She-Hulk (Vol. 2) #22

Mar 12

Mar 12 She-Hulk (Vol. 2) #22

Jaded: Episode 1

Three Months Ago

One night, the supervillain known as Hi-Lite has broken into the New York Museum of Antiquities to steal a jewel-encrusted goblet. However, the robbery was foiled when a security guard caught him in the act and turned on the lights, temporarily blinding him due to the fact he was wearing night-vision goggles to get around. Shooting blindly, he strikes the guard's arm causing him to have a heart attack. Hi-Lite then panicked, and not wanting a life on his hands, gave the guard CPR until he was arrested. Although he was arrested, Hi-Lite made bail but skipped his court date.

Now

Jennifer Walters has changed professions from lawyer to bounty hunter by working for Freeman Bonding, Inc. a subsidiary company of her employer Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, and Book. Since GLK&B fronted part of the bail, they have 180 days to recover Hi-Lite, aka Rocky Davis, and turn him in or forfeit their part of the bond. She has tracked Davis to a house in Minnesota and she soon becomes impatient waiting for him to come out. She tells her partner that she is going in and bets she can take Rocky without "going green". Walking to the house, Jennifer discovers that the door is unlocked and sneaks in. She catches Davis as he is eating breakfast and gets the drop on him. With no other choice, Rocky surrenders and allows himself to be handcuffed. However, as Jennifer begins taking Davis out, she as ambushed from behind by Carl Creel, the Absorbing Man. He quickly snaps Jennifer's neck, seemingly killing her in the process. Although Rocky is freaked out, Creel tells his cousin that the woman who arrested him was the She-Hulk. He then absorbs the properties of the handcuffs and frees Davis and tells him to get ready to get going in case there are any more superheroes around.

Talking to an unseen companion, the Absorbing Man assures them that She-Hulk is dead. Looking out the window, Creel spots her RV and decides to use it as a getaway vehicle. However, when he opens the door he is shocked to find the She-Hulk waiting on the other side. With a single blow, the jade giantess sends Creel crashing to the ground. As the two fight it out in the street, Carl calls out to his cousin and tells him to hurry up. Before Rocky can get away he is stopped by the woman who was posing as Jennifer Walters, who has somehow survived a broken neck even though her head is hanging loosely from her neck. Back outside, She-Hulk suddenly feels something inside her ear and suddenly begins feeling a sharp pain in her skull. This allows Absorbing Man to break free and subdue her. He tells her that the pain in her ear is his wife Titania, who is still in miniature form since Creel busted her out of the Ant House. As Titania goes on a rampage inside She-Hulk's ear, the hero blacks out from the pain.

Recurring Characters

She-Hulk, Jazinda, Rocky Davis, Absorbing Man, Titania

Continuity Notes

In Hi-Lite's mugshot photo it states he was arrested on 6/3/2007. This date should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

Carl Creel states that he used his cousin Rocky's name during his career as a boxer. "Rocky Davis" was the alias that Creel used to box as first seen in Daredevil #1 (although the revelation that "Rocky Davis" was actually Carl Creel wasn't revealed until Daredevil: Yellow #1).