Comics
Review: “She-Hulk” #1
Attorney Jennifer Walters, cousin of Dr. Bruce Banner and recipient of his powers via a blood transfusion years earlier, is ready to snap necks and cash some checks in this brand new “She-Hulk” series. Big life changes loom on the horizon for our lovely green gal and an old villainous foe stirs up trouble from the grave.
Drawing heavily upon the well-knowns of the Marvel Universe, “She-Hulk” #1 doesn’t pull any punches. Though legal jargon abounds, the action is sexy, vivacious, and all out balls-to-the-wall fun.
WRITTEN BY: Charles Soule
ART BY: Javier Pulido
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: February 12, 2014
Full disclosure, you will dislike nearly every character, including She-Hulk herself, at some point in this issue. The good news? The important characters are redeemable. My take? By creating imperfect title characters, writer Charles Soule adds tremendous depth to the story. Occasionally calling our devotion to said characters into question, only makes us want more.
This is exactly what transpires in “She-Hulk” #1. Five pages in and I’m thinking, “Am I supposed to hate She-Hulk? Why would the writer make her such an incredibly stuck up shrew?” But Soule’s moves were either a lucky happenstance or incredibly calculated—because when oh-so-confident Jennifer is refused a bonus at her law firm and subsequently told she was only hired for her superhero connections, her obnoxiously self-assured veneer crumbles into the empowered, intelligent, take-control attitude I expect from She-Hulk.
But losing a job is no fun, regardless of how fiercely you exist the building. So while drowning her sorrows in the bottom of a whisky bottle, she’s approached by none other than Holly Harrow, widow of the long-deceased Jonas Harrow (killed by The Hood exactly 4 years ago in ‘New Avengers’ #60). Jonas, criminal scientist and all around sociopathic scumbag has left his wife and children in a grievous state—with one caveat: he has audio recordings that prove the Tony Stark (Iron Man) stole one of his inventions. This caveat could make the desperate Holly a very rich woman if the recently jobless Jennifer agrees to take on her case.
What follows is a lot of red tape (even She-Hulk can’t access Stark if she’s on a legal mission), a little bit of Stark annoyance (but we’ve all been there, right?), boatloads of sassy banter, and good old-fashioned hulking-out! Because Jennifer’s not ready to lose again and She-Hulk isn’t taking any of Stark’s blasé arrogance.
It’s a lot of fun to see the resurfacing of Jonas Harrow, even if only through his wife and legal matters. And it leaves you wondering whether or not this series will dust off some other old school villains. It’s an exciting prospect to have a strong, intelligent, part attorney/part green giant, female lead take on some of Marvel’s coolest baddies.
Pulido’s art folds seamlessly into Soule’s writing. It’s brash and charismatic, hyper-colored, with a sixties Mad Men vibe. Perfect for a rebooted She-Hulk who has the boldness of ten Rosie the Riveters. 2014 is She-Hulk’s year. It’s time for Jennifer Walters to set out on her own, build her own law practice, kick some villain ass, and rock that 21st Century Female “I can have it all” attitude.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Bree Ogden
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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