One change could have saved She-Hulk
Comic Reviews for week ending 10/16/2022
Good morning, my friend,
As I write this, the finale of She-Hulk on Disney+ is a foregone conclusion. All of comicdom is abuzz with the unique approach Jessica Gao and the writers chose to take to end the season. I watched the finale, and I hated it.
Sorry, my friend. There’s no mincing of words today. If you follow me on social media (here: https://twitter.com/MrGabeHernandez), you may have seen me post the increasingly popular “5 sec. review” post where I give a quick reaction to genre shows, telling you right away what my gut is telling me.
My gut tells me the creators of the She-Hulk show either had no plan for the series, or the plan was so terrible, massive editing was needed to salvage something far worse. Either way, the result is a mess.
However, his post is not about dissecting the She-Hulk team’s missteps. You can find hundreds of YT videos from analysts who could do that much better than I can 😉.
This post is a warning to any creator willing to risk their reputation by adapting an existing property - remain faithful to the spirit of the source material!
To be fair, comics don’t always adapt precisely from page to screen without adjustments. The better artists make characters and objects do spectacular things without regard for how physics, gravity, or human anatomy works, but the heart of a story is universal, regardless of the medium.
In She-Hulk’s case, the regular uses of 4th wall breaks (where the characters talk directly to an audience as an aside) and subversive plot resolutions are used as a direct reference to what many consider to be the quintessential She-Hulk storylines. Those stories were created by legendary writer John Byrne.
Therefore, the one change Marvel could have made to She-Hulk’s production that would have saved headaches, missteps, and painfully fumbled endings would be to hire John Byrne as part of the production. Mr. Byrne is still alive and kicking, knows She-Hulk better than anyone, and if his work is adapted, who better ensure the stories are adapted correctly? At the very least bring Byrne on as a creative consultant.
Some may argue John Byrne has entered the “old man yelling at clouds” stage of his career, and there’s some validity to that argument. However, creating a She-Hulk season filled with humor, clever asides, and action in equal measure that pleases a majority of the viewing audience due to Byrne’s guidance would have been worth the hassle.
Given the choice between working with a curmudgeonly but brilliant creator and creating a flop, I choose the curmudgeon.
Do you agree? Or, do you think I’m completely off base and view the first season of She-Hulk as a rousing success? Leave a comment below, and let your voice be heard.
Now, check out this piping-hot batch of comic reviews.
SHOW’S END: THE SECOND COMING #4 – Review
SHERLOCK: A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA PART 2 #3 – Review
AZZA THE BARBED #1 – Review
007 #3 – Review
THE NINJETTES #2 – Review
SCARLET SISTERS (ONE-SHOT) – Review
VAMPIRELLA: MINDWARP #2 – Review
STAN LEE’S ALLIANCES: ORPHANS – Review
UNBORN FEARS #1 – Indie Review
AVALON #1 – Indie Review
ISOM #1 – Indie Review
ATOM: THE BEGINNING (VOL. 1) – Review
August: Purgatory Underground #3 (Red 5 Comics)
The Tiger's Tongue #4 (Mad Cave Studios)
Immortal Red Sonja #7 (Dynamite Comics)
Vampirella Strikes #6 (Dynamite Comics)
Walk: Total Destruction (Second Sight Publishing)
Limits (Indie Submission)
The Devil's Left Hand (Indie Submission)
Promethee 13:13 #4 (Ablaze Publishing)
Heaven's Rejects #2 (Source Point Press)
Hyper Aware (One-Shot) (Source Point Press)
Tuff Stuff (One-Shot) (Source Point Press)
That’s the shortlist for now. We’ll add more titles and adjust as time and resources allow.
Again, thanks for your support. Please share (the handy dandy ‘Share’ button is down below) this newsletter with everyone you can. Your support ensures we can keep bringing you great content for a very long time.
Also, follow us on all the socials (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) via @ComicalOpinions
Have a great day!