Antebellum Marvel: She-Hulk #8
Previously in Civil War #1
I’m traveling the road to Civil War with Marvel so I can be caught up by the time this storyline hits the big screen. Please do not comment with spoilers if you’re familiar with this particular story arc, but you are welcome to provide non-spoiler answers to any questions I may ask in the review. If you are interested in following along, here’s the reading order I’ll be following.
- Issue: She-Hulk #8
- Collaborators: Dan Slott, Paul Smith, Avalon’s Dave Kemp
Who’s In It:
Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk), Samson, Dr. Strange, Colonel John Jameson, Justice, Rage, Steve Rogers (Captain America), Iron Man, Carlton Lafroyge (Hindsight)
What Happens:
As an attorney, Jen Walters is contacted by many superheroes in need of legal assistance since the Stamford tragedy. They’ve become public enemies and tensions are high as the Superhuman Registration Act approaches a vote. Before she can help anyone, Jen needs to figure out how to get her own alter ego, She-Hulk, back. Thanks to a spell by Scarlet Witch (which takes place in She-Hulk #2), her gamma-changer is broken and she’s stuck as Jen, unable to change. Samson and Doctor Strange hook her up though, and she’s back to hulking out at will just a few pages into the issue.
Back in business, Jen is approached by Justice and Rage, former Avengers teammates who were also New Warriors. The anti-superhero movement has launched a website that outs heroes and their secret identities, listing personal information including where they live and the names of their relatives. This is sadly similar to real-life events now, where anyone who comes to the internet’s attention in a negative fashion runs the risk of having their personal lives bared for the world to see.
Even though She-Hulk has publicly endorsed the SRA, Jen thinks they have the right to keep their personal lives private and agrees to represent the heroes in a class action suit against the founders of the website. This comes just as her own secret identity is blasted on the news.
Enraged, protestors confront Jen as she’s escorting her clients into court. Probably not the smartest move.
The case doesn’t go well as the site’s financial backers are Stamford survivors who lost family members in the explosion. Jen can’t go hard on them when they’re on the stand. Matters get worse when Rage loses his shit in the courtroom: Everyone talks about the 600 people who died that day, but never include the New Warriors who lost their lives as well.
Meanwhile, Jen’s boyfriend, Colonel John Jameson, meets in secret with Captain America. Steve wants his old friend to give him intel: Will She-Hulk fight on his side when shit goes down? John is in love and ain’t about that life. Good for you, John! Snitching on your lady love is a surefire way to take up permanent residence on the couch. And when your bae is She-Hulk, probably a lot worse.
The case really heats up when Iron Man testifies and continues to throw his support behind the SRA. In private, he gives Jen a thumb drive with the identity of the real brains behind the website: Hindsight (Carlton Lafroyge). He’s confronted by a group of heroes, including She-Hulk. When his neighbors witness what’s going on, it looks like there might be a riot.
Thankfully, Jameson arrives in a military plane to make everyone calm the hell down. And propose to She-Hulk.
Thoughts & Questions:
- Like a few of the issues before this, while not my favorite, I enjoy seeing the layers to this brewing war and viewing it from different perspectives. I don’t know much about Jennifer Walters or She-Hulk, and nothing I’ve read (yet) has made me want to pick up her series, but I’m looking forward to seeing how her relationship with Jameson is affected (if at all) by the upcoming events. His military leaders are prepared to use Eva Interceptors (aircraft designed to take out low-flying vehicles in urban areas and what Jameson arrived in at the end of the issue) against the superhumans.
- Rage’s face in this panel cracks me the hell up:
When Iron Man was on the stand, Jen called him out on how his “boss” Tony Stark has come out as Iron Man several times, only to take it back. He even went so far as to use a satellite to make the entire world forget one of his confessions. Damn, Tony. This does answer my question from the last issue where I wondered if everyone knew that they were one in the same. For her to call Tony Iron Man’s boss makes me think that, currently, they don’t know he’s Iron Man. No?- Overall, this was a decent follow-up to the action-packed and sad issue before it.
- Oh, if his name is Hindsight, shouldn’t he have seen this coming? What kind of superpower is that?
