"Some Disassembly Required"
Writer: Dan Slott
Artists: Paul Pelletier (p), Rick Magyar (i), Avalon Studios' Dave Kemp (colors)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot: As the Scarlet Witch's protection spell allows She-Hulk to slip away from the rampaging Titania, Jennifer decides that she needs to step back from the battle and discover a way to defeat the infinity gem empowering Titania. To this end she goes to a local comic store where she and a small army of fanboys come up with a somewhat clever plan of removing the infinity gem. After She-Hulk defeats her old enemy once again, all the loose ends are tied off, and the slate is cleared for the impending relaunch.
Comments: As much as I wanted to enjoy this final issue I was rather disappointed with this outing. Dan Slott seemed more interested in delivering tongue in cheek moments than in wrapping up the story in an entertaining manner. The role that Marvel Comics play within the confines of this series made for a cute idea, but this issue takes this joke and pretty much beats into the ground, as Dan Slott has She-Hulk take a break from the battle to visit a comic store, where the book essentially delivers a lecture to the nitpicky fan boys who are quick to jump on any and every continuity flub that they spot. Now I fully agree that these types of fans are irksome, and I'll even confess that when I'm struggling to fill up a review I'll give an issue a second look for noticeable moments where the writing looks to be at odds with established continuity. However, I'm perfectly willing to accept contradictory continuity if the writing manages to deliver an entertaining show. Frankly, I'd much rather Dan Slott had devoted these pages to the actual story, instead of using them to deliver a thinly veiled poke at obsessive fan boys. I'm also a bit disappointed that his big solution involved a plot device that has been well used in the past, as I saw the bait and switch trick coming long before its actual arrival. Still, there are several engaging moments in this final chapter, as Awesome Andy's attempt to save the day was a shocking development, and it managed to do a nice job of showing me how attached I had become to the character over the course of this series. IDan Slott writes a side-splitting Hercules, and I love the character's status quo.
Paul Pelletier's work has really come into its own during his time on this title. While I've always been a fan of his work, it looks particularly sharp during his brief stint on this title, and I'm delighted to learn that he'll be joining Dan Slott over on the Great Lakes Avengers miniseries, as the two are shaping up to be one of the better creative teams in comics. His work on this issue is a lot of fun as half the issue is a mindless slugfest with the rampaging Titania, and how can one not love the scene where Awesome Andy proves that he's no match for Titania's power? The art also manages to capture nicely the sense of utter delight on Titania's face when she is lead to believe that she has killed She-Hulk, and the scene where Jennifer knocks her into orbit made for a solid final image to end the battle. The art also does some nice work on the little details like the preening Hercules, or the visual cue that the dead body of She-Hulk isn't what it appears to be. The comic fanboys were also a pretty convincing look at the type of individuals one normally encounters in a comic store.
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