383

I love this cover, so much so I have it framed in my room, so it seemed like as good a start as any to The Sakaarian. The issue itself is fairly mediocre, a classic transitional story that shouldn't really be read on its own, out of context. It's a shame really since the fight with the Abomination is set up quite nicely, Emil is stalking his actress former wife and the Hulk is sent in to deal with his old foe. The actual confrontation of Hulk and Abomination is a bit of a let down (The issue after this one however more than makes up for it!).

In other events Betty goes blond in preparation for the nineties, while trying to come to terms with the new look Bruce Banner (At this point we have Bruce in control but with the Hulk's body). Some of the best moments in the PAD/Keown run happen in the side-stories about Betty and Marlo, leading up to Marlo's genuinely shocking death in issue 398, they give the run a grounding in real-life that is so often lost in superhero comics.

It's an issue I'd love to re-write as a self-contained, one-shot, 30's style detective story. That's always the idea I get when I look at this cover.