Monday, April 13, 2015

She-Hulk, Volume 1: Law and Disorder (Marvel NOW!)




  Jennifer Walters has decided to branch out and start her own private law firm. Tired of being used as a bargaining chip to lure the superhero crowd into some prestigious firms as clients, She-Hulk decides that enough is enough and that she's ready to tackle some real cases. But with a reputation of being a hot head and in possession of  only one potential case- a mysterious brief called the Blue File, it's going to take everything in her arsenal to make it on her own.

    I love She-Hulk and this collection of Marvel NOW! issues written by Charles Soule builds upon the quirky nature of the past She-Hulk series crafted by John Bryne and Dan Slott. She's funny, sexy, and brilliant in one muscular green package. But unlike her previous series, this She-Hulk is a superhero who happens to be a lawyer instead of the other way around. What I mean is that Jennifer's law practice is more of the focus of this series than her superhero antics. If you like the Batton Lash series, 'Supernatural Law' then this is a series for you just replace the monsters with superheroes.

   'Law and Disorder' is filled with some fun new characters such as Jen's new paralegal and her capuchin monkey Hei-Hei and the wacky inventor type neighbors in the business complex that She-Hulk rents her office. There's also great support added to the mix with Patsy 'Hellcat' Walker as Jen's private investigator and the feline Tigra for added muscle.

The book was perfectly written and plotted with some crafty cases. First, Jennifer attempts to settle a lawsuit for copyright infringement with ex-lover Tony Stark. Then she motions for asylum for Kristoff Vernard, the son of Doctor Doom and finally she makes time to get to the bottom of just what is the Blue File. The document lists She-Hulk and several other members of the super-powered community as defendants. Only Walters doesn't remember ever being sued by some mystery man from North Dakota. When She-Hulk and her legal team manage to go investigating they uncover that whoever behind it has taken deadly steps in preventing the case from ever being reopened again.

   Though this volume closes the lid on the Blue File, I doubt that that's the end of it. Just last week volume 2 dropped and I hope to get my hands on that really soon. This series of She-Hulk was a great read to unwind to and not be pressured with too dramatic of a story line. I just hope that the art gets better.

   The first 3 or 4 issues were drawn Javier Pulido. His style evokes that of one of my personal favorites of all-time, Mike Allred. Even the inking and color scheme was similar. But the issues involving the Blue File were penciled and inked by a different artist, one Ron Wemberly. I was not a fan and nowhere near impressed.

   Wemberly's She-Hulk looked more like an office casual Gamora, complete with those dark green eyespots that are iconic of the most lethal woman in the cosmos. I might overlook such a thing if it wasn't for the fact that just about every other character is drawn like that too. An even worse offense is that the normally sexy Tigra is drawn in such a way that she looked like my cats when I give them a bath: like a wet rat. Like I said, not a fan- and I hope the series went back to Pulido's handiwork. I guess I'll be finding out soon.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

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