This is the sixth in a series (of indefinite length and regularity) explaining the context behind (using reader danjack's term) "meta-messages." A meta-message is where a comic book writer comments on/references the work of another comic book in their comic. Each time around, I'll give you the context behind one such "meta-message." Here is an archive of the past installments!

Today we look at an instance of Peter David referencing a Hulk/Doctor Octopus fight in an Erik Larsen comic...

In 1992's Spider-Man #19, writer/artist Erik Larsen got the Sinister Six back together, but he highlighted how powerful Doctor Octopus was with his new fancier arms.

A good demonstration of this was having Doctor Octopus beat up the Hulk...

Well, later in 1992, in Incredible Hulk #396 (in a story I just featured here, which made me think I might as well feature this one), writer Peter David and artist Dale Keown had a response to that fight...

The comments about "holding back" is a reference to comments made by Image creators about holding back new creations from Marvel (rather than give Marvel the new characters they saved them for themselves), hence the "Image" comment at the end of the issue.