SHE HULK: ACTS OF EVIL (ANNUAL)
Writer: Alexandra Petri
Artist: Andy MacDonald
Color Artist: Matt Milla
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Mirka Andolfo
Publisher: Marvel
Rating: 8/10 Virus Protection Packages
Booting up… Hey! It’s me, Trevor, the fun-loving reviewer from The Comic Lounge. This week I had to cover a character in the Marvel Universe who is absolutely Sensational. Someone who you should never underestimate cuz she will wreck you like a Savage. It’s She-Hulk! We finally got a She-Hulk issue (and I’ve got my official first) after what has felt so long. This issue was a must order when it was announced for me. First discovering She-Hulk years ago, I loved that she was a more in control Hulk on top of representing one of the strongest women in the MU. Going through Dan Slott’s run was where I really fell in love with the character and she remains one of all-time top Marvel heroes. Also, the Incredible news of an upcoming tv series for Jennifer Walters just felt like icing on the cake to review this.
Loading Plot…
Redact Spoilers?
Y/N
Set a few years in the past, a very confused Jennifer Walters wakes up to an unknown location trapped inside the body of a robot! Piecing together how she ended up there, she remembers that it was Reed Richards with a new invention to store minds in computers. So if she is in a robot body, then what’s the gamma gunned body of Jen’s up to? She-Hulk will get the chance to ask her herself when she learns it’s being piloted by the dastardly Bullseye. Bullseye wants to take out some Avengers and to do that he plans on using She-Hulk’s body to cause a lot of damage. It’s up to She-Hulk, in her robot body, to stop her real body from doing what her cousin Bruce does best, smash! With the man who can make anything a weapon (She-Hulk included) to go up against, it’s going to take the help of Bullseye copied consciousness to want to live to team up against the real Bullseye and win the day.
Analyzing Issue…
With the current run of Avengers, we are getting a more Hulkier She-Hulk. It feels like the distinction between Jen and her She-Hulk persona is more noticeable. I have a lot of respect for Jason Aaron and how he goes about his characters and I found his story in Avengers #20 on the new transformation very interesting. This issue, however, was a refreshing step back into the biggest thing I loved about She-Hulk on top of the added benefit of getting her personality throughout the whole issue. It’s something I hope She-Hulk returns to through a story or arc.
Alexandra Petri’s She-Hulk is equal parts professional, being a phenomenal lawyer amongst the weirdest superhero (or criminal) cases, as well as plenty of attitude and sass. Between the characters introduced in this issue; Machinesmith and Bullseye, each one’s personalities really jump out in there dialogue, letting you know how they are really feeling. I gotta say, I love a letterer like Joe Caramagna, who gets to censor cursing in a comic. I can’t go on without saying that I love that She-Hulk doesn’t hide her emotions with anyone in this issue and even laughs at her own jokes. All of this is strengthened by Andy MacDonald’s awesome expressions he draws. Not to mention the muscles he draws, hooo wheee! Coloring in those terrific triceps (and the rest of the issue), Matt Milla gave the whole thing a really solid look. Almost every panel would begin to change in color usage in some of these pages, even if they were in the same location in the story. I found how much it stood out very unique.
Finalizing Review…
We’ve reached the point of the review where we are no longer able to “Hulk Out” on this issue of She-Hulk. Overall this Annual is a fairly quick read. The plot is straight forward and gets you to the action pretty quick. It was an interesting match seeing Bullseye go up against She-Hulk. I can only hope with all the news around Jennifer Walters earning her own show and this issue, that it won’t be long till we see a solo series return for her. If you are as excited as I am about the upcoming series, this issue could be just the recommendation to learn a bit about this Gamma Girl! Shutting down...