Titania is a fairly generic strong-gal super-villain, but her history is a rather long and convoluted one, given that it's tied into the over-the-top Marvel Universe crossover from the 1980s, Marvel Super-Heroes: Secret War. Dan Slott focuses exclusively on the character's origin in this issue, and he does an amazing job of offering an accessible script without glossing over anything. In fact, Slott fleshes out that origin story... perhaps a bit too much. This flashback story does little to advance any plot, as the writer spends an inordinate amount of time explaining an idea -- Titania's hatred for She-Hulk -- that's easy to accept in the first place.
A mysterious figure seeks out one of the Watchers, the all-knowing observers of the universe. He asks the Watcher a simple question: who hates She-Hulk more than anyone else in all of the cosmos? The Watcher offers a lengthy answer to that simple query, telling his armored visitor of Mary "Skeeter" McPherran, a young woman from Denver who grew up as an outcast, as a weaker girl picked on by her peers. She longed for power, and when her wish was granted and she become the super-strong Titania, she figured her life of sadness and inferiority was over. But repeated encounters with She-Hulk shattered that dream.
Pelletier's art is always a lot of fun, and this is no exception. His conventional super-hero style works well with the slugfests and cosmic encounters that are a part of this plot. I'm surprised at how much his work here elicits the same sort of energy that Mike Zeck's pencils brought to the original Secret War limited series almost two decades ago. While there aren't any really awe-inspiring visuals to be found here, Pelletier tells the story clearly and maintains a dynamic and action-packed tone throughout much of the issue.
I'm quite impressed at how well Slott boils down the weirdness of the Beyonder and all of the other plot elements from Secret War into a script that keeps newer readers in the loop. That 1980s crossover was a lot of fun, but it was also a ridiculously contrived way to set up the most artificial of conflicts. I question the need, though, of covering all of that material, when the main point -- Titania's hatred of She-Hulk -- is so obvious without it. Perhaps Slott Volcana -- Titania's one-time best friend -- will play a larger role as the story progresses, and Slott wished to remind the reader of her backstory as well.
Overall, this issue feels like padding, drawn out to better fill out the second trade paperback pf this series, should one be published. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable read, tapping into the same strengths that made previous issues so enjoyable. It incorporates a wide variety of Marvel characters and never takes itself too seriously. At the same time, Slott brings a rather generic character down to earth. Mary's power fantasies are easy to relate to, especially for us super-hero genre fans. 7/10
