Issue(s): Hulk #195
Cover Date: Jan 76
Title: "Warfare in Wonderland!"
Credits:
Len Wein - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Joe Staton - Inker

Review/plot:
Holy Jumpin' Criminey!! Young Rick has run away from the orphanage taken a train ride with the Incredible Hulk!

They go to an amusement park together!

Ok, it's not a children's book Hulk reboot featuring kid Rick Jones (the orphan's name is Rick, though). It's actually a pretty good story where, after the Hulk inevitably causes a ruckus at the amusement park, the Abomination is sent from the Hulkbuster base to capture him.

The Abomination has a bomb in his head, to make him comply. That's fine, but does it have to tick?

My god, that would drive me insane.

Ok, so a big fight through a number of amusement part scenes, where the Abomination is vocal about the fact that he doesn't really want to fight.

During the course of the fight, a blow from the Hulk disables the bomb in the Abomination's head. And so the Abomination quickly and cleverly pivots to making peace with the Hulk and forming an alliance with him. And he makes sure little Ricky doesn't ruin things.

Very cool.

The Hulkbuster base is drawn like a peace symbol in this issue.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Since last issue, the army has been waiting for a confirmable appearance of the Hulk in order to send out the Abomination. I have this occurring after the Hulk leaves the Defenders in Defender #37. In issue #196, it's said that 48 hours have passed since the Hulk and the Abomination were last seen, so i'm placing that issue in a separate entry, although no other Hulk appearances should occur in between.

References:

• The Abomination was revived after being buried at the Hulkbuster base in Hulk #171.
  
• The Hulk has also fought the Abomination in Hulk #137 and Hulk #159, "among others".
  
• Glenn Talbot has been in a coma since Hulk #188.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

I can see why the Abomination is becoming a joke at this point. He generates none of the terror of his original appearance. It should never be the villain who says, "Just listen to me for a minute, please!".

Please? What kind of villain says please?

The idea of a villain who is stronger than the Hulk should make the Abomination one of Marvel's top villains. This is a guy who could probably take on the Avengers by himself. A real waste of a cool villain.

Yeah, Abomination reminds me of The Scorpion in a weird way. Scorpion had a better intro but afterwards he just became a lame strong man, aside from Miller's Marvel Knights. Abomination's intro wasn't that great but there was potential and considering the guy is supposed to be stronger than the Hulk his record is bad, even for forty years of history.

Only time I felt Abomination was given true justice was Bruce Jones' run on Hulk. Funny thing is I've heard that run was awful...but at least the fight between Hulk and Bronsky is brutal. And before that i didn't know he loved his wife.

Bruce Jones' run on Hulk started out fine, but it just went way too long with the conspiracy idea.
Abomination gets some really great work by Peter David in the 1990s. I don't think those stories have ever been reprinted, as of yet. David made me really care about the character. Before I read the David stories, Abomination was a character that I thought was just used too much as a Hulk villain.
You could try to hunt those stories down, if you're not familiar with them. I don't recall any specific issue numbers though.
The stories involved Abomination hiding on the sewers and befriending a colony of homeless people.
The sympathetic portrayal of Abomination is all set up and explored by David, and to much better effect than that Jones story.

Hulkbuster base has been shaped like a peace symbol since its first appearance in 145.

The bomb in the Abomination's head was a bogus. I guess it's important, otherwise Shield and the army would seem Machiavellian.