Issue(s): Hulk #448
Cover Date: Dec 96
Title: "Line in the sand"
Credits:
Peter David - Writer
Mike Deodato Jr. - Penciler
Tom Wegrzyn - Inker
Polly Watson - Assistant Editor
Bobbie Chase - Editor

Review/plot:
Hulk is attacked by the Pantheon again, still (seemingly) supporting Paris' bid to become the US government's new super-team.

Hulk is seemingly killed during the fight.

But it turns out that the Pantheon used a clone of the Hulk to fake the Hulk's death.

The "variations... around the head" line makes me wonder if this is a specific clone that i should know about, but it's not ringing any bells. I also applaud Janis' forward-thinking approach to clone rights.

Anyway, the Hulk does not accept the Pantheon's offer, and instead he goes directly to the army to draw a line in the sand.

Also, Wild Man escapes from the mental hospital where he's being held.

Cool ruse, and even cooler how the Hulk reacts. I vaguely wonder if, without Onslaught, PAD's plan was to do something along similar lines but with the Hulk accepting the offer, and i think that would have been a lot less interesting. I could be wrong, but i definitely think that the post-Onslaught environment and the Banner-less Hulk allow for some interesting stories. More on that next issue, for example!

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: See the notes on Incredible Hulk: Hercules Unleashed #1.

References:

• Hulk helped Janis' timeline in Hulk: Future Imperfect #1-2.
  
• She's come back to get his help against another (unnamed in this issue) "tyrant", as we saw in Abominations #1-3 (no footnote). However, she seems resigned to the fact that she'd not getting back to her future.
  
• St. Lawrence has a meeting with William Talbot, who mentions how his uncle Glenn was killed fighting the Hulk in Hulk #260. He also mentions General Ross' death, which was in Hulk #330 (although it's a little more complicated than that).

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A