She-Hulk #11 Recap and discussion...

[CMBMOOL]

Well since I got this issue two day earlier than usual I reacap what I know...

Pug tries to be the hero with he still thinks that Jen is under a spell that makes her still remain in love with Man-Wolf.

Two-gun kid thinks of moving out of his apartment that he shares with Awsome Andy but seconds later he Shoot Man-Wolf and he and Jen rushes him into the hospital.

On the way to the hospital Jen and Two-gun have a fight over either John a Wolf-man or a Man-Wolf.

Man-Wolf has to be resigter due to his power.

Mallory and Andy find out that due to Andy's power of absorbing he absorbs some of Starfox's power which explains why Jen and John is lovey dovey, so to save the day he turns off his power which cancels out the effect of Starfox's power which in the end saves Jen, but in the process he losses Mallory. Although he doesn't want to live a lie.

The ending show John embracing his Man-Wolf's space hero destiny that they explain during the issue.

So What do you all think of this month's issue ? :D

[Den]

Another Excellent issue. Man, that scene with awesome Andy just broke your heart
Two Gun Kid's 'man out of time' moments were amusing, "You and your future talk, next you'll be calling him a 'Lupine-American'"

Oddly, I find Star God/John's insistance that Shulkie change first kind of fair ;)

Though, given the revelations, I don't think this marriage is going to last.

[Edward J Cunningham]

Another Excellent issue.

Oddly, I find Star God/John's insistance that Shulkie change first kind of fair ;)



Exactly!

For the past several months, John Jameson's character has been criticized by fans for his relucatance to accept Jennifer's "greener" half. But now the shoe is on the other foot--er--paw. Just as John needs to accept She-Hulk as an important part of Jennifer's life, Jen has to accept the Stargod side of John. Also, if this relationship is going to work out, she is going to have to trust him---which means "jenning in" to her vulnerable human form while John is still in wolf form.

Since the next issues will have Jennifer presiding over the second trial of Starfox as a magistrate of the Living Tribunal, I suspect John and Jen will be going on an adventure in their heroic forms. But they need to work out this problem between them or get an annulment.

One more thing---Mallory waiting up for Pug is simply a good friend returning a favor, but does anybody see the possibility that she or Pug could drink that love potion and they fall in love with each other?

Fem Four: The World's Greatest Superheroine Team! (http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/femfour/)

[EmmettHULK]

The more I read this book, the more bored I am by it.

I was hoping the whole marriage thing would give the book a kick in the pants, but now it feels like a badly conceived hybrid of soap opera, comedy and melodrama.

I wish the upcoming Trial of Starfox or the Hulk villains' arc will pump some blood into this comic, but I won't hold my breath.

[Edward J Cunningham]

The more I read this book, the more bored I am by it.

I was hoping the whole marriage thing would give the book a kick in the pants, but now it feels like a badly conceived hybrid of soap opera, comedy and melodrama.

I wish the upcoming Trial of Starfox or the Hulk villains' arc will pump some blood into this comic, but I won't hold my breath.

Sorry you don't like it, Emmitt, but I'm loving every minute of this book! Then again, She-Hulk was already my favorite Marvel character so I was already biased...

Fem Four: The World's Greatest Superheroine Team! (http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/femfour/)

[Kirk G]

The more I read this book, the more bored I am by it.

I was hoping the whole marriage thing would give the book a kick in the pants, but now it feels like a badly conceived hybrid of soap opera, comedy and melodrama.


Sounds like a fairly good overview of the entire series...
and I'm loving it!:D

PS: I felt that the surprise ending with the "you first" was more of a ploy that the evil Star-God is pulling to force Jen into the other side of the portal...not the demand that she also depower.... I thought this discussion was going to continue immediately in the next issue.

[Edward J Cunningham]

Sounds like a fairly good overview of the entire series...
and I'm loving it!:D

PS: I felt that the surprise ending with the "you first" was more of a ploy that the evil Star-God is pulling to force Jen into the other side of the portal...not the demand that she also depower.... I thought this discussion was going to continue immediately in the next issue.

Well, in all due fairness, I don't see any indication that Stargod is necessarily evil. But ever since Jennifer and John have started their relationship, he has consistently preferred that she remain in human form. In fact, Jen and John were on the verge of breaking up over this very issue before the Starfox love zap (which Andy inadvertently kept going) got them married. An issue or two ago, Jennifer told John that she decided that she was going to remain the She-Hulk 24/7. Being deeply in love with Jen, John agreed at the time. That is no longer the case now.

I am 99% sure this IS about Jennifer changing back to human form, and how she is now as uncomfortable with John's Starfox (or lupine) side as he was with her gamma alter ego...

Fem Four: The World's Greatest Superheroine Team! (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/femfour/)

[xmanson]

I love this book, but this issue was pretty boring.

[Annie get your Rum]

I love this book, but this issue was pretty boring.

After reading this issue at the store to check out the art, I can say that I am glad the art looks better than ever, but the writing is still meh.

[Adem]

I love this book, but this issue was pretty boring.

I'm sad to say that I agree. Hopefully Slott can make the next few issues better or I'll have to drop it.

[Haunt]

i passed on it after flipping through. ManWolf and the Pug-Wolf-Shehulk love triangle doesn't really interest me. i was just reading for the weird cases and even those aren't all that great.

[XPac]

At this point, I'm reading the book more for Awesome Andy than Jen.

[Dermie]

***WARNING!!! This thread contain SPOILERS for SHE-HULK #11!!! If you do not want to be spoiled, please do not read any further!!! You have been warned!!!

This is quite a packed issue, as things get turned upside down for several of our characters.

The issue starts with a flashback to Pug buying some potion from a magic shop to deal with Jen's love-zap from Starfox. The potion gets forgotten about later with everything else that is going on...but I wonder what is going to happen when it finally gets used.
The way the woman described it--"can relieve the heart of any ailment or fill it with any desire"--makes me a bit concerned. It almost sounds like it could be used to make Jen fall in love with Pug instead of John, rather than exposing her own true feelings. Now, I don't think Pug would deliberately do something like that (although romantic obsession has been known to cause people to make very bad decisions...), but might he accidentally end up causing more harm than good?

Matt plans to leave the firm after learning about Mallory and Andy. Is that something he'd really be allowed to do? After all, the TVA left him in She-Hulk's custody--he may be required to remain with her so she can supervise him. Of course, that point may be moot since the Mallory/Andy relationship falls apart here.

Jane Foster has a history with Awesome Andy? Hmm. I wonder if that will be part of the backstory for his upcoming untold origin issue?

Two-Gun and Jen's argument about whether John is a wolf-man or a Man-Wolf. Unfortunately, Pug doesn't realize that John's powers aren't the same as the werewolves he is used to--his powers come from an alien gem, so his situation doesn't necessarily follow the sames rules that Matt is assuming.

We finally discover the secret of how Starfox's love zaps are lasting so long--Andy has absorbed Eros' pleasure powers and has been keeping the effects going. Presumably, Andy has been doing it unintentionally, although that wasn't exactly clear. But whether it was accidental or intentional, it comes to an end when Andy shuts down his powers--and the love spells are broken.

Mallory is furious and feels violated--much like Jen when she suspected that Starfox had used his powers to make her sleep with him. Although I feel badly for poor Andy getting his heart broken here, I can't say I really blame Mallory for her reaction. Perhaps once she's had time to calm down she'll be able to forgive him--but for right now, he'd better steer clear of her. Whether he meant to or not, he effectively took advantage of her, so it will take her a while to get past that.

John becomes the Star-God again...and what is with that voice encouraging him to give in and accept the power? Is that a normal part of his transformations? I've only read a few of John's Man-Wolf stories, and I've never seen anything to do with that voice before.
In T-BOLTS, we learned that the gem that gives John his powers is connected to the stone that gave Moonstone her powers, as well as Dr. Spectrum's power prism, and several other power gems of alien origin. And Moonstone's gem at one point did 'communicate' with her, through the memories of its previous owner. Could something like that be happening here?

Once the love zap is broken, Jen realizes that she isn't in love with John anymore. But that doesn't mean she stops caring about him--after all, she may not have been 'in love' with him before, but that didn't stop her from dating him and sleeping with him for nearly a year. So clearly there is an affection for him, even if it isn't the full-blown love that Starfox artificially stimulated.
And John's feelings for her seem undiminished. He tells her about his new cosmic abilities...and that he can give them up if she wants. But he has one condition--she has to give up being She-Hulk first!

Uh oh! We've known for a while that John hasn't been comfortable with Jen's double-life, but now he's actually trying to blackmail her into giving it up! Hopefully we'll soon get to the heart of what John's problem is with She-Hulk, because this issue has been going on for a while now without John ever really explaining that his problem is.
But no matter what his reasoning, it looks like this may be the final straw that splits them apart. I can't see Jen giving into an ultimatum like that--and the fact that John would try to pull it on her will almost certainly sour whatever feelings Jen has left for him. So what happens when/if Jen rejects him? Will John remain Stargod? Will he leave Earth?

Next issue is supposed to feature a visit to Titan to conclude Starfox's trial. I've been assuming that Mr. Zix/RT-9 would be using his Magistrati contacts to arrange that, but now that John is Stargod, maybe he is the one who takes Jen there. After all, once Jen and John learn about how Starfox tampered with them as well, I'm sure they'll both want to get to the bottom of that.

Thanks to Dan and Rick everyone else for a very entertaining issue! I'm very much looking forward to next issue, and the return of Starfox! :)

[Dermie]

Oops. Double post :o

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

Awesome Andy is truly a god among men. Androids. Whatever. Let's face it, we all knew the poor guy'd get his heart broken, but for him to have to be the one to cause it himself? That's heartache plus. #14 is going to be an Awesome Andy issue, and I've never looked forward to that more than right now.

Kudos to Dan for continuing to spin the love zap mystery - I thought last issue was the big reveal, but it turned out to just be misdirection so that Dan could pull this issue's surprise out of the bag. I never expected She-Hulk to contain a real honest-to-stargod whodunnit mystery over multiple issues like this - and it's a great one, in the best tradition of mysteries, with all the pieces laid out beforehand on plain view, yet the answer is still surprising when it's told to you several issues later. This arc is going to make a great TPB. See, 52, that's how you do it...

As for where they go from here... well, Titan, obviously. But will it be John and Jen going together (weird honeymoon)? Will Zix's murder of Stu be discovered (and what will he do to keep it a secret)? Will Mallory ever forgive Andy? Will Matt step in instead? Will I keep reading? Oh god yes. Much as I enjoyed my other picks this week, there's still not a comic to compare for sheer entertainment value for money.

[tstrike99]

I have to admit I really am loving this series. SO far the art has been great, though, I'm still waiting for a nice cheesecake artist to take over the interior art! Since I'm all about the boobs, that would be a dream come true for me, plus, I think it would help the sales!:D

[stealthwise]

Good god, am I ever bored with this series.

I vastly preferred the done-in-one's from the first six issues of the first season of this book, and the melodrama and continuous story is really just killing the book for me. I can't recount a moment where I laughed at any point during this issue (or, more to the point, the last several issues, save the J Jonah Jameson freakout scene), and it's supposed to be a comedy title.

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

I can't recount a moment where I laughed at any point during this issue
Well, for reference then:
The cover,
"Awroo!" *krash* *wump* "John!" "That's what... newlyweds do."
"...I..." "Looks like she's gonna blow." 'Blow?'
"Easy Lightning. Whoa Girl."
"You have a problem with that? Take it up with my giant android."
"She says she needs a surgeon... and a vet!"
"Super-human with a gunshot wound, you know the drill." "Only in New York..."
'Shmoopie,' (I giggled just typing that),
and in case I didn't stress it enough, the freakin' cover :p

Maybe it's not for everyone, but the comedy is sure as heck working for me.

[Mjolnir]

FINALLY the issue that the Marvel Western Two-Gun Kid issue was about!
What's it been, 2 months?
What can i say that hasnt already been said...it was awesome.
Has John ever turned into that 'perfect balance' of man and wolf (stargod) before?

Poor Andy...the big lug

[CMBMOOL]

You all may be bored now but wait until we get into the PLANET WITHOUT A HULK arc!!!! :)

Then you'll be claiming for more. :D

[Sean Walsh]

and in case I didn't stress it enough, the freakin' cover :p

Oh, that freakin' cover........

I can now say with all certainty that I'd like Greg Horn off this series, please.

That Man-Wolf was easily the most awful depiction of the character I've ever seen.

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

That Man-Wolf was easily the most awful depiction of the character I've ever seen.
I think it's pretty safe to assume that that was a stylised, stoic American Gothic version of Man-Wolf, not intended to be anatomically accurate. Seeing as last issue's cover had him with his full lupine features, and all.

[Sean Walsh]

I think it's pretty safe to assume that that was a stylised, stoic American Gothic version of Man-Wolf, not intended to be anatomically accurate. Seeing as last issue's cover had him with his full lupine features, and all.

Yeah, but even for an American Gothic version of Man-Wolf.......it looked like a horribly old german shepherd or something.

[Eumenide No 2]

Good god, am I ever bored with this series.

I vastly preferred the done-in-one's from the first six issues of the first season of this book, and the melodrama and continuous story is really just killing the book for me. I can't recount a moment where I laughed at any point during this issue (or, more to the point, the last several issues, save the J Jonah Jameson freakout scene), and it's supposed to be a comedy title.

I agree with your post.

Another underwhelming issue of a very underwhelming book.
Not funny, a little on the dull side and packed with bad melodrama.
( still looking forward to the post "Planet Hulk" thing...)


And yes, that cover was horrible...I do like Horn's art for the most part, but his 'Gothic' take was bad, imo...

[Sandy Hausler]

What I don't get is if Two Gun is such a great shot, then why is John still alive?

Sandy Hausler

[Sandy Hausler]

You all may be bored now but wait until we get into the PLANET WITHOUT A HULK arc!!!! :)

Then you'll be claiming for more. :D

I don't seek info about stories that haven't happened yet, but I could envision a story where Hulk hires his cousin to sue the Illuminati for sending him off planet against his will.

Heck, he'd probably win.<g>

Uh, is that what the Planet Without a Hulk arc about?

Sandy Hausler

[Dan_Slott]

What I don't get is if Two Gun is such a great shot, then why is John still alive?

Sandy Hausler

Comic Book Algebra

Silver bullet + wolf-man = dead, dead, dead.

Silver bullet + man-wolf = normal bullet + man-wolf

Normal bullet + normal man = dead

Man-wolf > normal man

Stargod > Man-Wolf

Hope that helps. :)

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

Uh, is that what the Planet Without a Hulk arc about?
In the absence of her cousin, Jen takes it upon herself to see to it that Hulk's rogue's gallery don't get it into their heads to cause a ruckus. In other words, She-Hulk Smash :D

Silver bullet + man-wolf = normal bullet + man-wolf
Less so, in fact - even more justification for John to have (barely) survived the shot, which Matt presumably intended to be fatal. If you shot a werewolf with a silver bullet and it went straight through, you'd presumably not have done much good, so it's quite conceivable that such a bullet (made, one assumes, as a custom job to deal with werewolves, rather than in mass-production for conventional purposes) would be made with a smaller charge, so that the bullet would fly slower and be more likely to lodge in the target. Burchett got it right in the operating table scene, when the silver bullet looked to have barely deformed from being fired - odds are that it was fired at a slower velocity, would have carried less kinetic energy, and would have transferred less of that to John, because silver's lighter and harder than lead. All in all, it's plausible that Matt put his silver bullet right where he wanted it, but - due to John being superhuman, and the bullet being less effective than a regular one - it wasn't a killing shot regardless.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

In the absence of her cousin, Jen takes it upon herself to see to it that Hulk's rogue's gallery don't get it into their heads to cause a ruckus. In other words, She-Hulk Smash :D


I am really looking forward to this arc, I just hope the comedy and the meta-thingie is kept to a minimum...I think we are due for an all-action, all-Smash, all superheroics kind of issue in the vein of the Titania arc last "season"

[XPac]

I am really looking forward to this arc, I just hope the comedy and the meta-thingie is kept to a minimum...I think we are due for an all-action, all-Smash, all superheroics kind of issue in the vein of the Titania arc last "season"

I'm down with an all action she-hulk smash thing too.

That said, I wonder if stuff like Standord and the Hulk/Vegas thing is going to neuter how writers do fights in Marvel now.

Are writers going to refrain from having building topple on top of people fighting because of the greater accountability heroes now have for colateral damage? Marvel kind of let the genie out of the bottle as far as suspenions of belief in regards to consequences and accountability. It'll be interesting to see if that has any lasting effects on how fights are now potrayed.

[Sandy Hausler]

Comic Book Algebra

Silver bullet + wolf-man = dead, dead, dead.

Silver bullet + man-wolf = normal bullet + man-wolf

Normal bullet + normal man = dead

Man-wolf > normal man

Stargod > Man-Wolf

Hope that helps. :)

I guess it helps a little. But one would think (or at least I do) that a bullet through the heart (whether silver or leadl) would cause a man-wolf to die. But I'm not a vet, I'm a lawyer, and there were no legal screw-ups in this issue. Congratulations, Dan. (Of course, there was nothing in this issue relating to a case except very broadly, but, hey, why should that stand in the way of a flawless issue.<g>)

Sandy Hausler

[Wessner]

I guess it helps a little. But one would think (or at least I do) that a bullet through the heart (whether silver or leadl) would cause a man-wolf to die.

The Man-Wolf's musculature is much denser than a normal human's, so the bullet probably never reached his heart or if it did then it didn't fully penetrate. The Man-Wolf also has a healing factor, alluded to by the nurse's comment that his fur was growing back faster than she could shave it off as part of the surgery prep.

[Sandy Hausler]

The Man-Wolf's musculature is much denser than a normal human's, so the bullet probably never reached his heart or if it did then it didn't fully penetrate. The Man-Wolf also has a healing factor, alluded to by the nurse's comment that his fur was growing back faster than she could shave it off as part of the surgery prep.

Good point.

Sandy Hausler

[Will.S]

You know, I just have to comment on the art.

Nothing negative at all, in fact it looks great, it's just that it reminded me alot of Juan Bobillo's style. So much that I initially thought he had come back, I guess it's because of the inker since Rick Burchett's art with Nelson's inks looked different.

Anyway interesting Man-Wolf developments here so I wonder if John Jameson is going to keep that aspect even if that whole thing was always seen as a taint on the character. I also felt bad for Andy when Mallory wasn't affected by the Starfox power and dumped him but onthe flip side I'm glad She-Hulk is noticing why she's been entranced by John than usual.

[Haunt]

You know, I just have to comment on the art.

Nothing negative at all, in fact it looks great, it's just that it reminded me alot of Juan Bobillo's style. So much that I initially thought he had come back, I guess it's because of the inker since Rick Burchett's art with Nelson's inks looked different.

Anyway interesting Man-Wolf developments here so I wonder if John Jameson is going to keep that aspect even if that whole thing was always seen as a taint on the character. I also felt bad for Andy when Mallory wasn't affected by the Starfox power and dumped him but onthe flip side I'm glad She-Hulk is noticing why she's been entranced by John than usual.


taint sounds about right. that's just the lamest origin next to how the Whizzer got his powers. why would going into space make you a werewolf?

[Will.S]

taint sounds about right. that's just the lamest origin next to how the Whizzer got his powers. why would going into space make you a werewolf? Haha, and there lies the question.

[Zero Hunter]

I have to say I think I am done with this series. It has just gotten boring to me too. That and the fact that I am really not looking forward to seeing Starfox further ruined as a fun character in the next issue. The best part baout the series before was that it was all about the fun, but now it is just getting to bogged down in the downer side of things.

[Edward J Cunningham]

taint sounds about right. that's just the lamest origin next to how the Whizzer got his powers. why would going into space make you a werewolf?

It doesn't, but picking up a certain rock on the moon and hanging it around your neck will. To me, that sounds as plausible as most comic book origins...

[Haunt]

I have to say I think I am done with this series. It has just gotten boring to me too. That and the fact that I am really not looking forward to seeing Starfox further ruined as a fun character in the next issue. The best part baout the series before was that it was all about the fun, but now it is just getting to bogged down in the downer side of things.


you never know; Starfox might be proven innocent. but what do i care? i'm not reading it.

[Edward J Cunningham]

Anyway interesting Man-Wolf developments here so I wonder if John Jameson is going to keep that aspect even if that whole thing was always seen as a taint on the character. I also felt bad for Andy when Mallory wasn't affected by the Starfox power and dumped him but onthe flip side I'm glad She-Hulk is noticing why she's been entranced by John than usual.

Mallory was affected by Starfox's powers, which Andy (apparently unconsciously) maintained. That's why she fell in love with him in the first place. When he stopped using the power, Mallory was understandably furious at what he had done to her. It wasn't that Andy tried to use Starfox's powers and failed. He succeeded but stopped because he realized it was wrong.

[Will.S]

It wasn't that Andy tried to use Starfox's powers and failed. He succeeded but stopped because he realized it was wrong.
I wasn't inferring that he was doing it conciously, just that I felt bad for him since it was his inadverted power use that made Mallory love him instead of genuine feelings (but she could also have feelings towards Andy as well).

[Den]

Me, I plan to stick around to see if the Living Tribunal is wearing clothes or not.

Wait, that sounds wrong.

[DMike]

If that's wrong I don't wanna be right. That Living Tribunal is dead sexy! :D

[saral]

Certain mysteries have been solved, but the question remains what is going on here.

Now certain questions have to be answered. Awesome Andy maintaining made a lot of sense.

My feeling is even if Mallory has/had genuine feeling for Andy the trust has gone.

It's quite possible she did have genuine feelings that she didn't know about coniisdering both how often Mallory spent with Andy before Matt and especially the reactions of Shulkie and Mallory to the switch off.

Mallory "You haven't turned off your powers. I hate you."

Shulk. "Hmm, I don't love Jameson. maybe I'm having problems with the stargod"

But in both cases Starfox would be trying to help. We know he was with the Shulk Jameson. If Andy hadn't continued producing the pheromones...

Mallory would make a geneuine decision made on true feelings, not the one sided one she did thanks to Andy. (or possibly from denial) I still reckon Mal would have chosen Matt though.

[Sandy Hausler]

Certain mysteries have been solved, but the question remains what is going on here.

Now certain questions have to be answered. Awesome Andy maintaining made a lot of sense.

My feeling is even if Mallory has/had genuine feeling for Andy the trust has gone.

It's quite possible she did have genuine feelings that she didn't know about coniisdering both how often Mallory spent with Andy before Matt and especially the reactions of Shulkie and Mallory to the switch off.

Mallory "You haven't turned off your powers. I hate you."

Shulk. "Hmm, I don't love Jameson. maybe I'm having problems with the stargod"

But in both cases Starfox would be trying to help. We know he was with the Shulk Jameson. If Andy hadn't continued producing the pheromones...

Mallory would make a geneuine decision made on true feelings, not the one sided one she did thanks to Andy. (or possibly from denial) I still reckon Mal would have chosen Matt though.

Uh, Andy is giant android with no face (among other parts). I mean, he's nice enough for what he is, but he's not exactly a human. Mat, on the other hand, is a hot hero, who also happens to be an attorney (though not yet admitted in New York). There's not much of a choice. But just because her heart belongs to Mat (if it does) doesn't mean she doesn't like Andy. (Remember, he was helping her with her therapy.) But, it's unlikely that she would be in love with him.

Though with Dan Slott in charge, who knows?

Sandy Hausler