AEW's first PPV event for 2020 airs live tonight (February 29, 2020) at 7PM Eastern Standard Time. I had some time today, so I thought I'll post some quick predictions for you guys and gals on here.
This show is coming off three weeks of EXCELLENT programming from AEW. I know that I have been one of AEW's biggest and constant critics of their product from the day they first opened their doors and I have to give them credit where it's due. I don't know what has happened creatively in that company but they have made changes over the last few weeks for the better and I hope it pays off with a great turnout for tonight's show.
AEW Dynamite (Feb. 26, 2020) was the go-home show for this event, featuring a blockbuster main event with a 30-minute Ironman Match between Kenny Omega and PAC kicking off the show while a MMA/UFC style weigh-in closing it off.
AEW World Championship Match Chris Jericho (c) vs Jon Moxley
I knew Jericho wasn't getting on that scale at the end of Dynamite when he has been painfully rocking the "dad bod" for the last few months now. What was interesting as a takeaway at the end of that segment to close Dynamite though, was the fact that Jericho laid out Moxley with his own Paradigm Shift finishing maneuver. The unspoken rules of wrestling would dictate that would mean that Moxley's going over, but one thing that I love about this card for tonight is it's not predictable as there's a lot of ways that these matches could play out. AEW made a point to mention that they already signed former NJPW star Lance Archer, who just happened to be the very same man that Moxley beat for the NJPW United States Championship. Archer could easily interfere in this match and cost Moxley the win for they could renew their rivalry in AEW.
Alternatively, I could see Moxley beating Jericho clean since he has been their Stone Cold Steve Austin since he arrived in the company. My only complaint about that is that Moxley doesn't necessarily need the title to stay over. Jericho has been doing an excellent job as Le Champion since winning it and I would hate to see him lose it at this stage. Again, this is a tough one to call as I could see this match going either way.
AEW Women's Championship Match Nyla Rose (c) vs Kris Statlander
The funny thing about this match is that AEW had a chance to put the belt on Nyla and Statlander months ago when they went against Riho in separate occasions, but they didn't. I doubt that they are going to take the belt off of their first ever transgender Women's Champion, but Statlander is one of their best female talents on that roster. You can't beat her into powder like Britt Baker where people are downright sick of seeing her challenging for it in losing efforts.
After that 4-way on Dynamite last week, I rather see Hiraku Shida dethrone Nyla Rose over anyone else in that division if I'm perfectly honest.
AEW Tag Team Championship Match Kenny Omega and Adam "Hangman" Page (c) vs The Young Bucks
I know everyone seems to leaning towards the signs that Hangman is going to turn heel after some falling out with Omega from his drunken behavior as of late. From as how over Page has become as of late, do you HAVE to turn him heel? You can split him up from the Elite boys can keep him being a babyface, especially if you turn the Bucks and Omega instead. Who the hell would want to be friends with someone who calls someone they call their friend a jobber anyway? If it doesn't happen tonight then it happens sometime before the next PPV where Omega and Page lose the titles and the fallout between him and Omega happens because we all know it's coming eventually. AEW doesn't necessarily have to rush that either way. That being said, I'm leaning towards the Bucks of Youth picking up the win here.
Cody vs MJF
After all of MJF's scheming and plotting it makes sense for Cody to get the win here after MJF's betrayal. On the other hand, AEW could drag this out a bit longer to the next PPV if they wanted with Wardlow leaning a hand to assist Cody in the win or even Arn Anderson stabbing Cody in the back like MJF demanded he should during the cage match a few weeks ago. Seriously, why the fuck does Cody need a goddamn "coach" anyway? His win/loss records in AEW are simply flawless.
For tonight though, I'm going with MJF picking up the win. Cody doesn't need to win here and I don't see what's the next logical destination in terms of opponents for him.
Darby Allin vs Sammy Guevara
Darby Allin is going to get his win back here after Sammy was the one who injured him a few weeks ago.
PAC vs Orange Cassidy
According to the Best Friends, Orange Cassidy is going to "try". I've seen a little of what Cassidy is capable of on the indies as I can't say that I'm necessarily a fan of the gimmick, but this should be entertaining nonetheless. Regardless of that fact, I think PAC is going over.
Dustin Rhodes vs Jake Haggar
Jake Haggar gets the win. That's a no brainer for Swagger's first match for the company. Dustin Rhodes doesn't need to go over.
SCU vs The Dark Order
For all of the people who are thinking that the Exalted One is Matt Hardy like they have been teasing for weeks, I hope you all know that Matt Hardy's WWE contract doesn't expire until March 1st, so he couldn't appear on the PPV tonight even if he wanted to. The other guess is Raven and I have absolutely no interest in that any way whatsoever. This isn't Raven's Flock in WCW or TNA/Impact Wrestling. Let's go with someone else please. That leaves Christopher Daniels, who has been painted as another option from how AEW has been leading this storyline around all of this time. I guess that would work, but I can't say that option is something I'm pining for either. In either case, I see the Dark Order going over.
TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY: SIEGE begins in the final hours of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on Cybertron, to “reformat” the Autobots, thus “unifying” Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned, and under SIEGE, the battle-weary Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counterstrikes on a mission that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable choice: kill their planet in order to save it.
Rooster Teeth (RWBY, gen:LOCK) is producing the Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy. FJ DeSanto (Transformers: Titans Return, Transformers: Power of the Primes) is the showrunner, and contributing writers will include George Krstic (Megas XLR), Gavin Hignight (Transformers: Cyberverse), and Brandon Easton (Agent Carter, Transformers: Rescue Bots).
Polygon Pictures is perhaps best known for the two Ajin television anime series and film trilogy, and the Godzilla: Kaijū Wakusei film trilogy. Its latest works include the Human Lost film and the ongoing Drifting Dragons series.
After playing both of the War For Cybertron video games, I wanted to see an animated series based on those events for a while now. I'm glad that someone is actually green-lighting this endeavor. The only thing that surprises me from this trailer is that they aren't relying on the old classic voice actors for these iconic characters and taking a chance at recasting them, much like Beast Wars Transformers instead of hanging onto the past.
Meet Floyd Iraia, the last Streets of Rage 4 playable character, who dishes out serious damage with his incredibly strong cybernetic arms. Although Floyd’s movement and health recovery are slower than most, he boasts the longest reach among the playable roster and tremendous power, ensuring any combo he puts an enemy through will be devastating. Amongst the best beat’em up series ever created, jammin’ ‘90s beats and over the top street fighting, the iconic series Streets of Rage comes back with a masterful tribute to and revitalization of the classic action fans adore.
I won't lie. I marked to see local 4-player multiplayer here. That's something that's absent from these revivals and remasters of classic beat 'em ups time and time again in favor of online multiplayer. Not everyone wants to invest in paying to play online and want to call a group of friends over and renew the magic of couch gaming days of yore. That being said, I don't see why people are complaining about this "reboot" so far. Everything I've seen looks pretty darn good and I'm anxious to get my hands on it.
Iria: Zeiram the Animation, stylized as I・Я・I・A ZЁIЯAM THE ANIMATION, is a six-episode original video animation (OVA) anime series produced by Ashi Productions and directed by Tetsurō Amino. The series serves as a prequel to the original live-action film Zeiram, taking place several years earlier when the female bounty hunter protagonist Iria is still a rookie and detailing the events surrounding her first encounter with the unstoppable Zeiram. This does somewhat contradict the films, which imply that Iria's first encounter with Zeiram was in the first film.
Background/History
Plot:
The story begins with Iria as an apprentice to her older brother, Gren, a veteran bounty hunter, and his partner Bob, who work for Ghomvak Security along with a somewhat loutish hunter named Fujikuro. During a rescue mission to a hijacked spaceship called the Karma, they discover that the hijacker is actually a seemingly indestructible alien called Zeiram that broke out of the cargo hold during transit and began to massacre the crew. Bob is critically wounded by Zeiram while evacuating the survivors, and Gren is lost while attempting to kill Zeiram by destroying the Karma. Returning to Myce, Iria finds herself targeted by assassins working for Tedan Tippedai, the corporation that owned the Karma, and discovers a covered-up plot to control Zeiram in order to use it as a weapon. Iria escapes with the help of Fujikuro and reunites with Bob, who never recovered from his injuries but had his mind downloaded into a computer program. Together they continue to investigate rumours that Zeiram has appeared on Myce, and try to find out what happened to Gren, who also seems to have survived the Karma's destruction....
Characters:
Iria (イリア)
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Stacie Lynn Renna (English)
Iria hails from the Batabitajira region of the planet Myce and is employed by Ghomvak Security & Investigations, a bounty hunting agency. She is something of a tomboy and is considered eccentric for her habit of wearing men's hair ornaments. Her hunter ID number is 9799-5. A hunter's rank is identified by the colour of a stone pendant which resembles a magatama. Iria's pendant as an apprentice is pink with two small dots on it, but when she receives her full license and ID number she is given a blue stone with three red dots on it. Although she is just a rookie at first and a bit reckless, Iria makes up for it with natural ability and a sharp mind.
Her appearance in the OVA was designed by Masakazu Katsura, loosely based on the original designs by the creator of the Zeiram series, Keita Amemiya.
Glenn (グレン, Guren)
Voiced by: Juurouta Kosugi (Japanese); Chris Yates (English)
Glenn ("Gren" in the Media Blasters/CPM English dub) is often seen as Iria's older brother and a full-fledged hunter. In episode 5 however, it is hinted by Fujikuro that Glenn might not be Iria's brother but is possibly her onii-san (a Japanese term used for both older brothers and close older male figures). He taught Iria much of what she knows about hunting and serves as a mentor for her apprenticeship. He wears a blue cloak and hair beads which are similar to Iria as well as an unusual pendant which is later found by Kay. Glenn is thought to have died in the explosion of the Karma in the first episode but is later found to have been assimilated by Zeiram.
Bob (ボブ, Bobu)
Voiced by: Masaru Ikeda (Japanese); Gary Suson (English)
Bob is an agent of Ghomvak Security & Investigations and brings prime jobs to Glenn and Iria (and elementary jobs to Fujikuro). He often helps out on these jobs as well and is severely injured by Zeiram on the Karma job. Following his escape from the Karma his personality is transferred to a computer by Puttubayh. In his computer form (resembling a vajra though on Iria's personal com system his form is simpler, resembling two floating cones sandwiching a smaller sphere) he is retrieved by Iria and helps her on her missions.
Fujikuro (フジクロ)
Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba (Japanese); Andrew Thorson (English)
A jaded veteran hunter who claims to only grudgingly help Iria from time to time because he is promised money from Bob. However, as the show goes on, a softer side of him is shown, and it soon becomes obvious that he genuinely cares about her safety; he prevents Kay from going on her own against the Zeiram as well. He also resents that Bob frequently assigns the "good cases" to Glenn and Iria, while he's left with lesser cases himself.While he shares the name of a character in the second Zeiram film, their relations to Iria and general personalities are totally different. While the animated version is an older and sympathetic character, the movie version is a simple thief who uses Iria to help steal a rare artifact before being imprisoned by Bob.
Kay (ケイ, Kei)
Voiced by: Mika Kanai (Japanese); Terri Muuss (English)
An orphan child from the Shadow District (Shadow Zone in the dub) of the resort planet Taowajan. Originally thought to be a boy, she was revealed to be a girl by Fujikuro. She befriends Iria and idolizes her much like Iria idolizes Glenn. She helps Iria in her battles against Zeiram. She is something of a tech wizard (she can pilot the space shuttle better than Iria and rigs a portable forcefield device that was crucial in Iria's last fight against Zeiram).
A second Shadow District/Zone orphan and Kay's closest friend. Komimasa dies at the end of episode 4, impaled by the Zeiram/Glenn clone as he attempts to get a weapon to Iria as she is in its line of fire.
A scientist, Zeiram expert and the sole surviving member of the original research team. First mentioned by Bob (while confronting Puttubayh) in episode 1, he is not physically seen until the second half of the series when his ship (on its way to Myce with Kay and Komimasa also on board as stowaways)is hijacked.
Zeiram (ゼイラム, Zeiramu)
Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese); Dave Siegel (English)
Zeiram is the ultimate being and virtually indestructible. In addition to being extremely powerful, Zeiram can generate imperfect clones of itself to assist in battle. Zeiram also needs to assimilate other life forms in order to sustain itself, but in doing so it is thought that Zeiram can learn whatever is known by the organism being assimilated. Zeiram is not a unique creature and other versions of itself are known to exist throughout the universe. Later in the show Zeiram attempts to contact other Zeirams in order to bring them to Myce.
Puttubayh (プットゥバヤ, Puttubaya)
Voiced by: Mugihito (Japanese); Al Muscari (English)
The vice-president of Tidan Tippidai Corporation and the person responsible for bringing Zeiram to Myce (and to a latter degree, Taowajan), with plans to use it as a weapon. Plans, foolishly divulged to his mistress in a chip stored inside a locket found by Iria on board the Karma and not shared by the Corporation who go so far as canceling the rescue mission, stating that everyone on board (including Puttubayh and Bob) perished and now putting a bounty on Iria's head for her knowledge to cover-up his plans and the Karma incident.
Other Appearances in Media:
Hyper Iria (SNES)
Hyper Iria was released on October 13, 1995 for the Super Famicom, and was published by Banpresto. The game was released exclusively in Japan. In 2016, a fan translation of the game into English was released by Dynamics Designs and Matt’s Messy Room, that is playable via emulation.
The game was developed by TamTam based on the 1994 original video animation Iria: Zeiram the Animation, even though the game itself seems to take place after the events of the OVA, which was a (pseudo)prequel to the live-action Zeiram film. Stages are divided between action stages and shooting stages.
There are five stages in total and stages can be chosen in any order. Iria can choose many weapons in the game, including a bazooka and some of her signature gadgets as seen from the OVA. Some levels are objective based, requiring you to fulfill a particular objective before being allowed to progress any further in the current stage. Clearing stages means earning money which can be used to power up your weapons.
IMO, it's not a bad game, but it's not a great one either. I can't fathom playing this game without save states via emulation to experiment and get a grasp of the gameplay without multiple game overs and restarts.
Zeiram Zone (PlayStation)
This video game was a beat 'em up published by Banpresto on December 13, 1996 and developed by Crowd.
Fun fact about this title is that Kitamura Akira, one of the "fathers" of Mega Man along with Keiji Inafune, was the man behind this title. This was the final game he developed before leaving the industry as a whole.
Much like a lot of early 3D titles in gaming's history, this hasn't aged well at all, especially for the cringe-worthy CGI cutscenes and even worse for the character models. I never played this myself, but seen a few longplays of it, such as the one linked below that show that the game has a control scheme more akin to a fighting game rather than a beat 'em up as what it appears to be on the surface.
The gameplay makes me think of more of the original Tobal series (that would later inspire Ehrgeiz...) but I wouldn't go out of my way to try this out.
Why Do I Love It So Much?
When I think of "anime", this is EXACTLY what comes to mind first and foremost. Outside of Voltron, Gatchaman/G-Force: Guardians of Space/Battle of the Planets, Astro Boy, Gigantor, Transformers, and even Robotech/Macross that I was exposed to at an early age, this was my fondest early memory when it came to anime back when I would check out the anime that would air on Saturday mornings on the Sci-Fi (now SyFy) Channel when I was a kid. When I think of bad ass female bounty hunters from my days of youth, Iria is at the top of that list alongside Samus Aran of the Nintendo fame without a shadow of a doubt. I have to credit Iria for my fondness with strong female protagonists for sure. She's left a lasting impression on me and my own creative work(s) that I know that I won't leave behind anytime soon.
I didn't see the live-action Zeiram films until many years after the several times that I have seen this anime in my youth. Hell, I even own both films on VHS and DVD for that matter. To be honest, I'll probably review the OVA and both films in-depth out of sheer nostalgia down the road, sooner more than later. For those that don't know, Iria: Zeiram - The Animation is available for viewing on Amazon Prime too if you don't want to put down the cash to buy a copy of it.
Out of all of the anime that has been revamped or revived in some capacity, it makes me sad that the Zeiram label hasn't gotten the similar treatment over the years. It's turned into a bit of a cult following for people who have even heard of this anime.
Regardless, Iria's initial adventures are definitely going to remain in high regard to me in terms of my earliest memories of my exposure to anime.
Before I end this, I got to rave about the music in this OVA, from the background music to the opening and closing themes.
She-Hulk (Jennifer Susan Walters) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 (cover-dated February 1980). Following an injury, Walters received an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner, and acquired a milder version of his Hulk condition. As such, Walters becomes a large, powerful green-hued version of herself while still largely retaining her personality. In particular, she retains her intelligence and emotional control, although like Hulk, she still becomes stronger if enraged. In later issues of the comics, her transformation is permanent.
She-Hulk was introduced in 1979 in SAVAGE SHE-HULK #1 by Stan Lee, Steve Buscema, and Chic Stone. In issue #2, the book is handed off to David Anthony Kraft, Mike Vosburg, and Chic Stone for pretty much the remainder of that 25-issue run.
Savage She-Hulk #1 - Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk's first appearance in Marvel Comics.
Jennifer Walters was raised in Los Angeles by her father Sheriff Morris Walters and her mother Elaine Banner-Walters, who died in a suspicious accident. During this time, she became close with her cousin Bruce Banner while spending summers in Ohio. She went to UCLA’s law school and became a lawyer to fight baddies like her dad.
We first meet Jen while she’s investigating the bad dudes who killed her mom including Nick Trask, whom Jen was defending after he framed his personal guard for murder. Trask put the hit out on her and she gets shot. But Bruce happened to be visiting from New York City, and when Jen needs an immediate blood infusion, he was the one to help out – turning her into She-Hulk.
In issue #2, the book immediately gets weirder! Jen spends her early days as a lawyer trying not to get pissed off in court and splitting out of her clothes and murdering her opposing counsel. Initially, she can’t control her powers but in time, she is able to keep her Jen Walters brain while in her She-Hulk form. Things are complicated because her dad is a cop and she is becoming a vigilante – whether she really wants to or not. She spends most of the run having awkwardness with her dad and honing her control of the She-Hulk inside.
Jen makes some key connections during this time with Man-Wolf AKA John Jameson and Patsy Walker in issue #13. Her friends Zapper and Richard Rory both sought her attention and helped her out. She eventually chooses Zapper’s dapper ‘80s ‘stache and large head of curly locks.
Almost every issue of SHE-HULK introduces a new D-lister, like Howard the Duck and Man-Thing. It’s delightfully weird.
The series wraps up with She-Hulk reconnecting with her father who didn’t know she was She-Hulk and realizing that she loves Zapper.
DRAMA FOR YOUR MAMA: SHE-HULK IN THE AVENGERS AND THE FANTASTIC FOUR
She-Hulk starts to move from her dramatic origin to being an important part of Marvel’s biggest Super Hero teams. But it seems like she really can’t escape ongoing relationship drama. She joins the Avengers in 1982 in AVENGERS #221-242 by Jim Shooter, David Michelinie, and Bob Hall alongside a super team of artists.
Janet Van Dyne AKA the Wasp puts an ad in the paper asking for the female heroes to find her: Black Widow, Dazzler, Invisible Woman, Spider-Woman, and She-Hulk. On the way there, Jen rear-ends Clint Barton in her pink convertible, setting up animosity between the two of them and a lot of back-and-forth.
In AVENGERS #228, Shocker shocks Jen so badly that she can’t hulk out – until Clint talks smack and she slaps him until she hulks out again. Go figure, around issue #242 Hawkeye proposes having “detached members” who are on call instead of full-time and She-Hulk says “Indeed!” and disappears from following issues.
She-Hulk is the muscle for the Avengers and largely the comic relief. She runs around in cut-off shorts, lifting up cars and huge machines like they weigh nothing, and then dives into fights with fists flying. Plus, she’s got mad swag. She’s really sexy, single, and loving her life. This run is especially important because She-Hulk’s flirty, fancy-free personality really starts to take shape in the absence of dad/boy drama.
She-Hulk later pops in 1984’s SECRET WARS. This is the beginning of her ongoing battle with Titania, who immediately wants to fight her after being turned into a buff lady by Doctor Doom. She-Hulk tends to fight other big ladies like Titania and Thundra, but from the beginning she’s really just always been fighting the weird guys like Mole Man, Doctor Bong, a real ever-changing rogues’ gallery that is delightfully strange.
Janet Van Dyne AKA the Wasp puts an ad in the paper asking for the female heroes to find her: Black Widow, Dazzler, Invisible Woman, Spider-Woman, and She-Hulk. On the way there, Jen rear-ends Clint Barton in her pink convertible, setting up animosity between the two of them and a lot of back-and-forth.
In AVENGERS #228, Shocker shocks Jen so badly that she can’t hulk out – until Clint talks smack and she slaps him until she hulks out again. Go figure, around issue #242 Hawkeye proposes having “detached members” who are on call instead of full-time and She-Hulk says “Indeed!” and disappears from following issues.
She-Hulk is the muscle for the Avengers and largely the comic relief. She runs around in cut-off shorts, lifting up cars and huge machines like they weigh nothing, and then dives into fights with fists flying. Plus, she’s got mad swag. She’s really sexy, single, and loving her life. This run is especially important because She-Hulk’s flirty, fancy-free personality really starts to take shape in the absence of dad/boy drama.
She-Hulk later pops in 1984’s SECRET WARS. This is the beginning of her ongoing battle with Titania, who immediately wants to fight her after being turned into a buff lady by Doctor Doom. She-Hulk tends to fight other big ladies like Titania and Thundra, but from the beginning she’s really just always been fighting the weird guys like Mole Man, Doctor Bong, a real ever-changing rogues’ gallery that is delightfully strange.
This is also when Ben Grimm AKA the Thing leaves Earth for Battleworld (where he can stay in his human form) so he recruits She-Hulk to be the muscle for the Fantastic Four while he’s away. She-Hulk returns to Earth in FANTASTIC FOUR #265-300, which was written and drawn by John Byrne, one of the most iconic creators of the character. During this time, Sue Storm is pregnant with Franklin, so She-Hulk doing double duty as a foil to Reed Richards and punching stuff.
Around this time, She-Hulk meets Wyatt Wingfoot and there is CHEMISTRY! He keeps popping up from time to time until they start dating. So, remember when Johnny Storm wanted to marry Alicia Masters? Well, She-Hulk was PISSED because Johnny also asks Ben to be his best man. She-Hulk and Thing fight in a construction spot until he feels better. Jonny and Alicia get married and since Ben is back, Jen’s out!
SHE-HULK LOVES TO HULK! (PLUS SHE IS THE ULTIMATE FUNNY GIRL)
She-Hulk returns to the Avengers in AVENGERS #278-297 by Walt Simonson and John Buscema. This is pretty much a continuation of the previous run, but fun things happen, like she encourages Captain Marvel AKA Monica Rambeau to lead the Avengers. But she ultimately leaves because she feels weird about the stuff she did while controlled by Nebula (a different one) and Doctor Druid. She exits with the Avengers’ blessing.
In 1989’s SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK by John Byrne Bob Wiacek and Glynis Oliver (with a few issues by Steve Gerber and Bryan Hitch), she fully embraces her comedic nature. She starts breaking the fourth wall on the cover of issue #1. When we meet her, she’s enslaved by the Ringmaster, but she breaks free from his mind control and heads back to New York City. Janet Van Dyne hooks Shulkie up with her apartment while she’s away visiting Hank Pym in Los Angeles. Jen also starts a new job – while stuck in her big and green form.
This is where she meets her new bestie Louise “Weezi” Mason AKA the Blonde Phantom from the old days of Timely Comics. They both work for District Attorney Towers, and we get a look into Weezi’s past when she and Mr. Mason got married and grew older while not in comics; now she’s a middle-aged widow ready for adventure.
Jen often pulls in her editors, creators, etc. into the actual comic book as the run goes on, like when she nearly jumped out of the pages to fight John Byrne for making DA Towers married in the book. Among Shulkie’s other fun times, she fantasizes about Hercules and we see some flames with Wyatt Wingfoot. She also comes across a ‘59 Dodge convertible with space travel capabilities courtesy of some friends from space. Jen continues to help out the DA during the day, and she and Weezi travel the world fighting weird villains and having adventures.
The covers for this series are utterly fantastic and capitalize on She-Hulk’s humor, with lampoons of sexy covers accompanied by her realistic commentary. Editor Renee Witterstaetter later appears to chat with her on the page. The series ended because John Bryne “died by tripping over a subplot.”
BALANCE IS BEST FOR SHULKIE
In 2004’s SHE-HULK by Dan Slott and artists Juan Bobillo and Paul Pelletier (who also kicked off the 2005 that was taken over by Peter David and more artists), She-Hulk gets kicked out of Avengers Mansion for too many overnight guests. The reason cited was that they were security risks, plus she gets fired for causing a mistrial at her law office and photocopying her butt – on a color copier.
Jen she moves out and gets a job working for Goodman (Martin), Lieber (Stan), Kurtzberg (Kirby), and Holliway – her boss, who thinks She-Hulk is a liability and wants Jen in the courtroom. Jen doesn’t love being in her vulnerable form, plus she is faced with working with (and against) fellow litigator Mallory Book. She also enlists the help of Augustus “Pug” Pugliese who is into her. The series explores her reclaiming her power in human form and fighting for super-powered clients who aren’t heroes and need help. She also ends up eloping with Man-Wolf, her on-and-off squeeze for ages. This run is delightful because we get our classic flirty and fabulous Shulkie, who has really heartfelt drama helping super people who don’t want their powers.
More She-Hulk highlights include the Contest of Champions, when Gamora trains her. She also becomes roommates with Lyra, She-Hulk from another universe. In Charles Soule’s 2014 run of SHE-HULK, she gets to use super detective skills. She was also a big part of PATSY WALKER AKA HELLCAT.
Then CIVIL WAR II happens – the initial conflict with Thanos leaves her in a coma. She wakes up in 2016’s HULK by Mariko Tamaki and Nico Leon, is grey and royally screwed up, dealing with her lingering issues and watching baking videos to cope.
These are some of my favorite alternate universe versions from She-Hulk over the years, but there's many more to seek out. I just limited this article to covering the ones below.
Ultimate She-Hulk
Betty Ross transforming into the Ultimate Marvel universe's She-Hulk.
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Betty Ross is still the daughter of General "Thunderbolt" Ross. She was the college roommate of Janet van Dyne. She earned a degree in communications at Berkeley and dated Bruce Banner until his failed attempts at cracking the super soldier problem turned him into the Hulk.
When the Ultimates were assembled, she became their Director of Communications/Public Relations Officer. After being spurned by Betty, Bruce responded by injecting himself with a version of the Hulk formula that incorporated the recently discovered Captain America's blood, and went on a rampage as the Hulk, during which he killed more than 800 civilians. During his trial, Betty declared her love for Bruce, who was eventually convicted, and sentenced to death, but Bruce escaped the nuclear bomb intended to execute him by turning into the Hulk and escaping. Bruce returned during the Ultimates 2 miniseries after Fury, the President of the United States, Washington D.C. and New York had been captured by the Liberators. Bruce, now exhibiting greater control over his transformations, helped repel the Liberators, and Betty was seen tending to an exhausted Bruce after the battle with the Liberators and Loki in Washington, D.C.
In the Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk miniseries, Nick Fury sends Wolverine to find and kill the Hulk, but their battle was interrupted by She-Hulk after Betty injected herself with the Hulk serum. Fury reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. is working to keep her transformations under control, and has her imprisoned in the Cube.
She was a pivotal player during the Fall of the Hulks storyline, along with Red She-Hulk (cited below), but after Marvel Comics current reboot to their comics continuity, she hasn't been seen much. I thought she was a fun diversion from the average gamma-powered females at the time, but boy, did Marvel Comics' get far too many "Hulks" in a short period following that World War Hulk event. Lyra differs from her father in a major way - she becomes weakened if she gets mad. Instead, she practices a mastery of her emotions for she can always remain in check of them for this wouldn't affect her in battle.
Red She-Hulk (Betty Ross)
During the "Fall of the Hulks" storyline, Betty Ross is revealed to have been resurrected by the Leader and MODOK at the urgings of their new ally, her father Thunderbolt Ross, who had previously kept her body in cryonic stasis. She also underwent the same process that had turned her father into the Red Hulk, which granted her superhuman physical power. The now-villainous Doc Samson also helps Leader brainwash Betty into an extremely confused and aggressive state. Ross' allies, aware of his intentions to betray them, send Betty, as the "Red She-Hulk", to help assassinate her father, who is hunting the mercenaryDomino, after she witnesses him transform from his human form. Their encounter ends with Red She-Hulk kicking Red Hulk off the Empire State Building.
After Ross fakes his own death, Betty also appears as herself at his "funeral", accompanied by a Life Model Decoy of Glenn Talbot to constantly monitor and control her, and expresses distrust of Bruce due to his recent marriage to Caiera on Sakaar and his subsequent attack on Manhattan.
During the "World War Hulks" storyline, after Skaar stabs her with his sword, the new She-Hulk reverts to her human form, exposing her true identity. Betty explains how she was brought back to life, and asks that Bruce allow her to die. But when Samson arrives, Betty's anger at his betrayal transforms her back into Red She-Hulk, thus healing her injuries. Now once again in control of her own mind, Betty (as Red She-Hulk) helps Bruce/Hulk to reconcile with his son Skaar. When Bruce gains the upper hand in the ensuing final battle against Ross, Betty becomes worried for her father, which, combined with her heightened aggression when transformed, leads to conflict with the original She-Hulk, who prevails. After Ross is defeated and imprisoned, Betty convinces Bruce to grant her father an opportunity for rehabilitation and redemption.
She-Dragon
Amy Belcher, also known as Sensation and mostly as She-Dragon, is a fictional 'superfreak' and later police officer created by Erik Larsen for his series Savage Dragon as a She-Hulk-like female counterpart for the series' main character The Dragon.
A troubled "bimbo", She-Dragon became the star of Erik Larsen's title for four issues (51–54) during a time when The Dragon was thought deceased; the title was changed to 'Savage She-Dragon' for those issues; a new She-Dragon mini-series has been announced.
Amy Belcher first appeared in the Savage Dragon Vs Savage Megaton Man special as a villainess named Sensation. At the time, Amy was part of a low-key group called the Nixed Men, all of whom were parodies of characters that had been written/drawn and in most cases re-vamped by John Byrne, their name a parody of his own self-created title for Dark Horse Comics The Next Men. Amy was a parody of She-Hulk, whom Byrne worked on for some time in her own series The Sensational She-Hulk. Sensation noted that she had been cast aside by her creator Johnny Redbeard, a villain later used in Freak Force, because after her transformation she performed prat-falls for people from another dimension. Along with this confession, Sensation/She-Dragon occasionally talks to observing entities only she can perceive, a common habit of She-Hulk.
She-Dragon in the Savage Dragon cartoon series.
She-Dragon appeared as a regular cast member in the short-lived Savage Dragon cartoon series, first appearing in the episode 'She-Dragon'. In this continuity, She-Dragon's father was a scientist who was killed by Overlord, and she became a crimefighter to put a stop to his operations...despite Dragon's protests that he didn't need her help. She was voiced by Jennifer Hale.
Obviously, She-Dragon isn't one of Marvel Comics' creations, but you have to be blind to see that she was CLEARLY inspired by Shulkie, especially during her one-shot solo comic book appearance, even down to the same cover as the infamous John Byrne run. I had initially grew aware of She-Dragon back during the Savage Dragon's short-lived animated series over on the USA Network (something I need to revisit with adult eyes actually...) but loosely followed her exploits over the years. I made it a personal priority to make sure that I snatched up a copy of her first (and only as of this posting) issue of her solo comic. I had to make sure to mention her in this article to avoid having to do a separate piece on her later down the road.
Appearances in Media:
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 | Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
I remember losing my shit when Shulkie was first announced for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 when their character trailers were going around to reveal the roster every week by IGN. It was even better that she was being voiced by Maria Canals-Barrera AKA Hawkgirl and Fire from Justice League/Justice League Unlimited and Paulina from Danny Phantom. I'm sure DC/Warner Bros. were pissed that she took that role over reprising the role as Hawkgirl for the original Injustice title, not that I'm complaining. I thought she did an excellent job as the character.
All of She-Hulk's alternate colors and costumes in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
I'm just still disappointed in myself that I can't play the character nor this game well for beans though. At least I can live through Peter "Combofiend" Rosas seeing him play both Shulkie and Nathan Spencer (another character in that game I liked who Jen goes on a date with in her Arcade Mode ending) insanely well when he was playing the game competitively at the height it's popularity.
The Incredible Hulk (1982 & 1996 Animated Series)
She-Hulk appears in The Incredible Hulk (1982 animated series), voiced by Victoria Carroll. She first appears in the episode, "Enter: She-Hulk".
She-Hulk appears in The Incredible Hulk (1996 animated series), voiced by Lisa Zane in season one and Cree Summer in season two. Although she appears in only two episodes in season one, She-Hulk takes center stage in season two to the point that the new season renamed the series The Incredible Hulk and the She-Hulk.
I credited both Cree Summer and Lisa Zane over on Twitter a few months ago as the ones who both "lit the fire" of my own She-Hulk fandom from their portrayals of the character in the 1996 series. Those were the first two iterations that I was exposed to in terms of animation as I didn't see the 1982 version until decades after the fact.
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes
I think this is one of the most popular clips to even come out of that show, given the open auditions that the Fantastic Four were holding for new members in the absence of The Thing. Too bad Shulkie didn't stick around past this single appearance though in this episode "The Cure". For those wondering, she was voiced by Canadian voice actress and singer, Rebecca Shoichet.
Super Hero Squad
Katee Sackoff would lend her voice to She-Hulk in this series and would constantly be the foil to both Hulk and especially Iron Man in later episodes, constantly asking how come he didn't call her back after their date, only to cause a nervous reaction to pop up from her flirting. I got a good laugh at this for what it was worth - much like almost everything from the SHS portrayals of these beloved Marvel Comics characters.
Even though I tend to knock a lot of "kid friendly" comedy adaptations of classic cartoons/superheroes, I can't knock SHS too much for the fact that this show actually remembered who Screaming Mimi was BEFORE she was Songbird on the Thunderbolts. That being said, Ms. Marvel's voice still sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me when I hear her speak in this cartoon.
Hulk & The Agents of SMASH
In this series, She-Hulk would be part of the Hulk's team of gamma-powered heroes and act as the team's resident pilot and token female. To this day, I'm surprised that they never shoehorned Red She-Hulk in this series when they already had Red Hulk in here along with so many plots featuring the Leader. It would have been easy to get her in here in some capacity. I mean c'mon, both Ultimate Spider-Man and Disney's Spider-Man managed to get majority of the mainstays from the Spider-Verse into their series but they couldn't show the same amount of care for this series? Oh well.
She was voiced by Buffy the Vampire series alum Eliza Dushku in this series.
Why Do I LOVE Her So Much?
Trekkies, or rather Star Trek fanboys, have always had their fascinations with green alien women, and I suppose that She-Hulk is mine in that degree. The duality of the Incredible Hulk with his Doctor Jekyll/Mr. Hyde nature had always had intrigued me in the past, but when Rule 63 kicked into full gear for Marvel Comics in that regard, you can guarantee that my interest went into full gear. I'll never forget checking out a copy of Marvel : The Characters and Their Universe from my local library time and time again, just to read up on the numerous characters at Marvel Comics' disposal growing up. Color my surprise when I found out that there was a female Hulk. Between that and hunting down the John Byrne run of her comic book series at the local comic book shop, I can confess being my initial fond memories of being infatuated with this character.
John Byrne's work on her second solo series (The Sensational She-Hulk era as most refer to it as) ranks up there as some of my favorite adventures of hers, but I have come to admire her original series with her struggles to juggle her life as a lawyer and the stresses that come with that job and her newfound identity as the Savage She-Hulk. People love to talk about female empowerment when it comes to female superheroes, but I think Jennifer needs to be at the top of that list really. She took something that Bruce Banner has struggled to cope and control for decades of his comic book history and made her Hulk identity her own, instead of constantly seeing it as a curse that needed to be "cured". A lot of her modern narratives seem to have her juggling a mixture of her original series combined with the comical nature of her Sensational run with mixed results, such as her "Ally McShulkie" phase that most fans refer to her third solo series.
From Avengers Vol. 3, #487-490 - "The Search for She-Hulk".
I personally went out of my way to check out and purchase the four-part "Search for She-Hulk" mini-series in Avengers at the time where an overexposure to radiation caused her Savage transformations to pop up again out of her control. That didn't get enough praise for She-Hulk taking on all of the Avengers on her own during that ordeal. To this day, I think that's the closest we're going to get to World War She-Hulk... That is unless her current "power-up" from the Celestials in the current run of Avengers comics ends up making her a bigger threat than Bruce is.
I think her PTSD era following Civil War II was the worst of these runs though as that book didn't seem to find it's voice until it was close to being cancelled, where it fell into borderline Sensational era humor with Hellcat in tow for most issues.
To be fair though, I thought the book did a great job portraying and shedding light on the effects of PTSD on one psyche after a traumatic experience, but ultimately, I think the book suffered from the fact that we didn't see a single Hulk Out from Jennifer until about 3-4 issues in. Her grey, scarred She-Hulk appearance was pretty controversial at the time (even more so than her current look) and became the talk of the town even more when the book took a nosedive in sales. I'll admit that I haven't read much of her current run as part of the current Avengers roster, but I thought it was a massive step backwards to remove her "flirty" nature and make her musclebound brute comparable to her cousin in early years of Marvel Comics' continuity.
What I found to be ironic was that these changes were made since there were complaints from the SJWs that she was overly sexualized over the years, but Marvel goes right back to sexualizing her brutish appearance in stories too in one issue that explores Jennifer's own opinion on her current Hulk form in comparison to her previous appearance(s), only to have her seen as mere eye candy for the villain of the week. Yeah, it just seems like Marvel doesn't know what they want from this character - at least currently. I have to agree with one of my fellow bloggers on this matter with his in-depth thoughts on her current adventures here.
She-Hulk fan art by The Manic.
I wouldn't be doing this piece justice if I didn't give a shout out to some of my readers and friends over on DeviantArt, especially those who have kept my fandom of the character alive for the past two decades. I think all of us in that corner of the woods would blame our fandom holding strong namely from the artwork of The Manic, who I stumbled upon from the old Yahoo! Groups days from Shadowlurker's She-Hulk fan site before Shadowlurker's untimely demise. In the years that followed, the Manic became the definitive "transformation" specialist of that genre, even though he has his own wealth of original characters (ranging from a wealth of SFW to NSFW content floating around the Internet just a fair warning...), his specialty has always been portraying She-Hulk's transformations, namely from her Savage She-Hulk era.
She-Hulk fan art by Tom Burgos.
Another noteworthy fan artist to check out is Tom Burgos' She-Hulk related work. He's not as famous as The Manic, but his work of Shulkie is definitely worth a look too if you're a fan of the character.
Whether it be from comics, video games, her various appearances in cartoons, and even various fan art and fan-fictions scattered across the Internet over the years, I'm going to always find something to love about our favorite Jade Giantess.
Super ShowDown (2020) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Networkevent, produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDownbrands. It took place on February 27, 2020 at the Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the third event promoted under the Super ShowDown chronology and the fifth event under WWE's 10-year partnership supporting Saudi Vision 2030.
The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) def. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar)
Gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq Trophy
The Undertaker def. AJ Styles, Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, and R-Truth
Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Miz and John Morrison def. The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (c)
Angel Garza def. Humberto Carrillo
Tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Seth Rollins and Murphy (c) def. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)
Mansoor def. Dolph Ziggler
Singles match for the WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) (c) def. Ricochet
Steel Cage match
Roman Reigns def. King Corbin
Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
Bayley (c) defeated Naomi
Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship
Goldberg defeated "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c)
Afterthoughts:
I have listened to a wealth of podcasters seething with rage and read a lot of angry tweets and reactions online following this show after it aired live while I was at work yesterday, but I'm honestly not as outraged and flipping over desks like most people it seems. I think it's comical at this point to invest this much emotion in WWE's current product, especially with the main roster when they have a documented track record of disappointing modern fans time and time again with anything and everything (not named Roman Reigns) that doesn't have to deal with NXT.
I had a few friends message me with the results when I got off from work and I literally busted out laughing when I read them. I got home and only watched the WWE Championship and Universal Championship matches out of morbid curiosity. I have to ask, what did people really want from this show going into it?
AJ Styles getting laid out by the Undertaker didn't bother me much, especially if that means that's a lock for a match between the two at WrestleMania, even though I would have preferred Aleister Black versus The Undertaker for 'Mania just for the entrances alone. (Laughs) Taker didn't even take his hat and coat off though. From as stiff as he looked walking down to the ring, I hope Taker finally hangs it up at Survivor Series this year. That would bring his career around full circle at this point. He's got nothing else left to prove in my eyes. Let this man finally rest before he's so beaten down and immobile like Kurt Angle in retirement.
If the bodysuits weren't enough, the ladies had to wear t-shirts over their outfits too.
Was it really worth it to have the WWE SmackDown! Women's Championship defended in Saudi Arabia when they were forced to have the women dressed like nuns just to perform there? I get it though. It's the first SmackDown! Women's Title match there and a big deal for those women getting to inspire change in that country whether we liked the match or not. I'll give them props for the creative finish, even though the match itself was a little hit or miss.
People laughed at me when I said who in their right mind actually believed that Ricochet stood a chance at dethroning Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Even the damn promotion package they put together even made a joke of it with Ricochet asking, "What if?" as a poorly made graphic of him against Drew McIntyre for WrestleMania flashed on the screen for a few seconds. This ended EXACTLY how I figured it would. One F-5 got the job done after Brock cut him off immediately. Ricochet could at least say that he lasted longer than Kofi Kingston did though. Maybe Ricochet should've opened with that nutshot that he gave Brock during the Rumble that assisted Drew McIntyre in eliminating the Beast during that match, but I'm sure that would have made Brock even more pissed off.
(Laughs) Now I see why a lot of people I was talking to online were butt hurt about short/squash matches. When everyone sung the praises of WWE picking up Ricochet and saying that he's going to be such a big star in this company I was dreading it. It was painfully aware when this match started that Ricochet isn't even remotely in Brock Lesnar's weight class in terms of size nor presence. That bell rung and it looked like Brock was about to fight a kid fresh out of high school. Boy was I deceived about his size and height from watching him in New Japan and Lucha Underground. I was always under the impression that Ricochet was a bigger lightweight than most out of there. I thought Ricochet would've benefited in the long haul from a longer tenure in NXT instead of the short stay he had on the yellow brand and it's showing that he would have had a better chance to make a name for himself there instead of being another minor footnote in Brock's road to WrestleMania. Sure, he'll bounce back from this like 90% of the guys who Brock tossed out of the Rumble match within seconds, but damn, WWE doesn't have the slightest clue how to make new stars anymore. I'm starting to think their decision to have Drew McIntyre win the Rumble was a fluke accident at this point.
One of my friends sent me a clip of Goldberg's confrontation with the Fiend from SmackDown a week or two ago and it didn't look like they were setting him up to lose. He wasn't cowering in fear and crying like a complete wuss like Seth Rollins was last year. Goldberg stood his ground and speared Bray out of his shoes, only for the Fiend to leave unceremoniously without any comeuppance. It was the EXACT same thing here. The Fiend took four spears and a half-assed Jackhammer only to lose the Universal Championship in less than 3-5 minutes and left without any sort of rebuttal to Goldberg as he posed on the top rope. I really don't get it. Was WWE that against the Fiend gimmick at this point to completely bury it in one fell swoop? I mean, damn, at least let Bray drop it at WrestleMania instead of one of these throwaway shows before then. This is the same treatment that WWE gave to Asuka during the build to WrestleMania last year. I guess we should be grateful that Bray didn't lose it on free TV at least, but damn, it sucks to see the Fiend go down that easily. They could easily rehab him in a new program - namely with Cena later tonight during his appearance tonight on Friday Night SmackDown!, but it's just sad that WWE thinks this lightly of their treatment of their talents in the modern era.
Willy G has been watching his Broserweight tapes. PS Sweet BroHammer for the win 👌 pic.twitter.com/7hA2JwQq9y
It looks like the rumors are true though with the plans set for Goldberg defending the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns after he beats everyone else in his way in the Elimination Chamber next month. On paper that would be the bigger match, but c'mon, it wouldn't have killed WWE to do Roman vs. the Fiend. The character has been on top as this unstoppable monster for this long, only to get squashed like every other geek on the main roster was disappointing. At the end of the day, I didn't put any stock into WWE booking for what I wanted to see nor do I invest any interest into going out of my way to check out these Saudi shows, but I can understand why people are royally pissed.
Sad but true, despite the fact that people got #CancelWWENetwork trending yesterday.
