Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #1-6

by Damon Lindelof, Leinil Francis Yu (Contributor)

Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the hit TV series LOST teams with superstar artist Leinil Francis Yu to bring their storytelling magic to a tale that will rock the Ultimate Universe! Dr. Bruce Banner has been presumed dead since his execution, following his murderous rampage through Manhattan as the Hulk. But when reports start cropping up of an unidentified creature appearing around the globe, Nick Fury begins to get worried. Not because Banner can turn from man to unstoppable monster in seconds...but because Banner's existence is the one secret that can bring down Fury. Fury turns to the only man he can Wolverine. And he's only too glad to take care of Banner - by any means necessary! Collects Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #1-6.

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2009

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues Hulk's story with the likely profits-related decision to have him battle Wolverine, on his re-emergence. Fury knows the Hulk is still alive, so sics Logan on him! Some cool art and dialogue pushes this to a 7.5 out of 12, Three Star read. Guest stars the debut of the Ultimate She-Hulk! This is yet another Ultimate vehicle that has a much better take on how Nick Fury and SHIELD would work in a more realistic universe.

2022 read; 2017 read; 2011 read

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

PC REVIEW TITLE: Another MARVELous Miss.

HONEST REVIEW TITLE: A SUCKtacular SUCKtacle of SUCKy SUCKness that well and SUCKly SUCKed!!

Reviewed By: Rage with Dignity (hopefully)

Tsk, Tsk, WTFing Tsk, Marvel, you are killing me here. How on Earth-1610 can you FUBAR a Wolverine vs Hulk story and make it so FUGLY that I, a lifetime Wolverine and Hulk fanboy, have to slap a 1 star rating on you? HOW? How does this happen? ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!!!!

Okay, let’s review a few of the HUH? moments garnishing this literary food poisoning.

1. I direct you to the following photo of the cover of the book, which I admit I didn't pay sufficient attention to when I bought it:


As the picture clearly shows, the Hulkster has torn Wolverine in half...Huh? The Hulk...has torn Wolverine AND HIS ADAMANTIUM, UNBREAKABLE SKELETON in half...Huh? Non Marvel fanboys and girls may want to go grab a bite to eat, pour a glass of wine or read a few Robert Frost poems because I am about to GEEK out for a second...Adamantium, boys and girls, is famous in the Marvel universe because it is the ONLY unbreakable substance. It is not partially unbreakable, mostly unbreakable or usually unbreakable...IT...IS...UNBREAKABLE. It is the substance that allows the imprisonment of those “class 100 moon tossing mega baddies” and allows for a certain, if strained, credibility to exist. So again...Huh?

To Sum up: Unbreakable Adamantium being broken = H to the MFing UH?

2. I’d like to stick with photos for one more example, if I can ask you to direct your attention to the following:


Now the above is a post “Huh causing” tearage, in which Hulkie politely asks Wolverine which of his legs he would like Hulk to EAT. You see, this is the second time that Hulk has performed the human saw trick on Logan and has decided the best way to prevent Wolvie from “reattaching” his legs is to EAT one. On one hand sounds reasonable....On the other 999,999,999 hands...Huh? You are turning Hulk into Hannibal Lecter?...c’mon guys, do we need to start monitoring your dosage levels a little bette? New takes on characters is fine in the Ultimate universe but Hulk don’t do cannibal.

Hulk eating Mutant appendages = Bag ofHuh?

3. The Mystery of the Hulk Poop and the Human Finger.” Our next item is strongly related to #2 above and has Wolverine catching Hulkster’s scent by smelling some gamma-sized Hulk spore containing an undigested finger...No further comment is necessary beyond...Huh?

4. Okay, I’m not sure how to begin this next one...at one point, Wolverine regains consciousness to discover he is held captive by Nick Fury....AS...A...DISEMBODIED...HEAD! Everyone, say it with me...Huh? Now I know Marvel writers have had a whole lot of funsies with Logan’s mutant healing ability, but could someone SOBER and DRUG FREE please explain to me the medical/biological basis for Wolverine’s healing factor being able to keep him alive INDEFINITELY as a full body amputee (BTW...I am going to need some slides and multi-colored graphs along with the explanation because I am HELLZA lost here).

So pending a full Stephen Hawking like explanation...Huh?

5. Psst, hey Marvel writers, Wolverine is kinda a popular anti-hero because he is darker and edgier than your Spider-man/Captain America types. But you know what, there is a concept known as “taking a good idea so far in one direction that you END UP DESTROYING ALL SENSE OF CONNECTION WITH THE CHARACTER...okay? Wolverine willing to kill, fine. Wolverine answering violence with more violence, yes. Wolverine, acting gruff, badass and even rude to other people, I’m with you. Wolverine agreeing to kill because its fun and enjoyable...HUH? Wolverine, being such an asshat that he thanks the person who just busted him out of jail by threatening to KILL HIM if he doesn’t help him further...Huh? Logan acting like a PCP-addled sociopath without an ounce of Empathy...again, Huh?

6. Finally, here is my catch-all for the rest of the more “minor” items of goat-getting stupidity that filled out this monument of HUHness. Hulk wearing Mardi Gras beads....Captain America looking like a less than moral TOOL.... Nick Fury acting like a conscienceless thug rather than a “no nonsense” leader. To all of these, I give a written raspberry and a well deserved...Huh?

Bottom-line, this was a big kick in the Hacky Sack and an absolutely reDUMBulous take on two of the most iconic figures in Marvel Comics. How about next time, you show Spider-man as a child molester (oops, I hope I didn’t just spoil the summer blockbuster).

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking place between issues of the Ultimates 2, this book sees Damon Lindelof team up with Lenil Yu for 6 issues showing the Ultimate version of Hulk & Wolverine duking it out in a riff on Wolvie’s first appearance in comics. Lindelof respects the continuity set up by the Ultimate universe, crafting a pretty enjoyable story for this bonkers world, while also remixing a classic comic fight in an interesting way. I think the most intriguing aspect of the book is honestly how it came out.

This comic’s release scheldule was apparently a fucking nightmare (I wouldn’t know because I wasn’t reading Marvel back then), with the first issue coming out December of 2005, while the final issue didn’t arrive until May of 2009. Appparently issue 3 was slated for April 2006, but that day came and went with no issue 3. It was then resolicted EIGHT fucking times throughout the year until in November of that year, when Marvel put the series on hold until Lindelof could finish the scripts for all the issues. Eventually at SDCC in 2008, Lindelof handed in the script on stage in front of the audience to the then EIC. Pretty hilarious.

This is undeniably a solid ass concept though. Find a time period it works, and take these two characters who already have history in the main universe together, and put a new spin on it. Hulk is also given a decent explanation for what the fuck he was up to while he was gone in Ultimates 2. As said, Lindelof does a really good job with the continuity, and this story takes a lot of ideas that Mark Millar had set up in both X-Men & Ultimates, and uses them quite effectively. The fight scenes are beautiful and easy to track, with fantastic art by Lenil Yu elevating an already solid script.

While I did enjoy this, there was undeniably some weird oversexualization in here. I’m no prude by any means, I’m a 20ish year old dude for fucks sake, but holy shit I cringed so hard when the She-Hulk transformation is likened to an orgasm. I mean I guess? But also, why? Because Ultimate Comics 🤙🏻 Then there is another scene where a big creature pops up, and Jen Walters just has her bust somehow blown out of both her undershirt & labcoat, exposing her bra, even though in every panel before and after they are completely covered up. I know this stuff doesn’t matter to some, but shit like this is usually an automatic turn off for readers like my girlfriend, and it is a review so yeah, if that annoys you, it is here, and it is noticeable. I noticed it. There’s some other weird stuff in here with the Hulks but whatever, it’s in line with how fucking insane he and she have been in the Ultimate Universe so far, so mileage will vary on that.

I’d honestly recommend this to anyone who has read Ultimates 1 & 2 or the Ultimate X-Men though. It’s very well done, respects the characters set up in the universe, and delivers on the vs. aspect from the very first page. Weird sexual shit that might turn off some aside, this was fun.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ultimates line of comics can be hit or miss. This one is most certainly a hit.

Wolverine has been sent by Nick Fury to hunt down and capture or kill the Hulk. What goes on from there is an epic fight. While this story may not seem to be deep (it isn't) it has all the hallmarks of what makes a great comic. The artwork is actually quite good, the writing is clever and full of dry humor and the overall arc and ending was well done. This isn't the kind of story that requires a long review. This is Logan and Hulk going toe to toe, we also have Nick Fury and She-Hulk. All of this, with the good art and witty dialogue, make for one of the best Ultimates comics I've run across so far. Highly recommended for anyone looking to shut their brain off and enjoy some good action and humor.

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be more plot driven than brawl driven. I mean, when I opened this one up, I assumed it was gonna be nonstop fighting, but the creative team delivered a great plot with some damn good characterization of Hulk, Wolverine, and a new superhero addition to the universe. Everything was near perfect except for this continued trend toward making Fury be an omnipotent, omnipresent god-like entity who is more clever than any being alive. It isn’t cool anymore, just ridiculous and stupid.

[Malum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty crazy story that is also a hell of a lot of fun. If you expect to find 130 pages of Hulk and Wolverine punching each other, you will be surprised to find that them fighting is just a tiny bit of what this story is about.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title and cover art are at odds with each other - "Wolverine vs Hulk" and then a picture of Hulk ripping Wolverine in half. Not much of a matchup, eh? While the fight between the two is brief and one sided, the title says nothing about the third party that gives Hulk a run for his money, and the real story behind the fight.

I've never read anything by Damon Lindelof before but I think he got the characters down really well and enjoyed his globe-trotting bounty hunter storyline that suited Wolverine down to the ground, even if his style of jumping around in the story got a bit annoying at times. Leinil Francis Yu's artwork is great and was right for the story. His "zen Hulk" was particularly good.

"Vs" books are only meant to be fun and I think Lindelof got that and produced a fun, exciting book that at least showed Wolverine's ingenuity rather than simply his indestructibility and brute strength when it came to fighting the big green giant. A diverting and entertaining read, I'd give this 3 and a half stars.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was a little bit of a surprise. I expected this just to be a big old brawl.

I mean it was that.

But we also had some decent amount of dialog that gave reasoning to this fight. Oh we also got Wolverine's spirit animal....yeah...you read that right.

I don't have much to say but that it was a entertainer fun read and that's about...it. There's not much beyond that. So a good time, but nothing special.

Yes...wolverine has a spirit animal. No...it's not a wolverine.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"&*&^ you, Banner."

[Greg (adds 2 TBR list daily) Hersom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little background for newcomers or fanboys/girls who have been away for a while: Marvel comic’s ULTIMATE story arcs are a rebirth of the Marvel Universe for a new generation of readers and have storylines that fit better with the recent movie adaptations.
Bruce Banner is sentenced to death and executed by nuclear bomb. Soon after, three random disasters occur in remote places around the world that were not due to nature or terrorists. It doesn’t take S.H.I.E.L.D. long to determine the most likely cause is the Hulk. Nick Fury must find someone capable of hunting Hulk down and taking him out as quietly as possible; a super-human with no qualms about getting his hands dirty. Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and what he does best isn’t very nice. Marvel’s ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK is a six-issue storyline that pits primal rage against godlike fury.
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK is so freaking awesome that I’m not sure I can do a proper review without rampant expletives. The story opens with Wolverine lying in blood-drenched snow, wondering why he can’t feel his legs. When the next panel reveals what happened a few moments before, my reaction was to hiss “holy $***”.
With the decades of complex history in the Marvel Universe, it’s a monumental undertaking to invent new stories while remaining true to who the characters are, even more so for A-listers like Hulk and Wolverine. Many make the attempt only to crash and burn.
The creative team behind ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK made a comic book exactly how it’s supposed to be done. The illustration carries as much weight as the words. The fonts and placement complement the ambiance. Point of view shifts from issue to issue. The sequence of events constantly changes from the present, to immediate past, to days prior, to a few minutes from now. It would be nearly impossible for this story to have the same impact in any other medium.
Mr. Lindelof’s writing is as good as it gets in comics. The dialog, which is often an overlooked factor that makes or breaks a comic, grants the individual characters their own unique voices. The reader would easily know who is saying what even if there were no speech balloons. If Mr. Yu’s artwork had any more life in it, you’d feel a pulse. He uses fine lines that detail down to the smallest fragment or blood spatter. Yu’s rendition of these popular superheroes is like a glimpse into their very souls.
The reader feels dangerously close — almost too close — to the onslaught that is super-beings doing battle. Every time that I pulled my eyes away from these comics, I half expected to find my house in ruins. There are even rumors that medical doctors are prescribing ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK to increase low testosterone levels.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled. This is not Wolverine Vs. the Hulk. This is much, much more.

But I cannot offer you more than that. Even the spoilers would have spoilers, if you know what I mean.

But I can offer a few gems, examples of the treasures you might find:

Logan: "I don't believe in spirit animals 'cause I ain't a fruitcake. But if I did? &%*% yeah, mine's a wolverine."
Logan's Spirit Animal: "Well, you're wrong. Wolverines aren't even interested in being spirit animals. They're too busy gnashing their teeth and stuff. So yours is me..."

Logan's Spirit Animal: "I'll get angry."
[pause] "And you won't like me when I'm angry."
[Knowing Reader pauses of his/her own accord, snickering in recall of the same line uttered by Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner in the pilot of the 1970's television incarnation of The Incredible Hulk. Or something like that.]
Logan: "I don't like you now."

There are guest stars. There are twists. There is betrayal. There are dark turns and monsters.

Sleep well.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

review later

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[David Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legend.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this because it was too hard to say no to a $1.99 download featuring two of my all-time favorite comic characters. That being said, the characters depicted here, while looking remarkably similar to my favorite characters, are not them.

I am old enough that I predate the "Ultimate Marvel" version of the Marvel universe, which I have to assume is non-canonical as it is so absurd, but the closest parallel I can draw from my comic reading experience is that this seemed like a What If comic, with the hypothetical being "What if a cannibal Hulk fought a Wolverine whose adamantium bones did not stop him from being pulled to pieces" -- and no, this is not a spoiler, it is actually on the cover, and no I don't know how I missed it before I began reading.

However, I am not giving this one star because there is some gorgeous artwork in it -- although there is some embarrassingly gratuitous cleavage of pretty much every female character inside -- and because there were some nice storytelling flairs, such as the fifth comic's story in five parts (Wolverine conversing with his animal spirit Panda was the singular highlight of this book).

Unrelated to anything, but potentially interesting to other geeks, is that this comic was written by Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of Lost, and at one point, one of the characters in the comic is eating from a bag of pretzels with the Dharma logo on it -- a cute little Easter egg.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first prejudiced know-it-all thought was this:

'Oh look, some big shot from television thinks he can write for comics. What he doesn't know is that the comics format is a special language, it is it's own medium, and just cause you co-wrote "Lost" or something, does not mean you know whats what in this graphic medium!'

Damn! Was I ever wrong!

This is fantastic!
Even my assumptions about this being a simple Hulk Vs. Wolverine throw-down were wrong.

With exceptional art to top it off,
I am glad these guys proved me wrong.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This being the only appearance of Jen Walters in the Ultimates universe (at least according to Marvel Unlimited), I thought I’d pick this up in case there were any callbacks in the new She-Hulk TV series on Disney.

Starts out peppy, mysterious and snarky, just like anyone who wrote stuff like Lost (in the early days) should be accused of. Fun, fast read, has an action movie vibe to it.

Once we get to the big “twist”, and I realise I’m not gonna see what I wanted to see, the wind kinda knocked out not my sails.

And then the big climactic showdown with SHIELD sputters out, leaving all the players still on the board - like Marvel still thought there’d be a future in the Ultimate universe.

Too bad, really. The more fatalistic, cynical worldview was a nice counterpoint to the sweet/light undertone of most everything 616.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit bizarre, but a fun action packed narrative with a unique style of sequencing through Logan's eyes.
Warning: Lots of sexism and objectified women

[Aritra Dasgupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

filled with women whose boobs keep popping out. Almost goes the distance and calls out Bruce for the toxic man he is and how he is angry at Betty for dating someone else while having his own harem. But then calls the whole thing a toxic relationship and exits. Was punchy and fast enough. Only worth a read if you're bored and sufficiently out of stuff to read.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really much of a VS so much as a bro-mance story between the Hulk and Wolverine.
So I suppose this story could be said that Hulk and Wolverine are best frenemies? Sure, why not.
The art and colors are also very nice in this.
Not what I was expecting, it was a nice surprise of a book.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk
Author: Damon Lindelof
Illustrator(s): Leinil Francis Yu
Issues: 1-6
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: Collects Ultimate Comics Wolverine Vs. Hulk (2005) #1-6. Nick Fury thought he’d killed Bruce Banner, but he was wrong. Now he must get the job done right. Fury has a list of operatives at his disposal. But there’s only one man to consider: Wolverine!

Favourite character: Wolverine
Least favourite character: Betty Ross

Mini-review: I didn't mind this and it's getting three stars mainly because of Wolverine (if it wasn't for him it would get 2 stars), but other than that I didn't enjoy this. From Hulk's harem of naked women to Betty Ross's emotional manipulation of Bruce to all of the alluded to nudity to the switch of Betty Ross being She-Hulk instead of Jennifer Walters, who was a character in this. Some of the stuff could definitely have been avoided.

Fan Cast:
Wolverine/Logan Howlett - Jai Courtney
Hulk/Bruce Banner - Mark Ruffalo
Nick Fury - Samuel L. Jackson
She-Hulk/Betty Ross - Liv Tyler
Jennifer Walters - Tatiana Maslany
Forge - Tatanka Means
Captain America/Steve Rogers - Chris Evans
Iron Man/Tony Stark - Robert Downey Jr.

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great - more than just a few issues, has a standalone event feel to it.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent art, decent story, but the entire a ultimate universe is just mediocre. Best part of the story is Jen Walters and Betty Ross, but Wolverine and Hulk interacting is decent too.

[Joseph South · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome run of comics

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story featuring two characters I enjoy and they’re just brawling. the Ultimates hulk is a great character- Bruce is such a little brat!

[Sicily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit this was pretty cute and interesting. I like the focus on characters, even in the fight scenes, the readers are giving more information about each person's personality, faults, and humanity. Those are the best type of fighting scenes, ones that don't bore me to tears. My favorite part was the reluctant friendship that's comes at the end. Please more Hulk and Wolverine. They both are more interesting when they interact with others.

[David Muñoz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping a second read of this mini-series would maybe be better, but it might have been worse.
In what was supposed to be an ultimate clash up (PUN ALWAYS INTENDED) we have a classic battle that has been going on since the 70s; Hulk vs Wolverine. This time around it’s their ultimate universe counterparts and it’s stretched out in a 6 issue mini-series. Also, it’s by far the worst one. Damon Lindelof (of the show ‘Lost’ fame. With this story he really LOST all respect by me, HA) is the writer on duty, and Leinil Francis Yu (longtime and respected Marvel artist. Yes, Yu at least still has my respect) is the man on artwork. We see a pretty standard plot line of Wolverine being hired and sent to go kill the Hulk. This story takes place back when Hulk was tried for his giant mess in New York, which took place in ‘The Ultimates’, by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch (Go check out that review c;). It’s found out that the Hulk survived the nuke dropped on him and that is where Wolverine comes in. Wolverine finds Hulk in Tibet and is surprised to see what he’s found. We also see the ultimate version of She-Hulk only Lindelof gives it an interesting twist.

As you could probably tell, I didn’t like this story. Lindelof comes off as a smart 15 year old with the script and dialogue, and his overall approach on how to tell the story is messy. There’s a lot of back and forth with the timeline and for a book that has the title “Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine”, there isn’t much of them actually fighting. Everything is broken up and Lindelof tries to pass it off as humor, but I think he thought he was being creative, but it falls SUPER short. In general the dumb humor was too much in the read, with none of the characters actually being funny, or LIKEABLE! I hate how he wrote Wolverine. Part could be that the ultimate universe Wolverine was never really written as well as the 616 version, however Lindelof goes over the top. I’ve seen people praise this mini-series for being “different” and being a more plot driven book. I can see that, but if you’re going to go that route, then make the conversations interesting, don’t be cringey, and stop playing with the pacing! Nick Fury was also annoying and written lazy towards the end when everything “comes together”. There’s also a lot of scenes with awkward sexual references. Like I said, Lindelof comes off as a 15 year old who got an A on his literature paper. He tries to come off as cool and edgy, but it’s just total mozzarella. There is a whole two page spread where She-Hulk transformers for the first time and the whole time, Lindelof writes it as her moaning and ends it with a word bubble, “was that as good for you as it was for me?” Really? Jesus Christ.

Leinil Francis Yu comes in, and kinda saves the day, as his artwork is amazing in this one. I love his look for Hulk and the few actual fight scenes look great. He does skip out a lot on background details, but the character details more than make up for it. It really is a shame that Lindelof wastes Yu’s talent on this mini-series. There’s so many pages and panels of just people talking and it gets super repetitive. Not Yu’s fault, and he does still draw some nice looking people, so there’s at least that.

Overall; this is garbage and probably the worst read of the year. The only reason I hold on to this HC is cause it was a Christmas gift and the Yu artwork. If you like this story, I guess, but then I dislike you, and want to fight you. JUST KIDDING…Maybe…

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído de la edición española en revistas: Ultimate Lobezno vs. Hulk #1-3. Lindo festival de barrabasadas, mal gusto y diálogos bastante ingeniosos. El dibujo de Yu aporta basante y la narrativa no lineal le da un toque extra de diversión a un guion bueno pero que no deslumbra en casi ningún momento.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one point in this, Betty transforms into the Hulk, which is depicted with her rolling around and moaning and then saying "Was that as good for you as it was for me?" Weirdly, Banner gets to have non-sexual transformations.

The rest of the book is fine, I suppose. Bit dull. The people who waited 3 years between issue 2 and 3 must have been really annoyed at such a mediocre continuation.

[Benjamin Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got to read this in one go! 10 + years later after reading this first 2 or 3 issues borrowed from a friend. Fun read and still holds up. Great art. To the point writing and fun moments and lines.