Issue(s): Hulk #122, Hulk #123
Cover Date: Dec 69 - Jan 70
Title: "The Hulk's last fight!" / "No more the monster!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Herb Trimpe - Penciler
Herb Trimpe - Inker

Review/plot:
The Hulk attacks a train because it reminds him of the machines the military uses. He's really come a long way from his early days of a little dumb but cunning. He's truly a mindless monster at this point. He passes out and turns back into Banner, who, no kidding, finds that the train was carrying an entire shipment of purple pants.

He snags a pair real quick, and then finds a newspaper that says that Reed Richards has found a cure for the Hulk. Banner hops another train for New York. On the train he somehow guesses what Reed's formula is and writes up a revision to it, tying his notes to his pants so that he'll still have them if he changes into the Hulk.

I thought we were gonna run into a cliche of some hobos bothering Banner on the train and triggering a change into the Hulk, but the hobos actually let Banner sleep.

After some business involving a security guard not following orders, Banner turns back into the Hulk in the lobby of the Baxter Building and then climbs up the elevator shaft.

Following the standard FF procedure, the rest of the FF (mainly Ben) hold the Hulk off while Reed creates a gun to stop him. Then he administers the cure based on his and Banner's formula (Sue saw the bag with Banner's notes hanging on the Hulk's pants).

Reed administers the cure, but finds out that Banner's modification allows him to change back and forth between Banner and the Hulk at will (which he demonstrates immediately after getting dressed, destroying yet another set of clothes).

The rest of the FF are skeptical about letting Banner loose while he's still got some Hulk in him, but the Thing says to let him go and persuades the others.

Bruce heads to meet Betty but they get a telegram from General Ross asking Banner to become the Hulk again so that he can protect a Tripodal Observation Module (TOM). It's a device that "could just as easily be called... the Murder Module", and they don't want it getting into the wrong hands.

Such as, perhaps, the hands of the Leader.

Banner agrees to do it. I don't know why he didn't suggest contacting the Fantastic Four instead, but i guess he wanted to impress Betty's dad.

The Leader captures the TOM...

...and nails the Hulk with some gas, which somehow messes with his mind and returns him to his bestial state. But Banner regains control at the last minute, and instead of killing the Leader he lets him go. Banner swears that he will never become the Hulk again.

I like seeing Reed trying to help the Hulk and i like Banner throwing the curveball in the formula that allows him to transform back and forth, but i know this will get reversed again pretty soon (it's foreshadowed already with the gas attack).

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 2

Chronological Placement Considerations: Needs to be placed at a clean break in the Fantastic Four's arcs. The Marvel Chronology Project puts these appearances between Fantastic Four #93 and #94.

References:

• Betty remembers that the Hulk saved her from "that loathsome creature in the Everglades". No, not the Man-Thing. It was the Glob in Hulk #121 (last issue). The Marvel Super-Heroes reprint says it happened in Marvel Treasury Edition #17, but that's not true at all. I don't know what they were trying to pull.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Super Heroes #74, Marvel Super Heroes #75

I wonder if the decision to modify the cure into something designed to allow controlled change between Banner and the Hulk was something that would be covered by Peter David's run...

I wonder if Bruce sent that trainload of purple pants to the clothing store in NYC he gets them from, as seen in a great gag in Power Man & Iron Fist. (Apparently, it's the same place that sells Luke all those yellow silk shirts.)

Speaking of the Hulk's pants, should Reed be jealous that Sue was checking them out during the fight? ("Hulk's pecs are UP HERE, girl!") Is this a "the madder Hulk gets, the bigger Hulk gets" situation or something?

We almost had the Totally Awesome Hulk decades ago!