She-Hulk #11

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

Dan... you magnificent bastard

I'll start with the one thing that doesn't need spoiler tags, the art. I'm still digging Burchett's work as much as last issue, which is about 95% of the time. There's a panel here and there where something looks a bit odd... She-Hulk's wide-eyed expression on page 8, for example... but that's countered by excellent composition, and all-round exciting pencilling. Props to Rathburn and Kemp too. I know I'm not seeing Juan Bobillo's art, but I feel like I'm seeing the heritage of his art in what I am seeing, and it's a very nice feeling - a sort of artwork continuity.

Now then, where do I begin... well, how about Awesome Andy.

Spoilers:

Poor Andy... I was 99% sure he'd get his big ol' heart broken sooner or later (the other 1% was the chance of Mallory buying it last issue), but having him have to do it to himself was something else. Kudos for that - you took a big grey guy with a concrete block for a head, and turned out a character with the anguish of Romeo and the courage of Spartacus. I know she's just all kinds of pissed off right now, but I hope - someday - Mallory at least realises what Andy did for her. For sheer self-sacrificing nobility, we haven't seen the likes since Bruce Willis in Sin City. Bring on #14 - I already knew an Andy issue would be a winner, but this elevates it to something else entirely.

As for She-Hulk and John,

Spoilers:

that's mainly what the 'magnificent bastard' comment was for. Everything was right in front of our eyes, and yet we got twisted and turned through the whole Starfox-love-zap saga. Did anyone figure that out? I didn't, that's for sure - I thought last issue's revelation was the big twist, but it turns out that was just to get us gaping in surprise in one direction, so Dan could sneak up behind us from the other direction and wallop us with a plot 2x4. It seems pretty clear now that married bliss isn't what's in store for John and Jen - which a lot of people guessed to begin with - but man, what a ride it was. And I'm not entirely sure where they're going to go from here. Will Jen figure out why her love for John suddenly evaporated? Pug's in no condition to explain it in detail, and even he didn't have the full story - and will Mallory bother? And what does John think about it all, now that he's a god? And come to think of it, did Jen take care of registering John, or did she get distracted?

And as for Two-Gun,

Spoilers:

will he follow through on his intention to return to the west? Or will Mallory's change of heart give him the opportunity he's been hoping for? Anyway, Matt can't go west, can he? She-Hulk's still responsible for him, according to the TVA's ruling. But if Matt starts dating Mallory, that's just going to twist the knife in Andy's heart. Poor Andy. Not to mention the fact that he shot Jen's husband - will she be calmer now that her obsessive-love-zap has gone, or will she still be mighty peeved at him? Could be uncomfortable all 'round, there.

And I know I said it before, but that's a really sweet cover. Though now that I've seen what's inside, it does seem a bit... placid, by comparison. Nonetheless, I'll be going back for another copy to frame.

So once again, She-Hulk was the best AU$6.25 I spent in the comic shop. Now, to get into Photoshop and get to work on Shulkie's left-hand side...

[Bill Nolan]

What percentage of people realize American Gothic is a painting of a farmer and his daughter? Very few, I guess. It's spoofed so often, but it's usually misinterpreted.

- Bill

[Edward J. Cunningham]

What percentage of people realize American Gothic is a painting of a farmer and his daughter? Very few, I guess. It's spoofed so often, but it's usually misinterpreted.

- Bill

Especially since many older men today with means (not just Hollywood celebrities) marry younger women, I can understand why people can get confused. The joke of the original painting is that the farmer stands ready to defend his daughter's virtue, but she's so plain it's doubtful that many people would be beating a path to her door anyway...

[Edward J. Cunningham]

One more thing that nobody has discussed yet...

Spoilers:

I can understand Jennifer's reluctance to "jen in" while John is still in lupine form, but if their relationship is going to work, she is going to have to trust him. I also think that just as it is important for John to accept the She-Hulk side of Jennifer's life, she also has to accept John's Stargod side. It seems to me that Jen's aversion to John's Stargod side is EXACTLY the same way he has reacted to her as She-Hulk...

[wessner]

I'll write a proper review of this tomorrow. Right now there's something I just have to say...

THANK YOU, DAN SLOTT!

I have been waiting for this comic for 25 years! It does not disappoint!

[Dermie]

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

Spoilers:

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

Spoilers:

the return of Starfox!

[wessner]

Spoilers:

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?

I think...

Spoilers:

John's not trying to get Jen to permanently give up being She-Hulk. From his dialog I don't think John wants to give up being the Stargod anymore than Jen wants to give up being She-Hulk. He's just turning the tables on her, and turnabout is fair play. Jen's been very pushy these last few issues about remaining green 24/7 and expecting John to just accept this. Now he's finally got some leverage to negotiate with. If their relationship is going to survive, they're both going to have to compromise.

[Lord Jermaine Retail]

Great issue! Totally unexpected turn concerning Starfox's visit. Its the pick of the week at the store.

[CyberCoyote]

Really great issue. As usual I had to read through it about three times to really soak it all in.

Spoilers:

Two-Gun is fast becoming my favorite 'cool' character in the MU. I love the art, and how he's already drawn his colts before anyone else had had a chance to even react. He has no fear, he rocks. Jen's over John. Good. And he probably lost all of his feelings too, but he's being overwhelmed by the star-god stuff and she's not sure WHY her feelings just died. Very natural that she's think it was the body fur or something. It's not, it's the lack of Erosian love Mojo Some folks are talking about them working it out. It won't work out, they weren't ever supposed to get hitched in the first place. Now if they're smarter than me in my first marriage they'll fix it before a mortgage is involved! And of course my heart broke for our beloved kneaded eraser head. Did Andy do it all on purpose, or was it incidental? The cover to 14 is rough.

[wessner]

The series is in full soap opera mode and I am loving every page of it! The realignment of the romantic triangles gathers steam. Let's look at the individual character arcs:

Spoilers:

Pug's obsession with Jen may be taking on a darker tone with the hint that the potion he acquired might be one to create desire rather than counteract it. If that's true and Pug knows or even suspects, it could be the beginning of a downward spiral for him. We already saw him using dirty tricks and violence to get what he wanted last issue. How far will he go? With the neutralization of the Starfox/Andy whammy on Jen, John and Mallory, the potion would seem to no longer be needed, but I'm sure we'll see it used at some point. By who, on whom, to what effect and what price will have to be paid is fodder for future issues. Mallory had it last, but she might not keep it, especially since she, like the audience, doesn't know what it will do. For most of the issue Mallory is surprisingly sympathetic. Levelheaded, dedicated and affectionate. Until she puts the last missing piece of the love whammy puzzle in place. Freed of its influence, Mallory's reaction is understandable, but still incredibly hurtful to Andy. Will Mallory just try to put the whole thing behind her, or will she want revenge on poor Andy? That reveal was brilliant writing, by the way. Since the question was raised last issue of why the whammy hadn't worn off, I'd been wondering about co-factors - what was common between Jen, John and Mallory that they stayed affected. All the clues were there, but I never once suspected Andy and from the look of things neither did he - his actions appear to have been completely unintentional. He really does take a stand in this issue, even knowing the cost. I suspect that the other characters are going to be so wrapped up in their own problems for the next few issues that no one is going to notice this android's heart is breaking. Andy has just replaced Pug as the series' whipping boy. Two-Gun is the archtype of the headstrong western hero in this issue. So sure he knows what's going on and what needs to be done, and so completely wrong. Jen's life just keeps getting more complicated, and she's not helping herself with her habit of jumping to conclusions. With the love whammy gone, Andy and Mallory's relationship broke up on impact. By contrast, I think that Jen and John are going to stay together (they were already lovers before the whammy), but it won't be easy for them now that so much has changed. Part of what makes Jen appealing is that she's a flawed individual who still tries to better herself and do the right thing. She's got self esteem and denial issues. She can be shallow in her relationships with men. If it weren't for the marriage that they rushed into, I don't think she'd have even considered staying with John now that he's no longer human. But in a weird way these two may have more in common now than ever before. The Man-Wolf as Stargod is my favorite comics character and this issue brings him back in a way that exceeded all my expectations. Rick Burchett gives the Man-Wolf more expressive range than any previous artist. His use of actual wolf body language such as the position of the ears to indicate mood is something I hope to see more of. If the Man-Wolf has real wolf behavior, facial expressions and body language, that will distinguish him from all the other werewolves in comics (who act nothing like real wolves). The Stargod's reintroduction is rough and over the top, but since Dan couldn't foreshadow any of what was going to happen to John without giving everything away, the only way to handle it was as an out of left field plot development. That it is out of left field suggests that this is not the end of John's relationship with She-Hulk, but the beginning of a new phase. John has accepted being the Stargod, but can Jen accept having a Man-Wolf for a husband? Turnabout is fair play and it will be interesting to see how the negotiations on the Jen/She-Hulk and John/Stargod timesharing go next issue.

Keep stirring the pot Dan and Rick, and I'll keep reading!