Red She-Hulk Volume 1: Hell Hath No Fury
Collecting Red She-Hulk #58-62
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Carlo Pagulayan
Marvel Comics, $15.99, color, 120 pages
This is probably unfair, but I'm disappointed.
Red She-Hulk is on the run from a murder she didn't commit, and has to fight the Avengers and the military, but when X-51 is sent after her, he instead tries to help her clear her name.
Where to begin? I know: By pointing out that this is a huge cliche, and I was bored almost immediately. And has X-51 ever not sided with whoever he was sent against? Seriously, doesn't he do that every single time? Good call, Captain America, super-strategist!
I like Jeff Parker's work, going back to when he was writing in Marvel's kiddie line. So I was hoping he'd do something nobody else has ever done, which is give Betty Ross a personality, a history, a motivation and a purpose to exist. That would have been cool -- and just, with Betty having played pinada all these years.
I know, I know, you can't be disappointed when a writer doesn't give you what you want, when he has no idea that's what you want. But honestly, he gives us The Fugitive again? Sigh.
Replies
My thoughts exactly. I tried liking this title. I thought adding Machine Man to give her a supporting cast seemed like a great idea, and I still do like the idea of the two of them having that bond now. But I didn't make it past very many issues of this. I think I read three, and still have two more in my stack from last spring. Just never connected with me the right way.