Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #4 (Lindelof, Yu, McCaig)
Date: 1 May 2009
The intro text of this comic makes a reference to the fact that issue three was delayed for over two years. It was worth the wait. In issues one through three, Wolverine is hired by Nick Fury to track down and kill Bruce Banner/Hulk and finds a strangely rational Hulk in a Tibetan monastery, cured of his rage by the power of Buddhism. Wolverine goads Hulk into attacking him by threatening to date Bruce Banner's unfaithful ex-girlfriend, Betty Ross. Hulk promptly tears Wolverine in two and, in a scene that reminds me why I love comics so much, throws the bottom half to the top of a mountain. Logan climbs up to get his legs back, Hulk's waiting there and before Hulk can finish Wolverine off, they're interrupted by a green-skinned woman falling from the sky. “Plan B” – She-Hulk.This is all told in some excellently handled flashbacks and flash-forwards, layout, captions and structure all ensuring that you never lose track of where you are in the story. Events are shown from different perspectives, giving a Rashomon-like feel to the story. The art and layout are excellent – I particularly liked the scene where Betty and the scientist Dr. Walters are observing, through a one-way mirror, Nick offering Wolverine the job of hunting down Hulk.
Because it's all set in a different universe, the Ultimates line isn't restricted by continuity or previous, perhaps questionable, decisions. The writers can pick and choose which elements to use from the mainstream stories, creating, for example, a version of the Clone Saga that doesn't suck, or in this case, the utterly fantastic idea of making Betty Ross into She-Hulk.
Issue four is told from Betty's perspective, as she makes the decision to attempt to cure Bruce using an improved version of the Hulk serum and then has to inject it into herself during an escape attempt. This issue ends about ten seconds after the end of issue three with the line: “Betty break Hulk's heart … NOW HULK BREAK BETTY!”
I can't wait.
