If there’s one surefire selling method for comics, it’s “big foot on cover.” The covers to both these issues got some gentle and sometimes not-so-gentle ribbing online. Well, Hulk’s about to crush Spider-Man’s head, and people are watching in horror and saying someone should do something.
It’s the bike messenger from last issue telling our man to get up. And he does, and leaping ot safety, quickly thinks he’s got to get Hulk away from all these people. So he starts yelling and otherwise being mean until Hulk rushes him, then runs away as best he’s able, thinking to take him to the waterfront.
At least Hulk is having a good time. Spidey dodges as Hulk goes smashing into the pavement, then has to save a lady who has somehow walked out of a store into the battleground without knowing anything was happening beforehand. Then we skip ahead just a bit to Spidey having successfully led Hulk to the waterfront, but been surprised by how many people are there. Hulk is looking kind of sleepy from not fighting for awhile, and Spider-Man suddenly realizes what to do. Soon, a fish flops down on the ground in front of Hulk. His stomach rumbles, and he goes for the fish, only to see another one. And so on, leading him into a warehouse.
It’s Ultimate Thunderbolt Ross, here to capture his nemesis. And as the seconds tick by, Spidey quickly decides he’s not sure these guys will help anything. He stands between Banner and the Army for a moment, but then he realizes Hulk is now behind him, and the army opens fire, blowing the warehouse half to bits. And as for what’s left…
And that’s the end of what is certainly Spider-Man’s toughest encounter to date. But there’s also this little epilogue:
Nice one. If memory serves, this is the last time Ultimate Hulk will be colored green. As the mandate for Ultimate seemed to become “make it as different as possible,” seems like an obvious choice. Making it different makes a lot of sense, really. Why rehash past stories when you can do anything you want? Since it’s not replacing the canon like Chapter One tried to do, no reasonable person is going to be mad at you for going in a different direction, and you can take risks no one would dare in the mainline titles. The Ultimate Universe became even more exciting when they really went crazy. But even at its most radically different, the heart of USM always felt right. Bendis’ take on Peter always felt in character, even though he’s a different character. As long as you have that, you can do anything. Next time we see UMTU, it’ll be with more material that doesn’t sit well in continuity. They were literally making it up as they went along, trouble was bound to occur. But for now, it’s back to USM to really get into the Kingpin arc.