She-Hulk 159 review

At first I felt like writing a review for this week’s Detective Comics, being a fantastic closer to an overall great story arc. It also helps that it was my favourite comic of the week. But then I remembered that I didn’t pick up any Marvel comics last week, so let’s make up for that by reviewing two Marvel Comics instead. And what better way to do that than to review She-Hulk’s first Marvel Legacy related comic? Her series just got renumbered to represent how many solo comics she’s had over the years, at 159. That’s quite the legacy for a character originally created to protect The Incredible Hulk’s copyright. Of course She-Hulk is awesome, and she completely deserves it.

She-Hulk 159, written by Mariko Tamaki, is an interesting issue to say the least. The first half begins with a strange interview. Jennifer is being interviewed by an apparently esteemed professor, who is clearly an obsessive fan who can’t seem to focus. It’s an amusingly awkward scene taking place in a strange restaurant that sells hamburgers with syrup covered pancakes instead of buns. The second half of the comic keeps the same amusingly awkward writing, but it gets a lot creepier when Jen is captured by said professor, who seems to be working for The Leader. I’m not all that familiar with The Leader outside of the 90’s Hulk cartoon, but I’m sure he’ll be a dangerous villain over the course of this story arc. Saying much more about this issue will spoil the fun.

The art by Jahnoy Lindsay is good. It’s a simple look that’s generally light on specific details, instead focusing more on facial expressions and body language. It does a great job at those, showing a very confused looking Jennifer during the opening pages. She’s clearly trying to be friendly and polite, but she keeps shifting around, clearly wanting the interview to end sooner than later. The panel where She-Hulk is drugged before her capture is kind of hilarious with a sudden blank look in her eyes and her arms dropping. As for the environment, the establishing shot outside of the strange restaurant is complete with a handful of civilians walking or biking just outside, and a crazy enough logo to match the strange restaurant. The small room where Jennifer is held captive is complete with billboards overstuffed with pages and pictures. There are a few discrepancies though, like the seat behind Jennifer being empty on a couple panels, only for two customers to appear in that seat on the next page. Matt MIlla’s colouring is great though. This is a bright and colourful comic when it’s in the restaurant, and the sunset makes great use of shading and slightly burring out buildings in the background.

This is a strong start for She-Hulk’s first Marvel Legacy story arc. It strikes the right balance of amusement and creepiness, with a touch of the kind of drama that’s made this series work as a whole. Although the art isn’t all that special, it’s a pleasant look that uses great body language to enhance characterization and humour. The tension build-up is more than enough to believe that She-Hulk 160 could be something special. This is an easy recommendation for She-Hulk fans, and it’s worth checking out for fans of the original Hulk and probably those who enjoy The Leader as a villain as well.

8/10