Incredible Hulk #197
...And Man-Thing Makes Three!
Following his battle with the Abomination, the Hulk finds himself in the Florida Everglades, and he is not happy. As he tromps through the swamp his is completely unaware that his presence has attracted the attention of the Man-Thing, who watches the brute silently. The Hulk is attacked by various alligators and snakes, prompting the Hulk to angrily ball them up and toss them away. He then stumbles across the ruins of Omegaville. Weary from his ordeals, the Hulk finds a bed and goes to sleep, reverting back into Bruce Banner, as he slumbers a figure appears in the shadows and watches over him.
Back at Hulkbuster Base, Doc Samson and Betty Talbot take a stroll around the base, talking about Glenn's catatonic state and how she can cope with the situation. In a moment of despair and loneliness, Betty allows herself to be kissed by Samson, completely unaware that they are being spied upon by Clay Quartermain.
In Florida, Bruce Banner awakens and realizes that he is within the remains of the failed Omegaville commune and spots the man who has been watching him sleep. When the man flees the area in fear, Banner chases after him and convinces him that he is not a threat. However, Banner soon learns whom this strange mute man had been fleeing from: A band of pirates led by Captain Horatio Cutlass. When the pirates attack them, they cause Bruce to transform into the Hulk, who easily makes short work of the pirates. The Hulk and his companion are soon greeted by the Collector, who tells him that the pirates are in his command. When the Hulk attempts to attack the Collector, he unleashes his latest slave to fight in his stead: The Man-Thing.
As the Hulk battles the Man-Thing, he is distracted enough to allow the Collector to blast the strange man with the Philosopher's stone, reverting him into his true form: The Glob. With the Glob now under his control, the Collector orders him to attack the Hulk as well. The Hulk is easily over powered by the two much monsters, who manage to defeat him by shoving his face into the Man-Thing's mire-made body until he passes out from lack of oxygen. With the Hulk defeated, he orders the pirates to carry the Hulk back to his base in order to be added to his collection.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Man-Thing, Doc Samson, Betty Ross, Clay Quartermain, The Glob, Collector, Yagzan (corpse)
Continuity Notes
The skeleton that the Hulk runs into in the ruins of Omegaville is that of the sorcerer known as Yagzan who perished in Giant-Size Man-Thing #1.
The narrative of this story points out that the Collector was last seen in Avengers #119.
The scene where Betty kisses Doc Samson is problematic as they used to date from Incredible Hulk #141-147 when it ended she eventually married Glenn Talbot in Incredible Hulk #158. Glenn has been in a catatonic state after being rescued from the Russians in Incredible Hulk #188. He is eventually cured of this condition in Incredible Hulk #200.
Although the Hulk doesn't recognize him, he battled the Glob on two different occasions in Incredible Hulk #121 and 129.
