Incredible Hulk 363 - Acts of Vengeance

Oh, well that makes tons of sense. You hate this guy, so you attack some other guy. Cripes, what a dopey plan.

Incredible Hulk #363

Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Jeff Purvers
Inker: Marie Severin
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colourist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Lord-High-Everything-Else: Tom DeFalco

Some of the regular Marvel series did not participate in "Acts of Vengeance" as much as others. In some cases this was because the timing of the event clashed at least in part with ongoing multi-part storylines. But also the crossover was clearly not popular with every writer, as seen by the way various characters are openly dismissive of the whole scheme. Both these problems come up with Incredible Hulk, which was about to start the four-part "Countdown" storyline and so consequently only contributes a single issue to the wider event. And Peter David clearly did not like the premise, with the Hulk voicing his views in the quotes above. David was now in the third year of what turned out to be an eleven and a half year run on the series and so in a position of strength. He's also had quite a number of run-ins with John Byrne over the years. So it's unsurprising to find him making his views on "Acts of Vengeance" firmly known and, as we'll see, he was not the only writer to do so.

The issue itself comes from the "Joe Fix-It" period where Bruce Banner is now once more changing to the Hulk at night and reverting at daybreak (as dramatically demonstrated at the start when the Hulk goes leaping at night without realising how soon daybreak is coming, with the result he starts transforming back whilst falling from a great height), with the Hulk being a normal intelligence grey skinned being who has been working as an enforcer in the Las Vegas underworld. As ever Bruce is trying to find a way to cure himself of the Hulk, working undercover as a janitor at a nuclear research centre. Yet again Doctor Doom handles the allocation of a villain to attack the title's star, in this case the Grey Gargoyle whose touch can turn objects to stone. It's a fairly straightforward application of the crossover's premise, even if both hero and villain have their doubts about it. The fun comes as the Gargoyle discovers his power may work on Banner but has rather less effect on the Hulk.

There's a good explanation given for why "no one told the Hulk" but the effect is limited by the colouring. When a character is grey, is turned into a grey substance and is operating at night when the lighting and shadows make a lot of things look grey, it can be a little hard to tell exactly what form the Hulk is in at key moments, especially when the Gargoyle tries to destroy what is, apparently, a stone Hulk. There're a few minor points when the colouring fails to show the gloves the Gargoyle's hands when he's in human form and as this is pretty fundamental for the way his powers work it's the sort of error that can add to the confusion in the story. The result weakens the fight scenes in spite of the running commentary and the pretty brutal way the Hulk neutralises the Gargoyle at the end.

This is an issue that is quite open about how a crossover event has turned up to get in the way of things and at times feels like it's on autopilot, just doing the bar minimum to meet its obligations to the line. It's one that can quite easily be missed.

Incredible Hulk #363 has been reprinted in:

• Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Volume 4 (2007)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)