Incredible Hulk #73

The INCREDIBLE Hulk #74

Date: September 2004
Title: Big Things Part 4
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciler: Dougie Braithwaite
Inks: Bill Reinhold
Letters: Randy Gentile

Colorist: Rainier Beredo
Editor: Axel Alonso
Cover Artist: Mike Deodato, Jr.

Stark is in the Iron Man suit out in the desert as Jack and Bruce detonate the first bomb. Jack notices that that the blast was six megatons over what it was supposed to be and that according to the log, someone changed it last night. Bruce asks about Stark's life signs. Jack says that everything looks fine. Stark picks himself up off the ground and admits that it was he who upped the blast, wanted to impress the government with what the suit could do. They ask how Stark is feeling. Stark replies that he feels terrific as he blasts through the ground ceiling in the underground test facility. Jack and Bruce warm him that he will spread radiation above ground.

Back at the mansion, Richard wakes up the sleeping Lisa and shows her the gun he stole from the guard. He tells her that they are going to take her car for a trip into the desert.

Stark continues to fly through the desert, feeling invincible. Bruce warns that Stark is over-oxygenated as Jack tries to trace him. Bruce warns that they have to seal a hole in the suit but Stark replies that the suit is eliminating the radiation just as planned. Bruce notices that some army jets will be there soon to see what is going on. Then Jack realizes that Stark is not over-oxygenated but rather suffering from gamma poisoning. The suit was damaged when Stark busted out of the underground site and was not working plus he opened his wound. Jack yells to Stark to come in but he doesn't listen. Jack says that he needs some kind of mental jolt to get him back to normal but Bruce walks out of the lab mentioning that a physical jolt can work better. Stark keeps flying around, destroying equipment and the lab when suddenly he runs into the Hulk. Stark looks forward to a rematch when Hulk picks up a rock and throws it at Iron Man, who easily avoids it. Then he realizes that the Hulk wasn't aiming for him but the hole from the underground site to block the radiation from leaking. Iron Man and the Hulk continue to fight until Iron Man lands a punch right on the Hulk's jaw, sending him unconscious to the ground. Iron Man is sarcastically concerned about the Hulk as he flies off. Just then he is shot with a missile by military jets but Iron Man just starts to take them down. Jack calls over the airwaves to the jets to tell them to call off the attack and they leave. Stark tells Jack they are going to detonate the second bomb at the tower, above ground. Jack tells Stark that the second bomb will surely kill him and tells him to come back to the lab. Stark comes busting in through the roof and tells him to detonate the bomb and flies back off. Jack says he will not be his executioner but just then Richard comes in holding a gun to Lisa and tells Jack he will be detonating the bomb. Jack says that detonated the second bomb will kill Stark and Richard says he already knows that. Jack then tells Richard he would be killing the wrong person and that he was responsible for Lisa's death. Richard does not believe him. Jack then says that Lisa did not commit suicide. She was in love with Stark and knew the suit wasn't ready for testing so she tested it on her own when Stark wouldn't listen and Jack helped her. After she died from the test, Jack took her back to her apartment, planted the sleeping pills, and ripped out the last page in her diary explaing how she was going to test the suit. Richard shots Jack and Iron Man hears it through the suit intercom. He starts to head back to help Jack but the Hulk suddenly appears and hits him. Richard asks the wounded Jack which button detonates the bomb but Jack refuses to tell so Richard starts pushing all the buttons, causing a electric feedback. It also starts the detonation of the bomb. The Hulk holds Iron Man who tries to convince the Hulk that he has come to his senses but the Hulk says that it is too late as the bomb goes off.

Cut to Stark's home as Bruce packs his bags. Stark comes in and tells Bruce that Nicole was slightly injured from the blast and told the police about what happened, not mentioning Bruce of course. Bruce asks what Stark will tell the government and Stark replies that he will tell them the suit was successful and works perfectly. Stark then asks how Bruce know he had recalibrated the tonnage on the first bomb. Bruce tells Stark he knew that Stark was overstimulated and followed him from the mansion to the test site and watched him reset the bomb. After Stark left, he then changed the second bomb to be pure RG27 so that when it went off, it would cleanse Stark of any gamma radiation he might have absorbed, turning him back to his normal self. Stark realizes that Bruce, as the Hulk, let Iron Man defeat him so that the bomb would go off with Iron Man close. Bruce says that he did regret not figuring out what had happend to Lisa and Jack might still be alive. Stark tells him that whereever Jack is, he is grateful. Stark then shakes Bruces hand and Bruce leaves the house.

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