The Sensational She-Hulk #1

Ok, so it took a little less time than Batman: City of Madness (God bless bus rides) but, on the exact same day as it was released, I read Sensational She-Hulk #1

This was a comic I've been looking forward to for the past couple of months, after seeing the end of the truly phenomenal 'She-Hulk' and since then waiting on tenterhooks for the return of Rainbow Rowell, Andreś Genolet and their take of the Jade Giantess.

Picking up around when issue 15 let off, life is going good for Jen; plenty of clients at work, a steady boyfriend (who's figured out how not to absorb her powers) and some good pals (and enemies) in her 'punch club' (although, should we be talking about that?).
However, things look set to unravel when family comes to town.

Oh, speaking of family, there's a back up story where Jen's dad has his friend's kid shadow part of her life, letting her share her superheroic wisdom.

Have you ever heard the adage about no how far they are apart, good friends seamlessly pick up where they left off? Well, Sensational She-Hulk feels like the comic equivalent to that. Contrasting with the opening of the prior run where Jen was at her lowest ebb, Rainbow Rowell really paints a picture of that same character truly living her best life.

The issue is very little in terms of a focus on the (what is no doubt to be) major plot. However, as readers are either/both caught up on the life of Jen and/or given the lay of the land to her current circumstances, Rowell delivers this 'setting of the stage' with such class and optimism that I couldn't help but fall in love with this comic once again.

And that goes double for Andreś Genolet's art, which continue to vibe this almost dreamlike landscape over a stylised 80's environment (which I've gained mostly from She-Hulk's wardrobe). His work perfectly continues to match Rowell's story, making me think that there has never (well, rarely) been a more perfect collaboration.

The back up story by Jessica Gao and Gavin Guidry doesn't quite match up to the main body of work, but then given how good that is, it may have had a job to do so. Nonetheless, with loud vibrant art from  Guidry and a quirky, enjoyable story from Gao, I think it nicely compliments Rowell and Genelot's work as well as take the sting out of the 4.99 price tag.

There's always a danger with re-vamps and/or re-tools of series in this manner that something will end up lost or diminished bit, thankfully, She-Hulk has gained the sensationalism without losing anything as a cost. I just hope that it doesn't change as time moves on.

Batman: City of Madness - Book One

It's taken almost a week to get round to it (and even then, it's taken two nights to actually get through the whole thing), but I've finally read book one of Batman: City of Madness by Christian Ward.

Telling a story from multiple perspectives, city of madness sees the Court of Owls facing a crisis when one of their own attempts to open a mystical doorway to a hellish mirror Gotham. Meanwhile Batman is summoned (in his own unique way) by Harvey Dent when the duplicitous villain confesses to hear a third voice within his damaged mind. Finally, while all of that is going on, a young boy travels to Gotham, seeking Vengeance for the murder of his father.

I had not initially planned on buying this comic, instead being content to discuss classic wrestling toys with my LCS's proprietor. However, when his buddy shows me a copy and tells me it's by Christian Ward, whose art I absolutely loved during the Black Bolt series, it became less a case of 'interesting' and more one of 'just take my money.'

And, indeed, Christian Ward's art is once again the draw (pun not intended) here. Ward really imbues the chaos of this story as his equally bizarre visual style really gives the book a real signature ... well, madness (hence the name of the book). From first page to last, this art really gives of a vibe that feels like a successor to Arkham Asylum (the comic, not the game, the former of which is also reference in story).

Of course, this is helped by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's lettering, which more than matches the artwork and helps give the story a very sinister feel.

As for the story itself, it's... interesting. Much like the art eludes to, Ward's writing of this plot feels chaotic and all over the place. That's not to say this is a bad thing, because Ward still manages to set up all of the pieces in order to get what happening across. However, it wasn't, for me, as big a draw as the art.

Don't get me wrong though, this is not a bad book by any means, it's just a case that while it lacks cons, it doesn't exactly landslide in pros. However, as we say in the English Football world, 'winning by a goal is still winning' (well, we don't say that, although I recall Joe Kinnear saying something similar once upon a time).

In short, while the story didn't wow me, it certainly piqued my interest enough to come back for book two, which is really just icing on the cake to let me see more of this awesome art!