Only Bruce Banner can wake Xavier up inside and save him from the nothing he's become.
Originally Published March 1970
Having x-hausted himself fending off the Z'Nox invasion, Profession Xavier is bedridden, clinging to life. The X-Men are dreading having to say goodbye to their beloved mentor for the second time this year. Well, they mostly are...
Iceman, master of appropriate behaviour, insists Lorna is "his girl" even though they haven't exchanged a word with one another since their date at the "Friskoteque" weeks ago, and she is very obviously more interested in Alex. I don't know how that could possibly be, Bobby only acts like a complete jealous prick every time she's around. Women can be so fickle!!
There may be a deeper issue at play here that Bobby is projecting that has nothing to do with Lorna. Who knows.
While these three engage in the world's flimsiest love triangle, Bobby and Scott get an idea to use a machine Professor X once designed to let him read minds because perhaps only the Professor, trapped within his own consciousness, can offer some guidance. Unfortunately he only has some vague ramblings about the Hulk, of all things.
Jean, remembering that she, too can read minds now, offers to mount a second probe but is only greeted by still more images of the Hulk. Cyclops and Beast put two and two together to make five and realize that Hulk is known to be scientist Dr. Bruce Banner, and perhaps it's the Doctor's keen scientific mind they need, and not the rampaging green rage monster he's better known as. And that's all well and good, but the Professor distinctly said Hulk so I don't know where they're getting this Banner idea from.
Cyclops, Angel, Marvel Girl and Beast track the Hulk's swath of destruction to Las Vegas. Iceman stays behind to play spoiler to Havok and Lorna while they watch the Prof, but thankfully we are not treated to any scenes of that. Again I have to think Iceman's priorities are out of wack. She doesn't like you, dude.
The X-Men are no match for Hulk physically but Jean is able to subdue the monster telepathically and cause him to revert to meek scientist Banner.
However, just as he vaguely recalls corresponding with a Professor Xavier about the connections between gamma rays (Banner's expertise) and mutations (Xavier's whole deal) the Hulk's military foes arrive to take him into custody.
Understandishably reluctant, Banner hulks out again and escapes. The X-Men pursue the jade giant to a butte or mesa (I'm not sure which, sorry) and, having had ten seconds to formulate a new battle plan, push him right the eff off it.
As their foe plummets toward the ground and is buried in rubble, Beast does some quick calculations and realizes he is not completely certain of the limits on Hulk's invulnerability, and has potentially just murdered Dr. Banner.
Luckily, Hulk emerges from the disaster unscathed and un-Bannerfied. He also smashes a hole in the mesa or butte (again, I'm sorry, I don't know which is which and I honestly don't have time to research the matter) revealing a secret laboratory.
The X-Men deduce that the device they need to save Xavier's brain must be inside, and let the Hulk wander off. Cyclops theorizes that, deep within Hulk's subconscious, Banner was directing the behemoth to the place he knew the X-Men needed to be. Staggering implications, if true.
The team returns to the Mansion in good time and zaps the Professor or whatever it is the device is supposed to do, and...
The end!
Further Thoughts:
Well, for now.
At this time, the X-Men were suffering from low sales. I'm guessing the writing was on the wall for a long time, with the frequent tweakings the book underwent. On the plus side, being a low-selling title enabled it to be a playground for more experimental creators and creations since the stakes were so low, which did result in a quality increase up until recently. But the die was cast, as they say.
Even knowing that this was the last issue and things needed to be wrapped up, the details of this story are a bit sketchy and hurried-seeming. The premise for seeking out the Hulk, his/Banner's role in the story, and what the conflict even looks like, seems to be missing some connective tissue.
It reads like one of the lesser early issues with a flimsy premise that isn't given enough storytelling support to carry it own weight. And I didn't always notice or care that these stories are somehow lacking because in the moment, it seems perfectly fine... But the last year or so of stories had been of such high quality that reverting in this way - even moreso than the lackluster Sunfire and Z'Nox capers - feels very wrong.
Still, I believe the core premise of the X-Men, which the book has never quite lived up to its potential, is so good that someday, they'll be back. I'm sure of it.
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