Incredible Hulk Annual #9
A Game of Monsters and Kings
At the Gotham Gaming Room there is a meeting among former criminals who have since become some of New York City's wealthiest businessmen. Among their numbers includes Charles Reigel, Peter Niven, Earnest Stone, Franklin Night, Gideon Turkel, and James Logan. They have all grown bored with their current money making schemes. That's when Charles Reigel decides to interest his colleagues in a wager to see who can destroy the Hulk. Reigel gets them all to agree, and they all begin waiting for the Hulk to resurface in the city. As fate would have it, Bruce Banner is returning to New York in a rented car, wondering what could possibly draw him back into the city. When he gets caught in a traffic jam at the Lincoln Tunnel, a man driving a truck behind him rear ends Bruce's car because the break lights are out. The man tries to pick a fight with Bruce, but all he succeeds in doing is triggering a transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk goes on a brief rampage before leaping over the water into Manhattan. The story is picked up by news reporter Jessica Sparling and upon hearing the news, Charles Reigel gathers his colleagues together to begin their wager.
The first man to try to stop the Hulk is Peter Niven, who chooses the World Trade Center as his place to launch his attack. Meanwhile, the authorities are taking a more passive approach to dealing with the Hulk, merely evacuating areas the brute enters in the hopes that he will leave without causing too much damage. When the Hulk approaches the site of the World Trade Center he is attacked by an armed helicopter. Leaping atop of the site, the Hulk easily trashes the chopper. Niven narrowly makes it out alive, and escapes and the Hulk continues his trek through the city. When the police arrive on the scene, they are joined by Detective Josh Wade. Wade is convinced that the Hulk is being provoked into attacking, and begins to seriously investigate the situation.
The next man who chooses to take on the Hulk is Earnest Stone who decides to lay his attack in Central Park. There, he attacks the Hulk with a tank, but the gamma-spawned man-monster trounces the tank before an audience watching a late night rock concert. Once again, Jessica Sparling and Detective Wade are on the scene in the aftermath. Wade believes that they must find out who is purposely attacking the Hulk and stopping them before someone is hurt or killed. With Stone having failed, Granklin Night goes after the Hulk next. This attack happens near Rockafeller Plaza, with Night attacking the Hulk in an armored car. The Hulk causes Night's car to crash in the ice rink in the center of the plaza. This time, the authorities have an injured man they can identify, and knowing that Night was involved gives Detective Wade a clue as to who is responsible for these attacks. Turkel attacks the Hulk outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Luring the brute into the sewers, he tries to light the Hulk on fire, but this also fails. The Hulk breaks free and after attacking firefighters who arrive on the scene leaps off.
Soon James Logan plans his attack against the Hulk, using a helicopter to lure the man-monster out to the Statue of Liberty where he attacks the Hulk aboard his ship the Ocean Queen. However, Logan has his ship sunk for his efforts. The Hulk wish washed ashore where he reverts back to Bruce Banner. Banner happens upon the police investigation on the scene where they have recovered the remains of the Ocean Queen. He also overhears Detective Wade make the connection between the other attacks and colleagues of Charles Reigel. Meanwhile, Reigel boasts to his failed colleagues that he will defeat the Hulk at the headquarters of his business within the Empire State Bulding. By this time, Banner has learned the location of the office and tries to get inside, but is barred by security. At that same time, Detective Wade meets with the police commissioner and explains the evidence that links the attacks on the Hulk to Charles Reigel, pointing out that interesting chess theme to all the attacks.
Meanwhile, Banner manages to get into the building by lighting a box on fire. While the security guard is busy putting it out, Banner manages to slip by and get up to Riegel's head office. There he catches him plotting his attack on the Hulk and demands to know why he is doing it. Explaining his master plan, Riegel decides to kill Banner before he can tell anyone, unaware of who he is. Suddenly, Banner transforms into the Hulk, much to the delight of his opponent. Charles then unleashes his weapon against the brute: robots that are themed after the pieces in chess. The Hulk makes short work of the robots and is about to smash Charles Riegel when Detective Wade arrives on the scene with the police. He convinces the Hulk to release Riegel into their custody and when the Hulk does, Wade allows the brute to go free as he was not responsible for anything.
Recurring Characters
Hulk
Continuity Notes
There are a number of elements of this story that should be considered topical references per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616:
The appearance of the Twin Towers at the site of the World Trade Center. The original towers were destroyed during a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
Three of the members of the Gotham Games Club are identified as having direct ties to the Nazis. Given that there is no explanation as to how they could be in their relative prime in this story (like through suspended animation or slowed aging) these references should be considered topical in lieu of an official explanation.
