“She-Hulk” has been a charming little comedy book with a major air of legitimacy given that writer Charles Soule is a lawyer too. But 4 issues in, has the charm worn off? Read our spoiler-free review to find out.
Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Javier Pulido
Colors by Muntsa Vicente
Lettered by Clayton Cowles• Jen’s new client Kristoff Vernard has been kidnapped by his dad, DOCTOR DOOM!
• What does fellow lawyer (and recently outted Man Without Fear) MATT MURDOCK know about it?
• It’s an international jailbreak, She-Hulk Style, as Charles Soule (INHUMANITY) and Javier Pulido (HAWKEYE) take us to Latverian soil!
“She-Hulk” #4 is a tale of two sides of a “She-Hulk” comic story. Don’t worry – both sides are good. It begins with Jennifer Walters in a conscience, her previous client having been kidnapped by Doctor Doom. Naturally, she seeks the advice of Matt Murdock, having to travel to California to do so. What transpires is just the sort of thing that Charles Soule has proven to be so good at, and the exact sort of thing that Marvel excels at standing back and letting happen. That is to say, they allow the comic to breathe for a while. While She-Hulks’ visit to Murdock ultimately sparks a turning point in the story, the little break that it takes to let the two of them just gab for a while is the thing that makes Marvel the more grounded and relatable company right now. Soule imbues a sense of history and respect between these two characters (even while slipping a joke in about how they’ve never dueled in court before – seems odd, considering Marvel’s penchant for team-ups and cameos). These sorts of sequences strengthen the Marvel universe as a whole, where even the most powerful or savvy superheroes can sit around and discuss the mundane. It’s refreshing, and philosophically different from their “distinguished competition.”
That mundane sense is carried throughout the issue, as paperwork, legal files, and jurisdiction hang over She-Hulks head at every turn. While a company can’t survive on nothing but books where superheroes take time off from saving the world from pan-dimensional incursions, it’s so nice to have lighter books like this to get into when you’re not wrapped up in Hickman’s apocalyptic event books or Remender’s wonderfully melodramatic epics.
The second half of the issue concerns the trip to Latveria that She-Hulk ultimately decides upon. Tonally, this section maintains the comedy that we’ve come to expect, but isn’t as thematically satisfying as the earlier, softer scenes with Daredevil. There’s some good comedy mined from the always Doom-loyal Doombots, but mostly it’s the type of humor you’ve come to expect from minor run-ins with Doom. Soon enough we’re back in the law offices, and have a couple new plot devices to show for it, but ultimately this issue ends up feeling like a bridge, albeit a strong one, to a new mystery for the principal characters to uncover.
Having even more fun than Soule this issue is Javier Pulido, whose bounding take on She-Hulk is as equally refreshing to watch as his work on “Daredevil” with Mark Waid was. She-Hulk doesn’t have a definitive “look” or an iconic depiction, which made it all the more surprising just how well Pulido’s leaping, bounding undercover lawyer suits her character. He really plays her as Daredevil’s counterpart, and not just in this issue. Bruce Banner is often shown to display major leaping abilities, so it makes sense if you’re concerned about power sets and “comic book canon.” But seeing She-Hulk do it on her way to a covert rescue mission actually melds with the tone and spirit of this book incredibly well.
That’s to say nothing of the comedic beats, which Pulido nails with careful, subtle facial work and brilliantly stylish, but simple layouts. “She-Hulk” #4 has a pop art feel that befits the lighter comics in Marvel’s line, but does nothing less than act as a real stunner when a brilliant page shows up – like the one of Daredevil & She-Hulk in full costume, neon-lit backdrop behind them.
“She-Hulk” #4 may feel a bit like a transitional piece so early in the run, but there’s no reason to skip out on it. Reading “She-Hulk” is like watching the darkly comic parts of great television like Mad Men. The characters are playing up the day-to-day absurdity of things that are really mundane. Dropping it into a superhero setting and cutting through it with trips to Latveria and Doom-bot brawls makes it all the more wonderfully absurd. Give this one a chance. It’s quirky in all of the right ways.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Buy
