Comics

She-Hulk #1

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She-Hulk #1I’ve always liked She-Hulk and although her involvement in Future Foundation wasn’t enough to keep me coming back to that series I’m pleased to see the lawyer/super-hero get her own well-deserved title (although I think Marvel misses a huge opportunity by not relocating her to the West Coast as the trouble she could get into with Daredevil, in and out of the courtroom, would be a real treat).

The first issue deals more with She-Hulk’s role as a lawyer than super-hero as she quits here well-paying job at a prestigious law firm rather than trade on her super-hero connections and takes a case of a widowed single-mother who has a case against Tony Stark‘s company stealing her husband’s work.

Although I think it goes too far, the automated levels Stark leaves between himself and any legal problems (even those brought to him by friends) is humorous as things get more complicated and further out of hand before She-Hulk goes into smash mode to get his attention. Overall a solid first issue (even if I’m not sold on the art of Javier Pulido that appears to be aping Mike Allred‘s art on FF). Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1

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Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1Set in 1966 at the height of the Cold War the new mini-series from writer Rick Remender and artist Roland Boschi gets off to a strong start with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top two agents successfully extracting a pair of Nazi scientists from a HYDRA base. Personally I could have done with a little less of the monstrous Madam Worm, but Boschi’s art fits style of the comic well and the interaction between Nick Fury and the cock Ran Shen offers several fun panels.

Despite escaping the castle without raising any real trouble from the terrorist organization with plans to use the scientists’ discovery of the alchemy formula (allowing them to duplicate any element in any quantity) to destabilize the world’s economy, Fury and Shen run into trouble with the appearance of a Russian agent who has his own plans for the Nazis.

Offering us a look at the more murderous version of Bucky under control of the Soviets, the issue sells me completely on the idea of Shen alone with an injured Fury on a mountain against a mythical enemy he fears he can’t beat. Chris Eliopoulos also provides an awesome variant cover. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Li’l Sonja

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Li'l SonjaWhen Dynamite started putting out all of these cute one-shots inspired by the company’s current catalog, Li’l Sonja was the one that caught my eye. It took me a while to get to the issue, partially due to having to special order the terrific variant cover by Agnes Garbowska, and partly out of my own forgetfulness, but once I picked it up I was in heaven.

Written by Jim Zub, whose work in IDW’s new Samurai Jack comic I have been enjoying, with art by Joel Carroll, Li’l Sonja is the type of comic I want to see Dynamite start putting out monthly. The story centers around the heroine’s travels leading her to investigate disappearance of red objects and red-headed children caused by greedy red dragon.

Fighting off the dragon with her sword, wits, and a full page of wonderful puns, Sonja eventually outsmarts the dragon and saves the day. A hell of a lot of fun, my only disappointment comes from how long it took me to pick it up and the fact that there’s no issue #2 to look forward to. Must-read.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #3

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #3The third issue of Smallville Season Eleven: Alien features unexpected team-ups. As Chloe spends time in the Batcave trying to pitch Batman on the idea of joining the Justice League, Lois and Nightwing hit the streets and get into a little action while taking down a local gang, and in Russia Clark Kent and Lex Luthor work together to discover more about the identity of the Monitor and his true purpose in this reality.

I enjoyed the scenes of Barbara and Lois together and getting the chance to see Lois kick some butt. However, I question Bryan Q. Miller’s choice to make Lois so capable that she comes off as pretty much equal to Batman’s trained partner in a fight.

Clark and Lex finally catch up with the Monitor (for all the good it does them) leaving that thread on a cliffhanger suggesting Lex Luthor might re-discover Superman’s secret (but I wouldn’t bet on it just yet). The Batman story also gets an unusual ending with the reveal of a Bat-Joker from another world who will no doubt cause trouble for Smallville’s version of the Dynamic Duo in the next issue. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Fatale #20

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Fatale #20Picking up the thread of the ongoing B-story of Nicholas Lash’s rescue and torture by Lance, Fatale begins its final arc as Josephine comes after Lash and the demented former rocker who became obsessed with her years ago during her amnesia period.

With Fatale #20 the waiting, along with Josephine’s hiding, is over. Quickly dispatching disciples of the cult still hunting for her, Josephine draws on her gifts to find Lash aware it opens herself up for detection. Although Lash is grateful for her intervention, he can’t help but notice how easily Josephine deals with a former lover (much like his uncle) who is no longer of any use to her.

Although I’m happy to hear of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ new deal with Image allowing them freedom to tell a variety of stories in the coming months, I’m sad to see Fatale coming to an end. The glimpses we get of Josephine’s suicide attempts remind us of quite bit of backstory yet to be developed, so I’m hoping the pair might return to the characters sometime down the line. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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