Hey! Remember ‘Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk’?

In an interview with Variety, series writer (and Lost executive producer) Damon Lindelof says:

“They have scripts all the way through issue four and I’m about to turn in issue five in about a week. Leinil (Francis Yu) has been drawing New Avengers for Bendis, so as soon as he is done with that, and I think he has one more issue and then he’s done with that, he’s going to finish up Hulk vs. Wolverine.

Wait, this is a six issue mini-series?? I don’t know if I’ll still be reading comics when I’m 65.

What a grave disappointment this whole thing has been. I was so psyched for this mini-series… in 2005. I missed the first issue, but Ron raved about it on on of our first podcasts so when the second issue came out I picked up both issues and was blown away by the kick ass action and fantastic art from Lenil Francis Yu.

Little did I know that would be it for the next two years.

I’ll be honest, I had no idea this was supposed to be a six issue mini-series. I suppose I should have known because everything these days is written in six issue arcs for trade collection but in my head for some reason I had it as a three issue mini-series. I’m not sure why. And now I can’t decide which is worse — when I thought that we were going to have to wait indefinitely for the final issue or the thought that now we’re going to have to wait indefinitely for four more issues, which at the rate they are getting these books out will mean the series will wrap up in 2015.

I’m not even sure how much more story there is for four more issues. I’ll never know first hand, though. Like All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder and WildCATS and Spider-Man/Black Cat and every other super late book from DC and Marvel I won’t be supporting this one when it resumes its publishing schedule.

Whenever that is.

Comments

  1. I wish I was as strong as you Conor, you’re right it does suck that it’s this late but the first 2 books were just to good to pass on the rest.

    God I’m weak!

  2. I could be wrong, but I thought Yu was on New Avengers for good until he or Bendis wanted off (maybe he already wants off but that’s to bad that it comes from Varitey of all places.)

  3. I eagerly awaited the sales charts for May, and it turns out Ultimates #13 sold juuust fine. I think sales were up from 12, actually. “Maybe this is the time they sell 30,000 copies. This is the time we show ’em we’re not gonna put up with this crap any… no? Not this time? Selling better than ever? No one learns anything? I see. Gotcha. Lemmings. Cyanide capsule.”

    I was excited about this mini too, and I did know it was a six-issue series, but that excitement is good and truly blown now. My Kevin-Smith-honed philosophy is if the series doesn’t matter to you, then it doesn’t matter to me either. Because when that Black Cat series came back, I actually read it, and… yeah.

  4. if this book comes out I will smile. I’ll wait forever cause I have a stack of books that I will never get through anyways. So I figure, it comes out when it does, I’ll just read something else.

  5. This surprised me because I heard here that Damon Lindelof previously was blaming the artist for the book being so late. But now that I know that Liniel Yu is the artist I know the writer is full of it. Liniel Yu has a reputation for being a very fast artist.

    Probably started acting stupid cause Yu got sick of his crap and went to another title.

  6. I won’t be buying this. I don’t care if the final 4 issues come out next week. This is insane.

  7. At this point they should just let Lenil bang out the final four issues, package it all together as a trade $14.99, and forget the floppies. At least Ultimates was twelve issues in, to be only two issues along and go so far is crazy. I can barely remember the story in some books when they’re off schedule by a month or two.

  8. Are we sure this isn’t some sort of massive joke?

    Also, anyone else remember how much that Hulk tearing Wolverine in half image got pimped out prior to the first issue’s release? I never picked up the first two issues, and at this point, I don’t think I ever will.

  9. And wasn’t the getting-ripped-in-half thing kinda ret-conned as “it was all just a dream” in Wolverine a while back? That’s what it seemed like to me.

    And on Word Balloon, Bendis made it sound like, urr, Francis was going to be on Avengers for quite a damn while. Which I am totally in favor of.

  10. If Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine looks like New Avengers, there’s no fucking way I’m buying it.

  11. And wasn’t the getting-ripped-in-half thing kinda ret-conned as “it was all just a dream” in Wolverine a while back? That’s what it seemed like to me.

    Well, no… this is the Ultimate universe. That dream was in Marvel Universe proper.

  12. I’m with you conor. Get it out reasonable or let it sit and rot.

  13. I’ll by it for my grandchildren when it gets to trade.

  14. I agree that comic book companies need to do more to get the issues out on time. Like getting all the issues finished before publishing the first issue. Maybe a cut in pay for each day it’s late, or a bonus for getting them done early.

    Having said that, I’m gonna buy ’em. They have been too damn good not to.

    Is anything ever going to change? I think that it’s got to be an editorial decision.

  15. Why would they change if people are just going to buy them anyway? We as consumers give them no reason to change.

  16. But we buy the things because they are quality. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to wait for a good book.

    I understand the frustration, but I’m with yearofmark…there are enough good books to tide me over every week. As long as it doesn’t mess with any other book’s schedule, I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for them to get it out to me.

  17. If you’re cool with a monthly book from Marvel or DC taking more than a year between issues that’s up to you. I’m definitely not.

  18. I love that Lindelhof is trying to pass it off on Yu. Complete bull. Marvel shouldn’t pull Yu off Avengers, or anything else, to do UWVH. It was delayed this long, it can be delayed another year. At this point by necessity the story is totally out of continuity, and quite probably irrelevant. It could still turn out to be a good story, but Lindelhof rubs me the wrong way. Maybe if he wasn’t wasting time with his lame-o Lost podcasts, he could have written the scripts a year ago.

  19. On the other hand, it was a fantastic season of Lost. And doing a show like that can take over your life. I’m making no excuses, but all things being equal, I’d rather have good Lost than these comics.

  20. Good point.