World War Hulk: X-Men

World War Hulk (Collected Editions)

by Christos Gage (Writer), Dan Slott, Robert Kirkman

"World War Hulk" is encompassing the entire Marvel Universe, and the effects of the fight are being felt by every hero, villain, and civilian. In Avengers: The Initiative, when the Hulk and his Warbound invade America, the Superhuman Armed Forces answer the call Meanwhile, the Irredeemable Ant-Man is on the run, hiding from S.H.I.E.L.D. But now things have changed - the Hulk has come to town Also, with Iron Man missing after his battle with the Hulk, S.H.I.E.L.D. is thrown into chaos In other corners of the Marvel U Johnny Blaze gets what he wanted. Temporarily setting aside his quest for the remaining avatars of Lucifer, he has forced the Ghost Rider into a confrontation with The Hulk in hopes of saving the innocent. And it's an all-out action as the X-Men battle the Hulk in defense of Professor Xavier's dream You've never seen a Hulk/Wolverine matchup this savage.

Collecting: Avengers: The Initiative 4-5, Irredeemable Ant-Man 10, Iron Man 19-20, Ghost Rider 12-13, World War Hulk: X-Men 1-3

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2008

About the author

Chris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gather around shallow comic book readers. This one’s for you.

It seems that the Hulk is angry (this is an understatement) at the Illuminati, Marvel’s genius trouble-making think tank for some alleged slight they had done him. It wasn’t a slight; they basically tricked him and shot his gamma-irradiated butt into deep space, hopefully never to be seen again. Heh. Sure.

While on Planet Hulk, he starred in a Celebrity Death Match, overthrew a planet, became HulkKing, had a kid and lost his queen in an explosion and bam! back to Earth we go on the Ill-tempered express.

Now Hulk isn’t angry/stupid here, he’s angry/smart with a major chip on his shoulder (kind of like Mr. T in Rocky III) and he’s looking to settle a score with each of the Illuminati. Here he targets Professor X in one of the quintessential Hulk/X-Men battles of all time.

Every available X-Man is tossed at the Hulk; even the X-Teens are used as cannon fodder. Throw in two rounds with the Juggernaut (Bitch, nothing stops the Jugger… Oh!) and it’s a rock ‘em, sock ‘em shallow reader smash-er-up-alapazoola. What the Hulk does to Wolverine and Colossus proves he’s not playing around. A few X-Men even get to involuntarily visit neighboring states, courtesy of a Hulk drop kick here and a Hulk roundhouse punch there. He just wants a crack at Xavier and isn’t about let dozens of X-Men stand in his way.

Marvel tossed in World War Hulk: Ghost Rider so graphic novel buyers wouldn’t feel cheated for shelling out $19.95 for just the Hulk vs. X-Men. Remember that the demon spirit protects the innocent. Guess who the innocent is here?

Remember: this isn’t Gaiman’s Sandman.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hulk smash make sense here.
Chuck surrenders, but X bitches won't let him. Yawn boring with Beast and forgettable X kiddies until the a-team show up.

Classic Wolvie Hulk throw down, including subdural hematoma suffering.
Piotr gets his arms bent like tinfoil, and Juggernaut is a bitch until,he gets his suit back from some evil spirit.

Then a super whined tells hulk the muties have it worse than him, and he says fine, live with what you did X. Also the prof shows everyone what happens to Hulk on Sakaar, so they part in a mutual understanding they're all sad.

And is sad for reader, this is one of the most sensible tie ins ever.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collects most of the random World War Hulk crossover issues from across the Marvel Universe. While some weren't really essential, some were important parts of WWH and really this was a pretty good volume. I liked the X-Men and Ghost Rider stories best, but my overall opinion of this volume is positive.

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

From a certain point of view, I would have liked to have given this trade paperback 3.5 stars or more, but here is the problem: there was not enough story on the X-Men and there were too many inconstancies. For starters, only the first half, if not less, is about the X-Men. After that, I’m back to reading about Iron Man, SHIELD, and some other minor superheroes that nobody cares about (freekin’ Praying Mantis Man? What the heck, Marvels!?). The Ghost Rider story was pretty good, but what the heck is Ghost Rider doing in a trade paperback called World War Hulk: X-Men?

Then there’s Wolverine. In an early 1980s Marvel’s What If Wolverine kills the Hulk. According to that, Wolverine’s claws cannot pierce the Hulk’s skin except around his neck. Then in the late 80s, Wolverine punched through the Hulk’s chest into his heart with his claws, which the Hulk healed out of and kept fighting. Of course, that was Gray Hulk, who was weaker, but they still fought to a draw. I could go on and on, but the point is, in this one, the fight starts with Wolverine tearing up the Hulk’s back, even though he later says that he won’t bother with the Hulk’s hide because it’s too tough (talk about inconsistency) and then the Hulk pummels him. Come on! Sure, Wolverine has been getting more and more beat up by the Hulk over time, like getting his legs ripped off (are they done with that story yet?), but on the cover of this one they show Wolverine fighting the Hulk, the fight lasts for about 3 pages, and Wolverine gets his butt kicked. That’s horsecrap!

Still, this was not a bad trade paperback, but sometimes it seems like Marvels does not bother to read their own comic books. Lastly, if it’s called World War Hulk: X-Men, then it should be about the friggen Hulk and the X-Men, not the X-Men and then Ant Man’s friends, then Ghost Rider shows up and hey, let’s see what Iron Man’s doing.

[Alex E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun throwback type story to the days of 90's xmen. Not much plot, just action and some very cool moments.

Christo's Gage does a great job of keeping this light and entertaining. Hulk arrives to the mansion to look for Xavier. Since he was part of the Marvel Illuminati, but not present at the time of the vote to send Hulk to outer space, Hulk wants to know - how would he have voted? Xavier gives him an honest answer, and turns himself over to the Hulk. The X-men, as you can imagine, are not cool with that and basically start protecting the professor by trying to go toe to toe with the Hulk. And I say trying very deliberately.

We get 3 segments of fighting with the Hulk. First by the new, younger class of Xmen who, besides X23, don't really make a scratch on Hulk. Then the original team attacks and gives the Hulk more of a battle, then back up arrives in the form of Xforce and XFactor. Really cool seeing all the mutants back each other like back in the day.

I'm a big X-men fan, so I may be biased, but I thought this was great fun and had some great fist pumping moments. Definitely recommended for fans of big super hero fights!

[Centauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot happened in the 24 hours Hulk had the world waiting for his return to Manhattan. I enjoyed seeing how different heroes & villains responded to the return of the World Breaker.
The Ant-Man side story was funny, but not enough to make me want to read the other issues that arc off. Same goes for the X-Men issues. However, I do want to know more about Marvel's version of The Suicide Squad.
SPOILER ALERT
I wonder what would've happened if the nanite bullet wasn't a fake/dud? Would it have worked? Lastly, what the heck is wrong with Tony Stark? Creating Ultron ain't bad enough, he out there creating black holes basically? Dude is totally insane

[Kris Shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am really sick and tired of all of these crossovers, and have avoided this one as much as possible. Being a X-zombie required me to purchase this one, though. The core X-Men mini was decent. Avengers: The Initiative were already collected in Vol. 1 of that series' trade, so that felt like a double dip. Ghost Rider was decent, but I have never been able to hang with this series in spite of the fact that I read both Essentials. Irredeemable Ant-Man completely, totally, utterly sucked! Product placement in comic books? Old Spice? Screw that! The story and artwork sucked, and that just made it worse. Iron Man was OK. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

[Ryan Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was by far my favourite branch of WWH. Every issue had me hooked until the end. There's not many Hulk/X-Men crossovers so whenever we get one like this, it's really special. I love the simplicity of the whole X-Family gradually stepping up and being put down by the Hulk, even some old adversaries of the team. What makes the interactions even better is that this time the team is fighting the Green Scar Hulk, who is a lot more articulate and cunning than the classic Savage Hulk. This personality has all the wit of the Grey Hulk and an even longer mean streak, so his dialogue is a lot more entertaining. A terrific read!

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is purely for the first three issues in the collection, which make up the X-Men's portion of the story. I haven't read the rest of the volume in at least ten years.

These three issues are essentially one big fight scene with many characters and decent emotional beats. It's a very small portion of the overall World War Hulk story but I enjoyed how it moved Professor X, The Hulk, and Juggernaut, in particular, into new directions while also featuring both the main X-Men teams, and the students of Academy X.

It's certainly not essential reading for X-fans but it's a quick, fun read, if you happen to come across it.

[Tim B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than 3 stars, but not a 4 star. The X-Men stories were pretty good, and the ending made it. New Excalibur shows up for a few panels sending Juggernaut to help Prof X. The Ant Man story was nothing special. The surprise was the Avengers: The Initiative issues. These were very well done and really grabbed me. It ties in mutants, Avengers, students, and villains. The Iron Man issues were really just revealing a plan and building up to future issues. Most of the rest of the book is just fighting and the Hulk seems so overpowered.

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

Continuing the great x-read of 2017/18...

As part of an x-continuity read, this volume is unnecessary in every way shape and form. Particularly considering that over 50% of the trade has nothing at all to do with the X-Men, instead being filled up with Ghost Rider, Antman, and Avengers Initiative. Why is this titled X-Men again?

Oh, and the X-Men issues are a poorly plotted fistfight with the hulk that lasts three issues and accomplishes absolutely nothing.

[Eligos Vespillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tight narrative of Pak's World War Hulk had the downside of not contributing well to the inevitable crossovers it spawned. The best is collected here, as Hulk comes knocking on the X-Mansion's door. Another exciting interaction occurs between arbiter of justice Ghost Rider, who rides into town to confront the angriest hulk ever. Far less remarkable are the rest of the included tie-ins that range from laughably pointless to only somewhat relevant.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Not sure why this has X-Men in the title. The X-Men are only one of five stories in this book. The others being Avengers: The Initiative, The Irredeemable Ant-Man, Ghost Rider and Iron Man. The X-Men story was quite good. Didn’t care for Ant-Man, stopped reading halfway through Avengers: The Initiative. Just lost interest.

[Beelzefuzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems like a missed opportunity. If the warbound brood brought up they had a problem with the X-Men in the main book, then why is the side book Hulk getting mad at a hypothetcial Xavier never answers?

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, very nearly a 4. I’ve been surprised by how much I like this WWH event.

[Rohail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining. Love this unstoppable iteration of the hulk!

[Brannigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine but not as good as the hype made it sound.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ya know, a person wants to be loyal and up to date but the same story (from different perspectives) is getting monotonous.

[Arno Callens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essence of World War Hulk is pretty much contained in the pages of its eponymous book and the Incredible Hulk-series it spun out of. Marvel, of course, felt that wasn't enough, and tacked on a number of tie-ins, most of which only serve to make the event and its timeline more confusing. Civil War, by design, touched every corner of the Marvel Universe. Its add-ons allowed to explore the impact on even the most obscure of heroes, and elevate the main idea in the process. World War Hulk, on the contrary, doesn't share that level of importance, as it's a simple grudge match by nature.

That being said, some of the stuff collected here went above and beyond to make it seem like it mattered. Forget about Irredeemable Ant-Man, but stick around for Iron Man, or should I say Dum Dum Dugan, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. His struggle with Tony Stark's leadership, and subsequently his own is more compelling than it has any right to be, as S.H.I.E.L.D. is just one of the many outsider parties crashing down on the Hulk.

Take Ghost Rider, for example. He has even less to do with anything that's happening, but I'm enjoying the hell out of Daniel Way's run on this character. He's a good guy with a bad (?) guy in his head forever conflicted between saving the few and saving the many. Also he's a flaming skull with a motorcycle on fire wielding burning chains. In two issues Way manages more heart and spectacle than found in a million issues of Avengers: The Initiative.

The X-Men are more problematic. Sure Xavier was part of the Illuminati once, but the whole point of this arc is that he wasn't there to make the decision to shoot the Hulk into space. The fights and banter are on point, but it's never clear when they take place chronologically, or why they're taking place at all. As an excuse to pitch the Hulk against Wolverine again, it's alright, but it adds nothing to the overall narrative.

World War Hulk already stretches an interesting concept way too thin, and these issues aren't helping. Read it all, if you want to, but there are quicker ways of getting the jist of the story.

[Romeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, the first fight between Hulk and Iron Man in the much hyped "World War Hulk" is a total disappointment. It was so awful and bad, it almost turned me off from continuing with the series. Carrying on with this X-Men cross-over, I had very little expectations. Surprisingly, the tussle with the mutants was actually the only redeeming factor in this whole debacle of a mega-event.

Christos Gage injects his plotting and pacing with a sense of urgency and purpose sorely lacking from Greg Pak's lethargic narratives. The characters are also very likable and interesting and there's humor even in the interplay between the heroes and heroines. There is no excess grimness or negativity plaguing a lot of "emo" modern comic books. The artwork is also very impressive and thankfully, does not look like a Vertigo graphic novel. I honestly don't understand this stupid trend in comic books, why should every superhero comic be made to look like Neil Gaiman's Sandman. That style is good for experimental, avant-garde, indie comics, not the superhero genre.

Anyways, this was followed by that horrific Ghost Rider issue. Unfortunately, the flaming skull's mano a mano with Shrek's son is the epitome of lazy, idiotic writing. I also don't like the way the artist drew the jade giant (he looks like Superman after overdosing on steroids). To sum it up, World War Hulk is a result of lousy planning, rushed, half-baked plot-lines and poorly executed fight scenes. It could have been great but sadly not. I wish Gage and DiVito were the ones tasked with this project though (by virtue of these X-Men issues). Lastly, the planners should have watched a ton of anime (Yu Yu Hakusho, HunterXHunter, Tengou Tenge) at least, so they could stage some better fights in the future.

Well, better luck next time.

[Hrishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this last weekend and it is a serviceable tie-in to the World War Hulk crossover/ event. It has some of the same problems that WWH itself has, in that the plot is a fan-boy-playing-with-action-figures fantasy. In the green corner, Hulk. In the red corner, (insert favorite Omega level hero/ villain/ mutant/ Inhuman/ powered being). Fight!

The X-Men story was OK, and actually had some baggage to clear between Xavier and his remaining mutants, which it did well - particularly the last panel where the Hulk walks away leaving Professor X behind to suffer - that got me! The Ghost Rider story was mostly pointless, but it did have that interesting Johnny Blaze vs Ghost Rider meets Bruce Banner vs Hulk moment, so it was OK I guess. Irredeemable Ant Man #10 was my first Ant Man standalone issue ever I think - and I had no idea Eric O'Grady even existed before I read this, so its saying something when I say I was genuinely interested in finding out what happens to him next! Quite a funny "Inner space" reference as well there. Finally, Iron Man #19 and #20 just add behind the scenes color to the events already recounted in WWH #1 and the fisticuffs between Iron Man and Hulk.

All in all, this is an opportunistic volume where some of the lesser Marvel characters get their 15 minutes, using WWH as an excuse.

[Subroto · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of those offshoots in the crossover series Planet Hulk which we could have happily done without.

Fanbitches apart,who would love to see a Hulk vs (fill in the name of anybody), no one cares about the Hulk Vs Wolverine part.

One wonders why Hulk has to act like a total idiot and show up on Xavier's ground when he had nothing to do with the Illuminati's decision to exile him.

Like a bad hollywood movie, this story banks on its stars, franchise and the house name( X Men Vs Hulk) and kills its franchise (World War Hulk).

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! So usually a tie in series, is usually a warning light for this a bad book, don't read it, this however is an exception to the rule! This story takes place during World War Hulk, Hulk comes to the X mansion, and he's angry, he wants Professor X, who was one of the 5 geniuses who decided to send Hulk off world(Bad idea). What I like about this series, is that its a fight for survival, the various different teams of X-men come to protect, the Proffessor, which makes for some great fight scenes! Defintly worth read!

[SA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, okay. When you come out of a Hulk book in the 616 continuity and say "Man, Earth's Mightiest Heroes are assholes," perhaps your attempt to cast Hulk as the bad guy has not been successful. Frankly, apart from the civilian casualities, I think Hulk was totally justified in fucking the Avengers' shit up, because that was cold. Cold-blooded. Especially Tony m'f Stark, man, that was the beginning of the end.

Poor Hulk.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A loose collection of World War Hulk stories to include X-men, Ghost Rider, Ant Man and others.
This collection does not tell a cohesive story but collects several small, incomplete stories.

Notes
Good for those interested in World War Hulk details.

Learning Curve
Low if read after World War Hulk

Reading Order
Read World War Hulk first.

[Steve Magay · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far this tie-in is satisfactory, though there's no valid excuse for the Hulk to be visiting Xavier, then again it's nice to see the Hulk and the whole X-men fight it out. Juggernaut joined the bashing also, and it's an awesome fight. Story's a joke but if you're a fan, you'll love the fights.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read the main WWH event (sadly, it is not available from my library system and I have to many "to-read" items at hand to ILL a copy) but this was easy to follow and I already know the basic event.

[Congoking · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun addendum to the World War Hulk saga. To see if Professor X would've sent Hulk into space if he had attended the last Illuminati meeting was interesting. A fun read.

[Melvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fun, fun! Reminds me why I read comics so many years; Hulk smash. Har!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hulk SMASH! Pretty good, looking forward to seeing what else is out there for WWH.