The Incredible Hulk #340
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Incredible Hulk #340 stands as one of the defining single-issue battles of the Copper Age, pitting a cunning, morally ambiguous Gray Hulk against a Wolverine who is actively trying NOT to fight — a character reversal that gave Peter David's script real dramatic weight. Todd McFarlane's cover, depicting Wolverine's reflection caught in the Gray Hulk's outstretched claws, became one of the most widely homaged images in Marvel's modern history, inspiring cover tributes across multiple publishers and decades. The issue also appears to mark the first on-panel demonstration of the Hulk's own healing factor, adding a new dimension to his power set that writers have drawn on ever since. Wizard Magazine later ranked it #32 on its list of the 100 best single issues ever published, cementing its place in the critical canon of the medium.
In "Vicious Circle," the Hulk finds himself in a brutal clash with Wolverine after an accident involving a plane leaves the two at odds. Written by Peter David and brought to life with dynamic art by Todd McFarlane, this 1988 issue captures a raw, high-stakes confrontation between two of Marvel’s most powerful figures, with McFarlane’s bold pencils and Wiacek’s sharp inks defining the cover’s intensity.
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Written by Peter David and drawn by Todd McFarlane — who was roughly at the midpoint of his brief but influential 15-issue run on the title — the issue was released with a cover date of February 1988 (on-sale October 1987) under editor Bob Harras and editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. The story was crafted as a loose tie-in to the 'Fall of the Mutants' crossover then running through the X-Men line, with David threading the X-Men's desperate journey toward Dallas through a Hulk book without letting that crossover obligation overwhelm the central fight. The issue's title, 'Vicious Circle,' functions on multiple levels — the brawl neither character truly wants, the cyclical nature of Bruce and Betty's fractured relationship (woven through silent interludes), and the thematic echo back to Wolverine's very first appearance in Incredible Hulk #180-181.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Written by Peter David; pencils and inks by Todd McFarlane; colors by Petra Scotese; letters by Rick Parker; cover by McFarlane and inker Bob Wiacek; edited by Bob Harras and Bobbie Chase.
- Story title: 'Vicious Circle!' — a loose tie-in to the 'Fall of the Mutants' crossover (also running in Uncanny X-Men #225–227 at the same time).
- Features the Gray Hulk — Bruce Banner's night-time, more intelligent but crueler alter ego — just before Banner begins his 'Joe Fixit' Las Vegas bouncer identity introduced in subsequent issues.
- The battle is the second meeting between Wolverine and the Hulk, the first having occurred in Incredible Hulk #180–181 (1974); this issue is widely cited as the first on-panel showing of the Hulk's own regenerative healing factor.
- X-Men appearing in this issue include Wolverine, Rogue, Havok, Dazzler, Psylocke, and Longshot, traveling aboard the Blackbird en route to Dallas for the climax of 'Fall of the Mutants'; Betty Banner appears in emotional interludes foreshadowing her pregnancy (revealed in #342) and eventual miscarriage (revealed in #360).
- Ranked #32 on Wizard Magazine's '100 Best Single Issue Comics Since You Were Born' list.
- Reprinted in numerous collections, including Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 2 (2005), Wolverine Omnibus (2009), Marvel 70th Anniversary Collection (2009), X-Men: Fall of the Mutants (2011), Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe (2017), Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus (2019), X-Men: Fall of the Mutants Omnibus (2021), and Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #15: Ground Zero (2024); the cover composition was homaged in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.
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Reprinted in Marvel Super Heroes Annual #1989 (1988), Der unglaubliche Hulk #22 (1988), Los Comics de El Sol #16 (1990), Los Comics de El Sol #17 (1990), Hulk #2/1991 (1991), The Incredible Hulk: Ground Zero #[nn] (1991), Marvel Two-In-One Alpha Flight & La Masa #55 (1991), Marvels universum #7/1991 (1991), Fantastici Quattro #56 (1991), Hulk - Point Zéro #[nn] (1992), Obras Maestras #7 (1993), Wizard Wolverine Masterpiece Edition #1 (2004), Hulk Visionaries: Peter David #2 (2005), Hulk vs. the Marvel Universe #[nn] (2008), Wolverine Omnibus #1 (2009), Marvel 70th Anniversary #[nn] (2009), Hulk #340 Custom Comic #[nn] (2009), X-Men: Fall of the Mutants #[nn] (2011), X-Men: Fall of the Mutants #1 (2013), True Believers: Deadpool Variants #1 (2016), Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe #[nn] (2017), Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus #1 (2019), X-Men: Fall of the Mutants Omnibus #[nn] (2021), Marvel Héroes #106 (2021) + 4 more
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