Issue(s): Hulk #362
Cover Date: Nov 89
Title: "Phasing out"
Credits:
Peter David - Writer
Jeff Purves - Penciler
Marie Severin - Inker
James DiGiovanna - Assistant Editor
Bobbie Chase - Editor

Review/plot:
November cover-dated issues came out in the July-August timeframe. I mention this because with zombies in Moon Knight, vampires in Doctor Strange, and Werewolf by Night guest starring in this issue, you might think that November cover-dated issues were coming out circa Halloween. But i guess it's never the wrong time for zombies, vampires, and werewolves, especially when you can draw parallels between your monster of choice and your main character.

Of course it's Peter David, so he's also going to throw in a gratuitous Roadrunner cartoon reference.

Bruce Banner has been working at the nuclear reactor where we previously saw him get a job. We'll learn next issue that the guy Banner is talking to is Phil Sterns, aka the Madman, the Leader's brother.

The Hulk forces Banner to reach out to Marlo because he's unhappy about the way she broke up with him.

Marlo ends up being chased by the werewolf, and Hulk nearly decides to let her die as punishment for the breakup.

But he does jump in to help her in the end.

But Hulk won't let Marlo accept him back, especially since he implies it was only the Banner side of him that made him help her.

Of course, we already know they're two sides of the same personality, and Peter David is working towards the final implications of that. But for now, the Hulk takes his leave of Marlo, at least ending on a better note than their breakup.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - first Phil Sterns (later Madman)

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Bruce thinks to himself that the Hulk has been hiding something from him since the incident at the Grand Canyon in Hulk #359. I think this might actually a reference to Betty's miscarriage in Hulk #360, which the Hulk seemingly learned via the connected nightmare.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

In Solo Avengers 3, Jack was using Dansen Macabre to control his werewolf side. Why couldn't he use her this issue?
Shouldn't there be a "The incident at the Grand Canyon happened in issue 359" reference?

I hesitated with that reference since i wasn't sure what it's really referring to. But i've added it now.

These were such good issues. It's amazing how utterly horrible P.David's writing declined after the Pantheneon stuff and it seemed like he had no direction.

The significance of the Yucca Flats location where the nuclear plant is located is that the Hulk was sometimes rumored to be based on the one-star 1961 horror movie "The Beast of Yucca Flats," http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_of_Yucca_Flats

Now i want a Tor Johnson vs. Hulk battle.

It’s a bit disappointing that this was the first time in publication that we had the Hulk encounter the Werewolf. If only Gerry Conway or Doug Moench found a way to write in the Hulk as a guest-star during their respective runs on the Werewolf series. When you look at the way the Werewolf was depicted back then (down to always wearing the same colour of trousers), he was the horror equivalent of the Hulk.