Incredible Hulk #29

The INCREDIBLE Hulk #29(#503)
Title: Animus
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Kyle Hotz
Inks: Eric Powell
Letters: John Workman, Jr
Colorist: Arsia Rozegar
Editor:Tom Brevoort

Synopsis: Angela and Doc Samson are running experiments on Bruce to see if they can help him with his condition. Bruce, feeling sick, wants to get off the equipment. He throws up and turns into the savage Hulk, saying that he is done. He starts to break some equipment when Angela tells him he better stop or she won't make him hot chocolate which immediately calms him down. All along, the creature called Animus is watching what happens. Doc Samson helps clean Bruce and puts him to bed. Angela wonders what they are doing and Samson says they are helping a friend, both of them obviously hiding more emotions about the situation. With all the love and hate swirling around, Animus says that he is going to like it here. He appears at the end of Samson and Angela's bed who have just shared a private moment and yet are still not close. He gets into Bruce's head first, having him all shriveled from teh disease and his superhero friends ignoring his pleas for help. Angela and Samson walk back hand in hand and kiss in front of him. Animus appears before Bruce and tells him to release his anger, which allows the Joe Fixit persona to take control. Joe wakes up and wonders what the heck is going on. Meanwhile, in Samson's head, he imagines himself the most celebrated hero until a lame villian punches him and all the heros turn their back and walk away. Samson begs for them to come back. Angela shows up and says she wants a real man, namely Bruce who has brains and brawn. She walks away, dragging the body of the decomposing yet still living body of Bruce. The image of Bruce tells Angela that he know she loved him when Angela says that she is actually sick of him. They are all three filled with some degree of hate. Joe, full of the anger, breaks into the bedroom and starts a fight with Samson, who responds and says that he is tired of losing all the time. They take the fight outside, where Samson argues about keeping some semblence of humanity and Joe says that it isn't humane to being with Angela while Bruce is down the hall. Angela says that she could be Joe's, which causes both Samson and Joe to stop fighting. Inside his head, all the Hulk personalities are urging him on when Bruce figures out someone is doing this. Animus reveals himself. The Bruce persona goes before the Joe persona and tells him that in order to stop what is happening, Joe has to let Bruce take over and stop all the hate that the creature is feeding off of. Meanwhile, Samson is getting made at Angela until Joe says that someone is messing with their minds and lets Bruce come out. In his mind, Bruce takes all the hate and overdoses Animus with it. In the real world, Angela says that she doesn't resent the responsibility for caring for him but Bruce's says that she does and it is only natural. Much like he resents the relationship she has with Samson since he can not be that way with anybody anymore because of the disease. Samson resents Bruce because Samson lacks the courage and will to be the same kind of person Bruce is. When Angela asks what they do now, Bruce starts to walk towards the house and just says accept it because without the hate, they have no potential for love. Angela looks at Samson and walks back to the house alone. Animus appears above and says "now for dessert."

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