She-Hulk #15 Review

Written by: Rainbow Rowell
Art by: Andrés Genolet
Colors by: Dee Cunniffe
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Jen Bartel
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: July 26, 2023

She-Hulk #15 brings the run to a close with an alien attack set to detonate a nuclear bomb in the middle of Manhattan. Can Jen resist her suitor long enough to get to the bomb in time?

Is It Good?

Oof! Talk about a rushed finish. She-Hulk #15 takes the threat revealed in the last issue (an alien wants to blow up Manhattan) and spends half the issue in a lovers tiff between She-Hulk and Scoundrel before the titular character rushes off to stop the bomb, only to have the situation resolved by She-Hulk’s friends and her boyfriend. Rainbow Rowell seems more concerned with romance antics than adequately finishing the poorly-established conflict and rushing to almost wrap the arc up before the series is canceled (But not really. More on that in a minute.).

When last we left She-Hulk, Scoundrel whisked her away in his flying yacht for a night of romance. The romantic mood quickly soured when She-Hulk learned Scoundrel used the date as an excuse to get she-Hulk out of Manhattan while his client uses the parts Scoundrel stole to assemble and detonate a bomb in Manhattan. Now, She-Hulk wrestles with her heart and Scoundrel’s charms to escape the flying yacht and call for help from Jack of Hearts and her fight club buddies. Eventually, the fight club stops the alien horde, and Jack of Hearts stops the bomb, leaving the star of the comic looking like a grateful but ineffectual fool.

Yes, you read that right. A dangerous alien, who you never see, know nothing about and has malicious designs on Manhattan, almost gets away with blowing up the city but fails due to She-Hulk’s friends and her boyfriend. That kind of puts the whole idea of a feminist icon back in the closet when she can’t manage her libido well enough to head off a catastrophe. “Strong female character”, indeed.

Putting She-Hulk’s inadequacy aside, is this a good comic? Artistically, it’s fine. Thematically, it’s a mess.

The central threat, Drapurg, is only ever mentioned by name, with no hint as to why he’s attacking Manhattan. The threat isn’t completely addressed as Drapurg’s horde is still fighting around the city, and the heroes never encounter Drapurg for a chance to stop a second attack. She-Hulk’s contribution to the story is a phone call to her boyfriend, asking him for help, and the whole issue/arc/run ends with a kiss from Jack as though this issue serves as a happy ending.

In short, the decent art by Andrés Genolet is the only good thing about this comic. When you consider the editor on this series is Nick Lowe, the same editor in charge of the disastrous Amazing Spider-Man run with Zeb Wells, it’s hard to see how a reboot (coming this Fall) with the same writer will make any difference.

She-Hulk deserves better.

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 #15 is a ridiculous finale that speeds through the conflict to only finish part of the attack on Manhattan. The primary villain is barely set up in a hurry, and She-Hulk’s only contribution to the finale is a hasty call to her boyfriend for help. The word “rushed” barely covers how terrible this ending turned out, and rebooting the title in the Fall with the same creative team bodes poorly for She-Hulk fans who deserve better.