She-Hulk #1 // Review
Jen is in a stable relationship. This is good. Her boyfriend IS in an unstable relationship with his own body, though. So there’s that. He’s home to unstable radiation. That’s okay, though: Jen’s kind of got a whole thing going on with gamma radiation that makes things a bit complicated for her as well. Her life is explored a bit more in Sensational She-Hulk #1. Writer Rainbow Rowell continues a fun adventure with Jen that’s brought to the page by artist Andrés Genolet and colorist Dee Cunniffe. Once again, Rowell and company manage a very sophisticated modulation of Jen’s personal, professional and super-heroic life that continues to be a lot of fun.
Jen’s off to work. As nice as it would be to spend the whole morning with Jack, she really MUST get going. There are a couple of Inhumans waiting for her at the office when she gets there. They have a few potentially legitimate concerns regarding an eviction notice that they’ve received. Jen’s going to need to get on top of THAT...and she’s also going to need to deal with interpersonal issues with Punch Club--her superhuman fight club that she’s started with Ben Grimm and a couple of ex-villains. Jen’s boyfriend is going to show-up and...things might get a little ugly...
Jen and Jack are kissing for the first three pages. There aren’t a whole lot of writers who could get away with that and make it fun. Rowell manages that and more, allowing for all kinds of interesting, little bits of characterization to form around the edges of the scene. On the surface, Rowell IS telling a solid superhero story, but she adds in so many clever, little moments that make for a really fun issue. Rowell cleverly adds little bits of warmth through the central narrative. She’s feeling great about her life and she just happens to be carrying a baby in a stroller for a young mother. It’s just a couple of panels, but it suggests so much about Jen and her overall relationship with New York that adds a great deal of depth to her characterization.
There’s a soulful tenderness in Genolet’s art that beautifully renders the more subtle emotional side of Rowell’s script. The action is definitely there when and where it needs to be, but it’s the subtle emotional end of the issue that really gives this particular She-Hulk its own kind of strength. Genolet also has a very solid understanding of the mix of weird sci-fi/fantasy and earthbound New York-based realism that fits the issue perfectly. A couple of weirdly cool-looking Kirby-designed Inhuman characters casually stroll into the office of a law firm in Manhattan and it feels so deliciously normal.
Throughout her previous series with Jen, Rowell would occasionally veer in awkward directions that weren’t totally in synch with the rhythm and spirit of what she had developed. Rowell and Genole once again manage a remarkably fluid and well-balanced look into one of Marvel’s most universally appealing characters.
