She-Hulk #15 // Review
So...she’s not really dating him, but he DOES work for a guy who is planning on blowing up Manhattan. That would be bad enough, but...he KNOWS about the fact that his employer wants to blow up Manhattan, and...he’s been helping him get the parts so that he can do it. There are ALL KINDS of red flags with this guy. So now...not only is he NOT someone Jen wants to date, he’s someone she’s going to have to bring in to the authorities in She-Hulk #15. Writer Rainbow Rowell appears to close out her work on an all-too-brief series with artist Andrés Genolet.
Jen is trying to call Jack for backup. He really should pick up. He lets her know right on the outgoing message that she’s the only one with his phone number and how sorry he is that he can’t answer...then her would-be boyfriend (known as Scoundrel) grabs it out of her hands and crushes it. Can’t exactly have the woman he has a crush on telling anyone else about his employer’s nefarious schemes. It’s bad for business. Of course...smashing her phone might be bad for HIM.
Rowell is brilliant with the confrontation between Jen and Scoundrel. The typical hero-vs-villain banter is given a deeply funny twist as...he doesn’t want to hurt her or attack her, and he’s dealing with the fact that she’s not returning his affection. So, he’s a little stunned. It’s subtle dramatic tension with some remarkably witty dialogue that flows quite fluidly from the page. Then, the aliens come in, and things get delightfully weird. It all comes crashing to a close with a sharp sense of style that is uniquely Jen.
Genolet nails Rowell's nuanced comedy with a remarkably minimalist sensibility. She-Hulk’s exasperation at the situation she finds herself in feels remarkably vivid. The romantic moments in the issue hit the page with just as much power as the physical aggression. There’s a great deal of comedy in the juxtaposition between the two in Genolet’s art. Most heroes live with the absurdity of the Marvel Universe without batting an eye. She-Hulk is painfully aware of it, and this awareness shows through with remarkable clarity thanks to Genolet’s characterization of her.
The series ends with an announcement that Rowell and Genolet will be working together on a new Sensational She-Hulk series. Last month, Rainbow Rowell posted a picture of a row of Sharpies in a range of colors, including green and purple, along with the text, “She-Hulk Brainstorming Time.” So, one series ends, and the next begins...in a while. As of this writing, there still has been no formal solicitation for the new series, so there could be a bit of a wait. In any case, it’s been a really, really nice run with Walters and Rowell, and it’s going to be weird to have both of them MIA for at least 2-3 months. The current She-Hulk has been a very unique title that focuses a lot more on the personal life of the hero than most titles on the rack today. No one else is doing what Rowell has done with Jen.
