She-Hulk #7 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pulido (art), Muntsa Vicente (colors)

The Story: Ant-Man and Hellcat cut She-Hulk down to size.

The Review: I’m sure Soule had his reasons, but it was still kind of bizarre for him to break off the one ongoing mystery of this series, just as it was really starting to take off. For one thing, his choice required all the characters involved to suddenly decide the case they had dedicated themselves to investigating wasn’t worth the effort anymore, going against all of their usual tenacity. That inconsistency would nearly be a plot hole if Soule hadn’t suggested a touch of the supernatural might be involved.

Still, shelving the Blue File for the time being allows Soule to take another stab at that delicate genre balance between superhero and legal drama, and he succeeds this issue. Past premises have been heavy on the law, light/repetitive with the vigilantism, but this one reverses that trend: Rufus, an inventor working out of Jen’s office building, wants her to negotiate a contract for the purchase of his and his partner Reza’s shrink-ray technology, but he needs her to find Reza first. Here’s the wrinkle: Reza, in a fit of proprietary rage, may have shrunken himself into hiding.

She-Hulk #6 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Ron Wimberly (art)

The Story: Jen has her own demons to confront.

The Review: Exposition is a necessary evil in storytelling. Without it, stories lose context, substance, pretty much everything that gives the characters and action real meaning. At the same time, nothing slows down a story more. Part of the art of writing is doling out enough of exposition so the story doesn’t devolve into a mindless series of dramatic outbursts and car explosions, while pacing it so you don’t just bury your audience in background facts.

If a long streak of exposition is bad, it’s even worse when you’ve heard it all before. Comics have a particularly bad habit of doing this, I imagine for purposes of being accessible to the fabled new readers. It’s not a great justification; when you consider most comics tend to peak at their debut and gradually lose readers afterward, the repeated exposition seems more likely to annoy loyalists than inform the uninitiated, which is exactly what happens here. All that recapping about Jen’s blue file and the parties involved and the fact you’re not meant to say the plaintiff’s name out loud just seems redundant when the issue has a recap page to rely on.

She-Hulk #5 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Ron Wimberly (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: Now adding another person to those who must not be named.

The Review: You’ve probably heard of cops and criminals who run into each other so often that there’s an almost friendly tension between them. Familiarity, it seems, breeds friendship as much as contempt. I imagine that if superheroes and villains were real, they’d probably have the same dynamic. At some point, those repeated encounters, which so often turn out the same way—the villain caught, defeated, humiliated—would have to strip away the pretensions and B.S. for a straighter relationship.

Which is basically how Jenn and Herman Schultz (a.k.a. Shocker) play it in this issue. Having gotten to the point where Jenn can just show up on Herman’s doorstep to ask some questions, sparring each other is an unnecessary formality (and a futile one; Herman has a flee-on-sight rule for Hulks of any size, color, and gender).* Instead, they talk shop amicably over Chinese food (Jenn’s treat), charming Herman into cooperating with her investigation into the mysterious Blue File.

She-Hulk #3 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pulido (art), Muntsa Vicente (colors)

The Story: A rich client is a good thing—usually.

The Review: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said in a review that I didn’t care what was going on in a story because I didn’t care about the characters involved. I’m quite sure I’ve said this even when it’s the first issue that the characters ever appeared in. Some might say it’s a little unreasonable to expect instant charm from every character, and they’d be right. But it’s hard not to set the bar that high when writers like Soule make it look so easy.

From the first line he utters in this issue,* Kristoff Vernard, adopted son of Dr. Doom, passes the first test of being interesting, if not exactly likable: “Urgh. I am not accustomed to making a request more than once.” And soon enough, he passes the likability test as well, once he explains, in eloquent though lofty terms, why he needs to leave Latveria for America: “Here…in this strange country, I can be anything. I must take the risk. I would take any risk for freedom.” For Americans, the patriotic appeal is almost irresistible. Kristoff’s pursuit of freedom will do it for everyone else.

She-Hulk #2 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pulido (art), Muntsa Vicente (colors)

The Story: Jenn makes some potentially brilliant/disastrous hiring decisions.

The Review: In reviewing the debut issue of She-Hulk, Kelly Thompson of Comic Book Resources observed an unbalance between Jennifer Walters, superhero, and Jennifer Walters, esquire, noting it could turn off devotees of traditional superhero books.  Being more of a DC man myself, it’s awkward for me to be in the position of Marvel apologist, but once again, I’m going to respond to this seeming criticism of one of Marvel’s newest titles.

You see, I’m of the mind that the superhero genre already confines itself too much to spandex-clad action sequences, pitting hero versus villain in various scenarios of moral difficulty.  I find nothing wrong with (and even encourage) a superhero title that places more emphasis on the hero than the super.  It certainly shouldn’t be a reason to criticize a series, although it’s a perfectly good reason for certain people to find another series to read.

Marvel Divas #1 – Review

By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Writer), Tonci Zonjic (Art), and Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic & June Chung (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: It will be interesting to see how Marvel’s Divas stack up against Gotham’s Sirens…

The Story: Patsy Walker (Hellcat), Monica Rambeau (Captain Marvel/leader of Nextwave), Felicia Hardy (Black Cat), and Angelica Jones (Firestar) are superhero “gal-pals” trying to navigate the social scene of the Marvel Universe. In Marvel Divas #1, we learn how they became friends, see three of them attend a party for Patsy Walker’s latest book, and talk about, well, girl stuff (guys, the social scene, sex, relationships, etc.).

About That Cover: Ignore the rather obnoxious J. Scott Campbell cover… Actually, scratch that…Take a good look at the J. Scott Campbell cover because it’s really the only thing about Marvel Divas #1 that deserves to fall into the “Not So Good” category. That’s not to say that the cover looks bad (cheesecake certainly has its place), but it couldn’t possibly be a worse fit for a book that succeeds almost entirely because it avoids all the baggage that comes with a cover that says “Marvel Divas” and features four ladies in skintight outfits posing in a way that accentuates their… uh… assets. Now, with that out of the way…

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: As far as story and tone is concerned, Marvel Divas truly is Sex and the City meets the Marvel Universe. Is it really my type of thing? Absolutely not. But that doesn’t mean that the mini-series should be dismissed in any way. And that’s because, on a creative level, Marvel Divas is as strong as some of the best books on the stands.

Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa does an excellent job of giving Marvel Divas a distinct flavor for a Marvel comic. In other words, there’s very little superhero stuff and a whole lot of girl talk, girl power, and clever banter. The four main characters are written in a way that makes it easy for readers to quickly understand the important personalities (though one or two come across as a bit stereotypical) and where they fit in the Marvel universe. Aguirre-Sacasa also does a nice job of humorously breaking the fourth wall at appropriate times (“Company wide crossover”) to keep the interest of those that are picking the book up out of curiosity.

My only real complaint about the writing in Marvel Divas is actually not really a complaint and more of an observation: Aguirre-Sacasa clearly isn’t aiming for that “all inclusive” feel (though the writer certainly doesn’t have to) . What I mean is that it will quickly become clear whether Marvel Divas is for you or not. I am clearly not a part of the intended audience, yet I can certainly appreciate the mini-series for what it is.

The artwork by Tonci Zonjic for Marvel Divas is perfectly suited to the tone that Aguirre-Sacasa amazingly establishes. Stylish, expressive, and subtle, Zonjic’s work effortlessly brings out the personality and high points of the script. The only negative thing about Zonjic’s style is that character faces all tend to look similar. Skin tones and hairstyles keep faces distinct, but some more facial detail would definitely be welcome.

Conclusion: Even though Marvel Divas isn’t a series for your average fanboys, it’s definitely one unique and creative piece.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny