The Sensational She-Hulk, Vol. 1

The Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #1–8

by John Byrne, Bob Wiacek (Inker), Al Milgrom (Inker)

From Savage to Sensational! With John Byrne writing and penciling, witness She-Hulk go where no super hero has gone before: right through the 4th wall! See She-Hulk vs. Spider-Man! Beheaded! Against the wrath of Dr. Bong! Alongside Santa Claus! On her own Star Truck! Hosting her own golden age guest star! Guest-starring the Wasp, Mr. Fantastic and Razorback!

COLLECTING:

Sensational She-Hulk #1-8, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #18 (She-Hulk story)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Humor

222 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2011

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

John Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.

Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics' X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me way longer than it needed to read this!

You could easily finish it in one sitting; it’s light, it‘s funny and while I think it may compare itself to Hulk a little too often, creates an interestingly unique character not seen before (at the time).

My favourite parts were when Jen used the reader to make changing clothes easier or when she walked through panels!

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I begin? This has got to be, at least for me, the most outrageously funny and entertaining comic ever written. This comic is filled to bursting with hysterical dialogue and meta-humor that it is nearly impossible to describe. Imagine a character who knows she's in a comic book, talks to the reader and uses the fact that she's in a comic book to help solve the situations she's in. This is only beginning to scratch the surface of how She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall and every rule of the industry, all while tearing down every cliche imaginable. From the first panel to the very last, Byrne fills the pages with non-stop hilarity without losing a quantum of exciting super-hero action. Guest appearances by Spider-Man, Mister Fantastic, Razorback (yeah, you've got to see this guy to believe him - and Byrne didn't create him either), the golden-age Blonde Phantom and (I'm not kidding here) the world's greatest detective ('cuz he knows who's been naughty & nice) Nicholas St. Christopher (aka Santa Claus). And villains like Ringmaster & the Circus of Crime, the Headmen (again: you've got to see these old Defenders villains to believe just how absurd they are), Mysterio, Stilt-Man and Xemnu. Yep, it's a no holds barred extravaganza of non-stop fun-filled hilarity as only John Byrne and She-Hulk can deliver. Great stuff.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy shit, what a giant waste of my time that was. Byrne was already deeply angry and aggrieved by this point in his career, almost like he wanted to test his reputation and fuck with his editors so he'd have a good goddamned reason to be angry at anyone except himself. Boy did he get bitter incel around this time, and it never really wore off did it?

Byrne sure doesn’t skimp on any opportunity to draw heavy bosoms with deep shadows.

He also does enjoy the hell out of silly, which is redeeming of sorts

Space truckers? And Xemnu? Gotta hand it to Byrne - this takes effort, coming up with a plot this weird.

These are definitely some of the (self-acknowledged) goofiest villains - Headmen, Stilt-Man, Doctor Bong? (That last one would work so much better these days).

But to suddenly be disappeared off this series without any hint that he was stepping away? I so wish I had a time machine so I could hear some of the phone calls that led up to this. He must've been a completely shatter-prone snowflake.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love John Byrne's work. He is one of my top 5 favorite comic artists of all time. I have even enjoyed his writing over the years. But this series just doesn't do it for me. I am not sure if Byrne was given a script to follow or this was an idea he had but I did not enjoy the way this series was done. Byrne's art saves this from 2 stars but be warned the writing is not the usual comic book style. Recommended

[Ondra Král · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dávno dávno před Deadpoolem tu byl John Byrne a She-Hulk. Skvělá (a v každém čísle jiná) práce s bouráním čtvrté stěny, zábavné a šílené zápletky, super kresba. Tohle se vážně povedlo a Shulkie je jedno z nej NHM.

[Mervi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an effort to cut down stress from (yet another) lockdown, I’m rereading my old favorite comics. She-Hulk is a fun character and I’ve always appreciated that she’s not a broody or angsty. Byrne is one of my favorite comics creators so their union was lots of fun. Of course, he wrote Jen in Fantastic Four before starting this comic. (I'm also rereading those.) This is a very 80s comic with lots of explaining the panels which I think are very clear, anyway. While Jennifer doesn’t have a constant cleavage, like the Black Cat or the Black Widow, she does spend time in her underwear, although not in every issue. But she’s also strong and awesome

These are stand-alone issues with one weird two-parter and continuing subplots. Also, Jen knows that she’s in a comic book and she speaks directly to readers and to Byrne. This was the first time I read a comic like that, so it made a big impression. This is mostly a fun comic with lots of jokes and humor. While many of the characters are from other comics (meaning they weren’t created to be funny) Byrne throws in some off-the wall original characters, too. (Doctor Bong, I’m looking at you… and laughing.)

In the first issue, Jen is in a circus and is hypnotized by the Ringmaster. She tells us her origin story and we also get a subplot of one of the weirdest Marvel enemies ever, the Headmen.

In the second issue, the Toadmen attack New York and the Headmen kidnap Jen.

In the third issue, the Headmen control the She-Hulk’s headless body! And make it attack Spider-Man!

In the next issue, Jen gets a new job as assistant DA and meets her gorgeous new employer… only to find out that he’s happily married. The Stilt-Man is after her new employer, so Jen must stop him. She also gets a new sidekick, who used to be the Blonde Phantom when she was younger. Brilliant stuff about aging characters.

In the fifth issue, we meet Doctor Bong!

In the sixth and seventh issue, NASA’s new FTL rocket is stolen and Jen hitches a ride to the stars. This is apparently a follow up story to some other comic but it’s still entertaining and wacky. Briefly guest starring Mr. Fantastic.

In the final issue, Jen gets her first legal case, trying to find some solid evidence to put a serial killer behind the bars. We also meet possibly the world’s strangest PI… who knows who is naughty and nice.

This wasn’t as hysterically funny now as when I read them years ago. Sadly, She-Hulk wasn’t published in Finland and this is the only collection I got my hands on. But now, thanks to Marvel Unlimited I will continue reading and I finally find out just who is that mysterious bald man who wants to get Jen because she’s the only one strong enough to defeat his arch enemy. He’s called Mister L and he drives in a large limo.

I thoroughly enjoyed this walk down the memory lane. Younger readers would probably be less enchanted with this 80s style.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun comic and the first trade paperback I have read of the controversial John Byrne. After reading and enjoying She-Hulk, Volume 1: Deconstructed and She-Hulk, Volume 2: Let Them Eat Cake by Mariko Tamaki, I was curious about this run (which I read about and which is homaged in the previously named volume 2 or Hulk (2016-) #11). I knew that Byrne's book run on this book is mainly remembered for introducing an ongoing comic that broke the 4th wall (before Deadpool), but it did more than that.

Unlike Deadpool, who I also like, this book is a more classy subversive affair. I liked that this volume was a full satire of how comics are made. Because the artist was also the writer here, She-Hulk is often just addressing Byrne directly about using the same old stereotypes. On a more cleaver level, Jennifer points out that the first 8 issues of this book are mimicking the original 8 issues of the Fantastic Four (which is a meta-shoutout because Byrne was a former writer and artist for Fantastic Four and his tenure had She-Hulk as a member.

I wished comic books did more comedy of this type. You have neglected gems like Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain or Ryan North's run on Squirrel Girl, but I would not mind more to balance out, the typical angst, or formulaic procedure that this book lovingly mocks.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

She-hulk is very tongue and cheek and the method of storytelling is just as important as the actual plot. She-hulk is constantly breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the reader. All of the characters are self-aware and comment on the fact that they are inside of a comic book. Unlike other comics the goal of this one is to be funny, and it was.

The analytical side of me wants to explore the idea that the strongest, most developed, and interesting female character is crafted as a running joke... But the other side of me says, just shut up and enjoy this, it was entertaining and clever.

The Meta gets a little daunting but the real fault with this book is the final issue featuring Santa Claus??? I was confused. (Don’t even get me started on the fact that it is the only time we see her working on a case and she can’t solve it without the help of a man) The entire concept with Santa was outrageous and not the least bit interesting, clever, or funny.

However, overall this book was very fun. It is a shame that the last issue was so terrible because all the other stories were great.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is example of comics that didn't aged well. While it may be interesting new way how to work with medium few decades back, now it doesn't work for me. Breaking the fourth wall is cool, but when you do it on every second page, reader will probably get overeaten by it pretty soon (as it was in my case). Humor is not so funny in most cases, and feels like author is pushing it to much. Each of the issues tell separate story, which tries to king of mock super hero genre, but with exception of 4th issue dealing, which had some pretty good ideas and jokes, and was dealing with aging of superheros, they were mostly boring and uninteresting. There are lot of unnecessary dialogues and explaining frames. I probably got the idea, what was the aim of it all and I liked retro art, but I had to push myself really hard to finish it...

[William Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

WTF. No, really, wtf. I can't explain it. Maybe Byrne wanted to see how quickly he could get this book cancelled, or how much he could get away with, but this is absolutely absurd. Best part of the book is Byrne's art.

Writing: D
Art: A

[Alan Castree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some really fun stories and creative page layouts, almost want to give it a higher rating because of that. But compared to the stories in the Dan Slott run, this is a bit all over the place and sometimes too silly. Jennifer also is barely in any trials… Regardless, the John Byrne run is quite unique and stuff is still fun!

[Alex Sarll]

Spinning out of Byrne's Fantastic Four run*, and a key book in establishing Jen Walters as altogether more fun than her angst-ridden and often monosyllabic cousin Bruce. Indeed, it's remarkable to see lots of the fourth wall shenanigans which would subsequently come to be associated with Deadpool rearing their head here a few years earlier: "I know how these things work! It'll be at least my third issue before I find out who it is! Although you readers will probably find out on the next page..." Hell, this goes further than Deadpool in some ways, with a few other characters in on the gag, and some very Grant Morrison material about how living in a comics universe affects the inhabitants, how that can be manipulated – and why you really don't want to cease publication. Editorial notes about a lack of action intrude on the page; trapped, Jen leads an escape through the ads, where one of the party injures their leg on a staple (which gains a whole extra level of odd read digitally). All of which inevitably leaves me wondering: how much of this, reformatted of course, will make it into the forthcoming TV series? At least a little, I would hope. Other aspects haven't aged quite so well – you can argue back and forth on the merits of playing up the sexiness of a green Amazon, empowerment vs fetishisation, but I can definitely do without female heroes getting mind-controlled into subservience in their debut issue, especially by quite such a rubbish villain. Though while we're on the psychosexual stuff, I'm not sure I've ever seen any rendition of Banner's gamma bomb look quite as much like Bezos' knob rocket as it does in the origin flashback here. Still, whether or not you click with Jen herself, there's the charm here in the metafictional tricks but also in the readiness to take full advantage of the variety a shared universe assembled from such varied components offers, such that a story digging up already half-forgotten characters intended to cash in on the CB radio craze - in space! - segues naturally into teaming up with Santa to bring a serial killer to justice.

*All of which I have, and am slowly working my way through. If I'd thought a little more about this, I would have waited until the appropriate spot in reading through that before getting on to this, but let's face it, that's not going to make anyone's top 100 of 2020s regrets, is it?

[Johnny Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished She-Hulk's entry into the Marvel's Mightiest Heroes Collection. Anyone who hasn't read of Jennifer Walters is in for a surprise. She is Bruce's cousin and they were close growing up however Jen went and studied law as her dad was a cop but she didn't want to go that route. When a fatal incident leaves Jennifer in drastic need of medical attention her cousin Bruce-already gamma radiated-gives her an emergency blood transfusion.
Now Jennifer Walters is part of the Hulk family.
When John Byrne started writing her he really wanted to break her away from Hulk's shadow, that is not to say she does not kick ass but she does it with fun an flair. Before Deadpool started breaking the 4th wall She-Hulk was doing with pure wit and sarcasm often angrily at writer John Byrne.
Knowing she is within a comic book and dealing with being She-Hulk and going up against z-list villains makes it one hell of a ride that you'll never know what happens next.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly, very light-hearted, and very charming. I wish I'd been hip to this comic back in the 80s, but at least I got to give it a read all these years later in the form of a collected paperback. By today's standards, a superhero who is fully aware they're in a comic book, being read by YOU, is kind of quaint. But the relative newness of the idea in this She-Hulk series sends the characters in every direction, with results involving clinical beheadings, intergalactic trailer parks, and even Howard the Duck's old villain Doctor Bong. As if that weren't enough, the series is stuffed with enough entertainingly horrific 80s fashions to make even Joan Collins' stomach turn. All from the pen of John Byrne, during what many people consider his glory years as a writer and illustrator. Fun stuff. Do check it out.

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's beautifully illustrated, it boldly represents a solo female superhero, and, most importantly, it's not afraid to have fun with the comics medium within the dominant superhero genre; if Byrne's She-Hulk doesn't tickle your funny bone, nothing can.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm counting this as just the whole series, which was bangin'.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Love She-Hulk. Love John Byrne. Love all the fourth wall breaking. Lots of fun.

[Lucy Batson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This aged a lot better than I expected, and I think one could make a case for this book being John Byrne's best work (at least as an artist, if not as a writer). There's wacky action in the Mighty Marvel Manner, fourth-wall-breaking left and right, and lots of imagination on display. Don't miss this!

[Roberto Audiffred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful antidote to today's "dark," adult, "woke" superhero comic books. This is just pure, unadulterated fun. Byrne at his best.

[dorian ♕ ♕ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick lil comic read, very fun honestly.

With that being said, never thought i'd say this in my entire life, but the best issues are the ones Byrne writes. Sadly.

[P Roberge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not expect that much fourth-wall breaking, damn.

[Mark Plaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

She-Hulk at Her Best! (John Byrne too!)

Before this series, John Byrne did Marvel Graphic Novel #18, which was subtitled The Sensational She-Hulk. While the art was the kind of high quality work one can always expect from Byrne, the writing was terrible.

However with the Sensational She-Hulk ongoing series, Byrne takes a brave dive into meta-comedy, which was not very fashionable in 1989, and makes it work. Where the aforementioned graphic novel was corny, contrived, and painfully cringey, Byrne leans into his predilection for corniness and finds a sweet spot by bringing in Marvel Comics' most embarrassing characters like the Circus of Crime, the Headmen, and Dr. Bong, among others, and sets them against a confident and snarky Jennifer Walters whose wit, self-awareness, and ability to speak directly to the readers gives Elvira Mistress of the Dark a run for her money.

Another way Byrne takes me by surprise is the character- design aspects he applies to "Shulkie". Full disclosure: I was a punk rocker back in the 80s and I hate mainstream 80s fashion and hairstyles. Yet, Byrne gave She-Hulk a hairstyle that was of its time but one that made her spectacularly pretty. The same could be said for her wardrobe. Every single panel she appears in is her being delightfully beautiful. Yet, she has a personality depth and style that without it would make it read like it was just masturbation fodder for a skeevy Robert Crumb-esque artist.

The kind of care that Byrne put into the title character, that he obviously adores, makes for high quality comics that are extremely enjoyable to read, like any labor of love.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Byrne gives She-Hulk the new super power of being aware that she's a character in a comic book. He then unleashes some of marvel's goofiest villains upon her and does it with his trademark great art and it all clicks.

The idea is goofy, but once Byrne sets up the rules, he follows them and creates a great little corner of the Marvel Universe for her to play in.

The bad guys are goofy and lame, but Byrne plays them as straight menaces and She-Hulk treats them them the same way. The humor works because we are laughing at the situations and the twists on comic book cliches, but at the same time rooting for the heroes.

None of it feels mean spirited, like so many 'humor' comics can.

Plus, Byrne's She-Hulk is one of the great babes of the marvel universe and Byrne picks some of my favorite goofy villains for her to fight.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast reading this comic! So much that I reread a couple of the issues as I went along. It's unapologetically meta and really funny, but only if you enjoy corny jokes and meta humour. Byrne likes third rate superheroes and villains, and this is full of them. I'm sure I would have found it even better if I had known the references beforehand, but even though I had no clue who most of these people were, the story was still really well done and very funny.

The art was very dynamic and fun, especially compared to other pencillers at the time and the questionable sexualization of female superheroes that came after. Maybe the fact that Bobbie Chase was editing this had something to do with that?

Very sad that one can't read the whole run on Marvel Unlimited, but if they ever decide to upload all the issues I'll be over there reading them.

[Jon Shanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly insane and totally fun. Through Byrne, She-Hulk not only breaks the fourth wall, she smashes it! Talking to the audience, the writer/artist, referring to pages, issues numbers, panel and sub-plots. in one story she even rips a hole in the page and walks through an ads page to the next section of the story! On top of the, Byrne plumbs the depths to dredge out some of Marvel's most obscure and ridiculous characters to populate the stories, as well as paying homage (i.e. close enough that you know who they are, but not close enough to get sued) popular culture icons and the obligatory Spider-Man guest appearance. Any Marvel fan who hasn't read or doesn't read this deserves to have She-Hulk come to their house and rip up all their X-Men comics!

[Max Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting, somehow the mention of "4th wall breaking" got past me and I was thinking it would just be action-adventure stuff. Technically, it is, but it's so tongue in cheek, it's more of an outright parody. While the individual jokes may not be all that funny, the smile never leaves your face while Jen jumps from one silly adventure into another. And it's a welcome sight, because it's not that easy to find non-grim dark comics any more unless you're willing to go waaay back. Two years before that Keith Giffen started his famous run of JLI and I guess this is Marvel's answer. Or just John Byrne having fun.

[Michael Emond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of fun. The art looks great and Byrne was trying something new "let's break the fourth wall and also use lame Marvel villains from yesteryear who were never seen from again". That's a cool idea. In this first volume there are some hits and misses but overall I had fun reading it (volume 2? that's another story).
I will say - Byrne picks lame villains but he doesn't make them that fun. I would think using "The Eraser" could have led to some funnier moments than it did. And also - the fourth wall breaking was used in moderation here but gets worse and worse in later issues to the point where he isn't writing a story anymore.
I don't know if I would recommend this but I liked it for what it was.

[Michael Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just one of the best things Marvel has ever put out.

[Zachary King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a dyed in the wool fan of John Byrne, and his take on She-Hulk is rollicking good, fourth-wall shattering fun! Jen goes up against space truckers, Santa Claus himself, and the very nature of serialized superhero comics, to say nothing of the nefarious Doctor Bong. Really a treat. A number of plot threads are still hanging, I presume for the second volume.

[boofykins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I forgot how truly great John Byrne is. Like, I don’t forget, but I do. I take him for granted I guess. Sensational She-Hulk exhibits Byrne’s greatness with a laugh-out-loud gonzo presentation. I read these issues as a kid in the late 80s and early 90s and they’re even better in 2020.