Incredible Hulk #340: Hulk vs Wolverine

A key issue with no character birth in its contents calls for a different buying logic. Here nobody appears for the first time: it is the meeting of two established figures, rendered by an artist whose fame will explode a few months later, that drives demand. This guide explains what exactly you are buying when you buy #340.

As always on this guide, only verified information (creators, issues, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected pages or dialogue.

The issue: date, creators, what it shows

The Incredible Hulk #340 is dated 1988. Peter David is the series' writer in this period: he has held the reins since the end of 1987 and will make it one of the character's most followed runs. The cover is by Todd McFarlane, and the image rests on a single stake: the massive gray Hulk, facing Wolverine, claws out, in a tight composition.

The single issue brings together two characters that the 1988 reader has already associated for years. Wolverine was born in the pages of Hulk fourteen years earlier, and seeing him again facing his former adversary echoes that past. We do not detail the unfolding: for a collector, the interest lies in what the issue promises on its cover and what it holds between its staples.

The interior art is also by Todd McFarlane, who holds the pencil on the series from issue 330 to issue 346, before leaving for Amazing Spider-Man. For an inventory record, the inking is checked on the credits page of the copy.

The editorial context: Peter David's gray Hulk

By the end of the 1980s, the Hulk is no longer the dazed green giant of the Silver Age. The series, under Peter David's pen, works a gray version of the character, more cynical and cunning, which changes the tone of the monthly. This editorial choice, which will be extended and resolved over the following issues, gives the series an identity it did not have.

It is this version that McFarlane draws for the cover of #340. The contrast between the gray Hulk and the smaller but aggressive silhouette of Wolverine, drawn with the nervousness that will become his trademark, makes it an exercise in style as much as a brawl announcement. Shortly after, the same year, McFarlane arrives on Amazing Spider-Man, whose #298 he draws.

Note that the "savage" green Hulk of the Silver Age and the gray Hulk of this issue are not equal on the market. The gray is a specific chapter of the character, and that is the chapter the cover puts forward.

Why this issue became a key

The key of #340 is an image key. Three ingredients make it up: a duel between two Marvel headliners, an artist about to become one of the most in-demand on the market, and a series then carried by a much-followed writer. None of these elements, taken alone, would make a key issue; together, they explain why it appears on lists of the best covers of the period.

McFarlane's role weighs heavily. A few months later, he takes over Amazing Spider-Man, contributes to the birth of Venom around #300, then launches the Spider-Man series in 1990 and, in 1992, founds Image with other artists. In retrospect, his work prior to Spider-Man takes on the value of a milestone. To measure how much this reputation drives demand, compare with our page on McFarlane's key issues on Spider-Man.

Finally, the Hulk versus Wolverine duel is a recurring motif. It points directly back to Wolverine's birth in issues 180 and 181 of the series, and this mirror gives the cover extra resonance for those who know the story.

What makes the market value vary: condition, edition, print run

As with all single issues of this period, condition makes most of the difference. The cover of #340 is heavily worked, with dark flat areas and saturated colors that reveal the slightest flaw: a white crease on a dark background is seen immediately, and a trace of wear on a corner becomes obvious.

The 1988 print run is large. The issue is not rare, and it is its condition that sets it apart. As with other single issues of the decade, the graded population concentrates in the middle grades, while the highest grades are clearly fewer. The value ratio between a clean but read copy and a near-mint copy can be several times over, with no fixed rule applying; look at several recent sales of the same grade before deciding.

Film influence exists, but it is indirect: the presence of Wolverine and Hulk on screen supports general interest in their drawn clashes, without any film adapting this precise issue. This background demand is cyclical, and it does not replace reading the condition of the copy.

Telling one edition from another

In 1988, Marvel distributes its monthlies in two versions: the direct edition, meant for specialty shops, and the newsstand edition. The latter carries a barcode where the former displays an illustrated box. Both exist for #340, and they must be told apart in the inventory.

Several stories from the series have been reprinted in collected editions, which lets you read the content without buying the original. These collected editions have no key-issue value, and their cover is often different. If a seller offers you "Hulk versus Wolverine" with a cover that is not that of the 1988 single issue, you are looking at a collected edition or another publication.

Also beware of reproductions of the cover sold as posters or prints: they are easily confused in a listing thumbnail. Look for the publisher notes, the number, the date and the staples. A single issue with no visible staples is not a single issue.

Buying pitfalls

The first pitfall is paying for a "first appearance" that is not one. No serious listing should present #340 as such; if it does, move on or check everything else in the offer.

The second pitfall is confusing #340 with #181. #181 is Wolverine's first full appearance, with a value on a different scale; #340 is an image issue. The two are sometimes found in the same section of an online shop. Confirm the number, the series and the year before paying.

The third pitfall is the hidden flaw on dark backgrounds: covers with black or blue flat areas show creases poorly in flat photos. Ask for a view in raking light, and look at the spine edge and the back, where staple marks and spine creases read better.

Finally, beware of "late 1980s Hulk" lots: they mix very common issues with one or two sought-after ones. Isolate what you are really buying and relate it to the condition of each single issue.

Neighboring issues that matter too

Around #340, Peter David's run with McFarlane includes other sought-after covers and episodes. Issue #377 of the series, with the merged Hulk, belongs to another register: it is a narrative turning-point issue. Peter David's first issues on the series are also followed, since they set the tone of the gray Hulk.

On the Wolverine side, #181 remains the reference, and #180 its announcement panel. Our page on the value of Hulk #181 details the logic specific to that first appearance. The page on #180 explains why the definition of "first appearance" changes the purchase. For the genealogy of the duel, these two reads complement #340.

For the artist, McFarlane's issues on Spider-Man, particularly around Amazing Spider-Man #300, form the other pole of a McFarlane file. Their demand, value logic and print run differ completely from those of a 1988 Hulk.

What grading changes

Grading secures the condition and freezes the copy in a case. For a cover issue like #340, it has a particular benefit: it certifies that no restoration hides a flaw on the dark flat areas. A single issue whose color has been retouched is hard to spot without expertise, and the report from a serious grading company flags it.

The decision to grade depends on the starting condition. If your copy is clean, with sharp corners and no visible white crease, it may deserve submission. If it shows an apparent flaw, the grade will not erase it. In both cases, read the flaw report and not just the grade: two copies of the same grade can be told apart by the nature of their imperfections.

An ungraded copy, on the other hand, keeps all its interest for reading and display, and suits someone who collects the image more than the investment. Your project determines your choice.

How to track it in a collection

For a Hulk collector, #340 belongs to a set: Peter David's run and McFarlane's issues. Keep a row for the single issue, with the edition (direct or newsstand), the condition and the purchase date, and a column for the interior credits you have verified.

For a Wolverine collector, #340 fits into a list of encounters: #180, #181, then this 1988 face-off. This chronological reading gives the collection a narrative thread that value alone does not.

For a McFarlane collector, #340 is an early piece. Shelve it before his Spider-Man issues, to keep track of the evolution of his line. Whatever your angle, note why you bought it: an issue with no collecting reason resells poorly and shelves poorly.

Conclusion

Hulk #340 is an image issue: a gray Hulk facing Wolverine, a Todd McFarlane cover and Peter David's run as a backdrop. It comes from no first appearance and does not ask you to invent one for it. Buy it for what it is, check the edition and condition, and place it in the right lineage: Hulk's, Wolverine's or McFarlane's, depending on what you want to build.

Frequently asked questions