Polite Dissent

I’ve just finished the third issue of the new She-Hulk, and find myself quite enamored of the series. The story and art combine well to make a compelling read.

The art by Juan Bobillo is good in the way that it is deceptively simple, yet conveys the story well. There have been some complaints that his She-Hulk/Jen looks too much like a kewpie doll, or too young. While I agree that she is somewhat “kewpie” looking, I don’t think she looks too young. The art is emphasizing the waif-ness of Jen, and the simplicity of the She-Hulk (if she can’t smash it she doesn’t know want to deal with it). Each character is distinct, and his backgrounds are well drawn. The man absolutely cannot draw the Thing though.

Dan Slott does a good job with stories that highlight both sides with the Jen Walters/She-Hulk dichotomy. She-Hulk was shown as a wild party girl in the first issue, but that fit with her past portrayals. In the recent Avengers, Geoff Johns has shown her to be all business, but it’s always been well established that she has constantly favored her She-Hulk side and the freedom it represents. She’s always been a bit of a wild card, too. Remember that when she first joined the Avengers, she knocked Hawkeye’s taxi upside down, then picked up her own convertible, hoisted it on her shoulder, and carried it to the mansion.

I appreciate the fact that the stories play up Jen’s native intelligence and abilities. It’s been a long time since plain Jen Walters had a chance to shine. It was Jen who won the court case in issue #3, not the hot-shot lawyer. It’s clear that she’s realizing the importance her long forgotten human self just as she is beginning to understand that She-Hulk is just being used, particularly by the aforementioned lawyer.

The court cases shown in issues #2 and #3 are cleverly conceived. Both deal with situations that could logically arise in a super-hero universe. Both cases are concluded capably. Dr. Strange also makes supporting (consulting, really) appearances in both issues, but I don’t remember him being as omniscient as he is portrayed here though.

There is some enjoyable subtle humor in the issues as well. When Jen’s new neighbor is attacked by the Avenger’s security system of “super-strong carbonadium alloy”, he accuses her of just making up words. A few panels later, Jarvis shows up wielding a baseball bat and wearing a pan on his head; the pan he assures Jen, is made of “forbushion alloy.” Finally, in court, the Infinity Gauntlet is referred to as “Thanos v the Universe”, as if it were a court case.

Last but not least, I appreciate all the single-issue stories. While each issue builds on the previous one, each story is entire in itself. This is a nice change from the decompressed storylines in vogue now.