Red She-Hulk #63 Review

Red She-Hulk has consistently been one of the stronger books to launch (or re-brand, in this case) in the wake of Marvel NOW. Unfortunately, the hot streak is finally broken with issue #63. The problem is simple enough -- nothing really happens in this chapter. For a series whose current status quo only began a few months ago, it seems strange to focus so much effort on recapping and exposition. The issue opens with a a sequence involving a newscast and several pundits debating "The Hulk Problem." Newscasts tend to be an efficient way of disseminating information in comics, but in the wake of The Dark Knight Returns, rarely a very interesting or creative one. This issue is no exception.

Even after this initial hurdle is cleared, the issue continues the languid pace and exposition-heavy approach. Jeff Parker brings in a number of familiar Marvel faces, including several S.H.I.E.L.D. bigwigs and Bruce Banner himself. But consistently, these characters play too light a role in the story to even justify their presence. Banner's presence serves no purpose other than to tease the eventual point when he and Betty do meet face to face. The interaction between Betty and Machine man has been one of the highlights of this series so far, and that much remains true this month. But with the plot barely progressing from where it was last month, it's difficult not to be disappointed with this issue.

The artwork is also a little more rough this time around. Wellinton Alves seems to handle the bulk of the workload, though it's not always easy to distinguish his pages from those of Carlo Pagulayan. Regardless, the hazy, scratchy quality that has characterized the book to date becomes too prominent now. Rather than being a stylistic choice, it just makes the printing look muddy and out of focus. Hopefully the series will be back in its usual form next month.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com