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“The Immortal She-Hulk” #1

By | September 24th, 2020
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Death in comics is one of those things that’s easy to poke fun at, the idea that (with a few notable exceptions) no one stays dead. Sure characters might disappear for a while and some might come back different than when they died, but they do come back. While some have explored superheroes and their inability to die, one of the most successful has been Al Ewings’ exploration into The Hulk and other gamma radiated characters, introducing the below-place, the Green Door, and the One Below All, an ancient and insidious being that seems to have bigger plans with those affected by gamma radiation. In “The Immortal She-Hulk” #1, Ewing brings another member of the Hulk’s family into the fold, but by doing so investigates the impact and philosophy of not being able to die.

Cover by Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, and Paul Mounts
Written by Al Ewing
Illustrated by John Davis-Hunt
Colored by Marcio Menyz
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit

IN THE WAKE OF EMPYRE, JEN WALTERS GOES IMMORTAL! The Cotati invasion has changed everything for Jennifer Walters. Now she seems to have a new lease on life…but things are never that simple for the gamma-powered. Al Ewing gives She-Hulk the “IMMORTAL” treatment with a horrifying stand-alone tale!

“The Immortal She-Hulk” #1 is a study in contrasts, both in the character dialogue and the art of the issue. The story follows the three deaths of Jennifer Walters, the time she became She-Hulk, her death at the hands of Thanos in “Civil War II,” and her recent death during “Empyre.” But like other characters impacted by Gamma Radiation, Al Ewing uses these deaths to connect Jennifer to the below-place. Structurally, it’s a similar issue to “The Immortal Hulk” #34, which looks at Samuel Sterns, The Leader, taking his death and resurrections and showing how it fits into the bigger picture. Unlike Sterns, though, Jennifer doesn’t have an interest in exploring how the resurrection works or strive to become anything greater, rather she is interested in exploring how experiencing the trauma of death and resurrection impacts you and changes you. The major contrast coming from her connection to two other characters who have dealt with death and resurrection, Wolverine and Thor, and who chooses to have the conversations, Jennifer and She-Hulk.

Jennifer has control over her ability to transform, so it’s interesting to see how she chooses to have conversations about death and rebirth. For Wolverine, she is Jessica, desiring quiet and the ability to present her ideas eloquently. Wolverine’s argument is that resurrection isn’t something to be all that concerned about, it is simply another tool in his arsenal of being a superhero. Wolverine’s philosophy surrounding resurrection lines up pretty well with his worldview. Wolverine is a man of action, if you come back and you seemingly haven’t changed then don’t question it and keep moving forward. This conversation is contrasted by She-Hulk’s conversation with Thor which is much more introspective and philosophical. While Thor is shocked to find out about Hulk’s inability to die, he seems to be arguing that there is no such thing as true immortality. Eventually, the universe will die out and even beings that have survived multiple universes like Galactus eventually find an end. It’s interesting to see how Ewing uses both of these characters and uses current events of the Marvel Universe in “The Immortal She-Hulk” #1, Thor’s time as a herald of Galactus has impacted the God of Thunder and the mutant’s ability of resurrection has made it almost mundane for Wolverine. It’s also interesting to see who Ewing uses in the two conversations, with Jessica getting a more blunt perspective and Hulk getting the more nuanced viewpoint. Perhaps it’s Ewing giving each facet of Jessica a different perspective than they are used to, with Jessica getting an argument for simple forward momentum and Hulk getting a moment of quiet reflection, but in any case, it’s interesting to see how these conversations play out.

The art is also quite strong in “The Immortal She-Hulk” #1 as Jennifer recounts her various deaths, but also the experiences she has in the below place. The contrast in art style between the living world and the below place is pretty striking, which is mainly achieves through the use of colors. Marcio Menyz creates two striking color pallets to differentiate when we’re in the below place or when we’re on Earth. Earth is signified by a selection of neutral colors, mostly greys, deeper blues, and silver. Even when there are pops of color, these are oftentimes muted tones suggesting darker lighting. The dreary colors suggest perhaps a darkening of Jennifer’s mood, the potential impact of the returning memories of her resurrections. In contrast, the place below is filled with the ominous reds and oranges of an eternal sunset and the greyish-green of the menacing sky. The lighting of the place below feels more deliberate, accenting the runes of the buildings and creating daunting shadows of the places that Jessica isn’t seeing. John Davis- Hunt gives the book a decrepit and seemingly endless world, ruled over by an ominous force. Davis-Hunt’s depiction of Brian Banner, transforming from a seemingly normal looking person to an eldritch horror before going through the green door for the second time. The early pages also take advantage of the two-page spread, showing the expanse of the One Below All. Every time we return to the below place things get more intense and more daunting, but the last visit truly changes the game.

“The Immortal She-Hulk” #1 ties in directly to “The Immortal Hulk” #34 in more ways than a similar structure. In each of Jennifer’s conversations, it seems that there is an unspoken threat she isn’t quite reveling to Wolverine and Thor, but in the third resurrection it’s revealed that The Leader, who has recently taken over the below place, has also figured out how to control The Green Door, the ability for Gamma impacted heroes to return to life. With this power, he can prevent Bruce, Jennifer, and others from being able to return from the dead. The issue begins with Jennifer declaring that she was never afraid to die, but after the threat of The Leader, death has a whole new meaning.

Final Verdict: 8.5 – “The Immortal She-Hulk” #1 continues Al Ewing’s reshaping of Marvel’s Gamma characters by creating a compelling study of contrasts as Jennifer deals with her ability to cheat death.


Joe Skonce

Joe Skonce was born, raised, and currently resides in Ohio, but has been exploring fantastical and imaginary worlds for as long as he can remember. He loves big guys and barbarians, pirates and puppets, and is always down to find nerdy new things. Come say hi to him on twitter @tunabellgrande.

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