Tales to Astonish #63
The Gangster and the Giant!
While practising their size-changing abilities and exercising, Giant-Man and the Wasp are interrupted by a visit from a police officer, asking them to visit the police chief. Giant-Man rushes to the police station (utilizing his size-changing abilities) and the Wasp is driven there by the police officer.
The police chief asks them to investigate a criminal named the Wrecker, who has been extorting store owners in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn. He is threatening to burn down the stores, if the owners don't pay for protection.
Resuming their civilian guises of Henry Pym and Janet van Dyne, the two heroes go to Brownsville, where they notice that the owner of Smith's Hardware is selling his store, in order to get out of the area, not wanting to bow down to the Wrecker. Seeing it and an opportunity to stop the Wrecker, Pym and van Dyne buy the hardware store to bait a trap for the crook.
A few days later, furious that the hardware store is still in operation, the Wrecker sends some thugs to force Henry and Janet to pay protection money. The two heroes throw out the thugs without donning their costumes. This brings praise from other store owners, but angers the Wrecker, who initiates plan W.
Using a number of underlings to keep local police busy, the Wrecker appears at the hardware store to deal with Pym and van Dyne personally, but he and his thugs are attacked by Giant-Man and Wasp. During the battle the Wasp is sprayed with DDT, causing Giant-Man to go on a rampage and easily defeat the crooks, tossing the Wrecker out for the other store owners to handle. While Giant-Man checks to see if the Wasp is okay (expressing his true feelings for her), the police arrive and unmask the Wrecker, revealing him to be Mr. Smith, the original owner of the hardware store.
With their mission accomplished, the two heroes return home on a flying ant.
Recurring Characters
Giant-Man, Wasp
A Titan Rides the Train!
The Leader has just completed his special humanoid. He reflects back on the events that led to his super-intelligence:
He was a lowly laborer working in a chemical research plant. One day, while hauling waste material in the plant's sub-basement, he was caught in a Gamma explosion caused by an exploding Gamma-ray cylinder. Surviving the ordeal, he soon found that he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and began reading books at a frenzied rate. One day, while reading in his study, a dizzy spell struck him, and eventually the effects of the Gamma rays had completed his transformation into a man of emerald skin and a large brain. He began calling himself the Leader and became a scientific genius. He organized his own spy ring in order to overthrow the government. His Humanoid is his most recent attempt to do so.
Meanwhile, at the New Mexico rocket base, the Chameleon revives and digs himself out of the rubble caused by his battle with the Hulk. Elsewhere on the base, General Ross and Major Talbot discuss the Pentagon's request to have Bruce Banner and one of his latest nuclear inventions moved to another base. Not trusting Banner, and expecting interference from the Hulk, Ross sends Talbot to act as security officer to keep an eye on things. Later, the Chameleon – now in a new disguise – overhears these plans being told to Bruce Banner and informs the Leader. The Leader sees this as a perfect chance to use his Humanoid.
The Humanoid is dropped off onto the train and is spotted by military personnel, who quickly learn that the Humanoid is immune to their weapons. Informed of the situation, Talbot locks Banner in a room aboard the train while he deals with the crisis. Banner gets worked up enough to trigger the change that will turn him into the Hulk.
The Hulk smashes out of the train and spots the Humanoid, just as it removes the rail-car containing the nuclear device. The Hulk battles the Humanoid, but finds that he cannot damage its pliable form, and is soon tossed off the train.
The Hulk bounds back onto the train for a second attack, and during the skirmish causes the rail-car with the nuclear device to unbolt. Part of his memories as Banner make the Hulk realize that if the device is knocked loose from the car it will devastate a nearby town. He knocks the Humanoid off the train, breaking its connection with the Leader. The Hulk jumps back to the train and stops the device from breaking free.
Landing on the ground, the Hulk suddenly feels the transformation changing him back into Banner kick in. Later, Talbot finds Banner in the desert. Suspicious that the supposedly detained Banner is free (and in possession of the missing device!), he orders Banner arrested. Back at the Leader's hideout, the Leader determines that he must learn more about the Hulk so that he can destroy him, while Banner himself is locked in a military jail cell.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, General Ross, Major Talbot, Leader, Chameleon
