Marvel Launching New She-Hulk Series

Marvel won’t be making many readers angry with their new Hulk series. Headed up by Mariko Tamaki, Marvel Comics plans to launch an all-new comic starring Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk as its big green protagonist.

Just, don’t expect the heroine’s debut to turn Hulk into any sort of frou-frou romp.

Axel Alonso, editor-in-chief at Marvel, said, “The title She-Hulk evokes light-hearted stories about a Jennifer Walters who is at peace with herself and in full control of her powers. This isn’t that book.”

“The title Hulk implies all of the baggage that comes with that comic’s 50+ year history—the ongoing battle with the monster within—and that’s why it’s more appropriate for this series. Jen went through major trauma in Civil War II, and Mariko and Nico’s story will deal with the fallout of that trauma—the anxiety and anger, sometimes self-destructive, that comes along with it,” he explained.

If you’re not up-to-date on Jennifer Walters, then you should know that she’s had one terrible year and that spoilers lie below! The fan-favorite hero was nearly killed in a battle between the Avengers and Thanos. When she woke up from an extended coma, Jennifer was stunned to learn that her cousin Bruce Banner had died. The iconic character, who had been carefully managing his alter-ego, was murdered by Hawkeye who maintained his innocence. And, given The Hulk’s reputation, the jury overseeing Hawkeye’s conviction was all too happy to let the archer off.

“Jen is absolutely shaped by the trauma she’s experienced,” Tamaki explained, referencing the events of Civil War II.

“Much of it was inspired by thinking about how different people deal with the hard things that happen in their lives, how memory, trauma, can infuse our whole being, be a physical presence in our lives. I was really into the idea of a Hulk, of the ability to transform into something close to monstrous, that’s still human, and heroic. It was interesting to think about what’s human about Hulk and vice versa.”

Nico Leon will be joining Tamaki in this new series. The artist spoke about his excitement over the comic and seemed ready to explore Jennifer’s inner turmoil. “I think one of the most interesting and unique challenge in drawing her in this series will be to share with the readers her inside struggles,” he said. “All heroes have their own internal struggles, but in this series, Jen will be dealing with something new and huge that is happening inside her own mind. The great challenge will be to share that feeling with the readers.”

Judging by these words, it looks like this Hulk series will differ greatly from She-Hulk’s previous solo run. The heroine starred in an eponymous series created by Charles Soule and Javier Pulido. However, the acclaimed series failed to find a steady audience and was canceled too soon.

But, in the coming months, comic book readers will get to see She-Hulk make her comeback alongside other female heroines. Riri Williams will be taking over Iron Man’s status in a new series while Kate Bishop is slated to get her own go at Hawkeye.

[H/T] AV Club