Smashing in the new year with Sal and Gerry Talaoc!
Smashing in the new year with Sal and Gerry Talaoc!
Incredible Hulk #421
“Pursuit”
Cover Date: September 1994
Sale Date: July 19th, 1994
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Gary Frank
Inker: Cam Smith
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Guest Stars/Supporting Cast: Betty Banner, Ajax, Atlanta, Agamemnon, Paris, Cassie, Achilles, Hector, Ulysses
Antagonist: Jason the Renegade, Red Norvell Thor
Synopsis: The Hulk is giving Betty a tour of the Mount and stumbles across Ajax and Atlanta, and mistakes their hugging as something violent. He attacks him, but Atlanta stops him from escalating the fight. She explains that everything has been worked out between herself, Ajax and Achilles. The scene ends with Banner casually making a snide comment about Bambi’s mother being killed, which leaves Ajax in tears. In New York, we see Agamemnon in his true form walking the streets in the rain. A warning from Delphi in a puddle has him on the run from Jason the Renegade, who makes no bones about wanting to kill him. Back at the Mount, a meeting is called involving the core Pantheon members and Atlanta is going over the pact that Agamemnon made with the Troyjans. She’s calling for justice, but gets pushback from Achilles. It doesn’t change her opinion, and then gets on the Hulk’s bad side after insinuating that he’s a puppet for Agamemnon. A literal blowback comment later, he demands everyone submit position papers on the matter and he will decide from there. Later on, he and Betty are discussing the situation and the Maestro’s words about losing everything still haunt him. Betty assures him that won’t happen and offers her services. The Hulk isn’t convinced but after a targeting session, he’s convinced. Later on, he visits Delphi in order to get more information on Agamemnon’s whereabouts. Some vague answers are given, and warnings about Jason and the “Green Monster”. An hour later, the core members are gathered and head to Boston. Ulysses spots him at a baseball game at Fenway Park, running for his life from Jason. The others are alerted and head over there. A small fight ensues which results in several of them vanishing into Asgard via “the Green Monster” with the new redheaded Thor at the ready to do battle.
Commentary: Solid issue, the pace is picked up for the Agamemnon plotline and we see small cracks in the merger with the Maestro’s words still haunting the Hulk, and blowing his stack at Atlanta. You also can see Banner's revulsion on the entire situation; his merger is fracturing, feeling like a patsy with Agamemnon. I had been a regular reader of Thor through all of the DeFalco/Frenz run, and haphazardly kept up when Marz/Zick took over. I dropped it when “Blood and Thunder” started, as I couldn’t stand the artwork and another stinking crossover. I popped back in when Roy Thomas took over but spent more time playing catch-up, so I was somewhat aware for the Red Norvell Thor story. Actually, I was more familiar with him from that fill in flashback story in Thor #394 than anything.
Hoping to get news soon on who will be taking over from Cates and Ottley!
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Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
Get out of town! That's Professor Hulk? Wow, I thought he would look more science-like with glasses and a giant white lab coat. As someone who hasn't read many Hulk series that's incredible! So is he like one of Hulk's different personas like Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit?
No. The “ Professor “Hulk lasted appeared in the Paul Jenkins run, where the retcon of him being a separate individual personality happened. The entire run is collected in “The Dogs of War” omnibus. The retcon totally removed everything that made the Merged Hulk interesting, and Peter David absolutely hates it still to this day.
After the retcon, no writer seems eager to bring the Professor back, not even Al Ewing, considering that immortal Hulk was the perfect time to do it
Jenkins retconning Professor Hulk into just being another alter was an extremely poor decision that came out of nowhere. Same with giving Banner ALS. Jenkins seemed very intent on pouring more and more misery onto Banner.
The merged Hulk IMO was the logical end to Banner’s struggle with his personalities. If Jenkins wanted to split his personalities again he should have just done that without the retcon.
It’s pretty telling that writers have basically left that particular version of the Hulk alone since the end of that run.
Think Peter David has re-used him once or twice in his spin-offs. He appears on one of the covers of Immortal Hulk (The Devil Hulk vs. Leader-possessed Green Scar issue) and is mentioned as being 'dormant' in one issue but as noted that's about it.
The Merged/Professor lasted from around #377-445. Basically in Onslaught Jean Grey suppressed the Banner part of the merger, and then the Banner part 'died' (Actually winded up in a pocket universe where Banner became another Savage Hulk).
This resulted eventually in the Hulk transfoirming into a new version who seemed to be a mix of Fixit and Savage and who seemed to have memory gaps, like he didn't recognize Betty.
Even when Banner returned from the pocket universe the Hulk didn't become merged again, but with Banner simply turning into this new version. Although Paul Jenkins stated that the Hulk who confronts (and spares) Abomination was the Professor personality.
As mentioned this Hulk resurfaced and was retconned during the Jenkins run, with the other Hulk incarnations revolving similar in a few ways to the Ewing run switching between Savage and Devil. This Hulk also showed up in the Avengers and the Defenders series The Order.
Then the Bruce Jones run happened and he vanished with whatever the Jones Hulk was supposed to be (That whole run was more or less retconned). Eventually after that run the "Green Scar" Hulk was the norm for many years until the Mark Waid run.
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