Sensational She-Hulk #8
The World's Greatest Detective!
She-Hulk returns to her apartment from an adventure in space aboard a modified 57 Chevy. She checks her answering machine and learns that she has a new case: prosecuting a serial killer. After interviewing the defendant, she realizes that the case is purely circumstantial. She needs some hard evidence, and she has only two days to find it.
She gets a call from Nick St. Christopher, who claims to have a lead on the case. They meet at a restaurant. Despite her misgivings, she hasn't gotten anywhere on her own, so she accepts his offer of help. St. Christopher gets her into the defendant's apartment by going down the chimney. There they find personal effects of the victims, but she can't use it as evidence if it's discovered illegally—say, by breaking and entering. She calls DA Tower to get a search warrant for the place, and (after accepting some advances and a present) she and St. Christopher leave the way they came. She learns that the apartment is not leased to the defendant.
Meanwhile, someone known only as Mr. L is trying to get in touch with She-Hulk.
The judge in the case tells her that she must connect the evidence to the defendant, or else the case will be dismissed. Tower suspects that St. Christopher is the real killer. Mason suspects that he is some kind of super-villain. St. Christopher suddenly appears and teleports She-Hulk and himself to Australia, the defendant's homeland. They meet the defendant's ex-girlfriend, who rented the apartment but returned home after a fight. She agrees to testify.
The judge, with this new evidence, will allow the case to proceed. She-Hulk confronts St. Christopher over his true identity. Before she can get an answer, his wife appears, accuses She-Hulk of being a "hussy," makes a vague threat, and takes him home. Before he leaves, he tells She-Hulk to use his present at Christmas time. Mrs. St. Christopher makes good on her threat; Mason tells her there is reindeer manure in her office.
Recurring Characters
She-Hulk, Louise Mason, Blake Tower, Nick St. Christopher, Lexington Loopner
Continuity Notes
This story makes the obvious implication that Nick St. Christopher is really Santa Claus. For anyone who has any doubts, it was confirmed in the Santa Claus profile included in Marvel Holiday Special 2006.
The gift that Nick St. Christopher gives to She-Hulk isn't opened until Sensational She-Hulk #36.
Multiple mentions are made about She-Hulk's then current tenure with the Avengers and her past membership with the Fantastic Four. She-Hulk had concurrent membership with the Avengers from Avengers #221 to 333 with a brief sabbatical with the FF from Fantastic Four #265 to 301.
She-Hulk mentions her then recent "guest appearance" with the Avengers West Coast. This happened in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #47-49.
