|
|
|
Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk #1
Review posted: 01 Jan 2006
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Colors: Dave McCaig
Publisher: Marvel Comics
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Matt Yocum
|
|
The single best comic I read in 2005 arrived in my stash
the last few weeks of the year. Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #1
is the brightest spot on the Ultimate radar, even eclipsing The
Ultimates 2. Given the praise I poured
over the latter, the former certainly must have been some kind of
comic.
Every page, every panel, in this comic
worked for me.
|
Rarely have I found a comic I would deem worthy of a perfect 5-star
rating. My fellow ComicCritique.com writers can attest that my
standards are such that a 5-star rating is reserved for the rare comic
specimen that changes me, has me thinking about it long after, the
comic by which others are compared. The Dark Knight Returns,
Batman: Year One, The Sandman, Iron Man’s
“Demon in a Bottle” story (issue 128). These were seminal
works that influenced me, works that I will re-read the rest of my
life. I’ve now added another. Other than this issue, I
can’t think of a single comic of any ongoing series I’ve
re-read this entire year.
Writer Damon Lindelof co-created and has frequently written for
ABC’s Emmy award-winning television show Lost. While
some cross-over creators never hit their stride in comics (e.g.,
novelist Orson Scott Card’s lamentable work on Ultimate Iron
Man), and some hit their stride after a light dusting (TV and
movie writer/director Joss Whedon in Astonishing X-Men), some
hit the mark from their first panels. Lindelof knows how to start a
story, not waiting to ease us into the water but plunging us headlong
into the icy depths. Or in this case, the snowy mountains of Tibet.
The story is simple. Wolverine is sent by Nick Fury to find and
kill the Hulk after S.H.I.E.L.D.’s nuclear execution failed the
first time. After tracking the Hulk to Tibet, fisticuffs ensue, and
the fight is apparently short-lived. Wolverine is not so unbreakable
as he thought.
From characterization and dialogue to splash images when it calls
for them to intrigue and spliced-in back story showing us how we got
to Tibet in the opening — Lindelof simply nails the writing.
I’ve not been so excited at a story in some time. Not since the
first episode of Lost I’d say. In fact, the story resembles the
structure of Lost episodes, jumping occasionally from the present to
fill us in with relevant back story. When the issue ended, I sat with
several questions which are sure to be answered in coming issues (such
as why on earth is Hulk sitting in Tibet dressed like a Mongol warrior
with a large harem surrounding him, and how Wolverine plans on picking
up the pieces — of himself). Leaving happy but wanting more is a
satisfying feeling from a comic.
I’ve grown into a fan of Leinil Francis Yu, adding him to my
must-follow list after his work on DC’s Superman:
Birthright. I’ve recently finished reading
WildStorm’s Silent
Dragon with Yu stretching his artistic chops, although I agreed
with my fellow ComicCritique collaborator Matt Rawson that he was
getting in the habit of adding “pointless lines in pointless
places.” Whereas that series, I feel, called for simpler,
cleaner lines, this one demands a messier, grittier look. After all,
it was a messy fight between Wolverine and the Hulk. Yu’s heavy
line work adds to this series in a way it detracted from Silent
Dragon.
Every page, every panel, in this comic worked for me. If you
haven’t already, call your local comics shop and ask them to
hold a copy of Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk. It’ll probably be
another few years before you see another 5-star rating from me,
that’s how stringent I am. It’ll probably be a few years
and a lot of drinks before Wolverine thinks it’ll be
“fun” to take on the Hulk again. I wonder if he’s
found his legs yet.
Comments about my comments? Feel free to email me at
myocum@comiccritique.com.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
|
|
