She-Hulk Key Issues Part 3

Gotta admit that I'm struggling big time with this She-Hulk key issues list. In almost each part I do, I feel like ending it due to the crazy amount of non-significant characters and villains that are specific to She-Hulk, and the ones that are worth any salt are those that appeared well before her debut.

I did miss a villain that is the closest thing to a consistent arch enemy that She-Hulk has in Part 2. I've recently added Titania's debut and another key involving the two in the previous post, and you can click this Part 2 link to discover those issue if interested.

If not interested, here's some more She-Hulk key issues for some fans to consider.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #2

1st Modern Age appearance Louise Mason

Another borrowed main supporting cast member for the Sensational She-Hulk comic series is Louise Mason. She is actually a Golden Age character who debuted when Marvel Comics was Timely Comics.

Back in 1946, Louise Grant debuted in All Select Comics #11 as Blonde Phantom in her own feature and became part of the All Winners Squad later.  but she disappeared for quite a while since the Golden Age. Her character would be revived in this comic series and debuts as Louise Mason in this issue.

It would be revealed that she married Mark Mason, who Louise was a secretary of in their Golden Age adventures. Despite the secretary bit, Mark Mason was a supporting character to Blonde Phantom much like Steve Trevor for Wonder Woman. 

In this She-Hulk series, she is a secretary for Blake Tower and also knows she is a comic book character. That bit of information would be revealed in issue #4 of Sensational She-Hulk.

Her daughter Wanda would debut in this series and become Phantom Blonde for a brief spell as well. So Louise Grant as Louise Mason is revived from the Golden Age and makes her 1st modern appearance in this here issue.

Blonde Phantom was actually a pretty popular character back in the Golden Age era and was ranked 98th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

The cover to this issue reproduces Jack Kirby's cover to The Incredible Hulk #2 and Shulkie is seenreading that classic Silver Age comic. Cool nod and Sensational She-Hulk #2 is cover-dated June, 1989.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #4

1st cameo of Lexington Loopner
Updated modern origin of Louise Mason

John Byrne satirized comics in the Sensational She-Hulk comic series and Lexington Loopner is a parody of Superman's Lex Luthor. He is a top-notch media advisor and appears here and there in this particular series, but only appears in one panel of this issue.

Other than debuting another minor character in the world of She-Hulk comics, this issue does have an updated modern origin for Louise Mason. She tells Jennifer what happened to her and her husband Mark Mason when they stopped being comic characters and how they aged.

Apparently, Louise recommended Jennifer Walters to Towers so she could be a supporting character in a comic book again. Welcome to the wacky world of John Byrne She-Hulk.

Overstreet notes Sensational She-Hulk #4 as the "Re-intro of G.A. Blonde Phantom", and it is cover-dated August, 1989.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #19

1st appearance & origin of Nosferata
1st cameo of Jack Serious

More characters who don't really have that many known appearances in comics or even in She-Hulk comics are Nosferata and Jack Serious. Nosferata is an obvious riff on Batman with her costume and an assortment of bat-related weapons like the Nosferatarangs.

Her origin is a spoof on Bruce Wayne's tragic ordeal in which her hippie parents were murdered in front of her by a robber after watching Easy Rider.

Nosferata's real civilian name is Purple Hayes and resides in Hayes Manor. Like with Batman, she vows to fight crime after the murder of her parents. 

Eventually she finally suits up as Nosferata to kick some bad guy butt.

 
Even Jack Serious is a parody of DC's Joker and went over the deep end after he became a victim of one of his own psychological experiments. Jack Serious only appears in two panels on the last page of the story in this comic, and his origin is not told in this comic.

This villainous parody would even meet Deadpool later on in his comic series but doesn't have many appearances either. Still, this issue and even #20 were pretty good and funny reads.

Issue #20 should be the 1st full appearance of Jack Serious and that issue does have his origin. September, 1990 is the cover date for Sensational She-Hulk #19.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #21

1st appearance of Wanda Mason
1st appearance of Abominatrix

It's the female version of the Abomination, but with a skirt. I am serious, the Abominatrix wears a skirt.

Exposed to gamma rays, Florence Staples is bestowed the same powers as the Abomination and becomes another foe of She-Hulk that she tangles with only a few times here and there. Abominatrix was created by Steve Gerber, Buzz Dixon and Tom Artis.

Bringing a little lineage to Louise Mason's character, this issue debuts her daughter Wanda Mason as mentioned earlier. She appears as herself and does not become Phantom Blonde in this issue.

While still a pretty minor character, Wanda was the only reason why I even bothered to list this one since she is the daughter of Blonde Phantom.

Cover date for Sensational She-Hulk #21 is November, 1990 

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #23

1st appearance of Phantom Blonde

Wanda Mason finally suits up and calls herself Phantom Blonde in this issue and intends to carry on her mother's crime fighting legacy. Still, she changes the name slightly to somewhat carve out her own identity possibly. 

Don't think it quite works. Her costume was designed by Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four, and She-Hulk is less than pleased about the announcement.

Like her mother, Wanda has no initial powers. She has appeared in very few comics outside of the She-Hulk title and had a minor part in the Civil War story line where Tony Stark considered her as a potential recruit for the Initiative.

Sensational She-Hulk #23 has the cover date of January, 1991.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #34

1st appearance of X-Humed
1st appearance of Garth
Parody of Vanity Fair cover 

Remember that Vanity Fair cover that had a pregnant and nude Demi Moore on the cover? This cover is a parody of that.

Not really sure why since Shulkie isn't really nude on the cover, and she is holding a green beach ball. However, some issues with the character in it did imply that She-Hulk was nude like in Marvel Graphic Novel #18.

This cover, however, she appears to be in a skimpy bathing suit not her birthday suit. Dunno why this was a big deal and not sure if comic fans even made or still make a fuss about this cover.

Anyway, this issue does have a few minor 1st appearances such as the zombie group X-Humed formed by Black Talon. Debuting in Avengers #152 back in 1976, Black Talon is a voodoo cult leader and can create zombies and control them to do his evil bidding.

This version of Black Talon is Samuel Barone. The prior Black Talon was Desmond Drew and 1st appeared in Strange Tales #173 as a foe for Brother Voodoo.

In this issue, Samuel Barone as Black Talon resurrects four dead mutants - Changeling, Scaleface, Living Diamond and Harry Leland - but was unable to control them all at once. Needless to say, his plans would end up being foiled.

Garth is the hulking, zombie man-servant of Black Talon until he was defeated by Shulkie. After that, he changed affiliation and became Jennifer's house keeper. 

In issue #37 of the comic series, Byrne took a jab at Rob Liefeld by having She-Hulk comment that Garth reminded her of a Rob Liefeld creation with a head out of proportion with the rest of his body.   

Sensational She-Hulk #34 is cover-dated December, 1991.

FANTASTIC FORCE #13

She-Hulk joins team

After the Sensational She-Hulk title was cancelled with issue #60, the character had back up features and guest starred in a variety of comics. It's said that Sensational She-Hulk ran the longest of any Marvel super heroine self-titled series up to that point, so her popularity was higher than most.

She-Hulk was a member of the Fantastic Force back in the mid 90s, but this comic series didn't last very long. It was canceled with issue #18 and the team disbands in that issue.

The original team consisted of Huntara, Psi-Lord, Black Panther, Vibraxes, and Devlor. She-Hulk joins this issue and the cover is obviously a homage to Fantastic Four #265 when She-Hulk first joins the Fantastic Four. 

Cover Date for Fantastic Force #13 is November, 1995.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #40

CCA and Sexism challenge

John Byrne had no problem with controversy when it came to She-Hulk or even calling out certain issues. This cover obviously implies that Shulkie is nude by covering up with something that had the Comics Code Authority logo on it, but that wasn't the only gag or statement.

This gag was conceived in the letter's page to issue #36 when a reader commented on the subject, and since Jennifer sometimes answered the mail herself, she responded with a joke about 22 pages of her skipping rope in the nude.

So here we are with issue #40, and the creatives seem to continue the joke of She-Hulk skipping rope nude with blur lines covering up some female parts.

 

 

 

However, Shulkie wasn't nude at all, and the whole gag took a look at sexism in comics as well as the fine line between decency, censorship, and the 1st Amendment.

At the end of the gag, Byrne introduces his editor Renee Witterstaetter as a comic character who ends the absurdity.

A fan-favorite She-Hulk moment, but not really an essential key issue. It does address some important topics for sure in the realm of comics, and Sensational She-Hulk #40 has the cover date of June, 1992.

HEROES FOR HIRE #8

She-Hulk joins team
Jim Hammond joins team

This comic series is yet another one that doesn't last very long, not even hitting 20 issues. Pretty safe to say that She-Hulk isn't a member of the Heroes for Hire team for very long either.

In this issue, she joins the team a long with Jim Hammond the original Human Torch.

Once again, no significant 1st appearances directly associated with our jade heroine, and She-Hulk as a member of Heroes for Hire isn't really associated with the group like she is with the Avengers or Fantastic Four to most comic fans. 

She-Hulk did date Luke Cage for a time. Heroes for Hire #8 has the cover date of February, 1998. 

AVENGERS #72 VOLUME 3

Search for She-Hulk story line begins

She-Hulk goes Hulk and is unable to control herself when she rages. Basically, she loses her intellect when she changes into She-Hulk.

So afraid of not being able to control herself, Jennifer flees so she does not endanger her friends. However, the Avengers do find her in Bone, Idadho, and this causes her to freak out and start damaging the town.

Way to go Avengers. Well, and of course, this would led to an Avengers vs She-Hulk brawl.

The Hulk would even get into it in a later issue to the Search for She-Hulk story line. Estimated print run for Avengers #72 volume 3 is around 58,441 and has the cover date of November, 2003.

AVENGERS #75 VOLUME 3

She-Hulk vs Hulk battle

For the life of me, I cannot find the first time She-Hulk battles her cousin Bruce Banner as the Hulk. She did have team ups with the Hulk in the pages of the Avengers and The Incredible Hulk comics, but couldn't find any battles between the two titans.

Doesn't really make sense since I think fans would've called for that to happen earlier. I think during that time when Shulkie was an Avengers during her first stint with the team, Banner was able to keep his intellect when he hulked out, so that may have to do with why the two didn't duke it out earlier.

Okay, never mind. I might of found it. 

I think their first battle happened in Incredible Hulk #322 when the Hulk was separated from Banner and became a completely mindless rage monster. In that issue, she does fight Hulk a long side the Avengers.

This issue definitely sees She-Hulk & the Hulk go at it one-on-one. Not the best of art though, but they do scrap for a few pages.

Avengers #75 volume 3 has an estimated print run of around 57,799 and the cover date of February, 2004.

SHE-HULK #1

1st appearance of Mallory Book
1st appearance of Holden Holliway
1st appearance of Augustus Pugliese
1st Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway

As mentioned before and as things develop even more for She-Hulk, she is given a very different supporting cast in this new self-titled series that went to 12 issues. Fortunately, this round up of supporting characters were carried over into the She-Hulk volume 2 series.

So Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway is obviously a law firm that Jennifer comes to work for. The name is a homage to Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby since Lieber is Stan's real last name and Kurtzberg is Kirby's real last name.

Anyway, Mallory Book is a fellow lawyer and is actually the star lawyer at the firm. Known as the "face who never lost a case", Book is as smart as she is beautiful.

Another employee and main supporting cast member  is Augustus Pugliese. Augustus would develop a crush on She-Hulk which went unnoticed. Holden Holliway is obviously their boss and fellow partner in the law firm.

Holliway's grand-daughter would end up being the character known as Southpaw and a supporting She-Hulk character in both the She-Hulk volume 1 and 2 series. The volume 3 comic series would see a different supporting cast once again.

Dan Slott would helm this series after returning to Marvel from DC Comics, and the law firm is dedicated to superhuman law, often representing super-heroes in a variety of cases ranging from libel suits to damages. Estimated print run for She-Hulk #1 is around 34,499 and May, 2004 is the cover date.

SHE-HULK #2

1st appearance of Stu Cicero & Ditto
1st appearance & origin of Danger Man

Awesome Android debuted in the Silver Age of comics in Fantastic Four #15. He is the creation of the Mad Thinker and was pretty much known as a baddie before this series.

She-Hulk has scrapped with him on occasion prior to this series. Before becoming a supporting character for the She-Hulk volume 1 and volume 2 series, he has been a minion of Mad Thinker and appeared as a foe in several comics here and there ranging from Fantastic Four, Rom, Iron Man, and Avengers just to name a few.

Awesome Andy is first named as such in this issue. In this issue, Jennifer learns that Awesome Android was a client of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway and was emancipated from the Mad Thinker after he gained sentience.

Since Awesome Andy could not afford the legal costs, he happily accepted a job at the law firm. He would develop a crush on Mallory Book and is room mates with Ditto, another employ of GLK&H who can shape-shift. Aside from his friendship with Awesome Andy, Ditto is a process server for the firm and has impersonated Clint Eastwood, John Glenn, and Orlando Bloom.

Ditto is the first person to greet Jennifer Walters on her first day at GLK&H, and that was him int the panels explaining what happened with Awesome Android now called Awesome Andy. 

Danger Man is a client of the firm and does not have many appearances in the comic series. He is a victim of gaining unwanted powers while working as a safety inspector for the Roxxon Corporation and wants to sue them.


Stu Cicero is the librarian at the firm and a huge Marvel Comics fan. Needless to say, he was a fan of She-Hulk's comics as well and him and Jennifer became good friends while she worked at GLK&H.

So, once again, this series brings in the actual comic book world with a twist. Apparently in this She-Hulk world, she is real yet there are comic books written about her that documents all Marvel comic character's chronology and events.

June, 2004 is the cover date for She Hulk #2, and this issue has an estimated print run of around 30,781.

Alright, since I already mentioned some of these comics or characters that ended up being supporting characters for She-Hulk like Louise Mason and Awesome Andy, I might as well talk about their debut issues a little bit. As mentioned before, Louise Mason first debuted as Louise Grant, the Blonde Phantom, in All-Select Comics #11.

Mark Mason also debuts in that issue. The character was created by Stan Lee and Syd Shores in an attempt to attract female readers. Wonder Woman's popularity did have an influence in the reason why the character was created as well.

The title changed from All-Select Comics to The Blonde Phantom starting with issue #12. The series under the title of The Blonde Phantom went to issue #22, and the comic heroine's stories would also be in comics like Sub-Mariner Comics, Marvel Mystery Comics, and others as well.

As mentioned before, Awesome Android debuted in Fantastic Four #15 during the Silver Age of comics. He was mostly a minion of Mad Thinker who also debuts in that very issue. 

Awesome Android was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but in the comics the Mad Thinker created this artificial life form via science. He is basically a near indestructible microcomputer with a body of unstable molecules.

This provides Awesome Android with several powers like super strength and durability, the ability to mimic surfaces or textures like Iceman's frost and even powers, and can even produce a gale-force wind blast from his mouth.

Since I updated Part 2 with Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #3 that holds the 1st appearance of Titania, I might as well feature the debut of Absorbing Man here as well. After all, Absorbing Man was dragged into Titania's feud and rivalry with She-Hulk since the two villains are married baddies.

So Absorbing Man first debuted in Journey Into Mystery #114 and is another creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. So, some of the characters and villains are borrowed from other comics, and most of the main supporting cast of characters in She-Hulk comics are co-workers at whatever law firm.

The Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway firm is a central firm in She-Hulk volumes 1 & 2. In volume 3, Jennifer Walters would open her own practice in New York, which would entail yet another group of supporting characters.

Might as well put this one in here too since I do think it's the first battle that She-Hulk and Hulk have even if it's with the Avengers. So, as mentioned before, that issue is Incredible Hulk #322 (1986), and that's what the regular direct market cover looks like.

There are newsstand and Canadian Editions for Incredible Hulk #322 as well. Canadian Editions have a 95 cent cover price instead.

There will be a Part 4, and I am going to be a lot more selective about the keys in that post. No more debuts of these extremely minor and obscure characters that haven't even reached a dozen appearances in comics.
 

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She-Hulk Key Issues Part 2

We are at Part 2 of this She-Hulk key issues saga, and we will see some more debuts of whacky villains that creatives decided to pit the Jade Beauty up against. We'll also get to some keys that see She-Hulk join some very iconic comic book teams as well.

If you missed Part 1, no worries 'cause that blue link will hurl you back, but in all honesty, you're really not missing much. If not, here's some more She-Hulk key comics.

 THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK #17

 1st appearance of Man-Elephant

Yes, seriously, Man-Elephant is a villain that She-Hulk would go up against in this comic series. He is Manfred Haller, and the only reason why I'm even mentioning this is because the character does turn into Behemoth in later comics.

As Behemoth, he doesn't make many appearances either, and only makes one appearance as Man-Elephant in this titled series. He would reappear as Man-Elephant in one issue of Sensational She-Hulk.

Once again, a stellar villain for Shulkie that debuts in the pages of her 1st titled comic series, Savage She-Hulk. There's this deadly villain to the left, and he started off as a regular joe who created and wore a battle suit that resembled an elephant in both appearance and durability. 

Later he would find a piece of the Cyttorak gem (Juggernaut) that would endow him with super-human strength and durability. Until then, his elephant battle suit is also a smash hit at kid's birthday parties.

Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't have bothered putting this one on here, but here is yet the debut of another obscure and unmemorable villain from the pages of Savage She-Hulk regardless.

The Savage She-Hulk #17 is cover-dated June, 1981.  

THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK #18

1st cameo of Doc
1st appearance of the Grappler

We have more minor villains in this issue, and I debated about whether to even list this one or bother discussing it. Since it has the first cameo of Doc and I already mentioned him, I might as well.

So Doc is seen in three panels in this issue, and he and Ralphie show Danny "Zapper" Ridge the laboratory where they are working on genetic mutations. The pair want Danny's help in capturing She-Hulk with the promise that their research is for the good of mankind.

Grappler? Not many appearances for this top-notch villain, but he did go up against Captain America in his comic series maybe 2 times. 

His weapon of choice? A tensile rod that can fire steel coils to entangle an adversary or be used as a blunt object weapon.

Grappler is also a very skilled martial artist and wrestler who also uses a computer that can immediately analyze and give him the exact spot and proper amount of leverage to apply in any given altercation.

I see future stardom for this villain! Newsstands also exist for this issue, and The Savage She-Hulk #18 has the cover date of July, 1981.

THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK #19

 1st full appearance of Doc
1st Raphie Hutchins as Brute

In this issue, we first see Ralphie Hutchins being mutated into a creature called Brute. Doc takes the serum and injects Ralphie against his will.

This would prove to be a recurring thing in the last few issues of the She-Hulk. I do not want to write and discuss each and every villain Ralphie is mutated into so I'm seriously just going to provide a generic list below:

Savage She-Hulk #21 - 1st Ralphie Hutchins as Seeker
Savage She-Hulk #22 - 1st Ralphie Hutchins as Radius
Savage She-Hulk #23 - 1st Ralphie Hutchins as Torque
Savage She-Hulk #24 - 1st Ralphie Hutchins as Kyr & Earth-Lord

Uhmmm...yeah. So there it is. I suppose, I will discuss issue #25 since it is the last issue of the first on-going She-Hulk comic series comin' up.

Just for shits 'n giggles, here's the scene where Doc screws over Ralphie and mutates him into Brute. 

Guess the moral of that story is never be in cahoots with a scientist who intends to mutate living creatures, because one of those creatures could possibly end up being you.

Doc would become the She-Hulk main baddie until the series ends with issue #25. The cover of Savage She-Hulk #19 is marked with the month of August on it's cover and was published and released in 1981.

MARVEL TEAM-UP #107

1st She-Hulk cross-over
1st time she meets & teams up with Spider-Man

Finally She-Hulk makes her first cross-over and it happens to be in the Marvel Team Up comic series starring Spider-Man. Yep, she first meets the web slinger in this issue and further plants her in the over-all Marvel Comics universe, although she already met Iron Man and Man-Thing in her own titled series.

So Jennifer Walters ends up in good ole New York City to represent her client Hildy Dawes, a fanatic anti-government activist, who has turned herself into the law. Of course, being a newspaper photographer, Peter Parker is there to take a few snap shots of the even.

Eventually, a militant feminist terrorist known as Man-Killer ends up on the scene to free Hildy Dawes and gain more exposure for her militant group. This would have the Web-Head and She-Hulk cross paths for the first time and even duking it out for a bit.

In typical comic book fashion, the two end their scrap and end up teaming up to stop Man-Killer, although the villain does escape with Hildy Dawes. Not wanting to be freed and to atone for her terrorist activities, Dawes ends up electrocuting herself and Man-Killer.

While Dawes is dead, it is assumed that Man-Killer is dead as well. Not the case though, and the militant villain does reappear in comics after this issue. 

Marvel Team-Up #107 is cover dated July of 1981.

SAVAGE SHE-HULK #21

1st Ralphie Hutchins as Seeker
1st appearance of Shade

Oh, heck, I might as well throw this one out here since it has two extremely minor character or villain debuts. So, in this issue, Ralphie mutates into a villain named Seeker that is tasked with destroying or capturing She-Hulk.

Seeker does fail. Despite some sources out there, Shade does 1st appear in this issue and then next appears in the issue after. He is set up as a powerful mob boss intent on controlling L.A.'s underworld.

I don't think Shade ever shows his face and it seems like Doc and him are working together against She-Hulk. However, it is revealed in the last few issues that Shade isn't really the big bad, but Doc is. 

Newsstand editions for this issue are out there and Savage She-Hulk #21 has the cover date of October, 1981.

THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK #25

Last issue to 1st headlining comic series

When it comes to the very last issue of cancelled series, it seems that there's the perception that these comics had a low print run or distribution. It does make sense since most of the time a series is cancelled due to poor sales.

After only 25 issues, it's needless to say that She-Hulk's 1st on-going comic series was not a smash hit, and from the caliber of villains introduced in it, it is not any surprise.

So her first on-going series flopped, and she would end up being a supporting ensemble character for the Avengers and other titles after this series. Even her 2nd title later in the 80s only went to issue number #60.

In value according to Overstreet, #25 is tied with issues #2-5 at $10 for raw 9.2 or low NM. A CGC 9.6 copy sold in 2016 at $115.

While in issue #24, we first see Ralphie Hutchins as Kyr, it is revealed in this issue that Earth-Lord was also a mutated manifestation of him. She fought both in the previous issue and both Kyr and Earth-Lord debuted in Savage She-Hulk #24.

Being the last issue, this comic probably has a lower print run, and The Savage She-Hulk #25 has the cover date of February, 1982.

AVENGERS #221

She-Hulk joins Avengers
She-Hulk meets Hawkeye
Hawkeye rejoins Avengers 

While appearing in comic titles like Dazzler #14, then Marvel Super-Hero Contest of Champions, Marvel Two-In-One and other titles, She-Hulk finally finds another home in the Avengers comics.

Yes, this is the issue where She-Hulk joins the team for a little less than 2 years before she joins the Fantastic Four. So in this issue, Iron Man already has met She-Hulk and so has the Wasp apparently.

No idea where those two met first. Maybe in one of the issues of Marvel Super-Hero Contest of Champions. Only three issues in that limited series.

Anyway, it is clear that Hawkeye and She-Hulk first meet in this comic as shown below.

Hawkeye also rejoins the Avengers, and She-Hulk joins. So, quite a bunch of stuff going on here in this issue, and it should be a good one for She-Hulk fans.

As usual, speculators are speculating on what will happen to the Hulk when Mark Ruffalo bows out. They could get another actor to take his place sure. After all, Hulk has been played by three actors so far on the big screen.

Some are speculating that it might be Amadeus Cho since his mother was already in Avengers 2 Age of Ultron. Very few are placing their bets on a female version of the Hulk for the big screen.

If that ends up happening and She-Hulk does end up in the whole Avengers franchise post Mark Ruffalo Hulk, this comic of her joining the Avengers might have some interest. In terms of the character of She-Hulk, it is important since she does join Earth's Mightiest Heroes which is the first super-hero team the character joins in her comic career.

Once again, this is an 80s comic so there are newsstand editions of this issue. However, there aren't a whole lot of sales to go on to determine if there's disparity between direct market and newsstands concerning high graded copies.

Be interesting to see if this comic becomes worth slabbing in the near future or not. So far the CGC Census is extremely low at the time of this writing.

Shulkie is still wearing that torn up nightie for several issues, but gains several leotard costumes of varying colors during her early tenure as an Avenger.

Avengers #221 has the cover date of July, 1982, and it is still a pretty over-looked comic.

FANTASTIC FOUR #254

1st John Byrne She-Hulk

Why the big deal about John Byrne's 1st She-Hulk work? Well, the artist is known for defining or redefining the character when he became writer and artist on the 2nd on-going series for the character called Sensational She-Hulk.

We will get to the significance of John Byrne on the character a bit later in this part. Fans know that She-Hulk would later join the Fantastic Four and replace the Thing for a while.

During this time in '83, there were still newsstand editions, but aside from the U.S., there were also the 75 cent Canadian newsstand editions as well. Those are starting to get recognized by variant and newsstand collectors and were definitely distributed in lower numbers than the U.S. newsstand copies.

So regular U.S. newsstand distribution was around 80% in 1982 and 50% by 1986. This issue coming out in 1983 might be closer to 80% in distribution. Not entirely 100% though.

Cover dated May, 1983, Fantastic Four #254 has a regular U.S. newsstand and Canadian Editions with a 75 cent price a long with the direct market editions. If you do not know yet, Canadian Editions had far less distribution numbers than the U.S.

FANTASTIC FOUR #265

She-Hulk joins Fantastic Four

Although, I did not start reading and collecting the Fantastic Four with this here, I did start getting into the team and their comics when She-Hulk was a member of the team. This comic series did introduce me to the character well before I was even aware that she was an Avengers prior.

I did and do like the character of She-Hulk. Back in the day in my early teens, I always pictured Demi Moore as the live-action version. Then when I saw Rashida Jones in a few movies, I thought she would look like a sensational She-Hulk live action.

Anyway, She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four and replaces the Thing until ole Blue Eyes returns to active duty later in the FF comic series, but it's a strange deal for this comic.

So in the page above, this issue actually precedes the issue in which the Thing asks She-Hulk to take his place in Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #12 that came out in 1985. Notice that bottom notation that states Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #1 was to come out next month.

Obviously, the events in this comic happens after Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #12 which came out almost a year later after this issue.  Fans saw Shulkie as a member of the Fantastic Four before it was even fully explained. 
 

Anyway, She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four in this issue and was written and penciled by John Byrne.

Just like with the Fantastic Four issue #254, there are both Canadian price variant editions and the regular U.S. newsstand editions if you're interested in these. 

Who knows? You might even have one of them in your collection already and not know it. With the release date of January 17th of 1984, Fantastic Four #265 has the cover date of April, 1984.

MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #3

1st appearance of Titania

If there is a character that is most notably a She-Hulk arch enemy, the closest villain to that is Titania. Her and Shulkie have gone up up against each other several times throughout both of their careers.

Mary MacPherran is the 2nd character to take up the name of Titania. Davida DaVito was the first but was never really connected to She-Hulk. 

MacPherran was transformed into Titania by Doctor Doom using alien technology. This was a willful agreement, and in exchange, Mary had to join Doom's army.

Titania would meet Absorbing Man in this issue for the first time as well, and the villain does eventually marry Absorbing Man. Regardless, she would develop an all-consuming obsession of besting She-Hulk. This rivalry would also include Absorbing Man as a She-Hulk villain as well.

In terms of She-Hulk, this could be a somewhat significant key for the character. Aside from the 1st appearance and origin of Titania, this issue also has the 1st appearance of Volcana or Marsha Rosenberg.

Both Marsha and Mary are outcasts and became friends who agreed to Doctor Doom's offer in becoming super-powered beings in his army on Battleworld. Like the entire limited series except for issue #12, there are regular direct market and U.S. newsstands priced at 75 cents and Canadian Editions with a $1.00 variant price.

Titania does not battle She-Hulk in this issue. They first meet and duke it out in issue #7 of this series. Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #3 has the cover date of July, 1984.

MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #7

1st full appearance of Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter)
1st She-Hulk & Titania battle

Might as well talk about this one again since it does have the 1st full appearance of the new Spider-Woman (at that time, of course), Julia Carpenter. Her debut also saw her get a matching costume design like Spider-Man's new black and white costume.

Don't think this version of Spider-Woman was highly connected to She-Hulk or anything but may as well mention it. I do think this issue will be popping up again on this site since I am working on an extended Spidey key issues list.

In connection to She-Hulk and this being a key for the Jade Beauty, this issue does hold the 1st time She-Hulk and Titania battle it out, thus beginning their rivalry.

Both this issue and issue #3 are over-looked currently, maybe even the case for actual She-Hulk fans. They are still pretty cheap buys for both direct market and newsstands at the time of this writing.

Not so sure about the Canadian $1.00 price variant editions, though. Haven't really looked around for those, but they are apparently out there and do exist. Maybe you've got one in your collection and don't know it yet.

Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #7 is cover dated November, 1984.

MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #12

Origin of She-Hulk joining FF

Here's the issue that explains how She-Hulk comes to join the Fantastic Four. I've labeled it the origin of She-Hulk joining the FF, and explained in the listing above how this issue comes out a year later before Shulkie is seen as a member of Marvel's 1st super-hero family.

Here, you can check out how it plays out below:  

So Ben decides to stay on Battleworld since he can revert back to normal form and enlists She-Hulk to take his place. From there, the FF go back to Earth and the story continues in the story presented in Fantastic Four #265 published almost a year before. 

When it comes to Canadian Editions, Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #1-11 had $1.00 while the regular U.S. editions had the price of 75 cents. For issue #12 of the limited series, the regular U.S. version had a $1.00 price and the Canadian Edition had a price of $1.25 for this issue.

Just some added information if you're curious about these, and regular U.S. newsstands exist for this issue as well. Canadian Editions are currently recognized by CGC as shown in the census for this particular issue.

Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars is a well remembered limited series for most Marvel fans. As we know, we get the origin of the symbiote suit in issue #8 of the comic series.  

Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #12 hit the market around December 25th of 1984 and has the cover date of April, 1985.

FANTASTIC FOUR #269

1st meeting of She-Hulk & Wyatt Wingfoot
1st appearance of Terminus

She-Hulk's 2nd love interest after a brief romance with her childhood friend Danny Ridge is Wyatt Wingfoot. Wyatt is a Silver Age character and debuted in Fantastic Four #50.

The two love birds first meet in this issue and would develop a somewhat long relationship after. Wingfoot would be a supporting character in The Sensational She-Hulk comic series.

This issue also sees the first appearance of a pretty minor villain called Terminus. This villain is a creation of a race called the Terminex who came into conflict with the Celestials a long, long time ago.

Before the extinction of the Terminex race, they engineered a life form that would evolve into Terminus and exact revenge on the Celestials, or at least try to.  

Not really a major She-Hulk villain or anything and Terminus does pop as a menace in other comic titles here and there. Not exactly a top-tier villain for anyone though.

Canadian 75 cent and regular U.S. newsstand editions exist for this issue as shown above. August, 1985 is the cover date for Fantastic Four #269.

MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #18

Loses ability to revert back to Jen Walters

One of Jennifer Walter's quirks is that she feels less powerful and less comfortable in her normal form. She actually feels for confident in her She-Hulk form.

No surprise there. In this issue, John Byrne has She-Hulk dosed with a high amount of radiation after an adventure with S.H.I.E.L.D. and saving the day by keeping a Helicarrier from blowing up.

Because of her extra exposure to radiation, Reed Richards informs her that she won't be able to change into her normal form again.

Of course, this is later revealed to be a temporary thing, and She-Hulk isn't the least bothered by this news. Marvel Graphic Novel #18 The Sensational She-Hulk is cover dated November, 1985.

SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #1

1st issue to new headlining series

Before Deadpool used the devices of breaking the 4th wall and knowing that he was a comic book character, She-Hulk under the helm of John Byrne also had these qualities. It is one of the reasons why John Byrne is known to fans for redefining the character.

You can see from this cover and even issue #2 these devices at work where she addresses the reader and is shown reading a Hulk comic book. Being in her world, some of the supporting characters in the series also realized they were comic characters as well.

Byrne would write and pencil much of the series. Depending on the writer, these characteristics would continue for the character in later comics but not always.

So, She-Hulk gets a new titled series with a more comical approach. By this time, she had rejoined the Avengers since the Thing has returned to active duty in the Fantastic Four, and Jennifer Walters is now an assistant District Attorney and working for New York City district attorney Blake Tower.

As far as I can tell, the cover of Sensational She-Hulk #1 just may have the bar code on the cover for all copies, so not sure about direct market or newsstands for this issue, but the cover date is May, 1989.

So we are getting into John Byrne's work on She-Hulk, and many of her supporting cast is borrowed from other comics. One example is Blake Tower, and he first debuted on a poster in Daredevil #124. However, his first full appearance is in Daredevil #126 back in 1975.

Like her 1st on-going series, those characters created and debuted in Sensational She-Hulk are also pretty minor and never broke out in a big bad way.

If you're interested, She-Hulk does meet the Thing in an actual story and has her first team-up with Blue Eyes in Marvel Two-In-One #88. This comic came out in 1982.

For awhile, She-Hulk was depicted as having a crush on the Thing but nothing ever came of it. Anyway, Part 3 is ready so see ya there.

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