Sensational She-Hulk #51
Chasing Her Tale
She-Hulk is curled up in bed and is happy that she can spend all day there and not have a worry in the world. This peace is then interrupted when her phone rings. It's her editor Renee Witterstatter at Marvel Comics who informs her that she is sick with a fever. With the deadline for her next issue coming up and a transitional creative team working on a fill-in story, Renee impresses the importance of having a story ready for the printers by the end of the day. She-Hulk is furious that she has to work that day and tries to use her transitional walk between panels and discovers she can no longer do it now that John Byrne is no longer doing her series. She-Hulk then smashes her way between panels to get to the Marvel Comics office and finds the place deserted. She is greeted by Tommy a young intern who tells her that everyone has gone off to San Diego Comic-Con.
Tommy agrees to help She-Hulk get her next issue to the printers, however when she looks at the work that is produced she is upset to see that it is done in the style of her old series where she was depicted as a savage and fought goofy villains. The final straw is when she sees that the issue features her old foe the Man-Elephant. With no other choice, She-Hulk decides the only way she can salvage her reputation is by going into the story. Diving into the page, She-Hulk lands in the middle of a gym where her savage counterpart is lifting weights. Trying to explain herself, Jennifer is accused of being an impostor by the savage She-Hulk. The two fight it out and when the sensational She-Hulk gets fed up she tries to smash through panels again but it doesn't work.
Meanwhile, in his secret lair, the Man-Elephant has completed his new weapon and plans to get revenge against the She-Hulk once and for all. Back at the gym, the two She-Hulk's have worn themselves out fighting each other. As they recover, Tommy calls down to She-Hulk, telling her that the Man-Elephant is at the Bronx Zoo. Her savage counterpart gets up and storms in that direction, but the more sensible She-Hulk takes a cab. At that moment the Man-Elephant unleashes his weapon upon the zoo's elephant population turning them into intelligent pink elephants which he plans to use as part of his army. As he tries to rally them, the savage She-Hulk arrives with her sensational counterpart not far behind. However, when Jennifer crosses into the zoo she finds nothing but emptiness and realizes that the last few pages of the story are missing. Tommy rushes into the bullpen and searches through all the finished artwork until he finds the missing pages that are needed to complete the story.
With the tale resuming, She-Hulk comes to the aid of her savage counterpart who is outnumbered by the Man-Elephant and his minions. As She-Hulk begins to fight, Tommy fears that she might be in trouble and leaps into the pages as well. This causes him to be transformed into a costumed hero called the Gopher. The Gopher manages to turn the tide because the elephants are frightened of him due to his resemblance to a mouse. The Man-Elephant is then trampled by his own minions, ending the battle. When the savage She-Hulk suddenly becomes infatuated with the Gopher, the sensational She-Hulk helps get him away from her and they return to their world. With the clock almost at 5 pm, She-Hulk is exasperated because the story is worse than it began and time is running out. However, she quickly remembers that this story actually has already been published and she doesn't have anything else to do. She thanks Tommy for his help, but when he asks for a kiss she tells him not to press his luck.
Recurring Characters
She-Hulk, Renee Witterstaetter, The Gopher
Continuity Notes
The Savage She-Hulk and the Man-Elephant are reminiscent of She-Hulk's early career in the pages of Savage She-Hulk. In this story, it is stated that those stories were published in the 1970s. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. Per this Timescale, She-Hulk's early adventures happened roughly three years prior to this story.
She-Hulk originally battled the Man-Elephant back in Savage She-Hulk #17.
Typically, real-life individuals are considered topical references, however, this rule is exempt for Marvel comics creators and staff, as is the case of Renee Witterstaetter. A version of her exists on Earth-616 in the modern age, as do all other Marvel creators, who live in this era in their relative prime.
The world She-Hulk visits is an alternate reality designated Earth-9356 per the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3
