OK, I'll admit it: I didn't really get what Slott was doing with She-Hulk when I read the first issue, and so I missed the mark a little in my first review. I'm still not as crazy for this book as some online reviewers have been, but it's easily the best of the latest spate of Marvel books, and now that Slott isn't going over-the-top to convince us that She-Hulk is an overexuberant boozy slut, I'm starting to really warm up to his take on Jennifer Walters. The real gem of this new She-Hulk series, though, is introduced in this issue, as Slott takes the reader into the field of superhuman law, with a satirical edge that could have come right out of Gail Simone's Deadpool. With Bobillo and Sosa continuing to provide unusual but beautiful artwork that has the lighter edge Slott needs, She-Hulk is looking like a fun departure from the usual in the Marvel Universe.
The previous issue started to win me over right at the end when we saw where all this crazy She-Hulk stuff was leading, and this issue pushed me over the edge into liking the book with further exploration of those reasons. I loved the superhuman law wing of the prestigious law firm, which reminded me of some of the wackier background moments and unexplored notions of Alan Moore's Top 10, and in those two pages, I saw the potential that obviously sold Marvel on the book. Then we come to Awesome Andy, a terrific visual gag and use of a C-list Marvel character that actually made me laugh out loud, and I was sold too. This isn't just a book for fans of She-Hulk; this is a book for those who miss Gail Simone's brand of wackiness on Deadpool/Agent X.
What's cool, though, is that Slott doesn't just go for the gags, and that's what marks She-Hulk as a book to watch. Oh, sure, there are plenty of laughs in the story of Danger Man, an obvious parody of superhero origins in general, but Slott also explores the darker side of being a hero. Jen Walters's story and how it relates to Danger Man is a little too obvious, but it makes for a pretty convincing argument for the thrust of the series, that Jen Walters has things to contribute just like She-Hulk does, and it managed to win this She-Hulk fan over to the notion that her transforming back to her alter-ego from time to time could make for some good stories.
Bobillo and Sosa have a very unusual art style, but it's one I like quite a bit. The closest comparison is to Frank Quitely, with the thin, stylized faces and bodies, but that comes with the equivalent realism and detail as well. I'm not crazy about their version of She-Hulk, who looks more doughy and overweight than tough and statuesque, but everything else is just about perfect. Jen Walters looks like the meek, fragile object that She-Hulk believes her to be, Holden Holliway has a nice distinguished air and arrogance to his countenance along with a fatherly vibe that is obviously intentional, and I can't express how perfect "Awesome Andy" looked. Which brings me to another point about Bobillo and Sosa that makes them ideal for this book: Their comedic timing and expressions are very sharp.
With so much of Marvel's output locked into a pattern that doesn't represent what I like about their superheroes, I was a little closed off to the possibility that this unusual take on She-Hulk was what I wanted to see. However, just because my interests as a fan aren't being served in many of Marvel's books doesn't mean I should turn my nose up at something new and cool, and She-Hulk is definitely that. It's not entirely consistent with her past history, but taken on its own, She-Hulk is a fun, quirky book that provides plenty of laughs and some interesting commentary on the superhero genre in general.
