Originally
created in 1980, She-Hulk was introduced as a female counterpart to her more
famous cousin the Hulk and quickly grew into her own as a smart and sassy
heroine who was more than just walking muscle. She-Hulk proved to be a hit
amongst comic book fans and has been a member of the Fantastic Four and the
Avengers as well as a full-fledged solo star. After two lengthy solo series in the '80s and '90s,
She-Hulk was re-introduced to the public via a third ongoing series simply
titled She-Hulk in 2004. Though it only lasted for a year, this title
achieved critical acclaim and served to remind everyone of what a truly great
character She-Hulk is.
For a time,
She-Hulk was at the mercy of writers who viewed her as nothing more than a
convenient plot device. She was characterized as promiscuous and had suddenly
become a tool of destruction in storylines occurring in the Avengers title so
when Dan Slott took to writing She-Hulk he went on damage control. Slott
understood the core of She-Hulk's character and imbued her with not only an
incredible sense of humour but also with great heart. In many ways, She-Hulk
was a very introspective title and helped to establish an identity for the
character where she could finally come to terms with her dual identities as
She-Hulk and Jennifer Walters. Remarkably, She-Hulk's intelligence was utilized
fully so much so that most of her conflicts were solved with her brain rather
than her brawn. This is an important distinction for the character since most
people discount just how smart She-Hulk truly is. Of course, what makes She-Hulk
such an enjoyable title is also the comedic tone placed on the narratives
and dialogue. She-Hulk herself is a total riot and there are numerous
laugh-out-loud moments that come from the dialogue. If anything, She-Hulk is
a work that embodies She-Hulk perfectly. Slott characterized her as smart,
funny and sexy just the way she should be.
The downside
to She-Hulk is that it lacks the accessibility that would have
guaranteed it a wider audience. Slott grounds much of his series in continuity
and requires the reader to know the basic knowledge of some of the events
She-Hulk has lived through, particularly those while she was an Avenger. Another
issue the title faces is that there is a definite absence of dire conflict.
She-Hulk doesn't save the world but rather deals with smaller scale problems
that don't have the same urgency as an alien invasion or A-list supervillain
attack. As such, it's easy to call She-Hulk's usefulness into question. Would
she be able to single-handedly deal with Avengers-level conflicts the way Captain Marvel or Spider-Woman could? Nevertheless, the saving grace for the title
comes in the form of She-Hulk's trusty nemesis Titania. Slott cleverly
re-introduces the character to the readers and spends an issue re-telling her
origins for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with her. Titania proves
herself to be an excellent enemy for She-Hulk and has such tremendous power
that she becomes the kind of bad guy the title needed.
In retrospect, Slott deserves credit for his initial 12 issue run on She-Hulk.
It is cohesive and self-contained without any interruptions from those pesky
events Marvel has been plagued by for well over a decade now. It's brisk and
humorous with just the right amount of heart thrown in to make the readers care
about the Emerald Amazon as well as her remarkably well-written supporting cast. It is an enjoyable read that is recommended for
anyone who is interested in learning more about She-Hulk.
Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment