Rainbow Rowell Talks She-Hulk Returning To Roots In New Series (Interview)

Warning! Spoilers for She-Hulk #2 by Marvel Comics

Marvel’s She-Hulk is back in action in a brand new series from Rainbow Rowell, Roge Antonio, Rico Renzi, VC’s Joe Caramagna, where the hero is returning to her roots. In the series, Jennifer Walters has split from the Avengers and returned to practice law. However, she quickly finds out that going back to basics isn’t as easy as simply returning to her old life.

We got a chance to speak to Rainbow Rowell about She-Hulk, how the project came to be, the surprise return of a long-lost character, and what readers can expect going forward in the adventures of Jennifer Walter. Check out our interview below:

After an incredibly fun run on Runaways for Marvel, how did She-Hulk come to be? What made Rogê Antônio (and colorist Rico Renzi) the perfect artist for the book?

Oh, thanks. I really loved working on Runaways.

She-Hulk is one of my favorite characters. I’d been nagging my editor, Nick Lowe, about her for years. And then I got to write a She-Hulk page for the Marvel 1000 issue. I was lucky that this series came together.

Rogê’s artwork is alive and dynamic, and his characters really dominate the page. (He draws an especially great Jack of Hearts.) I’ve just started working with Rico, but I thought his palette for Issue 1 was just right – poppy, but nuanced. The color in the fight with Titania is so good.

What was it like to see Jen Bartel’s covers for the series? The corner boxes are also wonderful.

Aren’t they amazing? The corner boxes were Jen’s idea. Every concept she shows us makes my mouth drop open. She’s so talented, and she understands She-Hulk at a DNA-level.

What was it like to return She-Hulk to her roots, as the comic focuses on the hero’s return to law following a split with the Avengers?

She-Hulk has such a long history of starting over. So it felt to me like a classic place to start. She’s between jobs again. Between teams. Who does she have to fall back on? How does she feel about her life? What point of She-Hulk’s life are new readers meeting Jennifer Walters? Jen is coming off a pretty traumatic experience with the Avengers and striking off on her own. She’s an attorney, and historically her heroic life was has disrupted her career. (She got to appear before the Supreme Court once, and Titania kept showing up to fight.) So even though Jen’s great at her job, she doesn’t have any security or stability. We see her trying to get back on her feet – and leaning on old friends like Wasp and Thing, and old enemies like Mallory Book and Titania. And also trying to solve the mystery of Jack of Hearts, who is something between an enemy and a friend.

Seeing Titania and She-Hulk battle together was exciting, what’s their dynamic like in this new series?

Their dynamic cracks me up – because Titania really is She-Hulk’s entire rogues’ gallery. But half the time, when she shows up, She-Hulk ends up helping her. Some villains are Voldemort, and some are Draco Malfoy. And Titania is definitely a Draco. I wanted to bring in Titania – and Volcana! – in a way that reflects that history, but also lets the characters move forward.

What role will Jack of Hearts play in this story? Seeing him return from the dead was quite a surprise.

Jack is a mystery for She-Hulk to solve. He shows up, literally out of nowhere, and he can’t explain how or why. They have a pretty sad history: When they were Avengers together, Jack drained and destabilized Jen’s gamma radiation, and she went on an extremely rare rampage. It led to Jack leaving the Avengers – and then Earth. At the time, Jen thought the other Avengers were being too hard on Jack. So when he shows up at her door, she feels responsible for him in a way. She wants to help. Jack is a fun character to write because we don’t know that much about him. And everything we do know about him is weird.

Was it simultaneously daunting and exciting to take on She-Hulk as her popularity is about to explode with her upcoming live-action MCU series?

You know, I was in this exact same position with Runaways. The creative processes are completely separate; I don’t know what’s happening on the show. All we can do is try to make a great comic that’s welcoming to new fans. I hope that She-Hulk does explode in popularity – she deserves it.

Can we expect some fun courtroom cameos?

You can expect all kinds of cameos. She-Hulk knows everyone in the Marvel Universe, so the whole arc is packed with guest stars.

What previous runs inspired the series?

I was most inspired by John Byrne’s Sensational She-Hulk and the 2004 She-Hulk by Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo. Her personality really takes shape in Sensational. That’s where she gets her sense of humor and her sense of style. Her swagger. And in the 2004 run, you get a better sense of who she is on the inside, what she struggles with, how she really feels about being green… Also, the supporting characters in the 2004 book were stellar.

What can you tease about She-Hulk #2?

Issue 2 properly introduces Jack of Hearts and dumps some secrets and mysteries into Jen’s lap. Jack is back – but what is Jen supposed to do with him?

Lastly, what do you hope readers get from the new She-Hulk series?

I hope they fall a little bit in love with Jen, if they haven’t already. I hope they really get a sense of her – that she’s this smart, funny, kind person who feels like she hasn’t accomplished much, even though she’s surrounded by people who admire her. I hope they root for her.

Thank you so much for Rainbow Rowell for taking the time to talk with us. She-Hulk#1 is in comic book stores now.

About The Author

Liam McGuire
(2582 Articles Published)

See also  Humankind: Getting Started Guide (Tips, Tricks, & Strategies)

Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

More From Liam McGuire