World War Hulk: Front Line #3

Mar 13

Mar 13 World War Hulk: Front Line #3

Embedded: Behind Enemy Lines Part 3

With the Hulk rampaging through the city, the military tries to convince an elderly woman from Harlem to leave her home, but she refuses to leave as she has lived in the neighborhood for over fifty years. The scene is observed by Front Line reporter Sally Floyd until she gets a call from Ben Urich. She tells Ben that the military unit there is gearing up for an assault on the Hulk. Ben explains things aren't going that well just outside of Manhattan where refugee camps have been set up, as there are a large number of military units heading into the city. With her phone about to die, Sally asks Ben to meet up with her. Before they end their call, Sally asks Ben what the city looks like from his vantage point and as he gazes upon the Warbound's Stone Ship hovering over the city he tells her it looks just like a movie.

Meanwhile, at the offices of the Daily Bugle, publisher J. Jonah Jameson works tirelessly to write out the story on a typewriter. He is joined by his editor Joe Robertson who asks Jonah how they will get the story out. Jameson is willing to hand crank the presses if he needs to, but he is more upset about how the Front Line is able to scoop them at every turn and demands to know who has been bankrolling their publication. Jameson is furious that Urich and Floyd are getting so successful and he tells Robertson to look into any dirt they can find on the pair as he believes that this is a war between the two newspapers.

Meanwhile, down on the front lines, Ben Urich and Sally Floyd are watching a tank deployment being sent into battle it out with the Hulk. As the cannons roar, Urich begins to regret his decision to stay on the island instead of evacuating. Sally mirrors his regret, pointing out that this latest skirmish can't go very well for the US military. They manage to get up close to one of the soldiers to find out what is happening. As the Sargent tells them that they will not back down from the Hulk and his alien invaders, but as he tells them this, a ground of Sakaaran Natives knock over a water tower on a passing helicopter causing it to crash. Witnessing this, Ben tells Sally they need to get over there and run off to the crash site ignoring the soldiers who tell them to stay back. They rush through the battlefield, zipping past soldiers who are going in guns blazing.

The pair get into an alleyway and things suddenly go quiet, almost too quiet. They then head out onto the next street. There they find the downed helicopter crashed into the side of an apartment building. Outside stands the elderly woman who refused to leave her home, with her cat in hand, watching as her home burns.

Recurring Characters

Ben Urich, Sally Floyd, Joe Robertson, J. Jonah Jameson

Continuity Notes

This story takes place during the events of World War Hulk #3

Costume Division: Death of an Android Part 2

Danny Granville of the NYPD's Cape Division finds himself in a life or death situation: He has agreed to investigate the alleged murder of Arch-E, the robotic member of the Hulk's Warbound. Investigating the crime scene with Korg, he had agreed to judicial servitude, little expecting that it means his life was forfeit if he could not solve the mystery of Arch-E's destruction within the next forty-eight hours. They go back to the crime scene where Danny observes that the blast radiated outward almost as though someone dropped a bomb on the robot. With no apparent witnesses on the scene, Danny can think of someone who would not have fled the neighborhood even though the area had been evacuated.

Soon, they track down the supervillain known as Thermo the Thermogenic Man to see what he knows. In order to get him to talk, Korg and Danny take the villain up to the top of a high building and threaten to drop him to his death if he doesn't talk. With his life on the line, Thermo tells the two partners that while he didn't see what destroyed Arch-E, he did notice the robot after it passed the Manhattan Mall and notes that it was arguing with itself in a strange language that sounded like Russian before going into Slappy's Deli. Having gotten the answers they were looking for, Korg drops Thermo on the roof and the pair head off to investigate the deli.

When they arrive at the deli and look inside all they find is a stray dog scrounging for food. With no apparent clues around, Danny beings to lament over his predicament when he suddenly sees something that will help them immensely in the form of a very unlikely witness: the deli's security camera.

Recurring Characters

Danny Granville, Korg, Thermo, Arch-E

Continuity Notes

This story takes place during the events of World War Hulk #1

War is Heck Part 2

Rhode Island holds an American Idol-style competition in order to find their Initiative representative. Apparently going with a musical-themed team, they go through several teams until the governor (acting as judge of the competition) decides on Miles Flatt and his "flaming guitar of death" to be their representative.