by Kevin Gaussoin, Editor-in-Chief
Remember like fifteen or twenty years ago when we’d all sit around admiring Brian Michael Bendis’ “decompressed” comic book stories and we’d ooh and ahh over how amazing it was that we really enjoyed the talking heads routines even though the story pacing was amazingly slow? Rainbow Rowell’s She-Hulk (2022) seems to have invited Bendis to hold her tea.
Previously in She-Hulk:
Jen and Jack of Hearts’ relationship has become increasingly strained since Jack’s powers got a jump start. Between no longer being able to touch one another and Jack struggling to find purpose in his life, the once steamy romance is now more of a simmer. Fortunately, Jen’s work life has been busy enough to keep her mind off her personal life. Between an increased caseload at Book Law Office and helping the Fantastic Four capture a thief as strong and elusive as he is handsome and charming, she’s had her hands full!
Official Description:
She-Hulk’s new villain makes a big move that throws Jen for the loop of her life. Plus, Patsy Walker, also known as Hellcat, returns to help Jen set everything straight.
Okay, first of all, Patsy is barely in this issue. Seven panels over two pages is pretty much a cameo. This is a great opportunity to remind you to read the new Hellcat comic, it’s pretty good so far.
Anyway, in this issue of She-Hulk the supervillain thief Jen’s been sparring with returns with more flirting and minor fleshing out of his story, then Jen goes back to work and talks shop with her boss, then finally returns home, happy to see Jack and have some dinner. Yeah, that’s it. That’s how this comic book works. And yet somehow this simple decompressed approach somehow results in me putting it toward the top of my reading stack month after month. It seems like practically nothing and yet it’s perfectly wonderful from cover to cover. There’s not a lot of fourth wall breaking like back in old days of She-Hulk, it’s just a few day in the life scenes that may or may not contain punching or romance and then somehow at the end we are inevitably super eager for the next issue.
Creative Team:
Writer: Rainbow Rowell
Artists: Andrés Genolet & Joe Quinones
Colorists: Dee Cuniffe & Bryan Valenza
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover: Jen Bartel
Variant Covers: Jen Bartel; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata
Look, Rowell, I guess we don’t need Jen talking to the audience like back in the Byrne days, but her fans have been through a lot lately with her time in the Avengers books, so pretty please let’s not hose the sweet thing she has with Jack by interjecting this smarmy Scoundrel to a degree that ruins their relationship. While I’m making demands, I’d love a bunch of courtroom drama too. Please and thank you.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives She-Hulk #13 – 5 out of 5 cake in fancy dresses Wednesdays.
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