World Famous Comics: Ultimate Hulk vs. Iron Man: Ultimate Human
Ultimate Hulk vs. Iron Man: Ultimate Human
By: Warren Ellis Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 104 Publication Date: June 11, 2008
Product Description: It's the Ultimate war between the Hulk and Iron Man! Desperate for a cure to his dark disease, scientist Bruce Banner begs Tony Stark for a release from the curse of the Hulk! Stark agrees, but in the midst of the experimentation, something goes horribly wrong. And you know what happens next: man and monster collide! Be there as writer Warren Ellis (Ultimate Galactus) begins his next Ultimate epic - and is joined by amazing artist Cary Nord (Conan)! Collects Ultimate Human #1-4.
Visually Stunning, but Falls Flat Well, that's the problem with Ellis. He's written so much that it can't all be spectacular - and those of us who have been mesmerized by his stories tend to have unreasonably high hopes when his name is on the cover.
This is a great concept and a fascinating read but I agree with the other reviewers who felt "not much happens" or that the story really failed to take off.
Then again, this is the problem with ALL hulk stories. The fact that no one can ever solve the poor guy's problem is the crucial and central tragedy of the Hulk. They've been doing this since the 1970's. Every time there's a cure for the Hulk, it gets shot to hell - and he still hulks out.
That's why it's so hard to get into this character. He's a one trick pony. He gets mad, he destroys everything, and he's stuck being a monster. YAWN.... Next Issue: He gets mad, he destroys everything, and he's stuck being a monster.
So let's not fault Ellis for not being able to take Hulk in a new direction. He is giving us a "classic" Hulk story here. He gives us some great interaction between Stark and Banner, and a really cool take on the Leader.
The conclusion - rapid and swift destruction of the villain involving a big fireball - is an example of the weak spot in Ellis' writing armor. OK Warren. We get it. You think all Americans are idiots who are happy when you end a sci-fi story with a big explosion just like Star Wars. OK PLEASE FIND ANOTHER PLOT DEVICE. Warren Ellis is notorious for giving us brilliant concepts, developing the characters crisply and expertly through action and dialogue, and then ALL OF A SUDDEN IT"S THE LAST PAGE. BLOW STUFF UP. Even in Ellis' masterpiece "Black Summer" we still get the requisite big explosion finale. Come on, Man!!! I love his writing but wish he could get over this stock ending. The set up has so much more potential than that.
Maybe to Ellis the entire comic book medium is just about setting up a string of Dominoes. No matter how amazing a domino extravaganza you create, all that really happens in the end is that they all get knocked over - and then on to the next set up.
Where this book succeeds is the art of Cary Nord. WOW. I could have read this book for 18 more issues just to look at the way he renders the characters. Truly a joy to read/see, and really made the mood of Ellis' plot come to life. I'm not that familiar with Nord's work but want to see more of it now. Just the right mix of realism and fantasy to totally make a sci-fi universe of monsters and machines come to life. The covers alone are priceless!
Ultimate Monster or Ultimate Machine triumphs? This is a fun exercise in thinking "which way will we go from here?" Tony Stark's amazing technology contests with Bruce Banner / Hulk's example of the power of custom biology to make you think about where we may all go from here. In the end it takes a little bit of both machine and monster to beat a surprise contender for the mantle of Ultimate Human.
The artwork is all around outstanding, but not the best seen in the Ultimate Universe. The only letdown is the Leader and the detour into his back story. He's just not worth what was put into him. That and it's too short. The authors could have dug in a lot deeper than they did. There were many paths they pointed to but never followed through to a decent conclusion.
Best Line award goes to Tony Stark (honestly, who's surprised by this?): "How do you get drunk when your body recognizes vodka as a terrorist threat?"
good but not da bomb this graphic novel was pretty good, but i have to warn you the "battle" is only 1 page long." if the hulk vs. ironman battle would have been longer this could have been the best graphic novel of all time.
Nice Comic...A little boring. For the most part a nice comic. I really enjoyed the interaction between Stark and Banner.
Unfortunately, there isn't much action. Iron man and Hulk fight only once, and it is over quick. In fact, Banner only turns into the Hulk twice. I think they should have spent less time on that big headed Wisdom guy and spend more time on some action.
Entertaining! I got this for my son as a Christmas present and he really liked it!!!
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
