“Hulk” #2 continues the story of a very depressed Jenifer Walters. She’s had a rough couple of months, spending most of “Civil War II” in a coma and waking up to find a bunch of her friends dead, including her beloved cousin Bruce. Now she’s trying to put her life and career back together, while barely containing the rage monster that lives inside her.
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Nico LeonHOW CAN YOU FIGHT THE MONSTER WHEN THE MONSTER IS YOURSELF? As JEN continues to struggle with the HULK (and anger) within herself, her newest client struggles with her own dark secrets. What happens when a terrified recluse is forced into the world against her will? When fear is pushed into the light? Can Jen reconcile the two halves of herself in time to help her client? Rated T+
In a word, “Hulk #2” is joyless. Fans of the previous adventures of the Jade Giantess will find a very different sort of book, which isn’t to say that grimness can’t work for a comic; in fact, many classic Batman or Punisher stories have made oppressive dread fascinating. That’s not a tone that fits my personal taste though, and I walked away from this comic exhausted.
Jen Walters has precisely one positive interaction in the entire issue, with her new assistant. Everyone else she meets is disgusting. There’s the random creepy homeless guy who hits on her, the slimy landlord who insists on calling her ‘Mrs. Walters’ (even after being politely corrected), there are Jen’s unsupportive friends, there’s even a gang of Hulk-hating pre-adolescents. It sucks to be Jen Walters.
This isn’t an accident. It’s clear that Mariko Tamaki is drawing from real life experiences, and that she has something to say about them. That’s an admirable goal, particularly considering recent events in the national news, or even the circumstances surrounding Marvel’s cancellation of “Mockingbird” last year. Still, the oppressive harassment is pretty hard to read, a fact not helped but the lack of Hulking out. Bruce Banner certainly faced his share of tragedies, but at the end of the day, the reader got the catharsis of Hulk smashing some deserving jerk. Jen doesn’t have that luxury, constantly keeping her Hulk in check, and only letting it out after locking herself in her office, safe from potential victims. A prescient metaphor for society’s expectations on women? Maybe. Will it read better in the trade collection after an issue when Jen is finally allowed to let loose? Probably. But for now, this issue is about Jen being frustrated, a feeling which the reader can’t help but share.
None of this is helped by how hard it is to buy into her new status quo. “Civil War II” was unkind to the-hero-formally-known-as-She-Hulk. She was put into a coma by an inexplicable attack by Thanos, then Hawkeye killed her cousin in a move that seemed to be more motivated by plot contrivance than necessity. Perhaps Jen’s trauma would be more interesting if it didn’t seem so avoidable and unnecessary. This issue spends time dwelling on the events of “Civil War II,” but it mostly serves as a reminder of how false those conflicts felt.
Much credit should be given to artist Nico Leon, who has a much better time balancing the issue’s somewhat fraught tone. Leon, along with co-artist Dalibor Talajic, put their own spin on the style of the last Shulkie artist, Javier Pulido. Characters have simple, expressive faces, and bright clothing. Strangers in the background have big beards or chunky glasses or something distinct that makes them feel like real people and not stick figures. What’s more, Leon draws a great New York. The first few pages in front of the Civil Court building have a picture perfect skyline. Same goes for a later scene in Central Park, displaying an impeccable skyline and treeline, made eerie and familiar by some very cool fog effects.
Leon and colorist Matt Milla really sell Jen’s struggle at containing the Hulk, knocking panels askew and tinting scenes with a sickly green. The best panel in the issue is of Jen fighting to stay in human form, watching a cute cooking video on her phone. The touchscreen shattering under her super-strong fingers captures the whole story of the issue in one perfect panel.
Continued belowThe panel work here is consistently expressive. Most of the issue is laid out in simple three or six panel grids but when Jen starts to get angry, pages start leaning crookedly to the side, and panels start a claustrophobic overlap. Same goes for panels of Jen’s client Ms. Brewn, similarly fighting to keep some sort of Inhuman-shadow-demon-entity under control. These panels are gorgeously framed and cluttered, and nicely break up the simple grids used for most of the issue.
Also, a special shoutout to the Letterer of this issue, Cory Petit. Petit has done a lot of Marvel work, and he does his part in making this feel like an issue of “She-Hulk.” His green narrative boxes and especially the location captions, create a continuity to previous volumes, specifically the recent series by Charles Soule. This normally wouldn’t feel like a big deal, but because this story is such a departure from the usual adventures of Jen Walters, having a bit of connective tissue is important. It helps give the book a sense of context.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – A well put together issue that at the end of the day is really uncomfortable to read
