She-Hulk: Vol 1: Single Green Female (2004)

Author: Dan Slott | Illustrators: Juan Bobillo / Paul Pelletier | Page Count: 136

“Your bed should come with air bags.”

"Sorry, sweetie.  Little involuntary muscle spasm."

SGF was my first, and to date only, She-Hulk book.  Is it always like this?  It was less of a traditional Super Hero story and more of a self-discovery comedy, which is not at all what I expected.  Based on the cover art I was thinking it was going to be Hulk with tits, and was less than excited by that prospect.

Shulkie isn't like her cousin Bruce Banner/Hulk at all.  She can transform at will and keeps all her faculties intact; that gives the writers much more leeway.
She uses her brain as much as her brawn to solve problems and defeat foes.  It’s nice to see a female character that isn't defined by her impossible cleavage.  Her sex appeal is still a factor but it's addressed in a comical way.

Her human side is Jennifer Walters, a practising lawyer.  She’s a petite girl with a well-developed inferiority complex.  When called upon by a prominent law firm to work for them she assumes it’s the brawny She-Hulk they want, because it’s always She-Hulk they want, never the brainy Jennifer.

There are some fun cameos from the Avengers.  In fact, fun is what the book is all about.  It recognises the absurdity that’s a large part of the Marvel Universe and plays around with it.  There’s a progression arc that ties it all together but mostly each story is self-contained.

The artwork is occasionally inconsistent, and I don’t just mean the changeover from Bobillo to Pelletier.  It's distracting but it doesn't interfere with the storytelling.  Both artists provide some fantastic facial expressions.

It’s not a triple A title and it won’t send huge continuity ripples through the larger universe, but it’s an entertaining read from beginning to end and a nice change of pace from the usual Marvel fare.

The book collects together She-Hulk (2004 series) issues 1 – 6.

3 longboxes out of 5