My Marvel Life Presents: Fabulous First Issue – Sensational She Hulk 1

Sensational She-Hulk # 1 – January 1989

Why I picked this comic: After the more straight forward and serious minded Nova, I wanted to do something a little bit more silly. It was John Byrne at his height with a series that was chock full of witty dialogue and 4th wall breaking. If Nova was too earnest, this was the antidote.

The Comic Itself: Second chances: written and pencilled by John Byrne with inks by Bob Wiacek.. Jennifer Walters the Sensational She-Hulk is testing her strength and dexterity at a nearby circus. Unbeknownst to her, 2nd string villain team The Headmen have hired the 3rd string villains Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime to learn everything about She-Hulk and her invite was a ruse. Hypnotising her the Ringmaster gets a breakdown of her history. We learn of her past as a lawyer and how her involvement in a case got her shot by gangsters. Visiting her was her cousing  Dr Bruce Banner (alter ego of the Incredible Hulk) who gave her an emergency blood transfusion of his own gamma irradiated blood. This left her with superhuman strength and overall toughness as well as boundless confidence.

Once this expostion stuffed flashback concludes the Ringmaster uses his hypnotised victim to rob her circus’ patrons until a murder attempt on her by former circus member Princess Python’s boyfriend brings her memory back and the Circus of Crime is finally arrested. Elsewhere as She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall, the Headman continue to make their plans, which does not bode well for She-Hulk.

The Thoughts of  The MIGHTY Rosie

Question 1: Have you heard of this property before?   Yes I have.

Question 2: What were you expecting?    I didn’t really have any expectations and went in blind.

Question 3: What did you think of the cover?   Okay, a little on the sexist side.

Question 4: What did you think of the story?   The story had potential…..but I felt that it was missing part of the story at the beginning.

Question 5: What did you think of the art?   Barely average.

Question 6: What did you think of the dialogue?   Still being very wordy.   

Question 7: Does it make sense?   It did, but it didn’t. The plot made sense once she was in the circus, but the reasons for her being there were pretty thin.

Question 8: Was it accessible as a new reader?   Actually it was, it explained everything that you needed to know, it was the ronseal of issue ones.

Question 9: Did you enjoy it?   I did! Although it was very corny and the villains seemed to lack any imagination at all. She could have robbed banks for the or anything. Actually now you think of it, at one point she tips the audience over and all their wallets and valuables fall out, didn’t any of them lose their car keys or anything?

Question 10: Would you read the next issue?   Yeah and I did not expect to have that reaction.

Question 11: What would you do differently?  Probably change the villains, the robbing the audience idea was the weakest of weak arse plans.

Next time: Into the future, or my left arm, which ever’s easier.