I find myself more than a little torn as regards Marvel's new She-Hulk. On the one hand, it's got a more distinctive voice than the other new launches that have thus far hit the shelves in March, and it is in some sections wickedly funny. On the other, it features exactly the characterization I was fearing for She-Hulk, taking her boisterous attitude over-the-top until she becomes a boozy, gluttonous, airheaded slut. There's a lot to like in these pages, including beautiful artwork by Bobillo and Sosa and a potentially interesting exploration of the psychological dangers of being She-Hulk, but there's also a disdain for the superheroic side of the character, and for the supervillains, that rubs this longtime superhero fan the wrong way.
Some of the promotional copy for this series pitched it as being like HBO's Sex and the City. I suppose that's true, if the star of the show were Samantha instead of the more cerebral Carrie. Which is to say that She-Hulk doesn't come off looking too good this issue. Her parade of embarrassment includes sleeping with a male underwear model (and we're given to believe she's engaging in more than a little bed-hopping), abusing her Avengers parking privileges, eating out of buckets and treating both of her jobs, superhero and lawyer, as a little more than cute diversions. She-Hulk is not a very likable character here, and while there's certainly a foundation for Slott's take in her past behavior, it feels like he's taken things a bit over the top.
However, while I don't particularly like this take on the superheroic side of our lead character, it does set up Slott's plot rather nicely. We've seen any number of stories where Bruce Banner's repressed anger gave way to the Hulk, which is treated for the most part like a bad thing, but She-Hulk has been mostly a positive for Jen Walters. Slott's take indicates that She-Hulk gives voice to Jen's repressed sense of fun, and showing that an unbridled pleasure center can be as dangerous as unbridled rage seems like a direction rich with potential. Indeed, the strongest moment of the issue for me comes when Jen has to confront her use of She-Hulk as a shield against the world and drop that shield, resulting in a different kind of embarrassment and humor, one that feels more honest and less over-the-top than Slott's She-Hulk antics.
If I have mixed feelings on the writing, I've got nothing but good things to say about the artwork. Bobillo has previously done impressive work on the Mekanix miniseries, but his work is even more impressive here. With facial expressions and comedic timing that put me in mind of Kevin Maguire, Terry Moore and Adam Hughes and attention to detail that reminds me of Frank Quitely, this is gorgeous, gorgeous artwork. Bobillo also avoids the temptation to use too much cheesecake (which would probably fit in with the tone of the plot) and makes She-Hulk sexy but not sleazy. While I've seen the character look more statuesque and powerful, Bobillo's more realistic take fits in nicely with Slott's more human and flawed version of the character. And Chris Chuckry's colors are fantastic, bright and vibrant without being overwhelming.
I have my complaints with this new She-Hulk, largely having to do with the way that Slott handles the superheroic elements. They're in there for gag purposes only, and while guys like MODOK and Blizzard can certainly do with some mockery, when you combine it with the ridiculous take on She-Hulk, I feel like Slott is just making fun of the foundations of superhero comics and being "too cool for the room" instead of laughing with the characters. At the same time, though, a lot of the book is really funny, and the slightly more serious turn at the end, indicating that Slott might deal with the more serious aspects of Jen Walters's unusual addiction (to She-Hulk), makes me curious enough to stick around.
