Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #8Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #8
Title: “Death Match”
Writer: Erik Larsen
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Hulk takes a swing at Wolverine, but Wolverine ducks under it. Hulk says that he just wants to be left alone, but Wolverine says that with the destruction Hulk has caused that he is getting what he deserves. Wolverine uses his bone claws and manages to pierce Hulk’s eyes. Wolverine’s claws get stuck in Hulk’s face. Hulk swats Wolverine off his face and towards a cliff. Luckily for Wolverine he hits a tree before falling over the edge. Wolverine realizes that he can’t let Hulk get his hands on him or it is over. Wolverine tries to bait Hulk, but when Hulk hears Wolverine he hits the ground destroying it. The whole cliff collapses. No reference to how Wolverine survived the avalanche, but Hulk just swats the rocks off with one hand while holding his eyes with the other. Hulk walks around and bumps into a tree. Not knowing what it is he smashes it. Wolverine lunges at Hulk with his claws. Hulk says that Wolverine’s bone claws can’t hurt him. Hulk must get some vision back because he palms Wolverine’s claws and breaks them off the one hand. Hulk then takes Wolverine and throws him head first into a tree. Wolverine lies unconscious. Hulk starts smashing trees as he continues looking for “little man”. Hulk decides that since he can’t see Wolverine he will just listen for him. Hulk hears movement, but it is a family enjoying a day out. Hulk charges at them so Wolverine is forced to reveal himself to Hulk. Hulk lunges at Wolverine, but only destroys the family’s minivan. The minivan explodes and a piece of shrapnel enters Wolverine’s leg. Wolverine takes out the shrapnel and ties the wound off. Hulk starts wandering toward the family again so Wolverine reveals himself again.
Tyrannus asks the subterraneans if they have found the Hulk yet and that he grows tired of waiting for them. The subterranean has good news as he has found a way to track the Hulk’s gamma signal. For the first time Tyrannus wonders who created the machines and why they would want to track the Hulk.
Hulk grabs the fifteen year old girl by the
leg and holds her upside down. Hulk says that he is going to hurt
her unless 
Wolverine
surrenders to him. Wolverine reveals himself. Hulk grabs
Wolverine’s hand and tosses aside the girl. He apologizes to
the girl for scaring her, but he just wanted to get his hands on
Wolverine. Wolverine uses the claws he has left and hits Hulk in
the groin. Hulk screams and throws Wolverine into the air.
Elsewhere one of Apocalypse’s men briefs his new horseman Death about the Hulk and the abysmal failure that was Hulk’s time as War. He says that Hulk could pose a threat to Apocalypse’s plan, and that soon Death will go and kill Hulk for them.
Wolverine manages to grab a cliffside in the right way so he isn’t killed by the impact of Hulk’s throw. He can’t hold on however and falls into the water below. Wolverine gets near a bridge and calls out to the Hulk. Hulk leaps towards Wolverine and hits the bridge. Wolverine cuts another beam and the entire bridge falls down on Hulk.
Underwater Tyrannus takes control of Hulk and finds him both blind and suffocating. Tempting as it is to let the Hulk drown Tyrannus smacks the riverbed and knocks all the water out the river. Tyrannus leaps away with Wolverine following after.
The news is talking about the Hulk and they are out getting a man in the street opinion. One guy says that he can’t believe that the Hulk has been allowed to run free for so long. A woman asks why the police don’t do something about him. A kid says that he thinks the Hulk is great and that he saved the world a bunch of times. The report goes to Fred Sloan who had written a book called “Hulk Encounter: A Survivor’s Story”. Fred says that the title of the book was his publisher’s idea and that his experience with the Hulk was a very positive one. Fred says that he has found that the Hulk just wants to be left alone. He says that he is sure that no matter what has happened that there is a very good reason for it.
Hulk and Tyrannus struggle for control as Tyrannus lands in an abandoned town. Wolverine catches up with Hulk as he drives up in a Jeep. Hulk stomps his foot and the Jeep flips over. The entire town shakes with the impact. Hulk has his vision back. Hulk no longer fights Tyrannus as he compels Hulk to attack Wolverine. Wolverine heads for an abandoned mine. Tyrannus follows Wolverine in and is growling. Wolverine asks what happened to the Hulk’s talking. Hulk punches at Wolverine, but when Wolverine ducks Hulk’s fist plunges into a gas pipe. Hulk breathes in the gas and transforms back into Bruce Banner. Tyrannus’ control is broken again and he is furious. Wolverine drags Bruce out of the mine.
Some time later Bruce wakes up tied. Wolverine asks what that was all about. Bruce says that his life has become a nightmare. He says that he and the Hulk are victims this time. Wolverine asks Bruce why he shouldn’t kill him now. Bruce says that Tyrannus has been the one taking control of Hulk’s body and causing him to kill. Bruce says that the Hulk has found a way to fight the control. Bruce says that if Wolverine kills him now Tyrannus will just move on to the next victim. Wolverine cuts Bruce loose and leaves.
No Excuses rating: 6 out of 10
A better issue, but not good. This book, that is supposedly an action oriented book, finally has a little action. Unfortunately the action is decidedly not pro-Hulk. A lot of people complain that the Hulk’s healing factor should have healed his eyes a lot faster than they did, but it seems that they are saying that the healing factor was more of a gray Hulk or a merged Hulk thing. The Hulk’s eyes being pierced by bone claw? Well I was certainly under the impression that the Hulk’s eyes were made of stronger stuff, but I guess a case could be made that they could be injured. The annoying thing here is that every break goes in “Wolverine’s” favor and it’s no wonder as Wolverine’s writer Larsen wrote the book. Larsen is known as a big Hulk fan, but it’s funny that I’ve never seen him write a good Hulk fight. The “out” here for Hulk, which actually makes it make less sense, is that the Hulk was being controlled by Tyrannus when Wolverine defeated him with the gas. Tyrannus ought to have known better. The thing that makes this bitter pill even harder to swallow is that we soon find out that the Wolverine in this book is actually a stinking Skrull posing as Wolverine.
Garney looks better than ever in this issue and Sal Buscema’s inks over his pencils are spectacular.
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