Avengers (vol. 3) #72
The Search for She-Hulk, Part 1: Hiding
Having lost control of her powers, Jennifer Walters has hit the road searching for the only person who can fix things, her cousin Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk.[1] The trail has led to her to the town of Bone, Idaho, as Bruce was last reported in that area. As she walks through town she sheds a tear when she thinks how much her life has become like that of her infamous cousin. She misses being the She-Hulk as that persona made her feel confident and beautiful.
As she enters town she passes by the local sheriffs office and becomes upset when one of the deputies puts up a wanted poster of Bruce. Jennifer ducks her head and goes into a local diner, the officer takes note of her.
Inside the diner, Jennifer asks the waitress what she can buy with $3 — all the money she has. Taking pity on the poor girl, the woman tells Jen that that it’ll get her whatever she wants. That’s when the television hanging on the wall features a news story about Bruce Banner and how the Hulk recently caused a great deal of damage in the nearby town of Boise. The news anchor tells the audience that if they spot Banner, not to approach him and call the 1-800 number that has appeared on the screen. As Jennifer watches she wonders why they always use the worst possible photo of her cousin.
That’s when deputy Lance Howards approaches Jennifer at the table, causing her to tense up. However, Lance is just trying to hit on the latest in a string of attractive women that has passed his sightline and is trying to strike up conversation. Not wanting this kind of attention, Jennifer excuses herself and heads into the women’s washroom. She then tries to steady herself by breathing in order to keep back a transformation into the She-Hulk. She just barely manages to stop it from happening and after checking her pulse, she breaks down and cries because she can’t keep doing this. Seeing that Jen was bothered by something, the waitress comes in looking to see if she is all right. She knees down beside Walters and begins calmly talking to her to find out what’s wrong and why she is in town. She tells the waitress about her cousin Bruce and about how they used to spend a lot of time together in the summer when they were growing up. She shares a story about how they frequently spent their time in the local library in order to get away from Bruce’s abusive father.[2]
Meanwhile, Lance goes back to the station where his mother, Sheriff Sheryl Howards, is dealing with the roaches that have come into the station to keep warm for the winter. This is turning out to be an ordinary day for Bone. However, that all changes when an Avengers Quinjet touches down outside. From it comes Captain America, Iron Man, and the Scarlet Witch. While Sheryl finds the appearance of famous superheroes a shock, Lance is very excited. He’s even more blown away when the Scarlet Witch uses her hex powers to cure his cold.[3] When asked if they are out looking for the Hulk, Iron Man explains that they are actually looking for their missing teammate She-Hulk. He then transmits images of Jennifer Walters. Getting a look at her picture, Lance recognizes her as the woman he tried hitting on at the diner.
By this time, the waitress has finally calmed Jennifer down and she thanks the stranger for her help. Leaving the washroom, Jen enters the diner and discovers that it has been completely evacuated. That’s when the Scarlet Witch comes in and tells Jen that the Avengers have come to help her. Beginning to panic again, Jen tells Wanda that the only person who can help her now is her cousin Bruce. When she tries to leave, Wanda uses her hex power to cause a support beam to fall from the ceiling and bar her path to the door. This finally triggers Jennifer’s transformation into She-Hulk. As she transforms, Jen tells Wanda that it’s not anger that causes her to change. The now savage She-Hulk finishes this thought, saying that it’s fear that triggers the transformation. She then picks up the support beam and takes a swing at the Scarlet Witch.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk), Lance Howards, Sheryl Howards
Continuity Notes
Banner was responsible for turning Jennifer into the She-Hulk via blood transfusion in Savage She-Hulk #1. More recently, Jennifer began losing control of her powers due to her gamma radiation being siphoned off by teammate of Jack of Hearts. This was first seen in Avengers (vol. 3) #58. It got to the point it was affecting her ability to remain in her She-Hulk form, prompting her to flee from Jack in the middle of a mission, as seen in issues #67-68.
Brian Banner’s abusiveness was one of, if not the most important, contributing factors to Bruce’s mental health problems. It is said that the Hulk persona is a manifestation of his repressed rage from years of abuse. This was famously first explored in Incredible Hulk #312.
Lance Howards excitedly blurts out a few facts about some of the Avengers. They are:
That Iron Man is Tony Stark. At the time of this story, Tony’s secret identity was inadvertedly exposed in Iron Man (vol. 3) #55.
He also refers to the Scarlet Witch as a mutant. However, this has since been proven false. As per Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, Wanda was actually experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as a baby. In order to cover up his work, he made it so future genetic testing would have her register as a mutant.
Topical References
Inside the the Bone, Iowa diner, there is a banner hanging that reads “United We Stand”. In the context of this story, the phrase was used in a lot of patriotic speeches following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. It was used to show support to first responders who stepped up during the attacks, and later in support of the troops during the war in Iraq. While you can still get these bumper stickers, the slogan has been co-opted by other groups with very different agendas than unity. Given the context that this bumper sticker in this story it should be considered a topical reference.
The television hanging in the diner is depicted as a CRT model television. This should be considered a topical reference as this is now an obsolete technology.
The newscaster states that the Hulk caused 2 million dollars worth of damage to Boise. Adjusting for inflation this would be about 3.1 million in 2023 money.
When recounting how she and Bruce used to spend their childhood at the local library, Jennifer notes that one summer they must have read Lord of the Flies twenty times. This book was written by William Golding and was first published in 1954. It follows the story of a group of school children trapped on a deserted island and their descent into anarchy over time. It’s reference here wouldn’t be considered topical as it is considered classic literature.
Iron Man is depicted transmitting Jennifer Walter’s photo to the sheriff’s fax machine. While these were still fairly common in the 2000s, the fax machine has fallen out of favor due to the advancement of digital imaging and the Internet’s capabilities in transmitting said images. Fax machines are still around in some places, but it is a technology on its way to obsolescence, as such its depiction here should be considered topical. One could assume Iron Man is transmitting Jen’s photos to a printer, or a computer, or someone’s smart phone or something.
