She-Hulk #5 — Nick Peron

Mar 13

Mar 13 She-Hulk #5

More Than A Handful

After robbing a record store, the new super-villain named Southpaw she is confronted by the New Warriors. Although blasts Nova, she is quickly incapacitated by a nerve pinch from Night Thrasher. As Southpaw is being taken away from police she demands to speak to her lawyer.

Meanwhile, at Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, Jennifer Walters, and Augustus Pugliese are dealing with a troublesome client, the ape-man Mr. Bobo. Soon they are joined by John Jameson who has come to take Jennifer out on their date. They go out for lunch in Little Italy. There they get to talking about the first time they met. Their reminiscence is interrupted by autograph hounds, and although Jennifer thinks they are there for her, they are actually seeking autographs from John. Suddenly, Nova comes crashing down from his fight with Southpaw, prompting Jennifer to change into She-Hulk to smash debris and save a disabled man from a speeding bus. This gives She-Hulk the praise she has been craving. While back at the offices at GLK&H, Mallory Book informs Holden Holliway that Southpaw has been captured. As he tells her to call everyone in on this case and call in every favor, he gets a call from She-Hulk who tells him that he won't be coming in today. Mallory is unimpressed by this case of "green flu" and wonders how often this is going to happen. Holden is unconcerned, as his highest priority is Southpaw.

Later, at the Big House a maximum-security prison that uses Pym Particles to shrink the inmates, Southpaw finds herself put in a cell among the super-villain population. Her cell is put next to the Mad Thinker who attempts to befriend the impressionable young girl. He informs her that he knows that her all about how relative her legal representation is and asks her to stall things when they come to visit. At that moment, She-Hulk is still out with John Jameson and is taken aback when John admits that he preferred spending time with Jennifer Walters as opposed to She-Hulk. Before she can learn more her phone rings and it is her boss Holden Holliway. Holliway is reigning her in, he tells her not to bother changing back to human form, as they are going to need the She-Hulk on this case. Soon they are shipped out to the Big House, where She-Hulk is amused to see villains like the Wrecking Crew shrunk down in size while imprisoned here. As the guard prepares to remove Southpaw from the cafeteria to meet with her lawyers, the Mad Thinker tells the villains gathered at his table to get ready.

When the field is dropped, Vermin uses his abilities to summon a rat to run through the kitchen and into the cafeteria, where it attacks Scorpion. While the guards scramble to contain the prisoners and kill the rat, a villain known as Figment casts an illusion to make it appear that the prisoners have been led back to the cells, when in fact they are hiding underneath a cube of sand provided by Sandman. Another villain named Silencer uses her powers to allow the escaping prisoners to slip past the guards unheard. Meanwhile, Holden is interviewing Southpaw and she quickly loses his temper at him for making excuses for her. She reminds him that she formed her gang, she found the Gauntlet and her parents are dead. She-Hulk suddenly realizes that Holden and Southpaw are related and he confirms that she is his granddaughter. At that moment in the infirmary, surgeons are examining the Scorpion who was seriously wounded by the rat. Needing to shrink down to perform the delicate surgery needed, the doctor orders the guards to open the vault of shrinking gas. With the vault open, the Mad Thinker and his allies swarm the guards. They then use the shrinking gas to shrink most of the guards, save for a female. The Mandrill crawls up her nose so that his pheromones make her his slave. Using more shrinking gas, the Mad Thinker and his fellow prisoners shrink down even more and climb onto the female security guard.

At that moment, Holden Holliway argues with Warden Dawber to have Southpaw released. He points out that despite her superhuman powers she is still a minor. He then files paperwork that allows her to be released into the custody of her legal guardian, himself, and to be kept under the supervision of an accredited Avenger. When She-Hulk realizes that he means her, she can't believe what she is hearing. Soon they are leaving with Southpaw, who is less than enthused to be taken out of the prison. As they head out, the female security guard under the control of the Mandrill asks to shake She-Hulk's hand. She obliges, unaware that this is allowing the shrunken supervillains to cross over and hitch a ride on She-Hulk's skin.

Recurring Characters

She-Hulk, Augustus Pugliese, Holden Halloway, Mallory Book, Roberto Dawber, John Jameson, Southpaw, Mad Thinker robot, Electro, Vermin, 8-Ball, Sandman, Scarecrow, Wrecking Crew (Wrecker, Thunderball, Piledriver, Bulldozer), Mandrill, Absorbing Man, Grey Gargoyle, Scorpion, U-Foes (Vector, X-Ray, Ironclad), Whirlwind, Rhino, Dragon Man, Powderkeg, Tiger Shark, New Warriors (Night Thrasher, Nova, Namorita, Speedball, Turbo), Mister Bobo

Continuity Notes

Namorita hopes that Southpaw is imprisoned in Abu Gharib prison. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.