Well this can only end badly.
PROBLEM: The Hulk--currently in his gray, semi-rational form and operating in Las Vegas as Joe Fixit, enforcer of mobster Mike Berengetti--is going stir-crazy and needs to blow off some steam!
TRANSLATION: Mr. Fixit needs to unload on somebody!
SOLUTION: Seek out the toughest bruisers in Vegas and see what they're made of!
CREEPY PART: There's this guy who's giving him directions.
Why don't we pick things up right after Mr. Fixit has cleaned house with a local dog-fighting ring, just as he's getting the itch to look around for some real competition.
Nothing really strange about our good samaritan yet--just appears to be a casual passer-by who overheard Fixit's wish and only wanted to be helpful.
Neither the owner nor the clientele of Finnegan's will likely wind up as appreciative of the gesture.
And this is where we came in. Who's laying odds on the bikers cleaning Fixit's clock?
You never know in brawls like this whether it's the hits or the insults being dished out by the guy who's wiping the floor with you that end up hurting the most. It's something our bikers can think about while they're in traction. As for
We can't help now but raise an eyebrow at our little helper, who still seems mostly harmless to Fixit--a description which Fixit hopes won't apply to the "toughest guys" he hopes are waiting for him at his next stop.
Darn--strike two! Whatever's bugging Fixit deep down, it doesn't look like Vegas is going to have anyone around who can go the distance with him. Regardless, you just know who's going to pop up again:
Come on, Fixit--you've seen this played out in Peanuts specials, man! Lucy presents the football for Charlie Brown to kick... and no matter how many times he's fallen for it before, Charlie Brown still comes running up to kick it, and Lucy still yanks it away at the last moment, causing Charlie Brown to fall flat on his backside. Are you really going to go through that door??
MORAL: Even someone you've nicknamed "puny Banner" can give you a fight.
Well that certainly answered my question in regards to the story behind the cover, ha ha. And it was nice to see Mr. Fixit finally meet a tough guy in Banner, only to lose. Damn this was fine period for the Hulk.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely tempted to throw the spotlight on a few more of the gray Hulk stories, Dale. In fact, look for one this coming week. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhile more than familiar with the history of the Hulk, especially during this period, I'll confess to not owning as much of this period as I probably should. The Grey Hulk's personality I believe, was a much-needed departure from the regular Hulk Smash stories that came before, eve though we saw early bits of the Grey Hulk during the first 2 or 3 issues of his series.
ReplyDeletePlus, we finally got (for the time) perhaps a definitive answer on the Thing/Hulk rivalry, with Ben finally getting a much-needed win, despite how damn dirty Hulk was during that fight.
Two more stories I wouldn't mind you covering from this era was his fight with the tragic character man-bull, who just wanted to die, and the Hulk's fight with Freedom Force.