Hulk 300: The Truth Of The Situation

From Incredible Hulk #300: "By awakening Banner and showing him the truth of the situation, I unwittingly aided him, then, in his decision to die with dignity".

In this page, Bill Mantlo used thought-balloons to articulate Doctor Strange's guilt and rising determination, as Strange comes to terms with his failure to save Bruce Banner.

This scene was important to establish an in-character motive for Strange to interfere. Stopping rampaging science monsters normally wouldn't be Doctor Strange's job, but he and Banner had been fellow members of the Defenders for years - a shared history that finally pushed the Sorcerer Supreme to interfere (and eventually save the day, by banishing Hulk to another dimension).

Sal Buscema discreetly builds up tension, zooming out to show the approaching gust of wind. The 4th panel zooms back into Strange's stern expression, when he accepts his share of blame. The build-up culminates on the 5th panel, which is where the heroic soundtrack would rise if this were a movie. But if this were a movie, we wouldn't have followed Strange's line of thought like this.

Story by Bill Mantlo, Art by Sal Buscema and Gerry Talaoc.