Fantastic Four Vol 1 166

Fantastic Four #166
Previous Issue	Fantastic Four #165
Next Issue	Fantastic Four #167
Cover Date	January, 1976
Issue Details
Editor-in-Chief	Gerry Conway

1. "If It's Tuesday, This Must be the Hulk!"
Appearances · Synopsis
Writer(s)	Roy Thomas
Penciler(s)	George Perez
Inker(s)	Vince Colletta

Appearing in "If It's Tuesday, This Must be the Hulk!"

Featured Characters:

• Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards)
• Invisible Girl (Susan Storm)
• Thing (Benjamin Grimm)
• Human Torch (Jonathan Storm)

Supporting Characters:

• Colonel Sellers

Villains:

• Hulk (Bruce Banner)

Other Characters:

• 
  

Locations:

• Nebraska

Items:

• Psi-amplifier

Vehicles:

• 
  

Synopsis for "If It's Tuesday, This Must be the Hulk!"

As the Fantastic Four are aboard a 747 Jumbo Jet over the midwestern United States, their conference in the aircraft's lounge is disrupted when the Thing sees a man and wife embracing on a couch. With no justification and with uncharacteristic arrogance, the Thing orders the "lovebirds" to go elsewhere. Although the man, Ralph, is frightened, his wife chews out Ben, and they and their young son leave before the abashed Ben can apologize. Ben is annoyed because the Fantastic Four's quick departure following an urgent call from Washington forced him to break a date with Alicia. He is soothed somewhat when a flight attendant brings him a tray of pastries, but when he tries to reciprocate with a kiss, he finds to his consternation that the flight attendant is male. Johnny mentions to his sister that Ben is not the only one with girl problems, and he complains about how Frankie refuses to date him now that she knows he is the Human Torch. Then Reed says it is time they were all told why they are flying to the midwest. From a briefcase, he extracts a portable version of the psi-amplifier that he built some time ago and which the Thing tried to use to cure Bruce Banner of becoming the Hulk. It did not work at that time, says Reed, because it was not perfected, but now it should work property. When Sue wonders what this has to do with their going to Nebraska, Reed replies that the Hulk has been rampaging throughout the midwest, something the authorities have tried to keep secret. If he can use his mental power with the psi-am, Reed continues, he should be able to prevent Bruce Banner from ever again becoming the Hulk. Johnny replies that only one problem remains—finding the Hulk. After listening to Reed, the Thing declares that he is fed up with chasing the Hulk every time the military want him, and he cannot understand why they can't just leave the Hulk alone. Just as Reed says that this is for the Hulk's good as well as everyone else's, by complete coincidence the Hulk himself collides with the airliner's right wing on one of his colossal, country-spanning leaps. Of course, the Hulk scarcely feels the collision, but the airliner, its wing on fire, goes into a dizzying tailspin. All the passengers, including the Fantastic Four, are thrown around the cabin, and Reed shouts to the crew to get the passengers back into their seats any way they can. Reed then orders Johnny to burn a hole through the side of the plane. and as soon as he does, he and Reed go through it and Sue uses her invisible field to seal it up. Ben is somewhat chagrined that he has so little to do in this rescue operation, but he maintains Sue's spirits as she holds up her field against the intense strain of the internal pressurization. Johnny quickly soars to the jetliner's burning wing and starts to weld the crack together. while Reed makes his way to the tall section, stretches his body into a parachute, and tries to slow the massive aircraft's plunge. Reed feels excruciating pain, but working together, he and the Torch manage to level the craft and bring it down onto a highway, narrowly missing a car driven by Charlie and his friend. Reed is totally exhausted, but nevertheless he and Johnny rescue Sue and help the other passengers exit. A few minutes later, a military helicopter arrives, and the pilot explains that he has been sent for the Fantastic Four. Ambulances and other rescue equipment are on the way for the regular passengers, he continues, but the "big brass" need the Fantastic Four right away. Reed is slightly annoyed by this preferential treatment, but he has little choice, and soon the Fantastic Four arrive in the conference room of Colonel Sellers. Sellers explains that he has been charting the Hulk's movements for the past few weeks, and Reed reminds him of the bargain made with Washington—that if they can change the Hulk back to Dr. Banner, Banner will go free to work with Reed. Just as Sellers proudly declares that he is the youngest full colonel in charge of such a major project, a green light on his scanner flashes the Hulk's location in Sector 8. As the Fantastic Four rush to their assigned helicopter, Reed explains that although they are in an underground fortress designed to protect the President and others in case of nuclear war, there is still some question as to whether the base could withstand an attack by the Hulk. Reed further explains that the military's grid detected the Hulk by the gamma radiation that he emits at certain unpredictable times. Soon the Fantastic Four's helicopter passes over the Hulk's hiding place. When the green•skinned giant sees it, he thinks he is once again under attack by the military, and he uproots a tree and hurls it at the aircraft. The copter is demolished, but the four teammates are thrown clear. Reed saves Sue by transforming his body into a huge parachute, and Sue in turn saves Ben by shaping her force field into a slender cylinder that Ben can slide down like an "invisible flag pole." Johnny, meanwhile, flashes down and quickly finds the Hulk. When the Hulk sees the Torch coming, he slams the fiery figure with his fist, but he discovers that it is only a flaming image, not the Torch himself. As the confused Hulk hesitates, the Thing slams him from behind, and before the Hulk can comprehend what is happening, Sue erects a force-field bubble around his head that cuts off his air supply. Then Reed wraps the Hulk in his arms, and since he was out of breath from Johnny's blast, they manage to immobilize him. Reed orders Ben to knock the Hulk unconscious before his strength builds up and he can break free. Ben is reluctant to strike the nearly helpless Hulk, but his blow knocks the Hulk out. Soon a second helicopter conveys the Hulk and the Fantastic Four back to the military base, where the Hulk is attached to a specially prepared frame and readied for the psi-amplifier. Reed is seated nearby with conducts•leading from his chair through the psi-amp to the Hulk. Colonel Sellers is impatient to get on with it, but Reed says that he has to wait for the Hulk to revive. Ben still takes a dim view of the proceedings, feeling that the Hulk is being treated unfairly. Then the Hulk's eyes open, Reed pushes the button, and a powerful jolt of mental energy, transformed into electricity, enters the Hulk's body. Sweat pours from Reed's face in the struggle, and the soldiers become alarmed. Fortunately, the Hulk soon changes into Bruce Banner, who falls out of the frame, unconscious. Colonel Sellers orders his men to shackle Bruce Banner, but this is the final straw for Ben. Reed had a deal, he says angrily, but Sellers replies that he will keep it when he is good and ready and that there is nothing Ben can do about it. When Ben sees Banner in the psi-am frame, he quickly shatters the device, which releases its stored energy into Banner's body and quickly transforms him back into the Hulk. Ben's teammates and the soldiers are taken by surprise, but Ben does not care. Humanity has had him and the Hulk at each other's throats when they should have been allies, he shouts. When the Hulk hears Ben, he agrees that they belong together. From now on, says Ben, it is the Thing and the Hulk, side by side.

See Also

• 5 image(s) from Fantastic Four Vol 1 166
  • 2 reprint(s) of Fantastic Four Vol 1 166.jpg
• 5 reprint(s) of Fantastic Four Vol 1 166