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    Tales to Astonish #64

    Tales to Astonish » Tales to Astonish #64 - When Attuma Strikes!; The Horde of Humanoids! released by Marvel on February 1965.

    Short summary describing this issue.

    When Attuma Strikes!; The Horde of Humanoids! last edited by Vlad3008 on 11/29/22 02:23PM View full history

    Can the Hulk fight his way out of a horde of humanoids?

    When Attuma Strikes!

    Hank Pym is in his lab building a giant robot ant for research when he snaps at Janet van Dyne for dropping some equipment. Jan decides she’s had enough of Pym’s temperament and decides to leave him for good and go on holiday. When Hank finds her note he’s so shocked that he involuntarily grows to giant size, breaks through the roof of his lab and get electrocuted by some cables. The electrocution knocks him out and he returns to normal size. Elsewhere Jan’s plane flies over a strange fountain of bubbles in the ocean and the pilot notices an island that wasn’t there before. The island is in fact a cover for Attuma’s enormous undersea vessel and upon seeing the plane the barbarian decides to capture the passengers for studying human weaknesses to aid his conquest of the surface world. The plane is trapped in the bubbles that become denser than steel and force it to land. A giant Robotron informs the passengers they won’t be hurt if they follow orders and commands Janet van Dyne to enter it. The pilot intercedes and demands to speak to whoever is in charge however both he and his co-pilot are attacked with a paralysing ray. At the same time Janet, who in anger had left her costume and Wasp’s Sting behind, finds a few remaining crumbs of a shrinking pill. The crumbs aren’t potent enough to turn her into The Wasp but she manages to cybernetically communicate with some ants and commands them to find Giant Man.

    Back in his lab, Hank has recovered consciousness and receives Jan’s distress message from the flying ant and swiftly changes to Ant Man. He then boards his miniature Converti-Car and follows the messenger to Attuma’s ship. On reaching the ship Pym grows to his maximum 50 feet height and dispatches two guards. Giant Man finds Janet inside and tosses her The Wasp’s gear but she’s unable to move due to a paralysing ray which Giant Man then destroys. Attuma proposes a bargain and tells Giant Man if he helps defeat the surface world he can become one of Attuma’s warlords. Pym refuses and is about to be ambushed from behind when The Wasp stings the approaching guard. Giant Man decides to use shock tactics and suddenly shrinks down to ant size. This confuses and terrifies Attuma’s hordes who think they’re dealing with a demon. Simultaneously The Wasp attacks her former captors with a number of stings before being shot by another paralysing ray. As the heroine falls, Pym shoots back to giant size and catches her. Frightened, Attuma and his men run out of the room, seal the door behind them and start flooding the chamber. Both Avengers shrink down to insect size and manage to survive in an air bubble until the chamber is drained. Then instantly Pym again becomes Giant Man and seeing this, Attuma believes all surface dwellers to be invincible and begs for mercy. The Warlord promises never to return to the surface and heads back to the depths with his army. Janet tells Hank the other passengers have already been freed and the two leave together in the Converti-Car.

    The Horde of Humanoids!

    Bruce Banner finds himself in military jail accused of being a spy. He takes tranquilizer pills to stop himself from becoming The Hulk before being transported for his trial. Betty Ross won’t believe the man she loves is guilty while Major Talbot hopes she will now see him in a new light. In the court house, Dr. Banner’s lawyer tells him the case seems hopeless when Rick Jones bursts in and says he has a plan. Using his Avengers card, Rick manages to get into the white house and see the President whom he tells about Banner really being The Hulk. The President agrees that Banner’s secret must be kept and vows to help him out. Major Talbot is furious that a White House order arrives for Banner’s release but nonetheless accompanies the scientist to Astra Isle where his new invention will be tested. The Absorbatron has the power to absorb nuclear explosions and is something The Leader wants for himself. He sends an army of Humanoids to the deserted island that arrive shortly before Talbot and Banner. While Banner begins his experiment, he and Talbot furiously argue whether the scientist is in league with The Hulk. The argument angers Banner but seeing that he is out of tranquilizers, he runs away before he transforms.

    As soon as Banner reaches outside the bunker he transforms into The Hulk. Talbot arrives to see the Hulk and is convinced Banner contacted him. The Major manages to get bank inside and closes a fortified door. The Hulk loses interest and not knowing he and Banner are one, decides to find the scientist who he assumes brought him to this island. The Humanoids have now invaded the island from under sea and The Leader orders them to capture The Hulk who is delighted to finally have something to smash. Meanwhile Talbot secures the Absorbatron underground and alerts General Ross to The Hulk’s presence. Ross orders a large fighting force to the island while back on the surface The Hulk ineffectively battle The Humanoid army whose gammafied plastic bodies absorb any punishment he dishes out. The Leader hopes once The Hulk is captured they can become allies not realising the frustration of fighting his unbeatable opponents is causing a transformation in The Hulk.

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    Banner Jailed 0

    This is one of the more exciting issues of the mid-'60s Tales to Astonish Hulk series. Following the events of last issue, Bruce Banner has been arrested and is set to face a military tribunal for treason. He manages to keep the Hulk in check by taking tranquilizers, but can't hold out forever. Fortunately, Rick Jones comes to his aid by using his Avengers card to speak to a mysterious ally in the Pentagon to whom he spills the secret that Banner is the Hulk. It works, and Banner is released by ...

    2 out of 2 found this review helpful.
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