ComicSniper's Profile

I'm cutting bait here. Despite the build-up to the Blue File mystery that has slowly evolved over the past five issues, any interest I'd have in that file is extinguished by my total lack of interest in the characters. This is a major disappointment, because I think the American zeitgeist is aligned for She-Hulk to really break out, and I had high hopes for Soule's run. I'm not going to review scene-by-scene as in my other She-Hulk reviews. The only comment I'll make on any specifics of the issue is Jennifer's encounter with Shocker. I suspect Soule is trying to do something with Marvel villains and Jennifer's relationships with them. Her first case involved the widow of a villain, her next client was Victor Von Doom's son, and now she's interacting with Shocker. So when you think about it, there is great raw material in that! How would a villain, or a family member of that villain, interact with their attorney? And once that window is opened, how would Jennifer's thoughts about villains change? Remember when she scolded the AIM bad guy for treating super heroes like trophies? Does she already think that way about villains, or are her views evolving based on her interactions with her clients? I'm not really sure Soule has any intention of exploring any of those questions. If he does, it isn't apparent that he intends to answer any of those questions any time soon. You can read my reviews, scene by scene, of issues 1-4 and see all the wasted opportunities I identified, and how not much has come of any of them. If anything, we see inconsistency in Jennifer's character, or at best, unfounded or ambiguous evolution. For example, consider at the end of issue 3 Jennifer vows to rescue Vernard. Having made that vow, it's not clear why she immediately needed to consult fellow attorney Daredevil. We're never privy to her internal struggles and the reasons she considers favoring inaction. The setup seemed to be that Jennifer's internal struggle was

Absolutely horrible. I haven't been a fan of the series so far but normally praise Soule's writing technique and dialogue. But this issue's dialogue was stilted and unnatural. Pulido's art filled in the gaps in Soule's earlier scripts, but now Wimberly's abstract approach is uncomplimentary. The entire series reeks of having been rushed to print.

Jennifer's character continues to stagnate with glacial growth and unclear motivations. Jennifer's latest client, Kristoff Vernard (son of Victor Von Doom), seems hastily developed as a character and despite the roller-coaster nature of his plot line, reader empathy for him is minimal. Soule continues to produce great raw material for a compelling series, but seems to squander opportunities to develop and heighten drama.

With the disappointing conclusion of this first arc of Soule's run, I suspect like-minded readers with high hopes for this series are seriously considering cutting bait. Soule's issues are filled with creative plot points and themes drawn from Jennifer's lawyer world. Each issue has included well-done mad cap humor perfectly complimented by Pulido's cartoon art style. But all four issues have fallen utterly flat in terms of dramatic elements and character development. It's as if Soule and his editor think it enough to throw a bunch of clever ideas on a wall, and some will stick and keep reader interest. It doesn't seem to occur to either of them to TELL A GREAT DRAMATIC STORY, and DEVELOP FACETED CHARACTERS READERS EMPATHIZE WITH. As a result, the scripts have an unfinished and rushed feel.

Soule fails to leverage his clever plot points to develop the main character. So much opportunity to develop a compelling, textured, and sympathetic main character is simply wasted. The opening scene offered ideal groundwork to introduce She-Hulk as a successful, brash, bad-ass in "super hero life", to contrast with struggling, vulnerable and evolving Jennifer in "lawyer life." So much character texture and story could be harvested out of that simple duality! Instead, this first issue suggests that Soule, well-known by readers as a lawyer himself, merely intends to use Jennifer's "lawyer life" to drive plot. In other words, Soule's Jennifer emerges as just a super hero with a day job. What a waste. I hope the next few issues prove me wrong. Otherwise, readers will find the lawyer angle to be an interesting twist for a few issues, then quickly loose interest.

Soule does better here, finally giving Jennifer a hint of depth and vulnerability. Paralegal Huang could evolve into a quirky side kick, and who knows what we'll see from Jennifer's friend Patsy/Hellcat. Pulido is still, however, doing the heavy lifting of revealing Jennifer's character to the reader.