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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

THE NERD WITHIN - She-Hulk #1-12 (2004-2005)

When She-Hulk was being released monthly, I picked up the first 6 issues and was drawn to the light-hearted humor, unique take, and, even though I really shouldn't admit it, sexy covers.

However, money concerns propelled me to stop buying monthly mags and the girlie greenie's tale was not mine to read. Thanks to MARVEL.com, I've finally finished Dan Slott's initial run on Bruce Banner's voluptuous cousin's comic series.

For those who don't know, Jennifer Walters was in dire need of a blood transfusion so her cousin, the alter ego of the Incredible Hulk, gave her some of his life juice. This, combined with her "anger", transformed her into the She-Hulk.

This particular comic series starts off with the She-Hulk spending a bit too much time turning the Avengers mansion into a den of libations, pulsating music, and throbbing libidos.

Captain America and Iron Man are the buzz kills probably because one used to be an alcoholic and the other apparently doesn't know what an IPOD is.

She-Hulk gets kicked out of the mansion and is hired by a prestige law firm who specializes in "super-human" law.

The cases she handles are somewhat ridiculous and her co-workers include a shape-shifting process server and the Mad Thinker's Awesome Android, affectionately called Awesome Andy.

She gets drunk with a c-rate supervillian, uses real life comic books as government approved documentation, helps Spider-Man sue J. Jonah Jameson for libel, and many other silly things.


Dan Slott's writing is fluid and funny.

The artwork is pleasing to the eye and easy to follow.

The whole series will make you smile and crave more. Luckily, Dan Slott returned to the title a year later and wrote another 21 issues which are all available on marvel.com as well. Soon, I shall be ocularly devouring them.

These 12 issues are collected in two volumes here and here.

20 comments:

  1. Dude! I LOVE this series! I'm glad to know somebody else read it and enjoyed it as well.

    Strong main character, deep supporting cast (aww, Awesome Andy), fun and unique concept (super human law! That's brilliant!); it's a shame it didn't last longer.

    And Juan Bobillo has become one of my favorite artistis, just on the strength of his work on this series (Dan Slott, I already liked). It manages to be the perfect kind of comic art, both caricatured and realistic at the same time. Plus, he drew an adorable Jen Walters.

    the other apparently doesn't know what an IPOD is

    Ha! Nice one. Did you ever read the series that came from? Civil War: Frontline? It was pretty bad.

    helps Spider-Man sue J. Jonah Jameson for libel

    Man, that was awesome.

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  2. I dunno, I haven't read it so I can't truly judge, but I have a problem accepting stories involving regular Marvel characters breaking the fourth wall. But that's my own hang up.

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  3. It's been awhile since I read these, but I don't remember TOO much fourth wall breaking, aside from a few nods and winks here and there.

    And what's there is made somewhat more palatable by the fact that the book's tone is more humorous than other Marvel books (though I wouldn't call it an out-and-out humor book) and She-Hulk has a history of being a fourth-wall breaking character (which is one of the reasons I've avoided some of her past series).

    I actually avoided this series for a long time because, generally, I don't like a lot of humor in my comic books (or sci-fi, which is why I've read very few Terry Pratchett novels) and the impression I got was that this iteration of "She-Hulk" was just a humor book. But it's not so much funny as it is fun. And that I don't mind.

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  4. I completely agree, Teebore!

    There's actually no interaction between characters and readers, at least to my immediate memory. Slott does a nice job of saying the "real world" comics are based upon their world's actual adventures, which, in my mind, brings you closer to the story.

    I couldn't remember if the chick had said MYSPACE or IPOD to show that Captain America was "out of touch" with modern Americans.

    If it was MYSPACE there's an added touch of irony since nowadays MYSPACE is Soooooooo 2005.

    Has anyone read Slott's Spider-Man? Is it worth giving a try?

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  5. If it was MYSPACE there's an added touch of irony since nowadays MYSPACE is Soooooooo 2005.

    Now that you mention it, I think it was MySpace, which is indeed all the more hilarious nowadays.

    Maybe un-hip writers shouldn't throw stones at allegedly un-hip characters. Or something idiomatic like that...

    Has anyone read Slott's Spider-Man? Is it worth giving a try?

    I've read the first two volumes of "Brand New Day" Spidey, which, once you get past the general skeevy-ness of the whole thing (I mean, it's pretty pathetic that Spider-Man is back to loafing at his aunt's house just so Marvel can tell tales of a Spidey who swings in more ways than one) and the idiotic retcon that set it up in the first place, were actually pretty fun, back-to-basics Spider-Man stories (and, I have to add, there was nothing about the good elements of the stories that required an unmarried Spider-Man for them to be good). At least, they were good enough to make me want more, and I have a couple more volumes yet to read now.

    But I don't think Slott had joined the "brain trust" of Spidey writers at that point, so I can't credit any of my enjoyment of those stories to him.

    I've heard generally positive things about his Spidey work, but it'd probably be difficult to separate it from the other "brain trust" writers. Marvel pretty much just breaks out the trades by issue number/storyline, so you'd end up with a collection of a Slott story and one by someone else.

    But you might be able to read the Slott-specific issues online, I suppose.

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  6. wait, wait, wait...


    Is that Howard the freaking Duck on the cover of one of those issues?!

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  7. Yep. And Matt Murdock/ Daredevil and . . . I guess I don't know who the other guys are.

    Anyone?

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  8. The other guy in the gaudy costume is Captain Ultra , one of Marvel's lesser characters.

    He was last seen as part of the 50 State Initiative, leading Nebraska's team.

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  9. I admit it…I am totally intrigued. I will check this series out on marvel.com, as you suggested.

    I never knew that there was a She-Hulk:) Thanks for the awesome info!

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  10. @Jenn: I never knew that there was a She-Hulk

    Hmm...maybe a "To Better Know A Hero: She-Hulk" post is in order...

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  11. So, I just finished reading She-Hulk volume 2 #12 and there's a reveal about EROS and THANOS that made my jaw drop. I don't remember a comic having that sort of affect on me since FABLES or THE SANDMAN.

    Teebore or Dr. Bitz - do either of you know what I'm talking about? I'm dying to talk to someone about it!

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  12. Yes, I believe I do know what you're talking about, though I'd suggest you read issue #13 as well, as I don't think that particular story ends until then.

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  13. I read #13.

    So disappointing. They had the chance to make both EROS and THANOS so much more well-rounded and intriguing and then they threw it away.

    Issue 12 was biblical.
    Issue 13 was cheesy, generic soap opera.

    I'm a sad panda right now.

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  14. Well, while I don't disagree that issue #13 is cheesy, generic soap opera, I wasn't as blown away as you by the revelation in #12.

    I dunno; maybe I just have a hard time thinking of anything involving Starfox of all people as biblical, and thus the events of #13 seemed more...appropriate (?) for the character, despite reversing another otherwise cool and intriguing development from the preceding issue.

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  15. To me, since I love Thanos and have been pushing to have my first child named after him, the intrigue of #12 gave him a depth along the lines of Darth Vader or other villains who used to be "good" but then switched to the dark side because of some catalyst.

    Prior to #12 twist, he'd always just been "evil". #12 gave him a better defined reason for his love of Death and therefore his "evil".

    That was all taken away in #13.

    I think this ties into my desire for comic book characters to "change" and grow, just as real world people do.

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  16. I see your point; it is as much about Thanos as Starfox. I guess I've just never been that big a Thanos fan, either (despite some time spent a few years ago as his official biographer).

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  17. OK one of you needs to spill the beans on what happens those two issues. Just put big ol spoiler tags on it to mark it for those that don't want to read them. Or just call me and tell me. :)

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  18. I'm a sad panda right now.

    Ha!

    I never knew about She Hulk either. But she is hot. I wish regular hulk wasn't gross. Who was that guy who played him in the movie/tv show!? He looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger did in Total Recall when he was pulling that tracking device out of his nose. Right?!

    Anybody...



    Kuato lives!

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  19. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Okay - Quick back story.

    EROS and THANOS are brothers who grew up on Saturn's moon, TITAN. THANOS was misshapen and "ugly" compared to other Eternals.

    THANOS is obsessed with DEATH, the living embodiment of death, to the point that he loves her and even wiped out half of the universes population to please her while he was in possession of the INFINITY GAUNTLET (One of the BEST mini-series in Marvel history).

    Eros, according to Marvel.com, has the power or natural ability to excite pleasure in others, or even make them love someone they don't.

    In She-Hulk #12, EROS was on trial for supposedly using his powers on unsuspecting Earth women and thus "raping" them. Thanos shows up and the do a mind scan to reveal little kid Eros and kid Thanos running through the fields chasing after a deer-like animal. Thanos ends up catching the beast and in doing so accidentally kills it because he's too powerful. Kid Thanos is heartbroken but kid Eros convinces him that death is a part of life and should be embraced, using his powers to plant the seed of Thanos' love of Death, thus making Eros partly responsible for Thanos' evil acts.

    In She-Hulk 13 it was revealed that Thanos had planted the false memory in Eros' head as well as a clone of his so the childhood tale never happened.

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  20. I am so on this series as of right...NOW!

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