Sensational She-Hulk #22
Blondes & Bombshells!
She-Hulk and Wanda are shocked that Weezi would have any knowledge of an atomic bomb! Jasper informs them that the bomb is a U.S. Army bomb, codenamed "rosebud". It was stolen in the late 1940s and has never been found. Dutch Rosenblatt was the prime suspect, but no evidence was ever found to prosecute him. Jasper learned about the incident when he worked as an aide to Senator Grant... which is also where he met Weezi, the senator's daughter. She-Hulk grabs Jasper and demands to know where Weezi is, but Jasper warns her that if she doesn't release him, Abominatrix and Captain Rectitude will dispose of Weezi. She-Hulk and Wanda storm out and Jen decides to confront Dutch about the bomb!
Wanda asks how Jen is going to get Dutch to tell them since he didn't tell the senate 40 years ago. Jen says she plans to motivate his geriatric behind, and then she smashes her flying car through his penthouse wall! The security guards open fire on her, but the bullets just bounce harmlessly off her. She knocks the men aside, and grabs Dutch's wheelchair and lifts him into the air! She demands to know where "rosebud" is. "Close enough... to blow us all straight to heck! The pacemaker in my heart is linked to the bomb's arming mechanism!" When Dutch dies, Las Vegas dies with him. Realizing she has no leverage to make him talk, Jen angrily strides back to her car. As she and Wanda walk away, Dutch comments that he knows her from somewhere. Wanda points out that she does look a bit like her mother, but Dutch says he was talking about She-Hulk. He asks if they've met before. She-Hulk says not in this lifetime, and then she and Wanda fly away.
She-Hulk and Wanda get some coffee and try to figure out their next move. Wanda wonders how they are going to find the bomb, given that her mother and Keaton couldn't do it, and they had the advantage of being alive when the bomb was first stolen. This gives She-Hulk an idea, and she and Wanda fly back to New York so that Jen can get a favor from Reed Richards. Wanda is less than impressed. "Oh, gag. More old fuddies in skin-tight suits?!? What're you gonna say? 'Ohh, ya gotta help us! Phantom Blonde's in danger! We gotta go on a big mission!'" Jen, who is getting rather annoyed with Wanda, keeps thinking to herself that she will not kill her...yet.
Jennifer manages to convince Reed to let them use Dr. Doom's time machine to go back in history to observe the theft of "rosebud", so she can find out where it was hidden. She promises him that she won't interfere with the timeline. She tells Reed to program the machine to give her 48 hours in the past. Wanda asks if this is for real, and when Jen says yes, Wanda jumps onto the time platform with her!
She-Hulk and Wanda arrive 44 years in the past, and their clothes have automatically changed to be appropriate to the time period. They arrive in the middle of a gang war. Jen decides she has to put a stop to this because if Dutch dies they'll never find the bomb! As She-Hulk smashes the car full of gangsters firing at Dutch, Wanda points out that if Dutch dies the bomb won't get stolen in the first place. Jen tells her to forget it, and just find Dutch. Dutch is impressed with how Jen handled Vinnie Vidivicci's mob and says that he could use a moll with some muscle. Jen agrees, as long as her 'partner' Wanda can come along too. One of Dutch's goons begins to flirt with Wanda, much to her disgust.
At FBI headquarters, the All-Winners Squad, and their new ally, the Blonde Phantom, are briefed about an operation to steal one of America's atomic bombs! The heroes race to Nevada to protect the bomb.
That night, Dutch and Jen discuss the plan to steal the bomb. Dutch tells her that he has plenty of important people who owe him favors, and he has called them in, in order to make this plan work. They approach the plant in military convoy trucks, but get run off the road by the Whizzer! Jen realizes that it was a trap. Dutch's contacts sold him out! She-Hulk tells Wanda to keep out of sight, while she tries to deal with this mess. The Whizzer rushes forward to round up Dutch's men, but She-Hulk trips him! The Whizzer goes flying, and is knocked out when he collides with a tree! Miss America sees this, and rushes forward to avenge her boyfriend! She attacks Jennifer with a flying kick, but only manages to hurt her feet on Jen's invulnerable chest! Jen realizes that while the All-Winners Squad was powerful in their day, that they've never seen anything like her before, which gives her a slight advantage.
Meanwhile, Wanda watches from hiding as Captain America, Bucky and the Blonde Phantom charge at Dutch's men! She is shocked to see her mother in action. "She never told me she could run in heels--!"
She-Hulk finds herself under attack by the Human Torch and Toro! The two of them are surprised at how easily she shrugs off their flame bursts, so they decide to increase the intensity! Jen doesn't want to have to deal with that, so she flips a large truck full of sand, knocking them both out of the air and dousing their flames! Namor decides to get involved in the fight at this point, and grabs She-Hulk by the hair, lifting her up into the sky! She-Hulk demands that he let go of her hair... so he drops her! Jen crashes into the ground with enough force to smash the earth where she lands, but she continues to move. Namor is shocked that wasn't enough to knock her out. She-Hulk is now extremely angry, and sends Namor flying with a powerful left cross! "Let's get something straight: NOBODY PULLS MY HAIR!!!"
She-Hulk then smashes her way into the armory, takes "rosebud" so that they can get this insanity over with. Dutch fires on Cap, Bucky and Blonde Phantom with a bazooka to hold them back while She-Hulk loads the bomb into the truck.
Meanwhile, Namor finds a tank of water to refresh himself and restore his strength for another round with the She-Hulk!
As Jen loads the bomb into the truck, she asks Dutch why he is stealing it in the first place. He says that it is to settle his gang war with Vinnie. "Vinnie don't dare hit me anymore if I got an A-bomb! He builds his casino, I build mine. I get 20% of his...an' bingo! Da var is over!" Jen is about to comment on how extreme that is, when Namor returns! He flies right at her, but She-Hulk knocks him out of the sky with a punch, and then drops a crane on him, to pin him down while they get away!
On the drive back to Las Vegas, Jen tells Dutch he is going to need a very good hiding place for this bomb. He tells her he has one... right in front of his hotel! "Just picture it painted silver... vith fountains squirtin' all around... an' a big blonde girlie ridin' it into the sunset...!" Jennifer realizes he is describing the "Randi Rocket"! She then notices the glum expression on Wanda's face and asks her what's wrong. Wanda points out that her "big heroine" mother, the Blonde Phantom, barely did anything to try and stop them. What Wanda doesn't realize is that the Blonde Phantom has stowed away on the top of the truck! She enters the cabin through the canvas-ceiling, and knocks out the driver! The truck swerves off the road, throwing everyone onto the ground... including the bomb! She-Hulk rushes to check on the bomb and make sure it isn't damaged by the crash. Meanwhile, Dutch pulls a gun on the dazed Blonde Phantom, and plans to finish her off! However, before he can fire, Wanda knocks him out from behind! Wanda checks her mother's pulse and is relieved to find she is still alive. Jennifer takes the Blonde Phantom and hides her behind some rocks, so she'll be safe until she wakes up. Then the two of them disappear back into the time-platform, to return to the present and save Weezi! The Blonde Phantom regains consciousness just moments after the two women vanish!
Recurring Characters
She-Hulk, Phantom Blonde, All-Winners Squad (Captain America, Bucky, Blonde Phantom, Miss America, Whizzer, Human Torch, Toro, Sub-Mariner), Captain Rectitude, Abominatrix, Jasper Keaton, Dutch Rosenblatt, Mister Fantastic, J. Edgar Hoover
Continuity Notes
Louise Mason, Dutch Rosenblatt, and Jasper Keaton all were active in the 1940s yet are still alive in the Modern Age. Per the Sliding Timsecale where every four years of real-world time that passes one year elapses in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe. The "Modern Age" accounts for all time from the events of Fantastic Four #1 onwards. This puts a sufficient gap of time between the end of the 20th Century and now. It is impossible for these three characters could still be alive in the modern age without some sort of special adoption. However, at this time there are no official explanations available, and how this is possible is a matter of interpretation.
The Time Platform at Four Freedoms Plaza is referred to as "Doctor Doom's" Time Platform. The Fantastic Four originally confiscated Doom's time machine in Fantastic Four #5. However, the Time Platform seen here is a duplicate, as explained in Fantastic Four Annual #11, Mister Fantastic was forced to return the time machine to Doom to avoid an international incident, however, he was able to duplicate it before doing so.
The narrative of this story states that She-Hulk and the Phantom Blonde travel back in time 44 years. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. As they are traveling to a specific year of the 20th Century that is not locked in with the Modern Age, modern readers can accept the fact that She-Hulk travels back to the year 1946, regardless of how the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward.
