The So Long Shulkie Shuffle! She-Hulk's Final Issue

Fans of She-Hulk in her own solo series have danced this dance before. Once again, a final issue of She-Hulk has rolled off the presses. Another ending to one of Marvel's premier female heroes. Like Savage, Sensational and the previously eponymous series before this one, She-Hulk takes a final bow, this time at issue 38.

It might be a fair thing to say that this most recent series has undergone the most twists and turns as the series has evolved. After starting out in a law firm dedicated to defending super-villains, the series turned its humorous tone to She-Hulk getting a partner in the Two-Gun Kid, getting married to a Man-Wolf, serving on a cosmic tribunal and being torn in the Civil War. She later left the firm to become a bounty hunter, and with that embarked on a series of adventures with her Skrull friend, Jazinda. This series also brought about She-Hulk's 100th appearance in a solo book, and with it a hilarious issue in which she must 'defend her worth' to the universe. Some great trips down memory lane are in this issue, and it embodies so much of the spirit of the character.

So how does this series finale bring closure to this arc in Jennifer's life? Where does it leave our big, green heroine? Let's find out!

SPOLIER ALERT!! STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT DETAILS FROM THE FINAL ISSUE!!

Two very peculiar situations open this final chapter: Jazinda finds herself exposed as She-Hulk's double and is in government custody as a lab rat and Jennifer finds herself being helped by "frenemy" Mallory Book as she faces possible disciplinary action for a role she had in a recent government "coup". As the issue progresses, with a good portion of the humor that ran throughout this series, She-Hulk finds herself in a predicament: Allow Jazinda to die at the hands of government scientists, or, at Jaz's request, remain innocent and protect herself from harm.

When she sees her friend being tortured, after government agents tell her she's been impersonated and take her to confront her double, she, and the unexpected arrival of a few other female heroes, free Jazinda and are able to defeat Man Elephant/Behemoth, the creature responsible for getting Jaz into this predicament in the first place. The action ends, but not without She-Hulk using Behemoth as a mallet in a giant game of whack-a-mole with the ground, and the ever cool and calm Ms. Book tells Jen that she'll take care of this destruction of a government facility.

That exchange leads to a very humorous, self-aware final scene. Mallory tells a shadowy group of men who represent "Fourth Wall Enterprises" (wink wink, nudge nudge) that their plans for She-Hulk have been cancelled. The obvious follow-up phrases about the fourth wall never being broken and that the Mallory Book plan has been cancelled (take out the words you think make a joke there) are a quite clever way to close out this series, and a nice nod to the Byrne era of Sensational She-Hulk, which played so much with the fourth wall concept of She-Hulk "speaking" to the reader.

As final issues go, this one is perfect for She-Hulk. Plenty of ass-kicking action, clever writing, and self-aware humor make this issue the perfect send-off. There's a strong sense of closure here, but it leaves the door wide-open for She-Hulk's inevitable return. Will that be in another solo series? It's hard to say at this point, as there seem to be issues with continuity and clarity between this book and Hulk. Once those get worked out, perhaps she'll inject ever needed humor and light into a sometimes dark Marvel universe and especially one that is about to enter a very "Dark Reign".