INFERNAL HULK VS. WOLVERINE #1 – The Big Guns

Creative Team – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Jonas Scharf, Alex Guimarães, VC’s Cory Petit, Nic Klein

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with The Infernal Hulk #10!

The Story

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Shawn!

Shawn – In Infernal Hulk Vs. Wolverine #1, Phillip Kennedy Johnson does a beautiful job of using the one-shot as less of crossover padding and more of a character-driven tie-in. We get exactly what we expect out of Logan, but Phillip Kennedy Johnson also beautifully alters those expectations. The story smoothly moves from brutal body horror to psychological devastation. Johnson shows that while Logan may be indestructible, he still can be broken.

Johnson perfectly captures the tone of the relationship between Logan and Jubilee in this issue. The mentor/protege dynamic between the two is perfectly captured. The Eldest also features an almost ancient style, which provides a nice and sharp contrast with the cynical and short words of Logan. Johnson not only utilizes a bit of body horror, but also the established lore of Logan’s actions affecting those around him to anchor the horror aspect of this story.

Megan – Infernal Hulk Vs. Wolverine #1 starts Hulk’s world tour of humbling Marvel’s mightiest one superhero at a time. In this issue, we get to see how Wolverine can handle the Infernal Hulk. Jubilee and Wolverine are on what’s supposed to be a recon mission, believing the Infernal Hulk is with their army in New York. Realizing that the Infernal Hulk is actually still there, Wolverine goes rogue and decides he’s going to put a stop to this war himself once and for all. What Wolverine doesn’t know is that this isn’t just any old Hulk, but he’s about to find out.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson continues the thrilling story of the Infernal Hulk but this time it’s in separate one shots with iconic heroes taking their turn at the Infernal Hulk. In this issue, we see classic Wolverine fighting at play, aggression and all. We also get some great dialogue between Jubilee and Wolverine that puts their close relationship in a spotlight. Infernal Hulk is terrifying to their core and it shows heavily. The violence and action is turned up to an 11, which was very welcomed to see in any fight that involves Hulk or Wolverine. The fight between the two is raw and neither holds back by any means. The excitement is felt from beginning to end in this issue with some great unexpected points.

The Art

Shawn – I love the hatching patterns that Jonas Scharf uses in this story. The aggressive hatching and heavy use of blacks go really far towards capturing the almost cosmic horror tone of this story. It’s Scharf’s linework that makes the physical confrontation feel so much more visceral and violent. Infernal Hulk Vs. Wolverine #1 shows that Scharf really knows how to capture not only the body horror aspects well but also utilizes tight, almost claustrophobic paneling beautifully.

Alex Guimarães really shines in the way that the color palettes create such a strong distinction between what is earthly and what is almost eldritch. The woods are filled with heavy shadows, dark blues, and hearty greens that make the woods feel dark and foreboding. The damaged flesh and costumes make a perfect contrast of hyper-saturation of color compared to the dark, foreboding setting. Cory Petit perfectly integrates sound effects in a way that helps the story feel raw and visceral. The distinct balloon styles help capture the story.

Megan – Jonas Scharf, Alex Guimarães, and Cory Petit went to town on this issue, and the results are fantastic. Scharf captured the intensity of Wolverine’s fighting and followed it up with Infernal Hulk’s love for violence immaculately. There are some panels that were even too intense for me, but I have a weaker stomach than most. The linework is chaotic in the best way possible. The sheer chaos of Infernal Hulk and Wolverine fighting is illustrated brilliantly and leaves little to the imagination. Working beautifully off of Scarf’s drawings is Alex Guimarães, who brings bold and striking colors that contrast the darker tones excellently. During the fight between Wolverine and Infernal Hulk, there’s a looming darkness with Infernal Hulk’s bright green blood being the focal point, and it’s handled beautifully. Cory Petit perfectly captures the intensity in Wolverine’s words and the Infernal Hulk’s even and menacing tone throughout the comic. It really gives you a good idea of who is leading the fight and who is being dragged around like a rag doll. Together, the artists made this a very memorable issue that perfectly captures both characters in a legendary fight.

Final Thoughts

Shawn – 10/10. This one-shot gives us high-stakes horror rather than a generic hero vs. hero battle, and I love it. This perfectly sets the stage for the remaining tie-ins leading to the Hulk War.

Megan – 10/10. At this point, I’ll sound like a broken record, but the story of The Infernal Hulk gets better and better! The intensity is at an all-time high, the stakes are bigger than ever, and we constantly see how big of a threat the Infernal Hulk truly is.

Overall Grade –

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