Life seems to have dealt She-Hulk a pretty good hand: her new romance with Jack of Hearts is going as well as it could be. But maybe Jen should check her cards again: they foretell that her future holds….Doom! It’s She-Hulk #7, written by Rainbow Rowell, drawn by Luca Maresca, colored by Rico Renzi and lettered by Joe Caramagna.
Armaan Babu: I don’t know about you, Steph, but after the week I’ve had, starting a comic with a delightful, cozy romantic morning featuring two very charming characters is exactly what I’ve needed. Mix that with a unique legal case that could only happen in the Marvel Universe, and this issue has everything I come to a She-Hulk comic for. How did you enjoy it?
Stephanie Burt: I enjoyed it immensely! I also appreciated the way that Rainbow Rowell split the plot into three distinct and almost unrelated segments, just like the format we use for our reviews.
Carefree and Powerless
Armaan: Last issue ended with She-Hulk and Jack sharing their first kiss and, behind closed doors, their first night together. Here in She-Hulk #7, we begin with the morning after, as daylight breaks over the city. The first page gives us a few glimpses of the world outside that bedroom, and I like that touch. In a medium where every page counts, we get four panels showing the city, work files, last nights dinner, a close door — the world outside is firmly left outside. This morning is for Jack and Jen alone, as we see in the following splash page. Jack is watching Jen, and as the expository caption reminds us, he is, in every way that counts, completely powerless. Another simple touch, and I love it.
Stephanie: It’s not just a romance plot: it’s a Romance Novel plot. And now that our Heterosexual Romantic Leads have Spent the Night Together, we can luxuriate in their sleepy morning. And when it’s not green and sexy, it’s funny as hell. Check out Jen’s facial expressions in the last couple pages of the romance story: see how she looks at Jack, expectantly, lovingly, patiently? Luca Maresca, I love your smiles. I can’t stop smiling. (Yes, that was a reference to the Shulkie TV show, which if we get lucky will bring more readers to this comic book. “Get lucky.” Snort? No, we’re trying to keep this moment tender and romantic. Anyway.)
Armaan: She-Hulk #7 is a comic that likes to go slow with regard to the pacing, but I’ve come to really enjoy these Jack and Jen moments more than anything else. While Maresca’s art is always charming, there’s a little extra this issue — there’s a softness in both Jack and Jen’s eyes, a mix of morning sleepiness and comfortable affection. Jen’s in no rush to leave (seriously, what are her work hours?), and while Jack’s I’m-A-Real-Boy! energy is still there, it’s the more peaceful kind of enthusiasm.
So much is new to him since he got his powers back — and this is no exception. He’s gone full puppy dog — adorable, endearing, and eager to show his affection. As the two have breakfast and talk a little more about Jack’s newfound mortality, they share the kind of blissful banter you usually tend to get in flashbacks to show how perfect things once were. I really enjoyed it.
Stephanie: And this time the banter takes place before our eyes! Not a flashback, not an imaginary story, not a dream! Sometimes I clip panels to send my friends, and I clipped a heck of a lot of panels from this one (don’t @ me). “Good morning, weirdo.” “I’d like you to stay, too.” The dynamic between these two lovers really hits the beats I wanted once they ended up in the same sheets: She-Hulk welcoming, warm, very much in control: Jonathan Hart (Jack of Hearts) absolutely starstruck, and, well, obedient.
It’s cute. It’s hot. It’s even a good model of explicit, enthusiastic consent in a relationship with a clear power imbalance. Not for the first time, Rowell is writing romance that doubles as sex education. Go team! (Yes, we realize that some of her earlier novels have proven problematic. But we are reviewing She-Hulk. Which plays to her strengths.)
I AM (NOT TECHNICALLY) DOOM!
Armaan: While She-Hulk #7 has been heavy on romance, it’s been rather light on legal cases, which I feel is a pity. Half the fun of a She-Hulk comic is the weird cases thrown at her. We’ve had a couple of them mentioned as throwaway gags, but this is the first time we seem to be going all in on a case. I’m really hoping to see follow up in the issues ahead, because it’s a doozy.
Doomy?
Doomzy?
It’s Doombot!
And not just any Doombot, either. This one became a hero in his own right on the short-lived but fascinating Avengers AI series. He was last seen in the Rowell-penned Runaways series to ensure us his friendship with son-of-Ultron Victor Mancha is still going strong. That should be enough exposition for one sentence, yeah?
Stephanie: Where Doom– sorry, Doom!– is concerned, enough is never enough. But yeah, that’s enough exposition to fit this particular agitated Doombot. But– bot?– you buried the lede: Rowell has finally made her Shulkie series cross over with her run on Runaways. About time! (Hi, Victor? How are things in California?)
Armaan: I am fascinated by this case. I mean, on the surface, it’s a simple case. Despite the fact that Doombot (poor guy really needs a name of his own if he wants to be his own android) keeps declaring himself to be Doom, I imagine that it’s simple enough to prove that he isn’t Doom — and on the flipside, if he’s somehow legally indistinguishable from the real Doom, he’d have the diplomatic immunity that the real Victor von is fond of constantly reminding New York’s heroes about.
Stephanie: After reading She-Hulk #7, I started to research diplomatic immunity fully believing that I’d find a way around that sizable plot hole, and you know what? I found one! High-level diplomats, such as ambassadors, really do have serious immunity from prosecution in the countries where they serve, even if they commit (or get charged with) murder. In egregious instances, the countries they represent can waive their immunity and permit a trial. But Doctor Doom, the real one, isn’t a diplomat. He’s a head of state, and immunity for heads of state and other high government officials– other than diplomats and consuls and such– are more fluid. If the Manhattan DA, in consultation with the federal government, wants to try to prosecute Doctor Doom for a sufficiently serious crime– say, mass murder– she probably can. Of course, he could offer all sorts of defense. And he’d know more about international law than a Doombot, I think. Unless Doombots know everything Doctor Doom knows?
Armaan: I’m fascinated because the question of AI rights in the Marvel Universe has been bubbling away in the background for a while (yes, my favorite Star Trek character is Data, and yes, I have this scene memorized). On top of that, I’m curious — how much are you responsible for the actions of your maker if you share all of his memories, emotions and motivations? If Doombot can be declared to be a distinct entity because he’s had a change of heart, could you argue in court that a resurrected Krakoan is a different person because they’ve changed after their resurrection?
Stephanie: You can, and I would, and there’s a direct precedent in international law on Earth-616: Uncanny X-Men 200, where Gabrielle Haller argued that Magneto, having been turned into a baby, wasn’t responsible for any crimes he committed before he got baby-fied. Legal responsibility is a blunt instrument! It’s not the same as moral responsibility, and all these arguments might be taking us away from She-Hulk #7?
Bot Seriously, Folks
Armaan: It was (relatively) recently that it was argued in court that a Tony Stark AI that had all of Tony’s memories and personality wasn’t actually Tony, and thus couldn’t run Stark Industries…even though this was the same “AI” that now works as the mind of the current Tony Stark.
Do I think these questions are going to be satisfyingly answered in the pages of a romance-leaning She-Hulk #7 comic? No. But I do think that if we get to see the case itself, I’m going to enjoy the questions it brings up. I’m rooting for Doombot. He’s trying to figure out who he is despite having a very strong personality forced onto him. He’s aware of who he’s not, but that doesn’t make it any easier. His “<mechanical sigh>” really got to me.
Stephanie: Everything about this case got to me. Especially Victor Mancha’s comical, almost flailing efforts to take care of a Doombot who does not seem to know what risks he runs. I’d love to see much more of Victor– and maybe the other Runaways?!?!– as this series continues. Especially since Rowell seems to understand how to lay breadcrumbs for the next big arc as she finishes up the current one. That said, I’m not sure any arc really has finished up: what did happen to bring Jack back? Who knows? He and Jen make a hot couple though.
And *that* said, let us take a minute to celebrate the snort-level comedy going on in the legal scenes here, which involve a delightfully clueless Awesome Andy, a Doombot who’s always striving for menace and magnificence, and a Victor who’s as earnest as earnest gets. And it’s not just Rowell hitting a home run here either: see how Maresca and company draw these faces. Victor cheering for his robo-friend while his robo-friend insists that all shall quail before him. Meanwhile Jen, glasses on, is looking back at Victor in disbelief as Victor explains that this particular Doombot is a good guy now, for real.
Armaan: As almost an afterthought, the villainous subplot we’ve had running through the series finally comes to a head as She-Hulk visits the strange antagonists we saw back in #5 — and is promptly captured by them without a word of explanation in She-Hulk #7.
Stephanie: Not just strange: creepy. Deliberately underwritten. The caption boxes explaining characters’ backstories (in oversized serifed body font for some reason) even admit it: “APRIL. We don’t really know anything about April.” “MARK. We know even less about him.” We do know that Mark seems to have trouble with words, that he’s strong like a Hulk and green like a Hulk, and that he does as his wife April says. Can we conclude that it’s not a healthy relationship? Also April’s head is too big for her body this issue, which I don’t think happened last time. They’re clearly Not What They Seem, and they’re also a pretty unfortunate trope about intellectual disabilities. Can we have the Doombot back?
Armaan: This part of the series has interested me the least, and mainly that’s because we’ve been given so little information about it that it’s hard to care. We know that these two are obsessed with She-Hulk and have something to do with Jack’s resurrection, but beyond that, we’ve got nothing, and no reasons to care about the stuff we do know. It’s not an intriguing mystery, especially given how little it ties into anything else going on in the comic — but hopefully we start getting some answers next issue.
Last Minute Legal Notes
- Jen’s faux pas of offering three robotic beings coffee is an understandable mistake, but very funny.
- Jack claiming ownership of the giant heart sweater is lovely.
- I (Armaan) am mad that I didn’t think to do a Doombot costume OR a casual Jack-of-Hearts costume for Halloween. They’re both relatively simple!
Stephanie Burt is Professor of English at Harvard. Her podcast about superhero role playing games is Team-Up Moves, with Fiona Hopkins; her latest book of poems is We Are Mermaids. Her nose still hurts from that thing with the gate.
