INCREDIBLE HULK #294-296 (1984): ROM

Hulk smashes Boomerang. Boomerang “died” way, way back in Tales to Astonish #88, but here he’s still alive.  Oh, and it’s ridiculous that he can “roll” with a Hulk punch to the head.  Dude should be dead.  Again.

OK, here’s the plot: A former kingpin hires Boomerang to kidnap Betty Ross so he can blackmail Bruce Banner into curing him of cancer using Gamma Rays. The cure works so well (at first), that he exposes a ton of people to it. And everyone’s happy!

Then, guess what?

They all turn green and start going nuts.

Then, out of the blue, ROM shows up and cures them using his neutralizer.  Then he tries to cure Hulk and the crime kingpin, who are fighting.

So Hulk hits him.

A lot.

Eventually, Betty explains what Rom was really doing.

It sounds dumb, and I guess it is, but it’s a fun arc.

Also during this arc: Hulk goes and comes back from Secret Wars, returns with a broken leg and crutch, and quickly disposes of it.

Nice job of not letting an event ruin the continuity of a multi-issue story.

Over the course of these issues, Hulk starts losing his Banner-mind.

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