|
I'm having a hard time focusing, today, so if I tend to ramble, please
forgive me.
In comics, there are two kinds of characters. There are those that, while
larger-than-life, are still not sufficiently dynamic to stand alone. Then
there are the icons. The franchise characters. The ones you can hang a solo
title on, the ones that you can market to television or movies. And one
thing that those characters all seem to have are the spin-off characters.
The side-kicks, the sisters and cousins. When Superman reached a certain
level of popularity, we got Superboy, Supergirl, etc. I guess it was
inevitable that, riding a wave of popularity brought on by a successful and
well-remembered TV series, the Incredible Hulk would lead to She-Hulk.
At the time she first appeared, I remember reading that "She-Hulk" was just
a working title, until they came up with a better name. I guess they just
never bothered.
Jennifer Walters was a Los Angeles attorney, defending a gangster framed
for murder, when her cousin, Bruce Banner dropped by for a visit. Lucky for
her, he did. When she was shot by rival gangsters, a common danger for comic
book attorneys, Banner was there to save her, thanks to a hastily-executed
transfusion. Fortunately, in addition to being a nuclear physicist, Bruce
Banner was also a medical doctor, I guess. And, he already knew they shared
the same blood type! Well, they had been close, as children, maybe that's
the sort of thing kids share at the Banner/Walters family reunion.
Now, in the real world, a transfusion of gamma-irradiated blood would be a
death sentence, but this is Marvel comics, where radiation is synonymous
with magic! When Jennifer was confronted by her would-be assassins,
disguised as doctors, her anger triggered a startling metamorphosis and
mousey Jennifer Walters became the 7-foot, 650 lb PMS Powerhouse, She-Hulk!
Green skin, torn clothing and all, she mopped up the floor with those
gangsters.
Unlike her cousin (at that time, anyway), Jennifer was able to transform at
will. As time went on, she found that she enjoyed the life of a super-hero
more than practicing law. She became an Avenger and even a member of the
Fantastic Four, for a time.
She-Hulk became the poster girl for the female body-builder style heroine,
especially after John Byrne's She-Hulk graphic novel, where he really
"buffed" her up. It was during this story that Jen became "locked" into her
She-Hulk form for some time, showing the first sensible reaction to being
transformed into a super-being. Unlike the constant whining from guy's like
Ben Grimm, The Thing, Jen found so much satisfaction from being "super",
that she didn't mind.
Since her stint in the FF, She-Hulk has been seen most often in workout
clothes or what appears to be something akin to her FF uniform, minus the
identifying insignia. Of course, I always thought she should have some sort
of costume.
Several years ago, I had this idea. In the Marvel Universe, Janet Van
Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp, is a famous fashion designer. Now, suppose we couple
that aspect of the Wasp's character with the highly photogenic and
unforgettable green-skinned goddess, She-Hulk! The idea is this: a line of
clothing, especially sportswear, for women designed by Jan and endorsed by
Jen . . . GammaGear!
From there, it's up to the artist to design new gear for Jen, whenever a
change is in order, the common factors might be dark blue or purple, with
white trim, and the greek letter Gamma as a logo.
I like the idea of periodically changing costumes, even repeating them
occasionally. The way I see it, don't most of us dress differently for
different environments and occassions? Why shouldn't super-heroes change
shirts or shoes, once in awhile. This is something that's evident in the
current Hawkman series, which I am enjoying immensely, you should check it
out. Rags Morales is doing his best work ever, on the penciling.
When it comes to She-Hulk, I like the one-piece "danskin" design, for it's
utility and style. In place of the plain gloves and boots (more like socks,
really), I thought she should wear fingerless workout gloves and tough
boots, which I based on light motorcycle boots. Sure, she's virtually
invulnerable, but I always prefer adequate footgear, especially when she
might need or want to change back to her "human" form at some point.
Colors could change, of course, she'd want to stay up with fashion after
all. Could add a jacket, whatever's in, that year. I think it would give Jen
her own look, rather than wearing those generic things.
So, that's it for now. See you next month!
|
