Hulk 249: Ice Warfare

From Incredible Hulk #249: "Ice Warrior falls, but now ice-girl grabs hold of Hulk! Why?"

Because apparently, retired supervillain Jack Frost (whose underground lair the Hulk had accidentally invaded) was VERY creative in his use of expendable ice-minions. If the Gladiator didn't work, try Jessica Rabbit!

Steve Ditko really stole the show in this issue. The same wild imagination that created alien panoramas for Doctor Strange, and gave Spider-Man so many visually-distinctive villains, was focused on spawning a gauntlet of killer ice-sculptures for the Hulk. This desperate battle escalated until only one of them survived (no spoilers on which one!). 

The storytelling here is straightforward, not changing perspectives very often. Ditko understands that this story is a crazy ride, so he keeps the "camera" relatively steady, for the sake of clarity. Note that in the 2nd panel, the Hulk's body language (and finger) are pointed towards the 3rd panel, gently leading the reader along the ideal reading order. The 3rd panel's full-body shot of Hulk smashing the gladiator is followed by a medium shot with the ice girl, and then a close-up of the Hulk's surprise. It definitely makes us want to turn the page! Will the Hulk's lips get stuck on ice? 😳

Story by Bill Mantlo, Art by Steve Ditko.