Tales to Astonish #72

Jan 18

Jan 18 Tales to Astonish #72

A Prince There Was!

Searching for the second clue to the location of Neptune's Trident, the Sub-Mariner is forced to fight the Seaweed Man of the Forbidden Sea. Getting leverage to break free of the Seaweed Man's grip, Namor manages to get away by causing a whirl pool and swimming past his foe. Finding an iron door with the mark of Neptune, Namor opens it up. Inside he finds a fish that speaks in the voice of Neptune urging Namor to go on. Noticing a diamond in the creature's mouth the Sub-Mariner heads off to the Diamonds of Doom, the location of the third and final clue.

Furious that Namor continues to survive his trials, Warlord Krang decides that he must wed Lady Dorma as quickly as possible. Going to her room he demands that she marries him, but she flat out refuses stating that she loves only Namor. Furious, Krang gasses her and places her in a glass chamber. For her refusal Krang has Dorma publicly exiled to the cavern of the Faceless Ones. Brought there she is lowered into the realm by the Faceless One's keeper Zantor.

Namor meanwhile arrives at the Diamonds of Doom, however, due to the diamonds' properties their cascading kaleidoscope radiance causes him to lose his strength and vitality.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner, Lady Dorma, Warlord Krang, Seaweed Man, Faceless Ones, Neptune

Within the Monster Dwells a Man!

With the military about to bomb his hidden base, the Hulk decides to join the Leader and is teleported out of there by the Leader's devices. After the military bombs Banner's cave, they search the ruins and assume that the Hulk has been atomized in the attack and all believe him to be dead.

When the Hulk appears in the Leader's lab, the Leader shows him around and tells him that he intends to use his humanoids to take over the world. The Hulk decides that he will not side with the Leader in his goal of conquest, however, he soon finds himself knocked out with an odorless gas and put in a room for later observation. The Leader intends to find out how the Hulk got smarter since their last encounter.

As the Leader checks on his experiments, the Hulk awakens to find that his body is slowly going through the change that will turn him back into Bruce Banner which will cause his death. Not wanting to die without a fight, Hulk tries to smash his way through the Leader's base in hopes of finding a device that will save his life. The Leader, thinking the Hulk is trying to escape, has some of his new camouflage humanoids attack, which staggers the Hulk. Overpowered and knocked off his feet, the Hulk is determined to stop the transformation or else he will die.