By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pulido (art), Muntsa Vicente (colors)
The Story: A rich client is a good thing—usually.
The Review: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said in a review that I didn’t care what was going on in a story because I didn’t care about the characters involved. I’m quite sure I’ve said this even when it’s the first issue that the characters ever appeared in. Some might say it’s a little unreasonable to expect instant charm from every character, and they’d be right. But it’s hard not to set the bar that high when writers like Soule make it look so easy.
From the first line he utters in this issue,* Kristoff Vernard, adopted son of Dr. Doom, passes the first test of being interesting, if not exactly likable: “Urgh. I am not accustomed to making a request more than once.” And soon enough, he passes the likability test as well, once he explains, in eloquent though lofty terms, why he needs to leave Latveria for America: “Here…in this strange country, I can be anything. I must take the risk. I would take any risk for freedom.” For Americans, the patriotic appeal is almost irresistible. Kristoff’s pursuit of freedom will do it for everyone else.
What’s truly great about Kristoff, however, is his unexpected comedic value. She-Hulk has always been a bright and fun title, but now it seems committed to being funny, too. Jenn as the puzzled straight woman to Kristoff’s strangely earnest, aristocratic ways makes for a pretty amusing combo, lending plenty of chuckles throughout the issue. After Kristoff remarks that he sees “nothing average about [Jenn] at all,” she sputters, “Are you…was that…did you just hit on me?”
“Eh. Probably.” It’s hard to view Kristoff as a sleaze when he clearly doesn’t have his heart in it. This ennui that seems to permeate all of Kristoff’s dialogue—except when Jenn’s impatiently yanking him around or taking him for a spree on an old Fantasticar—goes beyond the fact that he’s a young man who has everything. He has no incentive to take interest in anything because everything has already been planned for him. Anytime he attempts to stray from that plan, he’s foiled by his father with nigh-automated consistency. As he and Jenn head towards the courthouse, he’s nonplussed when their driver is revealed to be a Doombot:
“Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t see this coming. My wet nurse, the time Captain America took me on an adventure when I was nine, most of my pets, my first three girlfriends…Doombots, Doombots, Doombots.”
It’s an amusing story, but also pretty sad. Basically the guy has never gotten genuinely close to another human being in his life, and the fact that at one time he even wanted to go on an adventure with Captain America shows he wasn’t cut out for a villain’s life. A lot of Kristoff’s dryness masks a kind of hopelessness, both of living the life he wants and of ever pleasing his dad. The first words Doom says to Kristoff upon their reunion: “You, child, are a grave disappointment.”
“It’s my super-power, Father.”
It’s nice to know that even though her client has given up, Jenn won’t. This practically guarantees a battle with Doom, if not a full-on assault on Latveria, and that’s big pickings for She-Hulk. Soule has done great work in creating a credible comic book legal drama, but it’ll be a relief for superhero purists to know that our heroine will be doing more than bashing robots pretty soon. At least this time, Soule spices things up by getting Patsy, Jenn’s recently hired investigator, involved as decoy.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge Pulido’s limitations as an artist: the excessively geometric style, a somewhat narrow range of emotional expression, the stilted movements of the characters. But for each of these limitations, Pulido has his corresponding strengths: a classic, original look, a great understanding of body language (see Kristoff’s slouchy posture), and a terrific sense of slapstick comedy: Jenn getting old-school ejected from Kristoff’s car makes me laugh every time, the Ernst-bot doing a full Exorcist twist of his head and losing handlebar mustache in the process, the slowly gaping mouth of a Doombot as it speechlessly watches Jenn hulking out. Pulido inserts subtler jokes as well, making rereading a pleasure, like how everyone in the Coffee Bean is looking at their phones, including one of the baristas. Vicente adds to the vitality of the issue with bright, cheerful colors that defy both Doom and Kristoff’s every attempt to be gloomy.
Conclusion: Infused with so much charm and energy that you just feel good reading it.
Grade: A-
- Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Now, about Angie and Hei Hei. Clearly, there’s some unseen power at work, as Angie praises her monkey for some “[s]olid work” and then sways a bailiff into allowing Hei Hei to stay in the courtroom in a very “These are not the droids you’re looking for” manner.
- I am seeing a good amount of Coffee Bean love lately, which makes me very happy.
- “There’s not a judge in the world who’ll stay past five.” Speaking as a former judicial clerk, I disagree vehemently with that assertion.
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: Charles Soule, Dr. Doom, Hellcat, Javier Pulido, Jennifer Walters, Kristoff Vernard, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Muntsa Vicente, Patsy Walker, She Hulk, She-Hulk #3, She-Hulk #3 review, Victor von Doom
