Issue(s): Hulk #285
Cover Date: Jul 83
Title: "Today is the first day of the rest of my life!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Chic Stone - Inker
Ann Nocenti - Assistant Editor
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
This is the first chance the Hulk gets to settle down after gaining Banner's intelligence. He sets himself up in a new lab created by Stark Industries with the goal of withdrawing from society and burying himself in scientific research.

Much of this issue is a retrospective of his career to date. It's also confirmed that he rejected the Avengers' offer of membership from last issue. But we get a little action when a power core that Stark purchased from a company called Soulstar happens to be where the electric monster called Zzzax was contained.

In the subsequent fight...

...Hulk again finds himself limited by the fact that he can't get mad enough to become strong enough to defeat Zzzax...

...but he makes up for it with his scientific know-how...

...and manages to shoot Zzzax into space.

Meanwhile, Rick Jones is upset that Bereet is capitalizing on the Hulk's fame by premiering a move about him, but Bereet's retort that Rick only gets by on being the Hulk's sidekick cuts him deep.

A little too heavy on Mantlo melodrama, but this is a better than average issue.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This issue sets up a new status quo for the Hulk where he's working out of a new scientific laboratory in upstate New York. Work on the building begins this issue and due to the magic of Starktech, it's also completed this issue.

Since it's "Stark Industries" and not "Stane Industries" building the lab, this should take place before Iron Man #171-175.

References:

• Oy, the retrospective. Well, there's no footnotes for any of it, but here's the obvious references:
  • Well, obviously we get Hulk #1.
    
  • There's Avengers #1, when Hulk joins the team, and Avengers #3 when the Hulk joins the Sub-Mariner to fight against them.
    
  • Tales To Astonish #63, first appearance of the Leader.
    
  • His fight with the U-Foes in Hulk #276 that convinced the world that he was no longer a menace.
    
  • His pardon in Hulk #278-279.
    
  • Rick Jones' abandonment of the Hulk to become Cap's sidekick in Captain America #110.
    
  • And a few scenes with no direct issue correlation, like the Hulk with the Defenders, the Hulk being attacked by General Ross, the Hulk fighting Doc Samson, a picture of Glenn Talbot and Betty Ross, and a picture of the Abomination.
• Scott Lang is supervising the construction of the Hulk's lab. The Hulk wonders why Stark isn't supervising himself, and there's a reference to "current issues of Iron Man". Honestly, it doesn't make sense for either Stark (the CEO) or Lang (an electronics expert) to be supervising building construction.
  
• The Hulk last fought Zzzax in Hulk #183.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A