She-Hulk Vol. 3: Jen Walters Must Die

by Mariko Tamaki

[Quirky Cat]

Jen Walters Must Die, sadly, brings the conclusion to the latest run for the She-Hulk. It’s a shame, really, since this series has been so wonderful. It’s explored a lot of difficult to talk about and emotional subjects, as well as covering issues like loss and trauma.
But don’t worry; this isn’t the end to She-Hulk forever. She’ll hopefully get rebooted soon, and in the meantime she’s going to be in the rebooted Avengers series! Jason Aaron (one of my favorite Marvel authors) will be writing that, and he intentionally decided to go with Jen instead of Bruce. That’s an interesting choice, and I can’t wait to see where that one leads.
Also, you might have noticed that the series has been changed from ‘Hulk’ to ‘She-Hulk’ again. The numbering has also changed to the more classic style, with this volume including issues 159-163 (obviously this series did not actually get one hundred and fifty nine issues out of it, which is a shame if you ask me).



She-Hulk Volume three is no exception to the wonderful writing we’ve been getting from this series. We get to see Jen continue to explore the depths of her emotions while learning to cope with loss, try to run a business, and help equal rights (mutants are still under attack for a lot of different things) along the way. It’s beautifully written and unafraid to explore the heavier side of things, which is such a refreshing change.
This volume has a little bit of everything; it’s got a villain (The Leader), emotional exploration, comedy (thanks mostly to Hellcat and her oblivious nature), drama, human rights, teenagers standing up for themselves, etc. Basically the only thing it’s missing is a romantic subplot, which I’m actually okay with. I think it’s safe to say that Jen Walters is currently not at a place that would result with her making healthy relationship choices, so her staying out of one is for the best right now.
There are three main plots for this volume, as well as half-dozen subplots. The first one involves the Leader, unsurprisingly. The second focuses more on Jen trying to find a better, healing, path for herself. And the third major plot focuses on mutant rights and a young girl that Jen promised to watch over (this was probably my favorite; it’s both cute and inspiring).
All in all this was a pretty good send off to the series. It really stuck to its goals and core concepts, never allowing any wavering. I love and respect that. Plus the writing itself is beautiful, as is the character doubt and growth we see Jen/She-Hulk go through. I’m sad to see this one go, and I can promise you that I’ll be keeping my eyes on Mariko Tamaki to see what she comes up with next. At least I can comfort myself with the reminder that She-Hulk is being brought into the Avengers, and the writer is sure to continue doing justice to her character there.


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