Sensational She-Hulk #11
The Adventure of Pseudo-Man!
Hired by Lexington Loopner to defend him from a deranged former client, the She-Hulk finds herself facing off against this threat, a costumed individual calling himself Pseudo-Man. Demanding answers from her foe Pseudo-Man explains that he intends to use his Pseudo Image Projector to shake up the status-quo and change the entire world, starting with Loopner. She-Hulk isn't a big fan of the status-quo either, but she doesn't believe that violence will solve the problems. When she tries to stop him, she is shocked to discover that the seemingly frail form has enhanced strength as he easily tosses her into the sky. She-Hulk quickly stops her ascent by swinging around the radio tower of the Empire State Building, but she goes crashing down to the street and smashes through the pavement. Her impact breaks a water main. She is furious at being taken off guard and calls for a taxi.
She is taken back to Loopner's home where she is too late to stop Pseudo-Man. She finds Lexington being subjected to horrific images by his own invention and shuts it off. She then demands straight answers about who Pseudo-Man really is. Lexington tells her that Pseudo-Man is a really a man named Clark Finark, a potential candidate for a midwestern congressional seat who hired Loopner to help with his image. However, news got out that Finark was apparently an alien from outer space. Regardless of the validity of these claims it imploded Clark's political career and he blamed Lexington for this failure. The key to his strength, Loopner explains, is the helmet which uses his technology to make an individual see themselves as their perfect ideal, Finark's powers are stemming from that. She-Hulk is furious at the irresponsibility on the part of Loopner, but agrees to stop Pseudo-Man, but tells him to worry about what she will do when she gets back.
Meanwhile, Pseudo-Man is terrorizing New York City by using his Pseudo-Image Projector to create massive constructs of Uncle Sam, a fast food mascot, and an iconic alien from a children's movie. The city is also plagued by rodents that wear the clothing of a popular children's cartoon character, there is a crazy voodoo priest who looks like a known fried chicken restaurant owner, and the Statue of Liberty has turned into a big-breasted sex object. The whole time, Pseudo-Man hovers over the city, spouting his anti-corporate and anti-establishment manifesto for all to hear. Suddenly, She-Hulk attacks him, but he summons a massive space ship based on a popular science fiction series to knock her away. Knowing that these are only illusions, She-Hulk can't help but react to them. She comes up with a solution, she rams Pseudo-Man with her car, pinning him against the side of a building. She then tries to remove his helmet, but it is electrified. Pseudo-Man smashes her car sending it crumbling to the ground. She-Hulk then decides to change tactics by pelting garbage at her foe in an effort to humiliate him. Pseudo-Man becomes angry and smashes her through the ground into an underground electrical station. There she rips out some high voltage wires and tosses them at her foe, shorting out his equipment, leaving him powerless and defeated.
The next day, She-Hulk is in Central Park with Lousie Mason. She explains that Loopner is still trying to convince her to be his client. Even though she is going to start her own law practice, she is not interested. When she sees the crazy voodoo-fried chicken magnate running around in the park, She-Hulk thinks that Pseudo-Man might be at it again, but Lousie explains that Colonel Hougen is just one of the many crazy characters who hang out in Central Park.
Continuity Notes
The original Twin Towers are depicted at the site of the World Trade Center. These towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. As such their appearance here should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
She-Hulk tells Psudeo-Man not to run for politics in 1992. At the time this story was published the Untied States was in the midst of an election. This statement, particularly in reference to the year, should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale.
