She-Hulk By Rainbow Rowell Vol. 1: Jen, Again

For comic book n00bs, this is a great place to start. Rainbow Rowell brilliantly captures the vivacious and sincere She-Hulk with clever writing that dashes back and forth from the superhero slang to the legal jargon, taking readers inside the life of a superhero living in the real world. The art is beautiful, modern, but classically superhero, and She-Hulk is beautifully drawn and stylishly dressed, making her more than just a idealized and sexualized female body turned green with gamma radiation. Crossovers with other Marvel characters are frequent and represent the most modern iterations of these characters, helping new readers (who have perhaps watched a show or two!) to jump into a very big universe and read with pleasure.

She-Hulk: Jen, Again collects the first five issues of Shulkie’s series written by Rainbow Rowell with art by Rogê Antônio and Luca Maresca, colors by Rico Renzi, and letters by Joe Caramagna with cover art by Jen Bartel. The series focuses on Jennifer Walters rebuilding her life as an attorney, working for a former rival, while trying to make a new life in a former apartment that Janet Van Dyne once leant her. Jen must also make peace with former enemies like Titania, realizing that she wants a way to blow off steam through combat without the normal stress of a superhero career. Just as she’s getting a handle on the situation, her former love Jack of Hearts reappears. She thought him dead after absorbing her gamma radiation and show more exploding in space, but he’s just as untethered as Jen feels. She alternates between work, secretly helping superpowered people with legal matters, helping Jack reacquaint to life, and carving out time for herself. In Rowell’s writing, Jen can be vulnerable and powerful, honest and private, while her world feels familiar even as it has cosmic powers beyond imagination. The introduction of Mark and April reminds readers that power doesn’t make life magically perfect. A great contribution to the She-Hulk canon. show less

I'm always looking for cheery and goofy comic books that go down smooth and easy, and Rainbow Rowell delivers with the newest She-Hulk series. It doesn't really matter what the plot is, I just enjoy hanging out with the character and her familiar friends.

It's a nice jumping on point for any new fans generated by the recent TV show -- which I also enjoyed -- but this version does dispense with breaking the fourth wall for a more traditional voice-over narrative.

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My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/5yhsRFd7I1k

Enjoy!