Hard Knocks 1, p 12 (November 2004)
By Jae Lee (1972 -)
11 x 17 in, ink over graphite on board
Coppola Collection

Lee’s moody style is unique. He had a high visibility run at Marvel in the early 1990s on Namor, and memorable outings on The Inhumans, a one-shot issue of Hulk, the Dark Tower adaptations, and this Hulk versus Thing mini-series, Hard Knocks.

The Thing meets with Bruce Banner at the Hard Rock Cafe, a greasy spoon out in the middle of the desert of the American midwest. With the Thing’s arrival all the clients hit the road. Ben tells Banner that he has come on his own, and that he needs to talk.

However, he doesn’t want to talk to Banner, he wants to talk to the Hulk. He then pushes Banner through the wall, triggering a transformation into the Hulk. They chat. And fight.