Incredible Hulk #383
Green Canard
After a night drinking with her new roommate Marlo Chandler, Betty Banner wakes up and discovers that they cut her hair short and dyed it green. She starts freaking out because they were trying to bleach her hair. He shouts wake up Marlo who is hungover from their night. When they investigate what went wrong, Marlo realizes that she used bathroom cleaner instead of hair bleach when doing Betty's hair. As Betty freaks out, Rick Jones and the Hulk arrive. Seeing his wife's green hair, the Hulk is flattered.
Meanwhile, in New York City, some workers are toiling away in the sewers when they are interrupted by the Abomination who now makes these sewers his home. Exiting the sewers, the Abomination climbs up the apartment building where his former wife, actress Nadia Dornova, is sleeping. Aching to be with his wife again, the unhinged Abomination begs God to give him a sign on what to do. Back in Reno, the Hulk finishes explaining who the Pantheon are and what they do. He then asks Betty to live with him at the Mount while he works with them. Betty turns down the offer, telling him that she needs a normal life. When he tries to convince her to come with him she flinches, giving him all the answers he needs on the subject. Betty reminds him that she asked for time to adjust to the Hulk's recent change. He tells her to take as long as she needs and storms out. Outside, Banner gives into his anger over being rejected by his own wife and smashes a parked car. He is joined by Rick Jones who tells him to give Betty the time she needs and she'll bounce back. When the Hulk spots a Pantheon ship hovering overhead, he grabs Rick and they leap aboard. There they are greeted by Ulysses who tells them that they are going to make a brief detour before returning to the Mount and head for New York.
At that moment in New York, Nadia is picked up by her bodyguard Sergi. When he spots the Abomination in his rearview mirror he doesn't alert her of her stalker's presence. But he tells her that he has contacted some friends to help him deal with the problem. Back in Reno, Betty has finished fixing her dye job and admits to Marlo that she wants to establish a normal life outside of the Hulk who she feels doesn't need her anymore. While aboard the Pantheon ship, Ulysses tells the Hulk and Rick that they are going to New York on behalf of their agent Sergi. Sergi has reported that his client, Nadia Dornova, is being stalked by her ex-husband the Abomination. Rick Jones looks forward to a simplistic mission like fighting the Hulk over a cosmic crisis. As Rick is saying this, Doctor Strange is visited by the Silver Surfer. The Surfer warns the Doctor that Thanos is back and if they don't stop him, everything will be destroyed. While deep in the sewers, the Abomination is among the homeless that live down there with him. The Abomination is still mulling over what he should do about his wife, still looking for some kind of sign.
Above ground at the theater where Nadia's play is being put on, the Hulk stakes out the allies nearby while Rick and Sergi watch the play from backstage. Suddenly, people all over the city start to vanish. Web-slinging across the city, Spider-Man's spider-sense is bombarded by the strange disappearances. Back at the theater people begin to panic when half of the audience starts to disappear. Hearing the noise, the Hulk enters the room and witnesses as Rick Jones suddenly disappears while trying to contact his girlfriend Marlo to see if she is okay. Nadia is among the panicked people fleeing the theater and she suddenly trips over her own feet in the middle of the street. Seeing this apparent rapture, the Abomination takes it as a sign and snatches up his ex-wife, who faints at the sight of his horribly disfigured face.
Needing to get above the panic the Hulk leaps to the roof and spots the Abomination carrying Nadia into the sewers and follows after them. The Hulk tries to convince the Abomination to let Nadia go. When he refuses the two come to blows, but during the course of the fight a portal suddenly opens up and the Hulk is sucked inside. Witnessing this, the Abomination takes this as the sign that he and his wife are destined to be together.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Betty Ross, Rick Jones, Marlo Chandler, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Ulysses, Nadia Dornova, Abomination, Spider-Man, Wong
Continuity Notes
The events of this story run simultaneously with the events of Infinity Gauntlet #1 wherein Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to kill half the population of the universe.
The depiction of the original twin towers at the World Trade Center as part of the New York City skyline should be considered a topical reference. The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
The Hulk mentions that he dumped toxic waste on the Abomination when they last fought. This happened in Incredible Hulk #364.
Rick makes a vague reference to the Kree-Skrull War which he was involved in back in Avengers #89-97.
Continuity Errors
When Rick Jones attempts to call Marlo from a payphone it has a Reno phone book, however, the scene is set in New York City.
Infinity Gauntlet Reading Order
Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #34-38, Thanos Quest #1-2, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #40-45, Cloak and Dagger (vol. 3) #17-18, Spider-Man #17, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #46-50, Infinity Gauntlet #1, Sleepwalker #6, Quasar #26-27, Doctor Stranger Sorcerer Supreme #31, Incredible Hulk #383, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #51-52, Infinity Gauntlet #2, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #32, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #53-54, Infinity Gauntlet #3, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #33, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #55-56, Infinity Gauntlet #4, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #34, Incredible Hulk #384, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #35, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #57-58, Infinity Gauntlet #5, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #59, Infinity Gauntlet #6, Incredible Hulk #385, Sleepwalker #7, Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #60, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #36, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1
