Villain: Tyrannus and his subterranean slaves

First Appearance: Tyrannus and his subterranean slaves

Guest Appearance: General Thunderbolt Ross, Betty Ross, Rick Jones

Innovations: Giant Neuron-Magnet; Tyrannus-Mobile

Villain: General Fang and his Commie Hordes

First Appearance: General Fang and his Commie Hordes

Guest Appearance: Rick Jones, General Thunderbolt Ross

Letters Page: Page One

Later, Betty introduces a new friend, archaeologist Mr. Tyrannus, to Rick and Bruce. She thinks this new paramour will make Bruce jealous, but instead this mystery man makes Bruce very suspicious. He and Rick follow Betty and Tyrannus to a cave where Tyrannus is busy showing off a strange vehicle to Betty. Before she knows it, Tyrannus has announced his true intention to kidnap Betty Ross, and announces it through a signal to her father. But along comes Rick and the Hulk to try to foil whatever diabolical plot is going on. Tyrannus tries to shake the Hulk with a volcanic gas, which causes both Rick and the Hulk to pass out.

Tyrannus forces the Hulk into slavery under threat of the life of Betty Ross. The Hulk winds up fighting a giant robot in a quasi-Roman coliseum, with a crowd full of subterranean creatures. The Hulk dispatches the robot eventually, and decides to take his increasingly uncontrollable rage out on the dais at which Tyrannus stands. Unfortunately for the Hulk, Tyrannus has his paralyzer ray at the ready, and knocks him out. Rick witnesses this and decides to rescue the Hulk.

As time goes by, the Hulk is forced to do slave tasks like carry heavy freight up hills, stop dams from splitting, and driving hundreds of posts into the ground. Tyrannus tires of playing with the Hulk's life and decides to kill him. At this point, Rick Jones makes his rescue attempt by impersonating an armed guard. He and Betty free the Hulk, who goes about destroying Tyrannus' kingdom before he, Rick and Betty escape in a sub-surface escape capsule.

Story Two Synopsis: As the Hulk spends a clear, moonlit night excercising, General Ross decides to deploy his Iceberg Rocket. It's a success, but Hulk's intense body heat melts the iceberg that surrounds as he hits the ground. He manages to escape before the MPs can grab him. Rick wanders to the secret cave to see if the Hulk is alright, and witnesses the green behemoth turning himself back to Bruce Banner via the gamma ray machine.

Overseas in the tiny Asian village of Llhasa, the people quake in fear of the oncoming Commie hordes of General Fang. A worldwide alert is put out to request help in their fight. Banner and Rick overhear this plea on the radio. Banner turns himself back into the Hulk, grabs a book from his library called "Strange Myths and Legends" ("This book'll help me demolish that creep!" he tells Rick,) and the two charter a plane to Llhasa. There is a scene in the airplane that blows his disguise, however, and they escape out a back door, leaping from Pacific island to Pacific Island until they come to rest in Formosa. American GIs spot him and delay the Hulk by attacking him. It doesn't take long for him to move past the GIs on his way to Red China, where he destroys two attacking MIG fighters planes.

After they reach their destination, the "myths and legends" plan is revelead as the Hulk dons a suit that makes him resemble the Abominable Snowman. (Rick puts on a suit that makes him look like Boo Boo Bear.) The "Snowman" attacks a train of tanks that comes down a hill. After he destroys them, word gets back to General Fang that the fearsom Abominable Snowman is attacking! Far from causing the General to run in fear, it inspires him to fight even harder- he orders his men to prepare his special film projectors.

On a mountain ridge, our "Abominable Snowman" and "Boo Boo Bear" work their way towards Llhasa when they spot a Fin Fang Foom-looking dragon. The Hulk leaps at the huge lizard, but passes through him- it's only a film projection! The Hulk lands in an electric cage that keeps him prisoner! Rick Jones sabotages the cage, though, and the Hulk leaps up into the air to stop missiles Gen. Fang fired at Llhasa. As he catches up to them, he reorients their trajectory to land in front of the commie troops, creating a cavernous impasse. Fang outsmarts the Hulk by ordering paratroopers to land across the chasm. The Hulk creates a whirlwind by bending over and snapping back a forest of trees, blowing all the commies away. The last thing to do for the Hulk is to capture a fleeing General Fang from the back of his jeep and deposit him on the US-held island of Formosa, where American GIs will capture him.

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu

-- letters page scan provided by Karl Mattson

Issues Reprinted
Incredible Hulk #1-6

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.