Charles Soule and Javier Pulido have teamed up to bring us a refreshing new look at Marvel's She-Hulk. With issue #1 out since February, we have had a chance to get a feel for this series and get reintroduced to Jennifer Walters.
Walters, of course, has a long history in the Marvel universe. She was shy lawyer in New York who found herself in a life or death situation after getting gunned down by a crime boss. An emergency blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner, resulted in some interesting side effects. With green skin and super strength, her powers increase with fear and anger much like Banner. Her control over her transformation helps Walters in becoming a world renowned hero, a member of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.
"No one is only one thing." - She-Hulk
In her new series, Walters realized that the law firm she works for, only care about the publicity and fame she brings in as a super hero and not her skills as a lawyer. The first issue deals with her striking out on her own and setting up her own firm. Biting off almost more than she can chew, she now struggles with the day-to-day of running a business, an odd paralegal, and a growing list of villains who now have it out for her. Joined by her friend and employee Patsy Walker (Hellcat), She-Hulk is taking down the villains of New York in her own unique way.
With a character that has been written less-than-favorably in the past, Soule deals with the character remarkably well. Walters is a well-developed character who stays true to her morals without sacrificing any part of herself. The focus has shifted away from her physique and to her smarts. We get to see She-Hulk figure things out without use of force. While the fighting that does occur is off panel for the most part, it is not missed in the context of the story.
The art is semi-realistic and yet also capable of bordering on cartoony. Pulido has brought out the characters through use of bright colors, and clever design. The team has also made use of two-page spreads in an interesting way.
The two-page spreads showcase the action differently than they would have in the more traditional format with longer images, and longer sets of panels that affect the pacing. Some of these spreads have also broken out of panels and show the action as movement across a setting, such as Walters' tour of her new office building.
The two-page spreads are a lot of fun in print, but digitally they are bit of a nuisance. Depending on your app, the double spread could cause a lot of problems including having to tilt your screen, zooming and scrolling, or just plain cutting them in half. In a time where the majority of comics have moved to the digital format, this decision might hurt the series more than help.
So far, with three issues out, I give the series my approval, but with the caveat that you buy a print copy over the a digital one. So far we have seen three self-contained stories, leaving this reader hoping that an overarching plot for this volume will be present soon. The recent appearance of Doctor Doom gives a lot of hope in regards to the plot, and would be an interesting direction to take. However, I put my faith in the creative team to see where they will take us in the next few issues.
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