Issue(s): She-Hulk #8
Cover Date: Nov 89
Title: "The world's greatest detective!"
Credits:
John Byrne - Writer
John Byrne - Penciler
Bob Wiacek - Inker
James DiGiovanna - Assistant Editor
Bobbie Chase - Editor

Review/plot:
She-Hulk flies her green flying Cadillac back to Earth and checks her answering machine.

In addition to messages from her dad, her old boyfriend Zapper, and Captain America, she's got a message from Weezi at DA Tower's office about a legal case for her. She's excited to finally have some work, saying "there's a reason Stan made me a lawyer".

I note that in part because i like She-Hulk's lawyer side and i agree it's a good to have that part of her character emphasized, and in part for continuity reasons, to show that as of this point She-Hulk is supposed to have had "beans" to do at the prosecutor's office so far.

She Hulk then transitions across panels the way Weezi taught her...

...and then she's introduced to the criminal that she's prosecuting, a guy that apparently gave Ann Nocenti's Pyro lessons in speaking Australian.

She-Hulk falls asleep working on the case and has another dream sequence about Hercules.

She wakes up wishing that Thor's writer would hurry up and "get Hercules put back together like he promised".

From there, though, we get into a plot that is too silly even for this comic. It's about She-Hulk teaming up with Santa Claus to get evidence on the Australian criminal.

Cute, but more than i can tolerate. It's one thing to do the fourth wall breaking stuff, another to focus exclusively on "lame" Marvel villains and concepts, but we're really into pure cartoon comedy with an appearance from Santa Claus.

We also see the Mr. L from She-Hulk #4 again this issue. He's "returning to D.C. this afternoon", ha ha.

This is John Byrne's final issue of the series for now thanks to disputes with editor Bobbie Chase over She-Hulk: Ceremony. Whatever you think of this title, it declines dramatically in quality when Byrne leaves (although it will eventually allow Steve Gerber to return to Howard the Duck). Byrne will return with issue #31.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: She-Hulk returns from space at the beginning of this issue, so this has to take place before her Atlantis Attacks appearances.

References:

• Talking to Weezi about the complexities of modern super-heroing and how "there are too many guys in three piece suits doing nasty things out there", She-Hulk begins making reference to "just the other day, when I was guest-starring in Avengers West Coast", a reference to the Absolon plot from Avengers West Coast #47-49.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Note than in Marvel Fanfare 48, Morris Walters says that Jen hasn't called him since before she joined the Fantastic Four. It's ambiguous whether his call this issue should take place before or after that story.

Soooo...no Nick St. Christopher in "Characters Appearing"?

You know, the MCP does track Santa Claus, but i decided not to. I mean, i don't track other real people like presidents and David Letterman. I hope no one has anything really disappointing to tell me.

David Letterman's not real. Sorry, bud.

I've always really liked this issue. I re-read it every Christmas Eve. :)

Mrs. Claus is apparently based on the mother in "Hans Und Fritz".

Comics Interview #71 contains a panel of an upcoming She-Hulk villain called Jurist Prudence, resembling a female Judge Dredd. Possibly she was for #9.