• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

  • DC Guides
    • DC Events
    • DC New 52
    • DC Rebirth
    • Batman Guide
    • The Sandman Universe
  • Marvel Guides
    • Marvel Events
    • Captain America Guide
    • Iron Man Guide
    • Spider-Man Guide (1963-2018)
    • Spider-Man Guide (2018-Present)
    • Thor Guide
    • X-Men Reading Order
  • Indie & Licensed Comics
    • Spawn
    • Star Wars Guide
      • Expanded Universe Comics (2015 – present)
      • Legends Comics (1977 – 2014)
    • Valiant Guides
  • Drag
    • Canada’s Drag Race
    • Drag Race Belgique
    • Drag Race Down Under
    • Drag Race Sverige (Sweden)
    • Drag Race France
    • Drag Race Philippines
    • Dragula
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
  • Archive
  • Contact!
You are here: Home / consume / comic books / Updated: Guide to She-Hulk

Updated: Guide to She-Hulk

August 16, 2022 by krisis

Are you read to go green? I’ve completely overhauled my Guide to She-Hulk to mark this week’s debut of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, on Disney +.

She-Hulk stars the mega-talented Tatiana Maslany as Marvel’s Jennifer Walters, a mild-mannered attorney pulled into the heroic life of her Avenger cousin Bruce Banner … or, at least, that’s the story we know from the comics. And if you don’t know the story yet, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered with a guide that includes every She-Hulk series, every appearance, and links to find collected editions, buy digital versions, and read online with Marvel Unlimited.

Guide to She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters

My Guide to She-Hulk will always hold a special place in my heart and memory, because it is one of the first two guides I completed after leaving my tech start-up job in 2016 to be a stay-at-home parent.

At the time, the kid didn’t spend a single second of time looking at screens, so my only downtime from wake-up to goodnight were her mid-day naps. In overhauling this guide, I saw so many places in it where I remembered, “yep, that’s when she woke up,” or other such toddler-motivated interruptions from my guide-making.

As weird and as confusing as a time as that was in my life, it was also a time where I value every single second and every memory. I have so many photos and videos of our adventures, and my She-Hulk Guide is like the negative space of that – one of the few things I was doing in the time I had to myself.

While the guide has always been complete and completely definitive, there were many half-finished thoughts throughout, and I never had the time to refine the the structure and table-of-contents to my typical level of perfectionist completion.

That’s no longer the case. I’ve completely changed my approach to presenting Jennifer Walters’ many series and guest-starring turns, plus added a “Where To Start Reading” section and highlighted the quickest ways to build a She-Hulk shelf in oversize hardcover or paperback.

Some Marvel characters find a niche early on and stick to it. Others grow through a single, continuous arc.

She-Hulk’s progression has been more about evolving with the idea of what being a “powerful woman” means to the broader pop culture in any given publishing era.

Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #1She began her life as a straight-forward female copy of the Hulk, the last character Stan Lee launched in the Bronze Age purely to retain Marvel’s copyright on the gender-swapped version of Hulk. While it sounds like a distinctly utilitarian approach to creativity, it also speaks to what a “strong female character” was at the time – essentially, just a version of a strong male character, but with breasts.

In the 80s, She-Hulk became a staple of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, in part under the pen of John Byrne. He extended that run by launching her 1989 solo series. Byrne gave her the power of being able to comment on her own situation by breaking the fourth wall to address the readers. This extremely meta power let her make light of all of the sexy situations she was thrust into for marketing purposes. It’s a self-awareness that was mirrored many acerbic female comedy leads of the day on TV and in movies.

(Unsurprisingly, She-Hulk disappeared in the back half of the 90s, where almost every comic women suddenly had her proportions if not her strength. Sometimes the greatest power is to make yourself scarce to let your imitators speak for themselves.)

Even if Byrne was the creator to create an indelible personality for Jennifer Walters, the 00s were her decade to cement her place closer to the center of the Marvel Universe.

In a pair of series from Dan Slott and Peter David, She-Hulk changed again – to be more of a dauntless professional who also happened to be a rage-filled badass who could launch you into space with the power of her punch. It also found her drawn into Bruce Banner’s continuity as Hulk for the first time ever, playing a pragmatic and often exasperated perspective on his world-breaking endeavors.

In the 10s, we saw yet another shade of She-Hulk. First, in 2014 she was written by comics superstar and actual-life lawyer Charles Soule, who gave us our smallest and most-grounded take on her law practice ever in a way that felt closer to TV’s Shondaverse than the MCU at the time. She reflected our ability to see power in women working in the same jobs as men, but outshining their male counterparts exactly because they aren’t the same as them at all.

Finally, in 2017 She-Hulk was written on an ongoing basis by a woman for the first time. Eisner Award winner Mariko Tamaki. Tamaki penned a decompressed 2017 run all about the quality of grief, rage, and fear. She humanized She-Hulk, making it clear that Jennifer Walters deals with all the same emotions as any women – she just turns into a monster when she has gone beyond her limit.

Now, in the 20s, we have a new She-Hulk series launched by Rainbow Rowell, who just completed a flawless run on Marvel’s teen Runaways. I can’t wait to read how Rowell alters Jen’s powerful persona for a new decade!

Ready to start reading? Visit my Guide to She-Hulk and jump into the world of Jennifer Walters in any decade you choose.

Related posts:

  1. From The Beginning: Dr. Seuss – McElligot’s Pool (Book #5)
  2. Custom Styles
  3. Crushing Comics S01E065 -The Oldest Thing You Own + Fantastic Four by John Byrne
  4. New for Patrons: Guide to Marvel Fresh Start Era
  5. Updated: The Definitive Guide to Luke Cage, Power Man
  6. Updated: The Definitive Guide to The Defenders Comic Books
  7. New For Patrons: The Definitive Guide to Teen Titans, Titans, and Young Justice

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Charles Soule, Dan Slott, Jennifer Walters, John Byrne, Mariko Tamaki, Marvel Comics, Peter David, Rainbow Rowell, She-Hulk, Stan Lee, Updated Comic Guide

Previous Post: « Music Monday: “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” – Beyoncé, featuring Madonna’s “Vogue”
Next Post: Drag Race Philippines Season 1 – Pre-Season “Meet The Queens” Power Rankings »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. New for Patrons: Guide to Hellcat, Patsy Walker – Crushing Krisis says:
    August 23, 2022 at 8:15 am

    […] on last week’s Guide to Black Cat and this week’s update to my Guide to She-Hulk drew my attention to Marvel’s other major feline heroine, who has been a diva along with […]

  2. New for Patrons: Red She-Hulk AKA Harpy – Crushing Krisis says:
    August 25, 2022 at 5:21 pm

    […] today with a highly-specific guide for “pledgeonaut Patrons of CK. This one also spun out of last week’s update to my Guide to She-Hulk, because it’s also a Guide to She-Hulk! No, not that She-Hulk, the other She-Hulk – […]

  3. happy birthday to this – Crushing Krisis says:
    August 29, 2022 at 7:00 am

    […] books, drag, and table-top role-playing games, but there are personal reflections woven throughout. I talked about my time as a stay-at-home parent while updating my Guide to She-Hulk, and mused about the isolation of being an immigrant as I recapped Drag Race France’s Snatch […]

Primary Sidebar


Support Crushing Krisis on Patreon
Support CK
on Patreon


Follow me on Twitter Contact me Watch me on Youtube Subscribe to the CK RSS Feed

About CK

About Crushing Krisis
About My Music
About Your Author
Blog Archive
Comics Blogs Only
Contact Krisis
Terms & Conditions

Crushing Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Events Guide

Spider-Man Guide

DC Comics

  • New Guide: Howard the Duck
  • Updated: RO: X-Men 06 – Fatal Attractions
  • New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 20, 2023
    Catch up on newly-released comic books and collected editions from Marvel Comics September 20 2023, with guides to every title & character! […]
  • New for Patrons: Guide to Monica Rambeau – Photon, Spectrum, & Captain Marvel
    It's time to shine a light on a Guide to Monica Rambeau. She's been Photon, Spectrum, & even Captain Marvel. Read EVERY issue in order. […]
  • Guide to Avengers (1963-1996)Updated: Guide to Avengers (1963-1996)
    Happy Anniversary to Marvel's Avengers! To celebrate I rebuilt my definitive guide to Avengers (1963-1996), including EVERY issue & collection. […]
  • Silver Age X-Men GuideUpdated: Silver Age X-Men Guide
    I've updated my definitive Silver Age X-Men Guide to collected editions of the earliest X-Men comics, including a new Penguin Classics & Taschen editions. […]
  • Guide to Conan the BarbarianUpdated: Guide to Conan The Barbarian
    I've overhauled my Guide to Conan the Barbarian to celebrate the release of Titan Comics' new Conan the Barbarian series written by Jim Zub. […]
  • Avengers Inc. (2023) #1 by Al Ewing & Leonard Kirk, released by Marvel Comics September 13 2023New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 13, 2023
    Catch up on newly-released comic books and collected editions from Marvel Comics September 13 2023, with guides to every title & character! […]
  • Guide to Birds of PreyNew for Patrons: Guide to Birds of Prey
    Who are the Birds of Prey? Learn what cast members define one of DC's signature team with my Guide to Birds of Prey! […]
  • Fantastic Four (2022) #11 released by Marvel Comics September 6 2023New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 6, 2023
    Catch up on newly-released comic books and collected editions from Marvel Comics September 6 2023, with guides to every title & character! […]
  • It’s gonna be May! Oh, wait, it’s ALREADY May…
    Hello, friends! Unfortunately, my non-CK life and […]
  • Drax GuideDrax Guide – now available to the public!
    Learn how the MCU merged several incarnations Drax into Dave Bautista's hyper-literal warrior with a vendetta agains Thanos in my Drax Guide! […]
  • Guide to GamoraGamora Guide – now available to the public!
    My Gamora Guide will help you find every Marvel comic starring Thanos's adopted daughter and the most dangerous woman in the galaxy! […]
  • Drag Race España Season 3, Episode 2 – “Drag Vision” Review & Power Rankings
    The queens of Drag Race España Season 3 make a collective stumble in this "Drag Vision" choreography challenge, earning the ire of the judges (though it's the kindest ire you'll ever see). […]

Content Copyright ©2000-2023 Krisis Productions

Crushing Krisis participates in affiliate programs including (but not limited to): Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program. If you make a qualifying purchase through an affiliate link I may receive a commission.