Roy Thomas Pencils and Inks: Herb Trimpe Letterer: Sam Rosen