I will readily admit it.  I am a comic book geek.  My collection isn’t vast or ancient but oh do I love a good story playing out on the pages of ink and sketch.  However, I did see two of Marvel’s previous animated works, Ultimate Avengers & Ultimate Avengers 2, and I cannot say either really wowed me.  When I attended Comic-Con in San Diego last summer, I caught a glimpse of a particularly interesting Marvel video title…Hulk vs. Wolverine.  Well this just had to be the baddest thing since Spiderman wore black.  Six months later, I have a copy of Hulk vs. in hand, which includes not only Hulk vs. Wolverine, but also Hulk vs. Thor. Got it, bub?

Film 

Both films play out in such a way where the talented folks behind the scenes created each story to get straight to the point.  They did not disappoint.  First, let’s begin with Hulk vs. Wolverine. We find Logan (Wolverine) picking himself up off the ground, blood dripping from his mouth, his senses just coming to when in the distance, the mighty roar of the Incredible Hulk echoes through the Canadian wilderness.  Before Wolverine has a chance to ready himself, the mighty Hulk leaps from the cliff above as the two powerhouses exchange jabs and stabs in the wake of the Hulk’s recent tirade through a nearby town.

Hulk vs. Wolverine doesn’t rest at featuring a slugfest between the two Marvel stars, but also delves into Wolverine’s origin in the Weapon X program.  Omega Red, Sabertooth, Deathstrike and everyone’s favorite merc with a mouth, Deadpool, show up to contain the two for the diabolical intentions of one crazed professor.  I will say this; everyone takes a tremendous beating in this 37-minute animated film.  There is no shortage of action and let me also add, this one is not for the kiddies.  At a couple points throughout the film, the blood is flowing rather freely.  When the smoke clears, be sure to stay through the credits because it’s not quite over yet!

I was never much of a Thor fan.  His dialogue was very proper, very serious and rather Shakespeare-esque at times.  Please don’t think that his lines in Hulk vs. Thor are going to run parallel with that of Macbeth.  With that being said, I was a bit apprehensive, wondering if it could possibly be better than Hulk’s duel with Wolverine (which I happened to watch first).  I was not disappointed.  Slightly longer at 45 minutes, Hulk vs. Thor features the realm of Asgard in some serious need of a Home Depot and about a hundred carpenter unions after the Hulk gets done.  Asgard, of course, is the place that Thor calls home.  It also happens to be home to other immortals such as Thor’s half-brother, Loki, the god of mischief.

Loki manages to kidnap Bruce Banner and bring him to Asgard with the hopes of ‘encouraging’ Banner to turn into the Hulk.  Once this goal is achieved, Loki harnesses the power of the big green guy, with a little sorcery of course, intending to use it against Thor.  Remember when I mentioned everyone taking a beating in Hulk vs. Wolverine?  Well multiply that by about a thousand in this film.  The Hulk runs uncontrolled through Asgard, absolutely pummeling any building, soldier or frost giant in his path.  You might as well just throw the Everlast_® logo across Thor’s chest because he becomes a virtual punching bag.

Video 

Flawless…but it is a cartoon and I have yet to see an animated feature on the Blu-ray format show one speck of grain.  Nevertheless, it is what it is and if it has an unfair advantage over live action films, so be it.  Ink-based animation has never looked better and neither film on this disc looks anything less than perfect.  Maybe you don’t like the way this guy was drawn or the way that girl was animated but keep in mind; those have no bearing on video quality.  The colors and clarity are a feast for the eyes in this 1080p AVC encode.

Audio 

From the subtle, labored grunts of the Hulk to the massive slabs of rock smashing down, the sound beautifully carries from speaker to speaker.  Depth perception is carried out quite well.  As a continuing voice begins to dissipate, the camera view begins to fade to black, informing the viewers that our hero is out for the count.  Voices coming from the far end of a corridor relate well through the speakers in relation to where they are standing while the camera relays the distance of those doing the talking.  Then there’s the action.  If you were looking for an audible earthquake in your home, put this disc in and have at it.

Special Features 

If I were Blackbeard, these extras were my treasure chest.  I am delighted…no…I am excited to report that almost all of the extras appear in 1080i and 1080p.  The only one that does not is footage from the Comic-Con Hulk vs. discussion panel, but I am certainly not bent out of shape over it.  To simply put it, this is good stuff.

Hulk vs. Wolverine Special Features

• Audio Commentary with Craig Kyle and Chris Yost – Craig Kyle is the supervising producer while Chris Yost is a writer.
• Audio Commentary with Frank Paur, Kevin Altieri and Butch Lukic - Frank Paur is the supervising director/producer.  Kevin Altieri and Butch Lukic are story board artists.
• This is Gonna Hurt: The Making of Hulk vs. Wolverine – A meaty 20-minute and 11-second look at the blood and sweat that went into making the film.
• Fan Frenzy: Hulk vs. Wolverine – 2008 Comic-Con – Running just a hair over 8 minutes, those who missed the discussion panel at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con get to watch clips of it here.
• First Look: Wolverine and the X-Men - Under 6 minutes, this extra gives viewers a look into the upcoming animated feature, Wolverine and the X-Men, due out in stores this April.
• Trailers
  • Iron Man video game
  • The Incredible Hulk video game
  • Disaster Movie (Blu-ray / dvd)
  • Ultimate Avengers 2 animated (Blu-ray / dvd)
  • Doctor Strange animated (Blu-ray / dvd)
  • Iron Man animated (Blu-ray / dvd)
  • Next Avengers animated (Blu-ray / dvd)

Hulk vs. Thor Special Features

• Audio Commentary with Frank Paur, Sam Liu and James Peters – Frank Paur is the supervising director/producer, Sam Liu is the director and James Peters is the colorist.
• Audio Commentary with Craig Kyle and Chris Yost - Craig Kyle is the supervising producer while Chris Yost is a co-writer.
• Of Gods and Monsters: The Making of Hulk vs. Thor – This featurette has a run-time just shy of 18-and-a-half minutes and has a strong focus on the voice acting behind the film.
• Jack Kirby and Thor - The late Jack Kirby left a deep impression on the comic book industry, both literally and figuratively.  His drawings of Thor in the original comic book series are a standard that built the groundwork for the future of the character and the surrounding worlds (4:47).
• First Look – Thor: Tales of Asgard – A 4-minute, 40-second sneak-peak at the upcoming video release of Thor: Tales of Asgard, which features Thor in his adolescent years.  Full of action, this Norse story goes on sale this coming Fall. 
• Trailers – The same trailers featured under the Hulk vs. Wolverine film are shown here as well. 

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for just pure, unrelenting, smash-mouth, tree-falling, building-crumbling, jaw-breaking entertainment, do not pass up Hulk vs. Both films on this disc are a fun ride and do offer a little contrast from one another.  For instance, Hulk vs. Thor is a bit more epic as it’s not just people getting thrown around, but the potential destruction of an entire realm.  Hulk vs. Wolverine tends to play out things on a more micro-scale with a little Wolverine history, but believe me; it’s hard to say one is better than the other (and when I say ‘micro-scale,’ that just means less broken bones).  Either way…Hulk smash!

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