Hulk (2016) Vol. 1

This volume is the first collection of Marvel's 2016 Hulk series and contains issue #1, 'Deconstructed, Part One.' The protagonist is not Bruce Banner but his cousin Jennifer Walters, who works as a lawyer and is familiar to readers as She-Hulk. After the events of Civil War II, Jennifer awakens from a grave injury to learn that her cousin Bruce is dead, and she has lost the easy, joyful ability to transform at will. The volume's focus is not on grand battles but on the difficult business of returning to everyday life: Jennifer moves back into her old apartment, returns to the law firm she knows, and tries to shop, go to work, and take cases like a normal person. Yet whenever Thanos, Hawkeye, or her cousin's death is mentioned, the suppressed rage surges up beyond her control, and transformation becomes painful and terrifying. Her new client, Maise Brewn, is likewise trapped by fear and trauma, and the people and events around her keep pushing her toward an emotional edge. In restrained prose, the story depicts how a powerful hero faces anxiety, depression, and self-doubt, building tension through a daily life almost devoid of fighting and setting the tone for the entire arc. This is Volume 1 of the series.