She-Hulk #1 Review

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Javier Pulido

She-Hulk is back, but is this a series fitting to the character? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

JENNIFER WALTERS IS…THE SHE-HULK! A stalwart Avenger, valued member of the FF, savior of the world on more than one occasion, she's also a killer attorney with a pile of degrees and professional respect. A 7-foot-tall drink of cool, emerald water, she's tough enough to knock out Galactus with one punch (possibly?) and has a heart bigger than the moon. But juggling cases and kicking bad guy butt is starting to be a little more complicated than she anticipated. With a new practice, a new paralegal and a mounting number of super villains she's racking up as personal enemies, She Hulk might have bitten off a little more than she can chew…but she just calls that that Tuesday.

She-Hulk is one of my favourite female characters, as although I've never read any of her solo adventures, I've enjoyed her appearances along side her cousin Bruce Banner (aka Hulk) and the Fantastic Four.

Charles Soule has created a lawyer based series that can rival Daredevil any day, utilising his experience as a lawyer perfectly. Soule gives us an entertaining opening issue that is both fun and gripping. The way that he makes light humour of legal jargon is simply amazing, and along with the fantastic dialogue this adds a lot to the overall tone of the issue. The issue was however not quite perfect, as despite being fun and enjoyable the story flew by rather quickly, with the lack of actual action during Jen's robot fight being a little annoying. I still however feel that this will be the kind of series that Jen needs, and look forward to reading more.

I've never been the biggest fan of Javier Pulido's work, but his quirky style actually suits this fun tale. The layout of Pulido's art simply astonished me, as it had a very unique feel, helping the story to flow smoothly. The thing that I loved the most however was the way that Pulido managed to make Jen look like the powerful character she is, as despite not showing her quite as the physical specimen she usually is, she still looked like a lady you wouldn't want to mess with. Added to this the fantastic colours from Muntsa Vicente and I can easily see myself becoming a fan to this style of artwork on this series.

She-Hulk gets off to a terrific start, being  both fun and entertaining. Highly recommended.

Rating: 8/10

New She-Hulk Series Out in February

Following all the mysterious teasers that Marvel have been giving recently they have since went out and revealed a new series that will be written by Charles Soule, seeing She-Hulk once again get her own solo series. The series will be released in February and will also see artwork form Javier Pulido.

Soule would tell USA Today that, "She-Hulk has always been a title where weird, cool things can happen. She is a strong — very strong — female character, and comics absolutely cannot have too many of those. There's no reason Jennifer Walters can't be iconic, and we're going to do what we can to make that happen."

Pulido added that, "Yes, she's Hulk's cousin, but she's also gorgeous. That's a very important part of the character, and I plan to keep it. When she comes into a room, her presence calls for the attention of everyone there, not just for her skin's color. She has that kind of magnetism around her."

My Thoughts

I am really excited about this series, as Soule has been doing some brilliant work as of late, and She-Hulk is an amazing character. I also hope that we get to see a bit more lawyering from Jen than we usually get, as given the fact that Soule is also a lawyer it should be quite natural for him to write. I also would love to see another lawyer bar Matt Murdock going about the Marvel Universe, as although she's always stated as one, we very rarely see her as one. I also think that the series should keep Hulk away for at least the first year, but that he should eventually have a cameo appearance.

For the full USA Today article click here.

Captain America: Red Menace Review

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Mike Perkins, Steve Epting, Javier Pulido & Marcos Martin

I've recently decided to go through as many of my graphic novels as I can, re-reading, and reviewing them. I'm planing on reviewing all the Marvel crossover events that I have whether in comic form, or graphic novel (reviewing in graphic novel form for all), and I'm wanting to review the other Marvel graphic novels, and series that fall in between them, and this is now my second review on Captain America.

Plot

Crossbones is trying to get the Red Skull's daughter Sin to remember who she is. Also Captain America, and Sharon Carter travel to Iowa following an explosion that they think may have been caused by Bucky Barnes. However when they get to Iowa they find nothing is exactly as it seems.

Review

This was another brilliant story, and although not quite as good as the Winter Soldier it was still amazing. This was the first time I've read this story, as when I started collecting Ed Brubaker's run this collected version of Red Menace came out, so I thought I'd wait for that, and cause of that I landed up forgetting about it. Anyway, I really enjoyed this story, and Brubaker once again did an amazing job, and although his Captain America run was brilliant the whole way through, he really seemed to excel at the start. I really liked how Brubaker was able to make this two stories, whilst also making it a continuous story overall, which means that people can get the individual volumes of this story without having to get both (even though I'd recommend them both). The story itself is however much better together, as you get a much smoother flowing story, which is much deeper. I also loved how Brubaker was able to bridge both stories together, making the transition from Cap in Iowa to London very smooth. Brubaker also did a good job of developing all the characters involved, as although most of them have existed for years he's managed to freshen them up, giving them new goals, motives, and in Cap's case trials. The way that Brubaker's kept a bit of mystery in the series has also been nice, and enjoyable.

The art was also brilliant, and both Mike Perkins, and Steve Epting did an amazing job. What I like most about the artwork in this book is that both Perkins, and Epting have a similar style of artwork, which really helps with the tone of the story. Both artists' art is very well detailed, with everything from the character's to the scenery looking perfect. The character's emotions were also shown brilliantly, and although Perkins did the better job of this, Epting did a much better job showing emotion than he did in the last story, as although there's the odd part were it looks stiff, and emotionless, there's more smiles, and anger shown at the appropriate time, as the last story everyone felt awful serious. Both artists did an amazing job of drawing the action sequences, as they were both very entertaining, and dramatic. I would however have to give the edge to Epting with this one though, as he just draws some phenomenal action sequences, as although Perkins was still brilliant, Epting's was much more dynamic, and although he sometimes finds it hard to show emotion through facial features, Epting has no problem showing character's physical emotions whilst fighting. Javier Pulido, and Marcos Martin did the artwork for the Captain America: 65th Anniversary Special which came between the two individual stories, and although this was a very different style of art, which changed the tone of the book, it really suited the anniversary story, even if in general it's not a style I'm fond of, as it was both very detailed, and fun, whilst also feeling a bit retro.

This book started with an entire issue dedicated to Crossbones trying to get Sin to remember who she is, going through he history, and how she used to be fearless. This was a very emotional, and dramatic issue, as you could see the innocents in this girl, but at the same time whilst Crossbones tells her of her past you can see that she used to be evil, just like her father. The determination in Crossbones was however what really made this brilliant in my opinion, as he so desperately wanted the Sin he knew back, and the fact that he thought she was the last remaining connection to the Red Skull's bloodline made it even more important to him. The history of Sin was also very interesting, and not only the fact that she was evil, as there was so much more to her previous life that was interesting.

We get to see more development from Cap, and Sharon's relationship in this story, as after finding out that there's a good chance Bucky's alive the pair kiss. This wasn't the most interesting thing however in my opinion, the conversation that followed would be, as you have them discussing how it's never worked out for them in the in the past. Despite this you can still see that they both genuinely care for one another, and the rest of the story did a brilliant job of developing, and teasing whether or not they'd actually get back together as a couple properly, and I felt this continuous build-up was brilliant, and that it makes the relationship feel much more realistic, as if they decided full out that they'd get back together it'd feel too soon, and a bit forced, whereas Brubaker's handled it perfectly.

Winter Soldier ended with it being revealed that Red Skull was inside Aleksander Lukin brain. It was a brilliant way to end the Winter Soldier story, as it wasn't just suspenseful, and dramatic, it also left with a brilliant mystery to be explored. The fact that these two similar, but very different characters are sharing the same brain is interesting enough in theory, but what Brubaker did with it in this story was amazing. I loved seeing these conflicting thoughts battling each other, and you could see already that there will be a struggle over who will gain total control over Lukin. I did however also find it interesting that Lukin used the Red Skull to his advantage, and although they didn't agree on much, it was obvious that they both saw advantages in this, even if Lukin would prefer to be rid of the Red Skull completely.

Cap and Sharon weren't the only ones to be seen in a relationship in this story, as we also got to see the start of Crossbones, and Sin's relationship. now that Sin's back to her evil self the pair become quite the couple, and plan on finding, and taking down the man responsible for the Red Skull's death. Now I won't go into too many details, but they find out that Lukin is responsible, and that in my opinion made the rest of the story very interesting. The fact that Lukin and Red Skull are bonded in the same brain also makes this very interesting, as with Crossbones, and Sin going after Lukin, they're technically going after Red Skull, and this fact alone would mean that it's inevitably going to be interesting.

The book was split by the 65th Anniversary issue. Although this wasn't really needed, it was a nice way of celebrating 65 years of Cap. Besides that, it was also a brilliant story in itself, and was a nice throwback to class wartime Cap. What I liked most about the story however was that in a small way it tied into the first part of the main story, as it shows the woman that Bucky had feelings for, and them working alongside Cap, and the Howling Commandos. Besides that it was also fun, and would also give a taste of something that would appear in the second half of the story, and although I won't spoil what it is, when it was shown in the second half of the main story I felt that this story was much more appropriate, and that it needed to be in this book.

Captain America in Britain. The second half of this book sees Cap, and Sharon travel to Britain as they believe Bucky's targeting Lukin who's over there. Cap in Britain was brilliant, and Brubaker managed to make everything exciting, and overall perfect. Besides the reason Cap was in Britain, the main thing that I liked about this part of the story was the appearances from Union Jack, and Spitfire. Now although I'm not the biggest Union Jack or Spitfire fan I was happy to see them especially considering the setting. The interaction between Cap, and both Union Jack and Spitfire was brilliant also, and I loved that you could tell that these were old friends reacquainting with one another. I also loved how the interaction between these characters also questioned both the relationship between Cap, and Sharon, as well as the relationship between Union Jack, and Spitfire, and overall there appearance was amazing. The fight sequences that saw these characters working together was also very entertaining, and seeing them working together was brilliant.

It was also nice to see Buck back in this story, but at the same time I wasn't too sure if I was happy about him being in this story. Overall I probably was happy that he was in the story, and in a way the fact he didn't appear too frequently was a good thing, but there was also a part of me that wanted to see more of him. This is probably due to loving the other stories Brubaker had that revolved around Bucky, but when I think through it it's probably the right thing, as it showed the emotions that he's feeling at the present, as well as not over using it. I also liked how we got to see interaction between Bucky, and Cap, and although at times it felt a bit awkward, that was a good thing, as Bucky will feel ashamed around Cap, whilst also wanting to open up, and the conflict in these makes for an awkward overtone, which totally suits Bucky's current mindset.

Final Verdict

Although not as good as Winter Soldier, this was still an amazing story, and Brubaker continues to explore the world of Cap expertly, knowing what to develop, and how fast it needs developing. There was also plenty of action in this story, as well as ton's of different emotions, which made the story very dramatic, and exciting. There were also some nice cameo appearances from the likes of Union Jack, and Spitfire, which was brilliant, especially considering the setting. I'd highly recommend it as although not as good as Winter Soldier this was still an outstanding story, and although Brubaker's run on Cap was generally brilliant, the earlier part of it was phenomenal, and in a different class.

Rating: 5/5

The next Captain America book I'll be reviewing will be Civil War: Captain America.

Before that however I'll be reviewing Civil War itself.

Hawkeye #5 Review

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Javier Pulido

This has been one of the best series Marvel has brought out in the last year, and I've been loving all the different Hawkeye tales. At one point I was considering not getting this series due to budget reasons but I'm very happy I did has it's been much better than I'd ever expected, and Matt Fraction has done some marvellous work on this series.

Plot

This issue sees the continuation of the last where Hawkeye has to retrieve a tape that has him killing a terrorist on it. Hawkeye is now captured, and is attacked by ninjas whilst Kate Bishop is posing as Madame Masque, who she's got tied up in the bathroom.

Review

This is another amazing issue but not quite as good as the previous issues. I've been loving what Fraction has been doing with the series but there were a few minor imperfections that lowered the overall rating. I've also liked how Fraction has been able to add ton's on humour to this series whilst making it fun and action packed. The way this series has been more focused on Clint rather than Hawkeye has also been very nice, and I've also enjoyed seen Kate have a big role in this series, giving it multi-Hawkeye feel similar to the multiple Iron Fists in The Immortal Iron Fist. I't's also been interesting that this series hasn't used any proper villains until this story, and how even though they don't play a interfering role there have been quite a few well known villains featured in this story.

The art in this series has also been good and Javier Pulido's art has been good over the last few issues. I am however looking forward to seeing David Aja return as artist next issue as his art is much better and suits this series a lot more. As I said Pulido has however done a good job in Aja's place and his artwork over the last couple of issues, although unique has been very similar to Aja's. Pulido's art hasn't necessarily been the best I've seen and artwork with lack of detail is usually a down side for me but that doesn't affect this series too much and helps show the fun feel of the series even more. I've also liked how Pulido's added drama at certain points during this issue, giving more suspense to it, but there have also been a few points I've not liked. There is a page that has Kingpin and a HYDRA agent talking to Madame Masque, and in the second panel their faces and hands/arms are blacked out where the other panels they're not. Okay you can argue that this adds tone to the book, and it also adds an unique feel but I think it's not quite right and should have been left out. Other than that Matt Hollingsworth has once again added tremendous colours to this issue making the small differences between Aja and Pulido's art less noticeable.

This issue starts with Clint throwing himself out of a window to escape ninjas. Although he was stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to choices I still think it was stupid to decide to jump through a window of a multi-story building whilst tied to a chair. An army of ninjas isn't an easy feat especially when you're tied to a chair, but unless he knew that someone was going to be there to save him it's the worse decision of the two, and he probably would have stood a fair chance against the ninjas, having all that S.H.I.E.L.D. training.

Clint however was saved by Maria Hill, who just happened to be flying by, I assume they were monitoring Hawkeye's mission. Seeing one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fancy flying scooters was nice as you don't see that sort of tech from S.H.I.E.L.D. any more and appart from the Helicarrier the hover car was one of the best things to come out of S.H.I.E.L.D., so it was nice to see something similar. I also like the acknowledgement between Clint and Hill as it shows that they can have a laugh whilst being formal.

Kate seeing the tape was also a nice addition to this issue, and I liked how we get to see her doubt if Clint tells her the truth all the time like he said he would. I've been enjoying seeing Kate in this series and although I don't know much about the character besides what I've read in this series, and the few Young Avengers comics I've read she's been a good addition, and I like how you see these different age groups in herself and Clint play of each other.

When Kate got caught by Madame Masque's henchmen it was very interesting seeing how her and Madame Masque interacted. It was also interesting to see the difference in emotions throughout the conversation being calm one minute and nervous the next. I also enjoyed seeing her and Clint fighting besides each other nearer the end of the issue, and how they had time to interact with friendly chat, whilst she asked him if he's ever lied to her.

Final Verdict

A great issue to what has been a tremendous series. Although the start to this two parter was better than the finish there isn't much between them, and if it wasn't for the minor imperfections in story and art they'd be equal. I would still highly recommend this issue and the series as it's one of the best Marvel is producing so far.

Rating: 4.5/5

Hawkeye #4

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Javier Pulido

I have been enjoying this series so far as it's been amazing. I've been loving what Matt Fraction has been doing with this series and although I've loved all his one-shot Hawkeye tales so far I am happy that he's doing a story that lasts more than an issue, even if it's only two.

Plot

This issue sees Hawkeye get brought in by S.H.I.E.L.D. who tell him that a tape of him killing a terrorist has been put up for auction in Madripoor and that he needs to retrieve it. Hawkeye however isn't the only one after the tape, ton's of criminals are after the tape includinh Madame Masque.

Review

This was another brilliant issue of Hawkeye and I haven't been disappointed with one issue so far. Fraction has been doing a brilliant job with the characters in this series and I've been happy to see that the series is of a similar style to The Immortal Iron Fist (which he also worked on with Aja) by adding multiple Hawkeye's to the series, with both Clint and Kate Bishop. I do however like how this issue especially that Kate's role has been lessened as Clint is the main character in the series and it needs to show. I also like that although Fraction lessened her role in the issue he also found a brilliant way to involve her at the start. The main thing I liked was that Fraction made this more than a one parter. Don't get me wrong I've loved all the other issues and if I was given the option of ton's of brilliant one-shot stories or multiple issue stories that are mediocre, I'd take the one-shots easily, it's just that it's nice to see Hawkeye in a good multi issue story and I hope Fraction does an even longer story further down the line.

Although I miss seeing David Aja's art Javier Pulido's art is still very good and of a similar style to Aja's. Although Pulido's art isn't the most stunning to look at or have much detail, it is a very fun style art which suits this series perfectly. I usually dislike art that doesn't have detail in it but I can enjoy this as I love the way he treats the series making you feel all the silliness that's going on. I also loved how he drew the facial expresions in the characters espcialy whin Clint was either feeling joy earlier in the issue or discomfort when Madame Masque was searching him. Matt Hollingsworth continues to add brilliant colours to this series, and the monotone, retro fell in the colours makes this series feel more fun and stylish. Although I liked Pulido's artwork in this issue I can't wait till Aja returns as his art is simply stunning. Also got to give Aja thanks for his work on the cover. I don't know how he manages to do something that is that simple but so brilliant, whilst doing this for each issue.

The story itself was brilliant and I'm happy that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s work using black ops superheroes like Hawkeye have came back to haunt them. I also liked that Captain America was involved in this as with him being heavily involved in S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as being against terrorism it's nice to see him have a say. Although I think it makes for a great Hawkeye story I do have to question if it's fair to send Hawkeye to get this tape as it was their mess and it's him that the tape will affect the worst.

The way Clint got picked up of the street by the Helicarrier was hilarious. I also found it funny that before getting picked up he was arguing with an old guy that he wasn't an Avenger and how his argument was lost when the Hellicarier arrived. The expression on his face whilst getting taken out of the blue was also priceless, and very funny. The only thing that I thought was a bit odd though, why didn't they just call him in instead of going to all the trouble of making a big scene in the middle of a public place. I know it makes for a more dramatic scene which I'm grateful for, but the part of me that nitpicks at things questions the necessity of it.

I've always liked the Madame Masque character so it was nice and interesting to see her involvement of in this story. I usually prefer seeing the character in an Iron Man story but it was nice to see her in a Hawkeye story for a change. It was also nice to see other villains like Kingpin and and villainous groups like HYDRA and the Maggia were after this same tape showing that nothing is a secret in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s line of work and that everyone's willing to pay out their skin to have something to tarnish S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name.

Final Verdict

Although David Aja wasn't doing arts on this issue it was still good and one of the best series' Marvel is producing the now. I would highly recommend getting this issue and the series so far and am looking forward to seeing how this story concludes next issue.

Rating: 5/5