"Universal Law, Part One: Space Cases"
Writer: Dan Slott
Artists: Juan Bobillo (p), Marcelo Sosa (i)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot:
As She-Hulk objects to the idea that she's been called upon to play baby-sitter to the super-villain/teenage daughter of her boss, we see the story takes a bit of a left turn when agents of the Living Tribunal show up to recruit She-Hulk for a position in their intergalactic court. As She-Hulk accepts the new job we see her stumble her way through her several cases, before she's called upon to deal with a worrisome case involving the aptly named Champion of the Universe.
Comments:
If nothing else this issue earns marks for taking the story in an entirely unexpected direction, as I was a little concerned that the book looked to be settling into a familiar sitcom style scenario that had She-Hulk in an Odd Couple style relationship with the super-villain daughter of her boss, when the book suddenly inserts a cosmic element into the mix, and She-Hulk is off playing a judge in an intergalactic court. This in turn affords Dan Slott the opportunity to poke fun at the cosmic elements of the Marvel Universe, which I have to confess were in dire need of being brought down a peg, as one of the main reasons I've never really been overly enamoured with these cosmic entities is due to the overly reverent treatment they've received in the past. I mean how can one not smile at the idea of Adam Warlock stepping into the ring with the Champion of the Universe in what looks to be a boxing match, or the way this issue manages to play up the creepy pervert angle of the Watchers. There's also a number of cute little gags like the back and forth exchange when She-Hulk spots her clothing has changed, or Southpaw's comment upon first seeing the Living Tribunal. The court cases are also a lot of fun, from the homage to the Wisdom of Solomon, to the scene where Southpaw demands proof of the Watcher's ability to see everything. I consider this to be one of the best comics coming out of Marvel, which means it's only a matter of time before it's cancelled.
First off I have to say that's a great looking cover, as it's downright photo-realistic, and the background has itself a couple amusing guest-stars. As for the interior art Juan Bobillo returns to the book and there are some odd visual gaffs like the scrawny appearance of Beta Ray Bill, or the fact that the Watchers look like old men in robes rather than the decidedly alien entities they've been shown to be in the past. However, the art works exceptionally well when it comes to it's delivery of the humorous elements of the story, as how can one not love She-Hulk's horrified expression when the aliens chop their infant in two, or the tiny judge's gavel that she's given. There's also a couple nice visual designs that I rather enjoyed, such as the Recorder's new look, and Southpaw's power makes for a fun background visual element.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!