She-Hulk #13 Review

Written by: Rainbow Rowell
Art by: Andrés Genolet, Joe Quinones
Colors by: Dee Cunniffe, Bryan Valenza
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Jen Bartel
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: May 17, 2023

She-Hulk #13 throws a monkey wrench into Jennifer Walters’s love life when the enigmatic thief she’s been tracking turns the charm meter up to 11.

Is It Good?

Aaaand, we’re back to the slice-of-life romance comic, again. I’ll give Rainbow Rowel credit for having the aptitude to explore multiple genres, but it’s not common to see multiple genres explored in the same title. At the very least, you could say She-Hulk #13 defies being pigeon-holed.

When last we left Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk, she was having a devil of a time capturing the strong, powerful, limber, handsome, dashing thief who was busy riding assorted high-tech storage facilities around town. Now, we see Jennifer spending more time thinking about that handsome thief than she would about any other super-villain, so a chance encounter on the street between the two leads to a date(?).

Honestly, this is a sweet romance comic. Rowell nails the “enemies with a secret passion for each other” trope perfectly, and you can feel yourself getting drawn into the story. The thief, now revealed to be named The Scoundrel, turns up the charm, says all the right words, and pushes all of Jennifer’s buttons (*ahem*) to make the prospect of a budding romance believable. When Jennifer returns home to find Jack still buzzing from a nuclear radiation cleanup job, the memory of Scoundrel widens the wedge in Jennifer’s relationship with Jack, automatically creating an air of emotional tension. In effect, Rowell turned She-Hulk into a romantic soap opera.

If you’re looking for big fights and super action implicit in the superhero comic genre, forget it. This is not that. Given She-Hulk’s canonical history, her past is effectively abandoned in this series. However, if you don’t mind a romance-focused change of pace, you’ll probably like this issue.

How’s the art? It ranges from good to great. Genolet and Quinones capture the subtle looks and nuances that are necessary for depicting chemistry between potential lovers. Better still, Cunniffe and Valenza pull off some masterful coloring work. They even get a green She-Hulk blush and make it look good.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

She-Hulk #13 switches gears (again) and dives head first into a will they/ won’t they romance comic that works surprisingly well. The writing execution hits all the right notes for a tension-filled romance, and the art is excellent.