John Byrne used the She-Hulk book to vent his rage about overly controlling editors in the comic industry, and Steve Gerber uses it to vent against how most of his books have been misunderstood. So Gerber creates another Watcher, who is called The Critic.
And speaking of Gerber’s creations…
Howard the Duck is referenced.
I hate to be a critic (ahem) but these issues just don’t work. And they don’t matter. Shulk punches a hole in reality, meets Howard, etc. Takes five issues to resolve.
After bringing back Howard the Duck for a multi-issue story, issue #18 features Doctor Doom’s cousin, Bob Doom, who is a doctor of dentistry. It really doesn’t work either.
I’m sad—I had hopes that Gerber would be a good guy to inherit this book, which had been full of creativity when it launched. Although by the end of Byrne’s run, he was running out of gas, too. “Joke-y” books are hard to maintain—maybe it should have been a miniseries?
Creators: Steve Gerber, Bryan Hitch (#14-17), Tom Artis (#18)
Grade: C-