SHE-HULK #5

In which She-Hulk brings home a cowboy from the Old West.

by Frank Pittarese

This month, She-Hulk returns from her recent time travel adventure with a new supporting castmember, the aforementioned Two-Gun Kid. The Kid has been around longer than I’ve been alive, and his basic schtick is that he’s a lawyer from Tombstone Texas who, armed only with a couple of guns, has battled bandits, monsters, and super-villains. He’s even helped out the Avengers while spending time in the 20th Century. Now he’s here, in this book, apparently to stay.

Now, I have nothing against Western comics or heroic cowboy characters. I even bought the “controversial” RAWHIDE KID: SLAP LEATHER mini-series a few years back and thought it was hilarious. But the Two-Gun Kid, as a character in this book, is a misstep. He’s unintentionally annoying, and manages to drag down every scene he’s in. In fact, his only worthwhile contribution is that he’s ticked off Awesome Andy, giant, lovable, mute blockhead (literally—his head is a featureless, square block). Andy seems to have a crush on one of the lawyers at She-Hulk’s firm, but the Kid has caught her eye, and Andy no like.

Obviously, Two-Gun is getting a lot of play this month as a way of introducing the character to modern readers, but here’s hoping that in future issues, he fades further into the background. If She-Hulk is going to get a sidekick (which is the vibe I’m getting from this issue), that honor should go to somebody else. Anyone else. Even Speedball.

Still, the series, as a whole, is great, and this one off-kilter issue will probably do no harm in the long run. I’m stickin’ with it.