The classic title is back: Sensational She-Hulk returns this week with a new #1 issue (Legacy #179) continuing Rainbow Rowell’s ongoing story. She-Hulk and Jack of Hearts are an item, but how serious is it, and can Jen make their love grow? It’s a question they’ve been asking themselves due to the complexities of being heroes and with powers that make things complicated. When it comes to Jen’s life though, when is it not complicated?
Something you’ll note is how good the captioning is by Rowell with letters by Joe Caramagna. There’s a certainty to them as if from her journal, but still clean and easy to read without a notebook look. They’re used throughout to introduce each character clearly and give a bit of info on them. That’s super helpful, especially since some of these Marvel characters are quite obscure. Pair those with an efficient reminder of where She-Hulk and Jack of Hearts are in their relationship up front and it’s a good jumping-on point too.
The pace of this issue moves at a fast clip once She-Hulk heads to work. She’s encountering enemies at work, characters who need help, and friends who have a fight club but can’t get the rules locked down. It’s all very efficient, with a good payoff in regards to Jack of Hearts messing up a bit in front of She-Hulk’s friends.
A great scene.
Credit: Marvel
There’s some incredible timing when it comes to character acting as well. In a moment where She-Hulk responds to some clients in a single close-up of her face, she says “Well. I’ll do my best” and you can see the anguish on her face. She’s trying to help two Deviants and one of them can’t see the other is the problem. You can imagine She-Hulk might be applying their lack of seeing the other as a problem in her own life.
That scene wouldn’t truly work without Andrés Genolet on art. The character acting is so on point, telegraphing the intensity of what characters are thinking or feeling. Or lack thereof when it comes to folks like Absorbing Man. Even the hero that ends up being the cliffhanger has a certain vulnerability to him, which is tough to say the least when you see who it is.
Jessica Gao writes a short but sweet backup story to pad out the book a bit. It keeps She-Hulk on her toes while reminding us of all the folks her dad knows she ends up being stuck with. Folks who are seeking info about being a lawyer, or in some cases a superhero. That’s why she plops a helmet on a guy as he hurries to follow her on an adventure. It’s a misunderstanding tale that’s quite fun.
A lot of folks are going to love Sensational She-Hulk for its sharply written characters and relationship drama. Even beyond that, it’s a can’t-miss series integrating characters throughout the Marvel Universe big and small while reminding us this universe is fast with colorful characters. Dare I say it packs the excellent internal narrative of Sex and the City into superhero storytelling.
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