This week’s comics plus one from last week. 3,2,1, let’s jam!
She-Hulk #9 by Charles Soule (Writer), Javier Pulido (Artist), Muntsa Vicente (Color Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Jeanine Schaefer (Editor), and Kevin Wada (Cover Art). [Marvel]
Part 2 of 3 in arc featuring Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) vs Matt Murdoch (Daredevil) in the trial of the century! A dying declaration has lead to a family suing Steve Rogers AKA Captain America for damages. In this issue you find out what happened all those years ago and why Matt is prosecuting his old friend Steve Rogers.
This is a very special Marvel book because it highlights She-Hulk not just as a super hero but also as a super attorney. In the same way that there are people who like Batman best when he is dishing out the pain and those who like him best when he is a master detective I think that there are many She-Hulk fans who like to see Jennifer Walters embrace her law background. I’m definitely one of those, especially when Charles Soule is at the helm. This guy is pretty amazing, he writes for several comics while also practicing law in NYC and this is how he does it. I’m really glad to have this book dedicated to Jennifer’s lawyer adventures with a writer that is passionate about the character and also her profession.
Edit: I’ve just found out in Marvel’s January Solicits that She-Hulk’s final issue will be #12. I’m pretty broken hearted about this. Brett White at CBR does a better job of analyzing this news and our shared feelings than I would so I point you to his article.
The Amazing Spider-Man #8 by Dan Slott (W), Giuseppe Camuncoli (A), Nick Lowe (Ed), and Camuncoli/Smith/Fabela (CA) [Marvel]
This is the conclusion to the Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel team up! There’s some great interactions between Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel, and closeups of Kamala Khan capturing some really special emotions. I’m really glad that these two met up because I like them for similar reasons. Much of Spider-Man’s popularity is due to Peter Parker’s every-man qualities. He has these amazing powers but for most of the character’s history he has been plagued by poor luck with money, school, and women. He has the troubles of being a super hero that most of society considers a menace thanks to one J. Jonah Jameson that he has to balance with the struggle to support his Aunt May. These days Peter Parker has troubles that are a bit harder to relate to…dealing with the consequences of returning to a body that was stolen from him by Dr. Octopus, trying to run a tech company while constantly having to disappear at critical moments, and Aunt May is doing fine elsewhere leaving him with no family trouble that I have noticed.
ASM continues to be a great and funny book, but it doesn’t speak to me the same way that the Spider-Man/Peter Parker I remember did. However, Ms. Marvel hits that note just right for me. That’s why I like these two meeting up, it feels like a torch is being passed here. It’s a special moment when you realize how much Peter Parker has grown as a character and how bright (but not without darkness) a future Kamala Khan has ahead of her.
The last few pages of this book are like an extra Edge of Spider-verse mini featuring Mayday Parker the Amazing Spider-Girl. The much anticipated Spider-verse event begins with Amazing Spider-man #9.
The Wicked + The Divine #5 by Kieron Gillen (W), Jamie McKelvie (A), Matthew Wilson (C) Clayton Cowles (L), Hannah Donovan (Designer), Chrissy Williams (Ed), and Becky Cloonan (CA) [Image] 
This book. This book. THIS BOOK. If you haven’t read #5 yet, read it as soon as possible. If you haven’t read WicDiv at all then pick up the trader paperback that comes out next month. At certain times in history Gods reincarnate as teenagers. They then have two years to live as pop stars, creating music that will inspire the next generation of the human race. One of the gods is framed for a murder. By another god. A mortal girl is trying to get to the bottom of it. This is the story. For now.
The closing essay was really powerful. Writer Kieron Gillen talks about the death of a loved one and his struggles with creativity, age, and death. The story of the Wicked + The Divine is really enhanced by this essay, I won’t say more because I’m not sure I could do it justice.
Tomb Raider #9 by Rhianna Pratchett (W), Gail Simone (W), and Derlis Santacruz (Pencils) Andy Owens (Inks), Michael Atiyeh (C), Michael Heisler (L), and Andy Park (CA) [Dark Horse]
This is another comic I started reading courtesy of Amy Dallen. I was always fascinated with Tomb Raider and watched my cousin play the N64 games all the time when I was too young/scared to play myself. After reading the first issue of this series I jumped in and bought Tomb Raider (2013) for the PS3 and I just fell in love with it. If you’re a fan of the game I recommend this comic book as it picks up right where it left off and continues Lara’s early adventures. With that said I am not enjoying this current arc quite as much as the previous one (#1-6). Lara visited Russia to help the sister of a special friend and she’s been drawn into a conflict at one of the cities that was (mostly) evacuated after Chernobyl. There was some great atmosphere created by the deteriorating amusement park and teeth clenching conflict in this issue that was actually quite reminiscent of the more intense encounters in the video game.
Edge of Spider-verse #5 by Gerard Way (W), Jake Wyatt (A) [Marvel]
This was released last week but when I heard that it has some great visual parodies of Neon Genesis: Evangelion I felt like I had to get it, and I was really pleased! The design of Sp//dr and some of the basic concepts has Eva down in spades but of course it’s got plenty of original twists that bring the main character Peni Parker into the Spider-verse and also make her a very unique spider totem. 
I had seen both the names Gerard Way and Jake Wyatt before but it took some time for me to realize where. Among the many great characters that make guest appearances in the background of this book is none other than Kamala Khan…which reminded me that Jake Wyatt was the artist on Ms. Marvel for issues #6 and #7! I’m glad he enjoyed his time with the character enough to slip her into a separate work. Then there’s Gerard Way…I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know he was the lead singer of My Chemical Romance and I also had no idea that he has career writing and drawing comics! I’ll have to check out his work on Umbrella Academy.
Closing Thoughts
Something I’ve come to feel strongly about is respect and courtesy to creators. That doesn’t mean only saying positive things about something someone created. What it means to me is that if you really like something that someone created…the creators should see some benefit from that. At its simplest this idea means not resorting to piracy to get all of the content you enjoy. Another way I am trying to adhere to this philosophy is properly crediting the creative teams in the comic books I am going to be reviewing from here on. I think many readers never really realize how many people have a hand in the finished product and I have noticed that the people who have the know-how to critique comics can often speak eloquently about the contributions of a colorist or letterer to the overall package. So in attempt to broaden my own understanding of these roles, and perhaps yours as well, I am crediting more than just the writer and the artist, where possible, from here on.
What do you think is a good way to give back to creators of things you enjoy?
What's on the Table? 
The Wicked + The Divine sounds really cool
It is! As you can tell in my post, I really like it. It will be on hiatus for November but I recommend checking out the trade paper back. Gillen and McKelvie have done a lot of great work together including a popular run on Young Avengers from Marvel and Phonogram from Image