HULK SMASH PUNY WOLVERINE!!!
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Marvel Comics | TPB | $19.99
Review by From the Booth‘s own Ken
When I bought the first and second issues of Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk back in 2006, I could hardly wait for the next issue. Unfortunately, I would have to wait over three years for the third issue to be released due to the workload of writer Damon Lindelof, who is better known for his work on TV shows such as Lost. The interior art was done by Yu, who has done work for Superman: Birthright (reviewed here), a long run on the ‘90s Wolverine series and many other series too numerous to mention. While almost no comic is worth a three year wait, you can now pick up all six issues in trade.
The first appearance of Wolverine was on the last page of Hulk #180 and the two have been fighting ever since. Wolverine vs The Hulk Six Hours, nods to the original during World War Hulk and even my “collectible” comics from Pizza Hut (I know they’re collectible because they say so right on the comic!) have Hulk and Wolverine squaring off.
In this Ultimate universe iteration, the book opens with a legless Wolverine climbing a mountain in search of his lower half. As he climbs, he flashes back to being enlisted by SHIELD to kill the Hulk because he escaped his execution and fled to Tibet. Also during the battle, She-Hulk appears for the first time with the standard Ultimate universe twist.
The writing in this story is actually really funny. At one point, Hulk asks Wolverine which of his legs he wants him to eat because that is the only thing that Hulk figures will slow him down. After a short back and forth, Hulk tells Wolverine that he’s taking the whole situation far too personally. A brief interlude involving Wolverine talking to his spirit animal was enough to make me laugh out loud. The action is written mostly through flashbacks which allow a pivotal battle moment to happen in all six books.
The art in the book is in the same vein as most of the Ultimate universe. The fact that Yu has a photo realistic de-legged Wolverine crawling through the snow but the art never enters MAX territory should be enough to give you an idea of his level of skill. The battle scenes are illustrated to great effect with the whole page panels showing Wolverine’s gritted features and each of Hulk’s rippling muscles.
Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk is a must have for fans of either character and its great blend of action and humor should expand its appeal even further.
Final rating (out of 5): 
I find your lack of Panda in this review disappointing. That was a major highlight of this story for me and totally a selling point for this book. Everyone should read that at least once.