New ongoing SHE-HULK title launching in March

[Dan Slott]

Hey ToonZoners,
The good folks at Marvel asked me to keep this a secret, and so I did--
But now they've gone and let the cat out of the bag (see today's Newsarama article- www.newsarama.com).

So here's the skinny (a word I never thought I'd use in a SHE-HULK blurb...):

This March there's going to be a new ongoing SHE-HULK title by myself (ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL, REN & STIMPY, and BATMAN ADVENTURES) and Juan Bobillo (MEKANIX, AGENT X, and CAPTAIN AMERICA). We've got some lovely covers by Adi Granov (the first one's up already-- take a gander and be wowed!). And we're all being shephereded by one of the best editorial groups in the biz, Tom Brevoort's team (the same loveable scamps that bring you mainstream faves like FANTASTIC FOUR and AVENGERS as well as cult hits like SPIDER-GIRL and SENTINEL).

So what's not to love? Really?

What can you expect from this book?

Hmmm...

Think "Ally McBeal w/ Muscles" or "LA Law... in Astro City" or "The Practice... but with the occasional guest-star by Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch instead of Chris O'Donnell and Sharon Stone."

It's going to be a book about everyone's favorite Single Green Female Lawyer practicing "Superhuman Law," looking for love, and-- every now & then-- saving the world.

Here's some preemptive a's to the usual q's:
It's set firmly in the Marvel U.
The 4th wall will remain intact and unbroken.
After the events of AVENGERS: RED ZONE (and continuing on into AVENGERS: SEARCH FOR SHE-HULK and this new ongoing title), SHE-HULK can turn back into JEN WALTERS and vice-versa.
Will it be funny? Hopefully. And on purpose.
So is it JUST going to be funny? Nope. This is my first ever crack at a monthly MARVEL super-hero title-- so you can bet it's going to have some two-fisted action and pulse-pounding drama all done in the Mighty Marvel Manner!

Anything else you guys want to know?
Fire away!

ttyl
Dan

 

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

A transcript of the morning "stall 'till I have to get to work" surf:

Ace surfs over to Newsarama...lots of new titles from Marvel coming soon. Iron Fist -- big whoop-de-doo. (Side note: why is it that only white people end up being the Greatest Masters of Martial Arts? The Last Samurai vaguely bothers me for the same reason.) And She-Hulk. Yawn.

< CLICK >

< READ READ READ >

She-Hulk is written by Dan Slott.

< BLINK BLINK >

She-Hulk is being written by Dan Slott.

Oh, I am SO there.

My first, major question about any kind of She-Hulk series is whether it will have any ties at all to the regular Hulk series. I figured at the very least that Jen Walters would be just a teeny bit concerned that her cousin has disappeared and is being accused of murder, and is causing no small amount of property damage along the way. I'm guessing that the latest Avengers arc has dealt with this a little (or at least the Previews blurbs suggest it), but Bruce Jones isn't touching it at all, as far as I can see.

And I want to put in a request for a "Futurama" reference (<SINGS>"SING-le Fe-MALE LAW-yer!"</SINGS>). Just one. It can be small .

Other than that, just be you and rip her clothes up a lot and I'll be just fine. And NOT waiting for the trade.

(Side note #2: Avengers vs. Thunderbolts (the real ones, I'm guessing) by Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza -- SO there, too.)

-- Ed/Ace

 

[Spider-Man]

No offense, Dan Slott, but the She-Hulk isn't really my favorite character. I've never been really fomd of her, and her last series wasn't really all that fun for me. But, I do love your writing. Batman Adventures is by far my favorite Batman book, and Arkham Asylum was a great, scary read. You're incredibly talented, and it's that reason alone that I will buy your She-Hulk book. To be honest she is the last character I would ever associate you with. I think this book can be fun, and I'm going to give it a test run because your name is in the credit box.

 

[wonderfly]

First, I'd like to thank you Mr. Slott for sharing this info with us loyal toonzone readers. I can't tell you how nice it is when the creators of comics share stuff with us the fans, personally.

Moving on, I can say that I AM a fan of She-Hulk, and I'm loving what Johns has done with her character in Avengers. And right from the one scene in Red Zone, I was like, "Uh-Oh, looks like they're up to something with She-Hulk...I suspect a new ongoing series is in the works!"

And now I've been proven right. She's been long overdue for some exposure.

While I enjoyed the comedy aspects of the John Bryne late 80's early 90's series, I'm glad to hear your avoiding the farsical spoof style he had, (no breaking the 4th wall? Great!). While I'm sure their will be comedy aspects in the book, it's time She-Hulk was used to tell some serious stories again, (the Johns issues in Avengers are a perfect example of just a small taste of the may possibilities of what COULD be done, but then, that's an extreme version She-Hulk we are seeing there...it's a way to mirror the Hulk's experiences from Jennifer's own point of view...)

Eh, I have to ask...(though you don't have to tell us if it'd give too much away) ...so she can become both Jen and She-Hulk again, right? Ummm...will She-Hulk retain her "smart" personality when she transforms or what? Will she have a costume, like her Avengers/FF costume, or will she be uh wearing her old ripped white shirt from her original series for a costume? I hope you have her wearing more than her underoos, (like in Johns' issues).


While we're on the subject, I'd like to express my personal hostility towards you getting the honor of writing the title! Allow me to explain:

I'm going to submit stuff to Marvel, (yes, another wannabe writer out here)...I'm just waiting till I have just the right story to submit. Figuring that my best chances lay with finding obscure characters, I set about finding who I can write stories about. A few months back, I had just started a Conan script when (low and behold) comes the news: Marvel lost the rights to publish Conan. Kurt Busiek is writing the title over at Dark Horse. Yeah, right, like I'll ever get a chance to write my beloved barbarian now.

Well, a couple months ago, I started on a She-hulk script...now, low and behold, She-Hulk gets a new title. Ah, the bitter taste... You see, I'm pretty sure that once I got my stuff submitted, I'm almost sure it wouldn't have been accepted, but hey, I'd put my heart into it, and that's all that counts. Mr. Slott, I loved some of your issues of Batman Adventures, (I hardly read DC, but I do have some of your issues) so I can assure you I'll pick up the book no matter what. I'm glad to see you'll be exploring some of the ideas I wanted to see explored, (making the She-Hulk a more serious character in nature; there's so much potential there). So it's all good, and I can't wait!

 

[Bubblegum Girl]

I'm very interested into looking at SHE-HULK.

 

[Icer]

Never been a fan of the character, but I'm always willing to try out new takes on the character. (the recent Hawkeye ongoing, for one)

 

[Viper]

Sounds terrific!

I've seen She-Hulk in the classic Avengers comics and I enjoyed her in the short-lived late-90's cartoon series. I think I'm gonna enjoy this series a lot when it comes out.

 

[Eddie G.]

Don't like Marvel, Don't like She-Hulk, but I like the way you're describing it. It sounds interesting, and I'll probably give it a shot.

 

[Cyber E.]

She-Hulk and Dan Slott? You'd have to steal my sanity for me not to buy this.

If I may ask a question for Mr. Slott: Is this title going to reflect any part of the current storyline going on in Avengers, The Hunt for She-Hulk?

 

[wonderfly]

A day later and if finally clicks in my head that I should go to the Newsarama link to get more info! They have an initial pic drawn by the artist on the series...is that supposed to be the cover to issue 1 or just a pin up? Either way, it has potential, (I've never personally heard of this artist before...)

And the picture they have of She-Hulk has her in costume, which is good, (I dunno, I just feared she'd be running around in her panties ALL the time going by John's story... )


Still, I'm looking forward to the title...2004 is looking better all the time!

 

[Dan Slott]

Hey!
Quick thanks to all the posters who took the time to check out this thread! Now let's get to your questions and comments...

Ace The Bathound,
Will we see any ties to THE HULK series? Probably not in the initial six issues, outside of a possible recap of She-Hulk's origin in issue #2. Like you said, a lot of this stuff was JUST covered in that last four issue arc of THE AVENGERS. But not to fear-- I can promise you a bunch of cameos and the occasional guest-star from some OTHER big name Marvel characters. Who? You'll just have to wait and see.
As for the Futurama ref.? Purely intentional.

Amazing Spider-Man,
Thanks for saying you'll give this book a shot! I can ask for no more, sir.
She-Hulk's the "last character" you'd ever associate with me? I can see that. But let me tell you, she is one of my all time favorite Marvels. Sure, I'm crazy about Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Cap, and all of the top tier guys. But it was always the B-characters in the Marvel U that I cared about (especially Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and everyone's favorite Nazi-basher, The Mighty Destroyer).
In fact, when I wrote my FIRST EVER super-hero story (a Speedball back up in NEW WARRIORS ANNUAL #1), it featured cameos by most of my faves-- Spidey, the Beast, She-Hulk, and the Invisible Woman (standing in for the FF). I would have snuck Moon Knight and the Mighty Destroyer in there too-- sadly, for practical reasons, the story couldn't be set at night... or in World War 2 Germany. Blast you, Speedball!

wonderfly,
Yes, after the events of AVENGERS: RED ZONE and SEARCH FOR SHE-HULK, Shulkie can now transform back into Jen Walters and vice-versa. Will she retain her "smarts" as She-Hulk? Yup and her sense of humor too.
Will she wear a costume? Sure, when the need arises. Why not?
Sorry to put the kibosh on YOUR She-Hulk pitch, sir. But let me tell ya, I've been pitching She-Hulk for YEARS! In fact, my last SQUASHED proposal was dated January 2001 (and THAT had some pretty BIG names attached for the art!). It took a hit like ARKHAM to give my recent SHE-HULK pitch serious consideration.
The GORGEOUS art you saw posted on Newsarama is actually one of our covers by ADI GRANOV, and I couldn't be happier with it! Right now, it is proudly serving as my screen-saver.
The interior art is being done by the MEGA-TALENTED JUAN BOBILLO! In the past Juan has worked on CAPTAIN AMERICA and AGENT X. His biggest claim to fame though is MEKANIX, an X-Mini he did with Chris Claremont. If you haven't seen it, RUN-DON'T-WALK to your local comic shop and check it out-- it's been collected as X-TREME X-MEN VOL. 4! Juan's pages just ooze with talent-- from his expressive characters, his detailed backgrounds, his fine line work, and-- most importantly-- his alluring female leads! We just got the first couple pages of SHE-HULK #1 in this week, and MAN do they look GREAT! This is my FIRST Marvel monthly and I could NOT be any happier! One of my favorite characters, an AMAZING art team, and an editorial office that is always on-the-ball... it's a dream come true and WELL worth the wait. (He typed while pausing briefly to knock on wood.)

Bubblegum Girl,
Thanks! That's all we ask.

Icer,
Yup. I like Fabian's new HAWKEYE book too. Love the Elmore Leonard-ish spin he's putting on Clint.

Viper,
I'm with you. The late 90's animated She-Hulk was a hoot. They did a line of action-figures based on that show, and I've got the She-Hulk figure sitting here on my desk. I'm fairly certain that it will TOY STORY/SMALL SOLDIER itself to life and beat the living-whatsits out of me if I dare turn in any sub-par plots. Here's hoping I can keep it appeased...

Blue Wolf,
Don't like Marvel? Eegads! Don't like She-Hulk? Gadzooks! But you'll give this title a shot? Whew! Scared me there for a second!

Cyber E.,
Steal your sanity? Wouldn't dream of it. Will this title reflect the events in AVENGERS: SEARCH FOR SHE-HULK? Asked and answered, sir-- see my response to wonderfly.

Well, we're a little over three months away, so you know what THAT means! What? You don't? It means that pretty soon comic book retailers are going to be placing their March orders. "Well..." you may ask, "What does that have to do with me?"
It means, oh soon-to-be Shulkie-fans, that you've got to "put out the vote" NOW! Next time you're in your local comic shop, let the guy behind the counter know that you're REALLY looking forward to that new She-Hulk title that comes out in MARCH. When enough people tell him that, he'll be sure to up his orders. And THEN, SHE-HULK #1 will have GREAT opening numbers, MARVEL will have tremendous faith in the title, it's future will be secured, and cosmic harmony will envelope the known universe. Or something to that effect.
So to recap...
You'd be doing me and Juan a HUGE solid if the next time you pick up your comics, you tell the guys at your local store that you're really excited about the new SHE-HULK book in MARCH. If you don't have the time for that, just grunt out these syllables: SHE-HULK MARCH. Over time, this will subliminally effect your comic shop owner's mind and he'll either order a lot of SHE-HULK #1... Or hire people to dress up as the She-Hulk and march around town. And either of these things would be equally cool. Really.

ttyl
Dan
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SHE-HULK MARCH!

 

[wonderfly]

But it was always the B-characters in the Marvel U that I cared about (especially Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and everyone's favorite Nazi-basher, The Mighty Destroyer).

You like Moon Knight? And other Marvel B-characters? Your coolness factor just went up 10 times in my book. Stick with Marvel, Mr. Slott, that Batman guy will lead you astray! (Just kidding everyone knows I'm simply a bigger Marvel fan than a DC buff...)

Sorry to put the kibosh on YOUR She-Hulk pitch, sir. But let me tell ya, I've been pitching She-Hulk for YEARS! In fact, my last SQUASHED proposal was dated January 2001 (and THAT had some pretty BIG names attached for the art!).

HA! Oh, that's perfectly fine, lord knows I wasn't ready to submit, and there's PLENTY of other B-characters I'm working on in this twisted head of mine...and I'm always happy to see when someone gets a chance at something they've been itching to do for years.

The GORGEOUS art you saw posted on Newsarama is actually one of our covers by ADI GRANOV, and I couldn't be happier with it! Right now, it is proudly serving as my screen-saver.
The interior art is being done by the MEGA-TALENTED JUAN BOBILLO!

Crap, I should've paid more attention...heck, I just noticed you pointed that out in your initial post, (that the covers are by a different person). Yeah, yesterday when I stopped by my local comic shop I remembered you did mention his work on Mekanix, and so I went flipping through those back issues looking at his artwork to get a feel for it. I liked what I saw! I would've bought them, but I lacked the funds...the comic shop didn't have every back issue in stock anyway...still, as you mentioned it's now collected in TPB, I'll be seeking that out after I get paid!

And don't worry, I'll be begging that they beef up orders of it from BOTH comic shops I frequent...I really don't want ANY of the new titles to get cancelled that don't unduly deserve it...Looks like we loyal Marvel fans have our work cut out for us in the months ahead.

 

[Kathy Kane]

I've read some issues, I'll check it out I hope it doesn't get cancelled like the other three times.
As long as you dont make her wear a headband like she did in the 80s I'm in.
Also What about She-Hulks love life?? Is there a Wyatt Wingfoot in the future?

 

[Reed Richards]

be sure to bring back US 1 and the whole trucking gang!

 

[Dan Slott]

be sure to bring back US 1 and the whole trucking gang!

Please! Not even in jest, RR!
This is the all-new, no cheesey characters, no goofy villains, firmly in the Marvel Universe SHE-HULK book!
Don't scare away the kids like that!

Anyway...
If you guys want to read a spiffy new SHE-HULK interview, it's up at 411Mania.com. Just go here:

http://www.411mania.com/comics/columns/article.php?columns_id=1845

ttyl
Dan

 

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

If you guys want to read a spiffy new SHE-HULK interview, it's up at 411Mania.com. Just go here:

http://www.411mania.com/comics/columns/article.php?columns_id=1845

In the interests of accuracy, I would like to note that this is, in fact, NOT an interview with the She-Hulk, but with the writer .

But it's funny:

< click >

411: Will there be cheesecake? This is a good time to pull in the fanboy audience with promises of skimpy outfits and busty spandex clad babes...

Dan Slott: No. She-Hulk is going to spend the entire series inside a burlap sack with two eye-holes cut out. She will never show any skin, burst out of her clothes, or traipse around in revealing lingerie. Never. Wait. Sorry. That was Bizarro-Dan answering that last question. He am very bad! Bad, Bizarro-Dan!

Yeah, OF COURSE there's gonna be cheesecake! There's gonna be a whole king-size bakery full a' cheesecake! Dang Kevin, you think I'm am idiot or something?

Bwah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah! Now THAT'S what I like to hear.

(And you're gonna put Shulkie in that burlap sack at least once in the series, aren't you...)

-- Ed/Ace

 

[wonderfly]

411: When exactly is She-Hulk coming out?

Dan Slott: That's a pretty personal question, Kevin. I've talked this over with She-Hulk and, under advisement from her legal team at Goodman, Leiber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway, we've decided that Ms. Walter's sexual orientation is not really a topic that's open for discussion. Oh, wait! You mean the comic? Oops. That's coming out in March. My bad.

You know, I'm liking our Mr. Slott more and more. I don't usually buy DC comics, but I'm going to have to hunt down this Arkham Asylum miniseries, as it's obviously a reflection of Dan's character. He's obviously a madman, and quite possibly needs locked up!

 

[Stu]

Originally Quoted by Dan Slott

I'm with you. The late 90's animated She-Hulk was a hoot.

Really? I thought She Hulk ruined an otherwise good cartoon, because she simply didn't shut up, and none of her wise-cracks where that funny.

She Hulk is one of those characters who works as a guest star, sometimes, but I've never thought of her as having her own monthly title. I may pick this up, not too sure yet. It wonn't affect Batman Adventures in anyway will it?

And Spider-Man will guest star......

 

[Reed Richards]

Dan-

don't forget that She-Hulk knows she is in a comic and talks to her readers in-issue!!!!

 

[Dan Slott]

Dan-

don't forget that She-Hulk knows she is in a comic and talks to her readers in-issue!!!!

Okay Richards,
Them there's fightin' woids! Put 'em up!
Jeezaloo, man! We're trying to convince the folks that kind of stuff just ain't going to play in the new book! That was Byrne-- and he did it OH so well. But I gotta be me, unnerstand?
So cut this stuff out, okay? Even in jest. Some internet posters are completely unable to read "sarcasm" and take everything SO seriously! And then I have to run around doing damage control when I SHOULD be working.

Sigh.

ttyl
Dan