Jumping Rope Naked: John Byrne, Metafiction, and the Comics Code

Jennifer Walters, aka the Sensational She-Hulk, is one of the last superheroes created by the legendary Stan Lee (a fact that the self-aware She-Hulk proudly notes on more than one occasion). As is often the case with female “versions” of male superheroes (Jennifer gained her powers via a blood transfusion from her more famous cousin—the Incredible Hulk), the She-Hulk was initially introduced in order to protect Marvel Comics’ rights to a female version of the popular male character. Unsurprisingly, the She-Hulk’s first solo title—The Savage She-Hulk—is, in retrospect, of little lasting interest to either fans or scholars of comics, since the She-Hulk is portrayed there as little more than an enraged, female clone of her cousin. See, for example, Peter David and Brian Reed, She-Hulk Sensational (Marvel Comics, 2010)….