A funny collection of 'She-Hulk' comic issues, from classic to contemporary. It's small, but it's jampacked full of entertainment for fans old and new. It's worthy of the sassy, badass green lawyer woman herself.
I've come to really admire her in recent years, much like a lot of superheroines. I wish she'd receive more mainstream attention. Are there even any plans for her to be included in the MCU?Well, anyway, here are my thoughts on each issue:
1. 'The Savage She-Hulk #1: The She-Hulk Lives' - She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters' first ever appearance, by Stan Lee. It's fun and well written, establishing Bruce Banner's character, his younger cousin Jennifer, their sibling-like relationship, Jen's profession, the danger she's in because of a case, and how and why Bruce had to transfer his gamma ray-irradiated blood into her, to quickly save her life. Jen is smart and brave. From the start, her personality and faculties remain when she turns into She-Hulk, whether on an enraged rampage or not. She and Bruce care for each other deeply. It begins as Bruce's story but ends as Jen's, with her victory. And wow, do these early comics love to put narration and descriptions of actions into the characters' dialogue! How unnecessary and unnatural can you get? Why even bother with actual narration? But it's oddly charming, at the same time. All in all, a good introduction.
2. 'The Sensational She-Hulk #4: Tall Disorder' - Wowie, this might put Deadpool's fourth wall breaking antics to shame. She-Hulk and the other characters know they are in a comic book, and are aware of all the tropes and conventions. They even literally skip over panels. Deliberately dated pop culture references; She-Hulk speaking directly to the reader, the narrator, and the artist; publishers and editors getting a word in - speaking of, there's tons of self-deprecating humour from the comics industry inserted here. Its meta humour is transcendent, especially for its time. It's an Abridged series before there was an Abridged series. 'Tall Disorder' is where we meet an older Blonde Phantom, a classic comic heroine, who has aged because her comic never continued or endured since the forties. Famous superheroes never have to age! Hilarious girl power!
3. 'King-Size Spider-Man Summer Special #1: Mary Jane Watson in: Un-Enchanted Evening' - A very funny ensemble comic, full of females - superheroines, villainesses, and civilians. As you can gather from the title, this is more Mary Jane Watson's story, with She-Hulk playing a bit role in the superheroine group; which also includes Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Marvel Girl, the Scarlet Witch (who talks like animated series Starfire here for some reason), and Clea (Doctor Strange's sorceress girlfriend - didn't know he had one). The villain is the Enchantress, who really hates Thor and has a complex over it. For such a silly and cartoony kids' comic, 'Un-Enchanted Evening' contains some clever twists and subversions. I love that it celebrates women heroes (though it's a little stereotypical with its incorporating shampoos and modelling), and it's great to see MJ Watson get in on some action that doesn't involve Spider-Man (she's still with him in this, I'm happy to see). A joy.
4. 'Avenging Spider-Man #7: Wadjetmacallit?!' - She-Hulk and Spider-Man team up on an Egyptian artefact-style romp. This version of Spidey is highly light-hearted, jokey and childlike, and his banter with the cross and serious version of Shulkie is hilarious. There are cats everywhere, and of course there are curses. Another comedy smash hit (pun intended).
5. 'Guardians Team-Up #4: Gamora Meets She-Hulk' - Ah, the She-Hulk and Gamora crossover event we've all been waiting for. Two green warrior women literally from different worlds join forces to defeat an intergalactic threat (plus an earth case of lawyer Jen's on the side). We learn much about both women, and it's clear the creators of the comic respect them. I've certainly never liked Gamora as much as I did here. The Guardians of the Galaxy are barely mentioned, and Gamora is called "the deadliest woman in the galaxy". The message from She-Hulk and Gamora: Women are "not little", "not weak", and "[T]here's still plenty of fight left in her--and there's not just one of her, either."
So cool. So funny. I'd underestimated Marvel.
She-Hulk - what a gal.
Link here to my review of another She-Hulk comic, 'She-Hulk, Volume 1: Deconstructed'.
Final Score: 4/5
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