Review: ‘The Sensational She-Hulk’ #4 Goes Mid-Level

Writer Rainbow Rowell does okay with making the dialogue realistic. Rowell also makes little continuity notes that may bug some, but help make the comic more accessible. These continuity notes also play into another debatable aspect of Rowell’s writing which is that it is verbose. As far as this issue goes it is thin on plot, and it seems like it should be a start to a new story arc. Lastly, Patsy Walker/Hellcat comes across like a teenager than an adult in term of her personality in this issue.

The interior visuals are by artist Ig Guara and color artist Dee Cunniffe. Guara does a great job with laying out the pages. However, Guara fails several times with making sure characters’ feet resemble feet. Also Guara goes too minimalistic at times. There is also the problem of Guara going for dynamic versus being consistent. While Cunniffe enhances Guara’s work with the color palette Cuniffe sometimes goes overboard with the rosy noses.

Letterer Joe Caramagna does most of the lettering with thin fonts that may appeal to some but not others. Yet, no one should have a problem with how Caramagna positions the text due to how it helps the story flow.

The main cover is the creation of artist Jen Bartel. It features confident line work. Though the height difference does not feel believable due to the official listings for Patsy Walker and Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk (Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe – Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 [2006]). The latter at 6’7” is almost a foot taller than the former who is 5’8”, and this means one or the other is the wrong height on this cover. As for the color palette it is mostly vibrant, and the darker colors amplify the suggestion of spotlights at a nightclub.

One of the variant covers is by artist Bryan Hitch and color artist Alex Sinclair. The tiny detail of the business cards adds to the fun of the design. Not to mention the sense of depth is very big. As for the hues they are mostly great, but the paleness of Doctor Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus makes him look like a corpse. There is also a debatable issue with how most of the villains are from Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s menagerie rather than any other hero’s.

Penciler Dan Jurgens, inker Brett Breeding, and color artist Edgar Delgado are responsible for creating the second variant cover. It is an attempt at homaging the work of penciler Mike Zeck and inker John Beatty, but all the characters are Wolverine instead (Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 [1984]). Unfortunately, it comes off more as an unnecessary cash grab due to the lack of the titular character, in this case She-Hulk. Also there is a tiny version of Wolverine jumping off of nothing. As for the color palette it is arguably neither good nor bad due to how closely it homages the original hues.

The Sensational She-Hulk #4 is out now from Marvel.