Tales to Astonish #65
The New Giant-Man!
Henry Pym is working in his lab to make improvements to his Giant-Man costume. Explaining to the Wasp the modifications, he succeeds in creating a new costume that will allow him to effect the size of anything around him. The Wasp finds that the costume that Pym designed is too ugly, she takes it into another room to work on it while he tests his new device on his cat, Tabby.
He succeeds in making Tabby grow in size, but the cat soon attempts to attack him, and in the struggle, the cat knocks over a bottle containing Pym's growth formula while Pym manages to shrink the cat down in size. He attempts to grow in size, but when he shrinks back down the device feeds back and causes Tabby to grow again as he shrinks himself. He finally manages to shrink the cat back to it's normal size, little realizing that his growth formula is dripping onto a spider on the floor. He finally notices the bottle and sets it up and begins cleaning the mess.
Finishing his new costume, the Wasp brings it to Pym to try it on. While he's in another room changing into Giant-Man, he hears the wasp scream in fear. Entering his lab he sees a giant spider attacking the Wasp and springs into action. Using his athletic skill, size changing abilities, and with the aid of the Wasp, Giant-Man fights his way to his control helmet to grows to giant size, knocking the spider out the window and shrinking it down to its natural size to fall to its death.
With the monster defeated the two heroes recover from the attack and the Wasp talks Giant-Man into going out dancing.
Recurring Characters
Giant-Man, Wasp
On the Rampage Against the Reds!
Continuing from last issue, the Hulk is battling an army of the Leader's humanoids on Astra Island, just as an army strike force arrives on the island to subdue the creature. Using grenades they blast the ledge that the Hulk is battling the Humanoids on, knocking him into the ocean and sweeping him away in its current. With the Hulk defeated, the Leader calls his Humanoids back to base to fight another day. The army conducts a fruitless search of the island for both the Hulk and Bruce Banner.
The Hulk is swept out into international waters just as the transformation that changes the brute back into the form of Bruce Banner kicks in. Struggling to the oceans surface, Banner is spotted by a Communist sub and is taken aboard. Realizing who Bruce Banner is, the captain of the sub decides to take him back to the Communists' home country. As the submarine submerges, a US military plane flies and spots Banner and they report back to Talbot who believes this is proof that Banner is a traitor to his country. While back at the Leader's base, the Leader muses that perhaps the best way to learn more about the Hulk is to capture Bruce Banner, making a connection that where one is, the other is never too far behind.
Meanwhile, Banner is taken to the Communists' homeland and there he is brought before their military commander, who tells the hungry Bruce Banner that they will only feed him if he works for them. Banner is soon taken to a lab where the Communists are forcing scientists who were previously reported dead or missing to work on secret projects for them. While being put to work, one of the scientists finally cracks and tries to destroy one of the devices being built in the lab and he is quickly beaten into submission and taken away.
Refusing to aid the Communists, Banner is then locked in a tiny cell until he agrees to serve them. Dwelling on the horrors that he's witnessed, Banner excites himself to the point where he transforms into the Hulk. The Hulk then smashes out of his cell and begins tearing the Communist base apart, destroying most of their weapons. However, he is shot in the shoulder by a vaporizer ray.
After he's scared all the soldiers into retreat, he is found by one of the captive scientists, who treats the Hulk's wound and provides him with food. Meanwhile the Communists' military commander orders an entire fleet of tanks to attack the Hulk and sets to attack the creature himself with a Proton Gun.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Major Talbot, The Leader
Continuity Notes
The depiction of Russia as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
