She-Hulk aka Jen Walters from Marvel comic books
Most all of my favorite female characters, who are showing up on this meme, are ones that I relate to in some way or another. But She-Hulk is one who’s very close to my heart.
A friend of mine recommended Dan Slott’s She-Hulk run when I was first heavily getting into comic books. And I loved it. For those of you that don’t know, She-Hulk is the Hulk’s cousin. She received her superpowers via a blood transfusion from her cousin after she was shot by gangster. Said gangsters were coming after Jen because she was prosecuting them on murder charges as they murdered her mother.
Unlike her cousin, She-Hulk is in full control of herself. A Harvard-trained lawyer, Jen was fighting the good fight before she became a superhero, and her new status as a superhero didn’t prevent her from practicing the law. As She-Hulk, she’d bring in the criminals, and as Jen, she’d put them behind bars permanently. One time, Jen ran the United Nations when the planet was under attack, and another time, she was picked to be a cosmic judge.
As a hero, Jen’s served on the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the Lady Liberators. She’s often the powerhouse on the teams. On the Fantastic Four, Jen replaced the Thing for a while. She’s also a character who has a lot of fun. Jen surrounds herself with family and friends and has a healthy dating life. The side characters in her stories often want to be better just because they’re around Jen. She’s a good friend, mentor, daughter, coworker, and fellow superhero.
One of the reason I appreciate She-Hulk is that she’s a comedic character, without being a tired trope. For those of you who’ve never read a She-Hulk comic, starting with John Bryne’s Sensational She-Hulk, She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall constantly. She talks to the reader, knows she’s in a comic book, and argues with her writers and editors. Slott kind of toned Bryne’s fourth wall breaking down, but She-Hulk comics are still the place for the wacky fun. In one plot, Jen visited a comic book shop in order to obtain evidence for a trail she was working on. I love comedic women as women are just as funny as men.
She-Hulk is a well-rounded woman; she uses her brains and brawns, and she’s funny too. I have a lot of love for her.
Read all about She-Hulk from the beginning, buy Essential Savage She-Hulk by David Kraft and Stand Lee
