TITLE: The Incredible Hulk Issue #334
YEAR: September 1987
COMPANY: Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Todd McFarlane
Guest Artist: John Ridgeway
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
As mentioned with my previous review of “The Incredible Hulk” issue 334, the work of writer Peter David and artist Todd McFarlane have manage to revitalize “The Incredible Hulk” series.
With great character development and cool artwork, it was no doubt one of the best work for the behemoth.
And with issue #335, by the second page, you are just shocked. A young blonde woman laying in her bed, , awakening from her sleep, goes to check under her bed and out comes a shadow figure who rips her clothing, gouges her eyes, which makes her fall out of her bedroom window.
While running and bleeding (blood is pink, not red), she runs into the grey Hulk.
The grey Hulk and the police manage to prevent Adria Wagner’s death but of Adria’s tells them that the Hulk saved her life.
Meanwhile, at the local gas station is a creep guy named Gil Jeffers, doesn’t look like the person who attacked Adria but something’s off about the guy.
Adria is helped by Dr. Bruce Banner and tells her who may be responsible for attacking her and she recalls the man calling her Addy and the only person in town that called her that is Gil Jeffers. This leads to Bruce Banner investigating the creepy guy who just watches slasher films and as the sun sets, Banner becomes the Hulk while for Jeffers, the sinister man comes out of him and Hulk confronts him.
The sinister man tells Hulk that when Gil is asleep, he comes out and has the Hulk take him to show him four men who assaulted a woman and how Hulk prevented him from killing an innocent girl, now he wants to kill these men. By killing, it gives him one step to dominating the relationship with the weaker side, as he dominated Gil.
Needless to say, this is grey Hulk, a smarter Hulk and how it ends is quite fascinating, probably gruesome for its time but that was how dark “The Incredible Hulk” was at this time, a precursor to how comic books would be decades later and this was not an alternative title, it was a major Marvel character and an issue that featured maiming and death.
It was also well-written and once again, another awesome David/McFarlane issue of “The Incredible Hulk”!