She-Hulk #1 (2014)

I find it interesting that so many of my favorite characters are getting this “Hawkeye” style overhaul. This is very much in the same vein, with Charles Soule putting the focus squarely on the “regular” life of Jennifer Walters, lawyer. Sure, she’s big and green and smashes a couple robots. But there is very little in this issue that couldn’t have been starring a regular super-powered lawyer.

After quitting her job in a law office, She-Hulk takes a case for a super-villain’s widow. It seems that a Stark subsidiary illegally acquired some of Jonas Harrow’s inventions. I appreciate that Soule uses the death of D-lister Harrow to provide the plot device for another issue. If characters have to die to serve a story, they might as well power more than one story!

Soule toes the line perfectly throughout the issue, keeping She-Hulk likable, smart, and confident. She won’t back down, even against her old buddy Tony Stark. And Stark, when he does show up, is perfect. He’s confident, smug, and a bit of a horn dog. And he also does the right thing, like a hero should. Jennifer Walters gets a nice payout and a nice new status quo for her new series.

I’m happy to see She-Hulk so happy and confident; the last series by Peter David was a bit too much of a downer. I do hope that Soule factors in some super-heroics soon, but honestly, if the law-based stories are as interesting as the one in this issue, I’m fine with getting my She-Hulk “hero” fix over in Mighty Avengers.

Javier Pulido’s cartoony art keeps the tone of this series quite clear. As I said, this is a Hawkeye type series; we’re going to see a lot of She-Hulk in the normal world, in normal clothes. I can’t say I wouldn’t love to occasionally get a more “classic” super-artist drawing some issues, but there is no doubt that Pulido handles this material perfectly.

This is a GOOD new issue and a hopeful launch for the jade giantess. Maybe this one will stick around for a while; I certainly hope so!