Written by Rainbow Rowell.
Art by Andrés Genolet; IG Guara; Dee Cunniffe; & VC’s Joe Caramagna.
Collection Cover Art by Jen Bartel.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2024 by Marvel Comics, this 128-page trade paperback collects the same year’s She-Hulk # 1-5.
Beginning the five-part “Jen-Sational,” Jennifer “Jen” Walters’ romance with Jack “Jack of Hearts” Hart continues, as the first issue depicts essentially a weary ‘day in the life.’ Jen’s workday includes two new clients: Deviant roommates Karkas and Ransak The Reject, who are seeking her legal assistance to avoid eviction. Including Ben “The Thing” Grimm, Marsha “Volcana” Rosenberg, Mary “Titania” MacPherran, and her husband: ‘Crusher’ Carl Creel – The Absorbing Man, the casual afternoon session of ‘Punch Club’ goes awry when Absorbing Man challenges Jack.
Needing to decompress, Jen is startled by the arrival of a primitive Hulk, who insists that ‘Banner’ is no longer with him. While Jen tries to deescalate her ornery cousin’s tantrum, the uninvited presence of April & Mark Booth worsens it. Now calling herself ‘Anathema,’ April’s belligerent female Hulk attacks the original Hulk before bulldozing him into an empty apartment building. Realizing that he is stealing a DNA sample from an unconscious Hulk, an outraged Jen confronts April’s husband.
Stuck with the public blame of her Brooklyn neighborhood’s Hulk-related damage, Jen has a private talk with her cousin. With Iron Man’s blessing, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) talks Patsy “Hellcat” Walker into a girls’ night out with Jen at a bar called ‘The Basement.’ Coming off a rotten day, Jen is finally persuaded to go, but Jack backs out of coming along. In a barroom brawl, the girls’ battle against demons is interrupted by Patsy’s ex-husband: Daimon Hellstrom, aka Hellstorm.
Jen, despite some residual doubts, resumes her romance with Jack later that night. Jack has found a way to make physical contact with Jen without unintentionally siphoning off her gamma energy (and, by extension, her ability to control her She-Hulk impulses).
Notes: This title is also available digitally. Despite their appearances on the cover, Jean Grey, Spider-Man, and Wolverine don’t appear in this storyline.
REVIEW:
Even if “Jen-Sational, Parts 1-5,” feels routine, writer Rainbow Rowell’s ability to convey romantic substance sprinkled with humor should be commended. The only downside is Marvel’s (and/or Rowell’s) propensity for constantly restarting this series’ numbering. Such a policy conveys Rowell’s character development more as one mini-series after another vs. a genuinely cohesive and ongoing continuity reminiscent of She-Hulk’s 2005/2006-2009 run.
Rowell’s depiction of Jen Walters, nonetheless, remains exceptionally well-played. In terms of imbuing She-Hulk with a welcome yet not always gentle feminine touch, Rowell makes her world-weary take on the character very likable. Other solo She-Hulk writers (i.e. John Byrne, Peter David, Dan Slott, etc.) have portrayed Jen’s world either as action-oriented or as a quirky, tongue-in-cheek (break-the-fourth wall) sitcom. Rowell’s sympathetic approach, in contrast, makes her She-Hulk come off as a down-to-earth Jen Walters, no matter how ludicrous such a premise sounds.
Equal to this creative task is a terrific art squad, whose visuals are consistently upbeat and ideal for Rowell’s storytelling. For fans of Rowell’s classy She-Hulk run, “Jen-Sational” delivers another low-key gem worth seeking out.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each full-page Jen Bartel cover precedes its story. Two bonus tales are also included. First, at six pages, is “The Favor.” Jessica Gao is this humorous story’s writer, with the art team consisting of Gavin Guidry and Ruth Remond. To help out one of her father’s buddies, Jen brings along a college student, Luis, for a field tutorial on super-heroics.
Between these back-up tales are two full-page pin-ups (possibly unused variant covers). Including kittens that Jen rescues from underneath a car, the first art team is Emilio Laiso and Erick Arciniega. The second pin-up has She-Hulk relaxing after a fight (possibly with Dr. Octopus). This art team consists of IG Guara and Ian Herring.
The other back-up tale is the eight-page “Wyatt Wingfoot: Marvel’s Best Friend.” In Washington, D.C., Jen accompanies her ex-boyfriend, Wyatt Wingfoot, on a business meeting with the U.S. Government. Jen and Wyatt subsequently must defuse an Negative Zone invasion, as King Blaastar is making demands to his hostages held within the U.S. Capitol Building. Wyatt, as Principal Chief of the Keewazi Nation, demonstrates his upfront diplomacy skills.
Last is a variant cover gallery where quarter-sized variants are presented four per page. Variant artists are:
- Issue # 1: 1. Adam Hughes (foil: She-Hulk in swimming pool); 2. Adi Granov (homage); 3. Gisèle Lagacé (Avengers – 60th Anniversary); 4. Leirix (punching fourth-wall mirror); 5. Lucas Wrneck (Stormbreakers – zombie She-Hulk); 6. Rian Gonzales (manga She-Hulk with Jack of Hearts and Hellcat); 7. Mirka Andolfo (New Champions – with Hulk & Thundra’s daughter, Lyra); & 8. Skottie Young (cartoony She-Hulk breaking fourth wall).
- Issue # 2: 1. Kaare Andrews (She-Hulk with thug & destroyed getaway vehicle); 2. Roy Boney (Heritage: with Wyatt Wingfoot); 3. Russell Dauterman (with She-Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Hellcat, Wasp, & Invisible Woman); & 4. Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg (a post-shower She-Hulk peeved at a peeping tom/paparazzi).
- Issue # 3: 1. Annie Wu (She-Hulk catches up some reading while holding up bank thieves’ getaway car); 2. Ariel Diaz (She-Hulk ripping through purple wall); & 3. Michael Cho (a teleporting She-Hulk with artwork reminiscent of Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated TV series);
- Issue # 4: Brian Hitch & Alex Sinclair (She-Hulk hands out business cards to a defeated Sinister Six, Batroc the Leaper, among others, as a bewildered Spider-Man looks on from a distance).
- Issue # 5: 1. Matteo Lolli & Rosenberg (Marvel ’97 homage); 2. Jean-Francois Beaulieu (She-Hulk’s gym workout) ; and 3. Greg Hilderbrandt & Tim Hilderbrandt (Marvel Masterpieces homage – She-Hulk’s beach workout).
Though clearly padding, this surplus of extra covers lifts Volume 4: Jen-Sational to a worthwhile page count.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
