Review: She-Hulks #4

Written by Harrison Wilcox
Illustrated by Ryan Stegman

The SHE-HULKS–EXPOSED!!! The secret is out that Lyra
Walters is actually none other than the All-New Savage
She-Hulk, and the last remaining mad genius from THE
INTELLIGENCIA is poised to make her PAY! Can the young She-Hulk save the dance for her fellow students, even with the help of her smashing green cousin? Or will this be her last dance in more ways than one? Find out as MAN HUNT comes to an explosive conclusion!

She-Hulks has been a rather consistent and entertaining mini full of good old fashioned situational comedy and fun. In fact, to that point I am rather sad to see it go.

But why is that exactly? Well, take a look behind the cut for my thoughts

In today’s internet environment, you’ll often hear clamor towards “all ages” comics and how they don’t sell and/or how they should. Another that you might hear is that there aren’t enough positive/relatable female role models in comics. The funny thing about Club Internet is when it gets on a particular vendetta, it often has blinders to something that is staring them right in the face. And while She-Hulks is technically a “Teen” book in it’s rating, one has to admit – well, what you’re looking for is right here.

In the aftermath of World War Hulks, Bruce did his best to keep his now incredibly extended family in line. While in the Incredible Hulks you can follow the immediate adventures of Hulk and the gang, the two other Hulks to get their own title was Rulk and the She-Hulks. While Rulk’s title is readable in it’s own right (and so is Incredible Hulks, for that matter), the She-Hulks mini has gone under the radar, and to a seemingly criminal extent. The reason why it’s so unfortunate no one was paying attention to this book is that it is, pure and simple, an incredibly fun comic that absolutely pops with energy and is as deserved a read as any other major title at Marvel.

The final issue of She-Hulks finds Lyra and Jen Walters wrapping up the last of the Intelligencia’s goons from World War Hulks in a secret underground bunker for Bruce. Of course, in the side mission, Lyra is on her way to to the formal – and what’s a new kid supposed to do in school now that someone finally wants to be her friend? To answer that question, simply turn to Harrison Wilcox, who writes the mini with the youthful mind that the title needs. Originally assumed to be more of a rough and tumble fight mini, the She-Hulks title has honestly grown to be quite a heartfelt story of what it’s like to be a teenager. In fact, in the beginning of the mini, it seems like She-Hulks is going for a Mean Girls vibe, and it was one that was very welcome. What’s interesting about the story is that at the end, Wilcox ends it with more an Empire vibe, which is honestly the only thing that makes sense for a Hulk. The title is in some ways a tribute to teen stories everywhere, except this time with the “odd” factor being that of a Hulk, which adds it’s own inherent twists and turns. When you strip away the fight scenes and appearances by the Wizard, though, what you have is a rather heartfelt story about a young girl trying to fit into a crowd that doesn’t seem to want her around.

Ryan Stegman’s art is what sells that. Stegman has the same vibe that’s present in Jamie McKelvie’s art, but to a less sharp and refined extent. Stegman manages to rather wonderfully mix the elements of Hulking out and beating up the Klaw while also recreating the awkwardness of any high school dance. It actually enhances the story rather nicely, matching Wilcox’s writing and bringing out the youthful energy of the comic. Stegman even throws in a nice tribute image at the end of the comic, which offers both a sad note and an uplifting one mixed together to what is arguably the perfect ending for a story like this. While the adventures of Lyra are assuredly far from over, you’d be hard pressed to find someone as good as Stegman to take the reigns of

She-Hulks isn’t the greatest thing in the world, but it was a damn fun mini and it would honestly be nice to see another mini, let alone an ongoing title of this nature. The Hulk books are very tied up in themselves at the moment with ongoing plots and making the whole Hulks gang a relevant entity to the Marvel Universe, and it’s a shame that what could so obviously be a relatable goldmine of a title isn’t going to make it out the bat. At the very least, it’d be nice to see Lyra get some more time in the spotlight in the young adult spotlight, because the Marvel U needs some more of the “not-so-average teen in high school” dynamics that made a particular wall crawler so famous. And if that teen happens to be a Hulk? Well, count me in.

In the end, since her original mini where she was seeking out Norman Osborn in Dark Reign, this is the best Lyra has been hands down – and giving Jen Walters a chance to really shine in the same satiric/comic way that Dan Slott’s series did is more than welcome.

Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy