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Marvel Masterworks: The Savage She-Hulk #1
Marvel Masterworks: The Savage She-Hulk, Vol. 1
Collects Savage She-Hulk (1980) #1-14. When criminal defense attorney Jennifer Walters is shot by a mob hitman, her cousin saves her life with a blood transfusion - but that cousin is Bruce Banner, and his gamma-irradiated blood turns her into the Savage She-Hulk! Suddenly she's a mean, green lawyering machine, and criminals the world over had better watch out. Now, experience She-Hulk's adventures from the very beginning! Her quest will take her from the halls of justice to other dimensions and pit her against Iron Man, mind-controlling cults, the Man- Thing, and even her own father. But despite her new power, can Jennifer Walters survive the beast within? Her own blood is killing her - and only Morbius the Living Vampire may have the cure!
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2017
80 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
David Anthony Kraft
329 books5 followersDavid Anthony Kraft was an American comic book writer, publisher, and critic.
(source: Wikipedia)
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 20, 2022
Read and reviewed as single issues using Marvel Unlimited.
This series is SO MUCH goofy fun. I'd definitely recommend this one for anyone looking to kick back and enjoy some nutty storylines.
Honorable mention goes out to Jen's white shirt collection. They always rip the same way and leave her with the perfect amount of cleavage.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #1 The first issue deals with the blood transfusion given to her by Banner/Hulk that turned her into She-Hulk.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #2 This issue has Jen's girl in the fridge moment, except it's her best friend in a car wreck.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #3 Zapper saves Jen from an overdose and She-Hulk battles an Iron Man robot with a wig.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #4 Jen's dad tries to kill She-Hulk because he thinks she ate his daughter.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #5 She-hulk finally gets to smash Trask.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #6 Oooh! Her first meet up with Iron Man.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #7 She-Hulk gets romantic with Richard Rory, friend of Man-Thing. Then promptly gets kidnapped by cultists.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #8 Jen and her alter ego meet Man-Thing and escape from the Fountain of Youth cult.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #9 Jen is hired to pry a doofy hippie away from a different cult.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #10 Jen loses her shit in a courtroom and then fights Ultima in a parking lot. Sounds like some white trash hijinks to me!
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #11
She-Hulk gets arrested, carjacks the douchebag Buck, nearly dies from her disease, and finally makes it to Morbius' lab in time (hopefully?) to slup down the cure he has concocted.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #12 Jen gets control of her transformation, helps a murderous vampire get back on the streets, wrestles the popular superperson Gemini, gets disowned by her father, and makes Zapper cry.
All in a days work for She-Hulk!
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #13 This issue is packed full of action as Man-Wolf and Hellcat show up and we find out Jen is carrying a universe inside of her mother's pearls.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #14 A lot of fun to be had while wrapping up this volume of Marvel Masterworks.
Issue 14 wraps up the start of Jen learning to navigate her new powers AND ends with a kiss for good old Zapper.
Highly Recommended for anyone who doesn't take comics too seriously.
This series is SO MUCH goofy fun. I'd definitely recommend this one for anyone looking to kick back and enjoy some nutty storylines.
Honorable mention goes out to Jen's white shirt collection. They always rip the same way and leave her with the perfect amount of cleavage.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #1 The first issue deals with the blood transfusion given to her by Banner/Hulk that turned her into She-Hulk.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #2 This issue has Jen's girl in the fridge moment, except it's her best friend in a car wreck.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #3 Zapper saves Jen from an overdose and She-Hulk battles an Iron Man robot with a wig.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #4 Jen's dad tries to kill She-Hulk because he thinks she ate his daughter.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #5 She-hulk finally gets to smash Trask.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #6 Oooh! Her first meet up with Iron Man.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #7 She-Hulk gets romantic with Richard Rory, friend of Man-Thing. Then promptly gets kidnapped by cultists.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #8 Jen and her alter ego meet Man-Thing and escape from the Fountain of Youth cult.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #9 Jen is hired to pry a doofy hippie away from a different cult.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #10 Jen loses her shit in a courtroom and then fights Ultima in a parking lot. Sounds like some white trash hijinks to me!
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #11
She-Hulk gets arrested, carjacks the douchebag Buck, nearly dies from her disease, and finally makes it to Morbius' lab in time (hopefully?) to slup down the cure he has concocted.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #12 Jen gets control of her transformation, helps a murderous vampire get back on the streets, wrestles the popular superperson Gemini, gets disowned by her father, and makes Zapper cry.
All in a days work for She-Hulk!
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #13 This issue is packed full of action as Man-Wolf and Hellcat show up and we find out Jen is carrying a universe inside of her mother's pearls.
Savage She-Hulk (1980-1982) #14 A lot of fun to be had while wrapping up this volume of Marvel Masterworks.
Issue 14 wraps up the start of Jen learning to navigate her new powers AND ends with a kiss for good old Zapper.
Highly Recommended for anyone who doesn't take comics too seriously.
December 20, 2023
The Marvel Masterworks editions are the trade paperback format that the Marvel Comics company has chosen to curate content from specific titles. The Savage She-Hulk, Volume I, (#246 of the Marvel Masterworks series) collects the content from the first 14 issues of The Savage She-Hulk (created in 1980, #1 - #14).
Stan Lee initially created the character in response to the success of the Hulk TV show starring Bill Bixby. He perceived that anyone might copyright a female counterpart to the Hulk and consequently, capitalize by riding on the coattails of a Marvel property. After giving David Anthony Kraft the barest semblance of a character, he and Mike Vosburg went on to create an iconic Marvel character that never was a shadow of her male counterpart, which in less capable hands might very well have been the case.
In fact, the character is so relevant that very shortly She-Hulk entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (You might have heard.) What should not go without saying is that the legendary Chic Stone inks the first few issues which gives that Golden Age vibe to a very (relatively-speaking) new character.
Stan Lee initially created the character in response to the success of the Hulk TV show starring Bill Bixby. He perceived that anyone might copyright a female counterpart to the Hulk and consequently, capitalize by riding on the coattails of a Marvel property. After giving David Anthony Kraft the barest semblance of a character, he and Mike Vosburg went on to create an iconic Marvel character that never was a shadow of her male counterpart, which in less capable hands might very well have been the case.
In fact, the character is so relevant that very shortly She-Hulk entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (You might have heard.) What should not go without saying is that the legendary Chic Stone inks the first few issues which gives that Golden Age vibe to a very (relatively-speaking) new character.
February 27, 2022
I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection of the first few She-Hulk issues. In particular, the stories that cover her legal career and her struggles with controlling her transformations are interesting. However, there were a two stories featuring the character Richard Rory, a Man-Thing supporting character, that were dreadful. In these stories, the focus shifts from She-Hulk herself to whatever mystical or cosmic nonsense that Rory has gotten himself involved in. On top of that, Rory is not an interesting character at all. If you read this, I recommend skipping directly to the next story as soon as you see the name Richard Rory.
August 14, 2022
Gran comic de los orígenes de Hulka. Marvel no oculta una creación algo vergonzosa para un personaje tan poderoso, pero lo encauza genial.
November 14, 2020
I don't love the character, but I've been curious about her origin for awhile. I do enjoy reading the original 60's/70's material of Marvel characters to see their early portrayals.
I read a little bit of the forward first, by the author, and he admits up front that She-Hulk's creation was purely so that Marvel would own the rights to her. There was a fear that the currently airing, and popular, Incredible Hulk TV show would debut the character there. Sadly, by reading the first issue, you can tell it was rushed. The circumstances were thrown together very quickly without much build-up or development as far as Jennifer getting her powers.
The next few issues are spent developing her supporting cast, which I felt was a decent effort although not entirely original: the friend who knows the secret identity, but also is in love with them, the non-superhuman side having an "enemy"/bully, the family member that drives the character through emotion, etc. Kraft also mentions trying to add a bit of humor, which I never got out of reading it. Most of it came off as being hokey. I get what he was trying to do though; get away from the dour and depressing tone of the real Hulk's series. And that's one of the things he should be applauded for.
The second thing would be that the She-Hulk still retains her intelligence, basically creating a female character with brains and brawn. Later he also imparts on her the ability to control her change, again differentiating her from Bruce and perhaps creating a better character. Kraft also gives her the classic Marvel "feet of clay", multiple human problems in addition to any issues involved with her alternate identity. Some of it is very melodramatic though. It also results in characters acting out on extreme emotions to drive the plot, even though a "real" person would try and at least get an explanation. Much of that is ignored for the sake of driving the story in a certain direction though.
After this point, the series lost me. Villains were kind-of cheesy (The Word, for example) or very outlandish (specifically the Man-Wolf story). The latter being filled with lots of prose to explain away what was happening without any real satisfactory understanding.
There's something about Stan Lee's original efforts that had that bit of charm in them. While Jennifer Walters is a strong character to be added to the Marvel Universe, her early adventures (so far) leave much to be desired.
I read a little bit of the forward first, by the author, and he admits up front that She-Hulk's creation was purely so that Marvel would own the rights to her. There was a fear that the currently airing, and popular, Incredible Hulk TV show would debut the character there. Sadly, by reading the first issue, you can tell it was rushed. The circumstances were thrown together very quickly without much build-up or development as far as Jennifer getting her powers.
The next few issues are spent developing her supporting cast, which I felt was a decent effort although not entirely original: the friend who knows the secret identity, but also is in love with them, the non-superhuman side having an "enemy"/bully, the family member that drives the character through emotion, etc. Kraft also mentions trying to add a bit of humor, which I never got out of reading it. Most of it came off as being hokey. I get what he was trying to do though; get away from the dour and depressing tone of the real Hulk's series. And that's one of the things he should be applauded for.
The second thing would be that the She-Hulk still retains her intelligence, basically creating a female character with brains and brawn. Later he also imparts on her the ability to control her change, again differentiating her from Bruce and perhaps creating a better character. Kraft also gives her the classic Marvel "feet of clay", multiple human problems in addition to any issues involved with her alternate identity. Some of it is very melodramatic though. It also results in characters acting out on extreme emotions to drive the plot, even though a "real" person would try and at least get an explanation. Much of that is ignored for the sake of driving the story in a certain direction though.
After this point, the series lost me. Villains were kind-of cheesy (The Word, for example) or very outlandish (specifically the Man-Wolf story). The latter being filled with lots of prose to explain away what was happening without any real satisfactory understanding.
There's something about Stan Lee's original efforts that had that bit of charm in them. While Jennifer Walters is a strong character to be added to the Marvel Universe, her early adventures (so far) leave much to be desired.
April 26, 2022
Modern She-Hulk >>> Classic She-Hulk
June 15, 2023
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/a0-0tjo4qFw
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/a0-0tjo4qFw
Enjoy!
December 20, 2021
This Collection is Quite a Nostalgia Trip for Me!
I discovered The Savage She-Hulk when I was 9 years old and Immediately developed a boyish crush on the title character.
Returning to the series after four decades reveals how far comic book writing and art has come since then. The biggest flaw I see in the series is the countless violations of the most important rule of writing that I learned, "Show, don't tell!" This is quite problematic considering the fact that comic books are a visual medium. Many times during my reading of this I wondered why the creators couldn't just let the images speak for themselves.
When the dialog and captions weren't describing and explaining what was already going on in the pictures, they were trying to take shortcuts with characters or captions telling action to avoid Images that would have made for better "comic booking" by showing the action. While I agree with a tiny bit of the criticism that current comics are too cinematic and do not allow comic books to be the medium they are, e.g. the current trend against thought balloons and captions, I think that much of what was put into captions and dialogue balloons read as quite clunky and even childish at times.
Perhaps I am too much on the fence here but I think there should be a happy medium where comic books can flourish as a medium that includes captions and thought balloons where They are enhancing to the reading experience, however, used carefully in sparingly.
Of course, this comic is a product of its time when mainstream comics we're constrained by the prudish Comics Code Authority and were thought of by most of society as a medium for children and 'tweens. This comic, like other comics of its time, certainly has a good place in my heart. However, that doesn't mean that It is immune to my critical eye either.
That being said. I still found reading this to be quite enjoyable and worth my time. After all, It is a work of fiction and a piece of popular culture intended for entertainment, which certainly meets that particular criteria. However, there were comics from this time that certainly had better writing and art than this (e.g. The Uncanny X-men) and I may have granted it a higher rating if that weren't the case.
I discovered The Savage She-Hulk when I was 9 years old and Immediately developed a boyish crush on the title character.
Returning to the series after four decades reveals how far comic book writing and art has come since then. The biggest flaw I see in the series is the countless violations of the most important rule of writing that I learned, "Show, don't tell!" This is quite problematic considering the fact that comic books are a visual medium. Many times during my reading of this I wondered why the creators couldn't just let the images speak for themselves.
When the dialog and captions weren't describing and explaining what was already going on in the pictures, they were trying to take shortcuts with characters or captions telling action to avoid Images that would have made for better "comic booking" by showing the action. While I agree with a tiny bit of the criticism that current comics are too cinematic and do not allow comic books to be the medium they are, e.g. the current trend against thought balloons and captions, I think that much of what was put into captions and dialogue balloons read as quite clunky and even childish at times.
Perhaps I am too much on the fence here but I think there should be a happy medium where comic books can flourish as a medium that includes captions and thought balloons where They are enhancing to the reading experience, however, used carefully in sparingly.
Of course, this comic is a product of its time when mainstream comics we're constrained by the prudish Comics Code Authority and were thought of by most of society as a medium for children and 'tweens. This comic, like other comics of its time, certainly has a good place in my heart. However, that doesn't mean that It is immune to my critical eye either.
That being said. I still found reading this to be quite enjoyable and worth my time. After all, It is a work of fiction and a piece of popular culture intended for entertainment, which certainly meets that particular criteria. However, there were comics from this time that certainly had better writing and art than this (e.g. The Uncanny X-men) and I may have granted it a higher rating if that weren't the case.
May 25, 2021
It's an old Marvel book! That means the protagonist is going to follow the same exact pattern of being haunted by their condition, and has a "colorful" cast of characters! But not very many super-villains or anything to make it pop! Here's hoping volume 2 of this is more fun...
January 17, 2023
Ok, let's be real, comic writing was not exactly at Tolkien levels in 1980. But I have always loved She-Hulk, and I am thrilled to see her early emergence. Granted, right now, things are very disconnected, and there are random characters popping in and out. But I am thrilled to be reading this.
June 27, 2022
There's a lot to like here, but also a lot that's just so of its time. She-Hulk fighting gangsters and robots just don't cut it these days. Some of it's retro enough to hold my attention, but, outside of the origin issue and the first meetups with Iron Man, Hellcat and Man-Wolf, nothing seems consequential for the decades going forward.
December 17, 2019
In 1977 it began to air The Incredible Hulk TV series, and by 1979 it was pretty much a fad. To anticipate the probable creation of a woman version of Hulk in the series, Marvel asked the already absolutely legendary Stan Lee to create the character first (the last one he would give birth until 1992). Stan Lee and John Buscema are responsible of issue #1 of Savage She-Hulk, first appeared in 1980.
Taking into consideration such a trivial, corporatist reason as creating a character just not to lose its publishing rights, the first issue of the series is pretty good in itself, presenting an interesting, powerful and independent female-character with such a suggestive and playful description as dual lawyer-womanbeast. Jennifer Walters is a hero with lots of potential, ruined in subsequent issues by very poor writing, plots totally devoid of coherence and a surrounding crowd of secondary characters each one of them more dull and void than the other. The situations sometimes untangle with spontaneous changes of mind or climaxes so absurd and ridiculous that are, in the best of cases, quickly forgotten. The dual-personality presented by The Incredible Hulk is probably one of his best traits, but in Savage She-Hulk it is almost non-existent, She-Hulk being just a somewhat angrier and stronger version of Jennifer Walters, but strangely conserving her goals and reasoning. And what about the love triangle in which Walters somewhat engages with two simpletons characters? Such huge uninteresting losers!.
All in all, the series go in decrescendo, presenting sci-fi and fantasy plots used thousands of times before in Marvel, and definitely ruining a very good superhero with so much more potential.
Taking into consideration such a trivial, corporatist reason as creating a character just not to lose its publishing rights, the first issue of the series is pretty good in itself, presenting an interesting, powerful and independent female-character with such a suggestive and playful description as dual lawyer-womanbeast. Jennifer Walters is a hero with lots of potential, ruined in subsequent issues by very poor writing, plots totally devoid of coherence and a surrounding crowd of secondary characters each one of them more dull and void than the other. The situations sometimes untangle with spontaneous changes of mind or climaxes so absurd and ridiculous that are, in the best of cases, quickly forgotten. The dual-personality presented by The Incredible Hulk is probably one of his best traits, but in Savage She-Hulk it is almost non-existent, She-Hulk being just a somewhat angrier and stronger version of Jennifer Walters, but strangely conserving her goals and reasoning. And what about the love triangle in which Walters somewhat engages with two simpletons characters? Such huge uninteresting losers!.
All in all, the series go in decrescendo, presenting sci-fi and fantasy plots used thousands of times before in Marvel, and definitely ruining a very good superhero with so much more potential.
January 2, 2021
The art in this is shockingly sloppy and the writing is all over the place, but I love She-Hulk too much to dislike this.
February 8, 2019
She-Hulk began as a way for Marvel to ensure it got paid if the producers of the wildly popular Hulk tv show introduced a woman who was also a Hulk. That may be a shallow motive but it did give Marvel comics a very exciting and worthy female superhero and one that had her own title.
The month to month adventures aren’t exactly the most thrilling. What makes the book hang together is the wonderful character of Jen Walters and her She-Hulk alter ego.
We notice right away that Jen Walters is a woman on top of things. She is a sharp prosecutor. This is a modern, almost ahead of her time woman in comics. She is a professional whose goals are defined by her, and not a husband or boyfriend. She is no one’s side kick. The book is also unapologetically modern in the way it lets Jen have fairly open relationships with a few different men in the book. She has confidence in herself and doesn’t pine after any of the men in her life over much.
The type of Hulk a person becomes seems to depend a great deal on how their personality interacts with power. The Hulk will reveal a personality’s flaws. Banner carries the scars of an abusive home. His hulk wants to be a lone and safe. Emile Blonsky’s Hulk became the Abomination. His personality reveled in the way it could impose its will on, and hurt others even more than he could before. Jen Walters expression of the Hulk was almost exactly what you would expect from someone who was at ease with who she was. It’s not a smooth ride, but she manages to control her expression of the big green in pretty short order.
The month to month adventures aren’t exactly the most thrilling. What makes the book hang together is the wonderful character of Jen Walters and her She-Hulk alter ego.
We notice right away that Jen Walters is a woman on top of things. She is a sharp prosecutor. This is a modern, almost ahead of her time woman in comics. She is a professional whose goals are defined by her, and not a husband or boyfriend. She is no one’s side kick. The book is also unapologetically modern in the way it lets Jen have fairly open relationships with a few different men in the book. She has confidence in herself and doesn’t pine after any of the men in her life over much.
The type of Hulk a person becomes seems to depend a great deal on how their personality interacts with power. The Hulk will reveal a personality’s flaws. Banner carries the scars of an abusive home. His hulk wants to be a lone and safe. Emile Blonsky’s Hulk became the Abomination. His personality reveled in the way it could impose its will on, and hurt others even more than he could before. Jen Walters expression of the Hulk was almost exactly what you would expect from someone who was at ease with who she was. It’s not a smooth ride, but she manages to control her expression of the big green in pretty short order.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2021
Wow. What can I say other than this was pretty savage?
As Marvel delays some of its phase 4 titles, I decided to look into the origin of one of its upcoming series. The savage, sensational, fantastic, a lot of other titles... She-Hulk!
Now, this is a Superhero origin story. So like the rest of the genre, it's filled with tragedy, but lighthearted tragedy. You know the type that you can overcome with years of therapy. Which she'll probably never get.
I do love the kind of image they were trying to bring with The Savage She-Hulk title. This is still a hulk-like creature, just a different breed. Instead, we have a smart, and levelheaded hulk. It just so happens that this hulk is female and the title "Jade Amazoness" definitely does her justice.
You have to give credit to David Anthony Frank, his writing along with Mike Vosburg's art are why the She-hulk has the "legs" needed to stand on her own. Don't need her cousin around to be taken seriously.
I really enjoyed this masterwork and am looking forward to finishing The Savage She-Hulk run in this next installment. This is the start of a long project as I try to read every essential She-Hulk title before the buzzer hits zero on that She-Hulk series.
As Marvel delays some of its phase 4 titles, I decided to look into the origin of one of its upcoming series. The savage, sensational, fantastic, a lot of other titles... She-Hulk!
Now, this is a Superhero origin story. So like the rest of the genre, it's filled with tragedy, but lighthearted tragedy. You know the type that you can overcome with years of therapy. Which she'll probably never get.
I do love the kind of image they were trying to bring with The Savage She-Hulk title. This is still a hulk-like creature, just a different breed. Instead, we have a smart, and levelheaded hulk. It just so happens that this hulk is female and the title "Jade Amazoness" definitely does her justice.
You have to give credit to David Anthony Frank, his writing along with Mike Vosburg's art are why the She-hulk has the "legs" needed to stand on her own. Don't need her cousin around to be taken seriously.
I really enjoyed this masterwork and am looking forward to finishing The Savage She-Hulk run in this next installment. This is the start of a long project as I try to read every essential She-Hulk title before the buzzer hits zero on that She-Hulk series.
October 16, 2022
I enjoyed more than I thought. Jen comes across superheroic the first 4 or 5 issues. She still is heroic after that but with the intro you really need to sell it. Plus they continued the arc with mobsters and once that wrapped up she doesn't have to remind you she is a hero every issue with actual dialogue. Although the last issue in this volume she does again remind us as she is trying to save a micro verse that she won't give up even if it kills her. That is the hero spirit done right.
Some of the middle issues are interesting but enjoyment dipped a bit. Guest stars saved those issues. Iron Man, Morbius, Man-Thing, Man-Wolf.
From the intro in She-Hulk Masterworks volume 2 the story writer summed up these first 25 issues as getting Jen to where she could be used to her fullest going forward. Unfortunately he would not be the one doing it as She-Hulk moved on to the Avengers and Fantastic Four. From what I gather and also from what I just read he did a great job. History has shown that She-Hulk in the comics seems to be well liked and a fan favorite when used. Don't have a clue what the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law writers were going for since the finale aired 2 days ago and I have no interest in seeing that show continue. I do however want to see She-Hulk continue on in her comic form. Luckily I also own the Avengers and Fantastic Four Masterworks so I will see her again as long as I continue reading.
On to volume 2...
Some of the middle issues are interesting but enjoyment dipped a bit. Guest stars saved those issues. Iron Man, Morbius, Man-Thing, Man-Wolf.
From the intro in She-Hulk Masterworks volume 2 the story writer summed up these first 25 issues as getting Jen to where she could be used to her fullest going forward. Unfortunately he would not be the one doing it as She-Hulk moved on to the Avengers and Fantastic Four. From what I gather and also from what I just read he did a great job. History has shown that She-Hulk in the comics seems to be well liked and a fan favorite when used. Don't have a clue what the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law writers were going for since the finale aired 2 days ago and I have no interest in seeing that show continue. I do however want to see She-Hulk continue on in her comic form. Luckily I also own the Avengers and Fantastic Four Masterworks so I will see her again as long as I continue reading.
On to volume 2...
March 22, 2025
I'm glad I started with some more of the modern versions of the She-Hulk character. It made me appreciate these issues much more than I think I would have - had this been my start. The pacing was surprisingly fast for these fourteen issues. Normally, I'm used to arcs taking four to six issues but these stories just had such a brisk pace to them. It felt really refreshing. I really wasn't sure what to think of the David Anthony Kraft era of comics.
Especially considering it would be the Byrne era, following Kraft, that shapes the character. Though, I have to say I love the complexities that Kraft brings to the duality of She-Hulk and Jennifer Walter. I like that this feels isolated even with some other Marvel characters. This manages to capture a great deal of tones between science fiction and horror among the normal superhero story.
Especially considering it would be the Byrne era, following Kraft, that shapes the character. Though, I have to say I love the complexities that Kraft brings to the duality of She-Hulk and Jennifer Walter. I like that this feels isolated even with some other Marvel characters. This manages to capture a great deal of tones between science fiction and horror among the normal superhero story.
July 21, 2020
Obviously, I love She-Hulk. Who doesn't. But this volume, which pulls together the first 14 issues of The Savage She-Hulk together along with some comics history, scripts, thumbnails, and pencils, reminded me of what always eventually put me off Marvel Comics as a kid (except for Howard the Duck and the associated KISS comics). It doesn't take long for the story to jump into all kinds of other worldly strangeness with multiple universes, Man Wolf, Stargod, etc. I'd love to see a She-Hulk TV series that stays firmly planted on planet Earth (at least for a while) similar to the Marvel Jessica Jones series, though with a little less of the soft-core porn vibe that seemed to have.
April 25, 2023
A fascinating, engaging origin of one of my favorite Marvel comics characters. The writing and art are solid. Although I'll admit to being more fond of She-Hulk's later incarnations, Marvel Masterworks: The Savage She-Hulk, Vol. 1 was interesting. The stories maintained a nice balance between Jen's non-Shulkie lawyer life and the green-skinned, trying-to-keep-in-control adventures of her alter ego. The last two issues of the volume, containing the collection's final story arc, with Man-Wolf and a microverse, I did not care for very much. Nonetheless, this Masterworks volume is certainly worth a read. There's a bit of a Man-Thing tie-in, too!
December 11, 2023
A product of its time that still has some charm
Maybe is the similarity with Daredevil, but the live of Jen Walter as a Attorney fighting the local mob and also some weird threats of their time is a somewhat fun way to present this character, better than the web series we got recently. He seems like a capable professional, with her own doubts and problem, augmented after her "accident", but is this juggling of difficulties that make her likeable, even with her flaws. DAK and Mike Vosburg gave their full on this series, supervised by Jo Duffy as their editor, an gave us a fun read.
Maybe is the similarity with Daredevil, but the live of Jen Walter as a Attorney fighting the local mob and also some weird threats of their time is a somewhat fun way to present this character, better than the web series we got recently. He seems like a capable professional, with her own doubts and problem, augmented after her "accident", but is this juggling of difficulties that make her likeable, even with her flaws. DAK and Mike Vosburg gave their full on this series, supervised by Jo Duffy as their editor, an gave us a fun read.
January 18, 2022
Four stars is generous. 3.5 is more accurate. The reason it isn’t three stars is because I did enjoy parts of my journey reading this collection.
The origin of She-Hulk is sad. The book admits it. It wasn’t about introducing some new line; it was about Marvel having the creative rights for the character.
For the actual story of She-Hulk, it’s decent. The first six issues serve as world building. As for the rest of the stories, they are entertaining and original.
She-Hulk is most likely a character that improves with time, so I will keep reading about this green Amazon.
The origin of She-Hulk is sad. The book admits it. It wasn’t about introducing some new line; it was about Marvel having the creative rights for the character.
For the actual story of She-Hulk, it’s decent. The first six issues serve as world building. As for the rest of the stories, they are entertaining and original.
She-Hulk is most likely a character that improves with time, so I will keep reading about this green Amazon.
January 13, 2026
If I'm being completely honest...this isn't the best comic writing I've ever encountered. Most of the enjoyment of this book is more in the historical context, seeing where the character started from, and where other authors / writers / illustrators have taken it from there.
In many respects, this volume hasn't aged well, but I also think that's the point. It shows where the character of The Savage She-Hulk was in the early 80s. It's just a good thing she's no longer there.
It will be interesting to see how part 2 picks up from here and how the character continues to grow.
In many respects, this volume hasn't aged well, but I also think that's the point. It shows where the character of The Savage She-Hulk was in the early 80s. It's just a good thing she's no longer there.
It will be interesting to see how part 2 picks up from here and how the character continues to grow.
February 22, 2022
The intro and the first few issues were pretty good. The Iron Man issue was decent too, but other than that, it felt like the writer really struggled for material, and the last two issues were WAY out there!
The art had some decent moments, but the close up faces were atrocious.
I don't think She- Hulk ever hits her stride in this title, but does in the Avengers and Sensational titles down the road.
On to Vol. 2 before getting to those later runs...
The art had some decent moments, but the close up faces were atrocious.
I don't think She- Hulk ever hits her stride in this title, but does in the Avengers and Sensational titles down the road.
On to Vol. 2 before getting to those later runs...
March 25, 2022
Savage joys
Good color artwork and lots of it. I bought this on sale and what a bargain. The origin of the She Hulk. She Hulk was created to copyright the name, yet became a creative success. She Hulk meets or fights Iron man, morbius the living vampire, Ultima, Robotic She Hulk and Starwolf. Plus several others. Jen Walters has a lot of personal problems as well, her dad is not as supportive as she needs. Not like the slugfest comix that were common back then.
Good color artwork and lots of it. I bought this on sale and what a bargain. The origin of the She Hulk. She Hulk was created to copyright the name, yet became a creative success. She Hulk meets or fights Iron man, morbius the living vampire, Ultima, Robotic She Hulk and Starwolf. Plus several others. Jen Walters has a lot of personal problems as well, her dad is not as supportive as she needs. Not like the slugfest comix that were common back then.
August 22, 2022
It was like watching a Lou Grant spin-off, which is a high compliment. Its like a late 70s/early 80s Los Angeles drama. I also liked all the lawyer stuff, the Man-Thing stuff and the “being comfortable with your anger” stuff. Was there a Man Wolf series? That was cool too.
I kind of wish She-Hulk busted up a cult in every issue.
I kind of wish She-Hulk busted up a cult in every issue.
September 14, 2022
The artwork was fantastic.
The storyline was predictable for that Marvel era. Jen whines more than Spider-man on a bad day. I question how I could have read these stories with such relish when they first came out and then I recall I was given them in small monthly doses with other, more upbeat stories from other sources intermixed at the time.
The storyline was predictable for that Marvel era. Jen whines more than Spider-man on a bad day. I question how I could have read these stories with such relish when they first came out and then I recall I was given them in small monthly doses with other, more upbeat stories from other sources intermixed at the time.
April 2, 2020
She-Hulk is a longtime fave of mine and it was cool to see that the character's essence was there from the beginning. I really enjoyed this except the last few issues (with Wolf-Man, in space) which were too bonkers for me.
February 9, 2022
It's interesting to read this series and see Jen's origins, and how much she's changed from them. I liked the persona of the She-Hulk, she seemed to have a little more going for her than Jen here. Mostly, I'm more of a fan of Jen when she has her bombastic personality in later stories.
April 24, 2022
The She-Hulk is very attractive, and the panel shapes and sizes made this a convenient comic to read on a Kindle, but I would struggle to think of another reason to recommend it. I was surprised at the end to realise it was from the eighties: it seems much more old-fashioned than that.
January 13, 2020
other than the usual issues with our-of-touch male writers from this era, jen kicked ass. she ALWAYS kicks ass but, she particularly did here.
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