In Review: She-Hulk Omnibus Volume 1

By John Freeman on February 6, 2022 • ( 1 )

The Book: Before he became a superstar writer on Amazing Spider-Man, Dan Slott delighted readers with his sensational She-Hulk run! Jennifer Walters is a gamma-powered green goliath just like her Hulkish cousin, but her home is in the courtroom – where she takes on some of the wildest legal cases in the Marvel Universe! Alongside co-workers like reformed android Awesome Andy, and researching old Marvel comics to set legal precedents, could She-Hulk’s career get any stranger? Sure – when she gets summoned to outer space to practice Universal Law for the Living Tribunal! Plus, all-out smackdowns against Titania and a host of super-villains!

The Review: This Panini collection of She-Hulk tales is quite the treat, in terms of both story, by Dan Slott, and art, particularly the early issues pencilled by Juan Bobillo, inked by Marcelo Sosa, whose work brings both delicacy to quieter scenes, and impressive action where required.

Edited by Scott Gray, this Omnibus proved a great reintroduction to the character, and for me, someone largely long distanced from superhero comics these days, an enjoyable romp through the wider Marvel universe.

(I have to confess that for me, it was certainly more understandable than the Hulk collections also received here in the downthetubes dungeon lately, in part because the latter are further along in their run, despite the quality of the writing teams involved).

This take on She-Hulk is tremendous fun throughout, with art from Paul Pelletier, too, that sees her alter ego Jennifer Walters take a job in a law firm specialising in superhero-related cases. Which may not, to be honest, sound the most exciting of settings, but you’d be wrong – there’s action aplenty, both on Earth and off, as She-Hulk fast develops her rather unique way of dealing with problems…

The over story gives Dan Slott much opportunity to weave a tale truly embedded in the Marvel Universe, with both cameos and larger roles aplenty for heroes and villains alike, on Earth, and beyond.

(His understanding of this universe making me all the keener to see what japes he gets up to in his upcoming Doctor Who comic).

While the ability to play with such a large toy box of Marvel characters must have been fun, Dan Slott never loses sight of telling new stories in which She Hulk is the star, a hero fighting enemies not just with brawn, but brain, too – with plenty of humour along the way.

I particularly enjoyed, too, how legal eagle Jennifer Walters spots ways to defeat her enemies, in court and outside it, but fails to realise she has a fervent admirer among her friends.

Overall, this is a superb collection of stories, deserving Omnibus treatment, which includes cover galleries and more in a chunky package. Recommended.

John Freeman

With thanks to to Simon Frith

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.