Last issue, a gamma bomb went off in a city because The Leader is a dick. One of the effects seen in this issue is that it turned a preacher into…Soul Man! He’s not important, but he’s got a great character name.
Leader’s plan was to create a “master race” of gamma radiation mutants to serve him in a plan to rule the world.
Hulk was at ground zero of the blast. He’s missing–presumed dead. And Rick tries to give him a pep talk about why Hulk’s life matters…
But for me it kinda backfires because a dead Rick Jones is better than a living one.
This feels like the start of a big era for Hulk–and it kind of is (but next issue is really where it starts)–but it’s also an ending: Todd McFarlane leaves the series.
For the art, we had Todd McFarlane (layouts), Erik Larsen (finishes).