COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK – “The Sensational She-Hulk” #7 (November 1989)

'Sensational She-Hulk' #7 (Nov. '89)

This week’s “Comic Book of the Week” is “The Sensational She-Hulk” #7, which was published by Marvel Comics in November 1989.  This issue was titled “I Have No Mouth and I Am Mean!”

The issue’s creative team included John Byrne, writer and artist; Bob Wiacek, inker; Glynis Oliver, colorist; Jim Novak, letterer; Bobbie Chase, editor; and Tom DeFalco, editor in chief. Byrne was also the cover artist for this issue, which sold for $1.50 at newsstands.

The story begins in the Star Stop, a deep space “truck stop,” which is supposedly the best placed to get “a good cup of java” in 12 systems. The last issue ended with She-Hulk and a group of friends having to deal with a large, hairy Yeti-looking monster (with no mouth) called Xemnu the Titan. Xemnu has made a mess of the place, and then says that he’s there to get the baby of She-Hulk’s friends Mary McGrill and Ulysses Solomon Archer.

Xemnu seeks out children as part of a project to repopulate his home world, but he hasn’t had much luck with children who’ve already been born. She-Hulk and her friends attack Xemnu, but he puts them in a trance that stops them in their tracks. When She-Hulk and her friends awake, they’re tied up and hanging upside down.

Mary’s in worse shape. Xemnu’s got her tied down to a high-tech dentist’s chair and he’s placing a psycho relay helmet on her head so he can begin transmitting metamorphological data to Mary’s unborn child. She-Hulk regains her sense and breaks out of her bonds.

She knocks Xemnu for a loop while her friend, the superhero Razorback, also breaks free. Xemnu eventually gets the upper hand and puts She-Hulk back in a paralyzing trance. When she wakes up, she’s strapped to a chair and covered in green fur.

While she was knocked out, Razorback destroyed the machine Xemnu was going to use on Mary’s unborn baby, so he went to Plan B, that is, turn She-Hulk into the “Bride of Xemnu.” Xemnu launches into a time-wasting monologue that’s interrupted when a fleet of spaceships shows up to help She-Hulk and her friends.

In the aftermath, Xemnu fled, and it turned out that the fleet had arrived in response to a distress signal that had been sent by Archer. Maybe best of all, She-Hulk is back to normal, hairless once again, thanks to laser-olosis the alien named Al’s wife gave her. She learns later that Xemnu has been captured, and his trance-inducing powers have been subdued thanks to a “hypno-damper.”

Xemnu mentioned earlier that he wanted to make She-Hulk his bride because he was lonely. This gave her friend Poppa Wheelie and idea – they decided to hand Xemnu over to Big Enilwen, an large humanoid alien that collects teddy bears.

In the end, Archer and Al show She-Hulk a supped-up 1959 Dodge that is capable of making one space flight back to earth. Once it arrives, it’ll be just a regular “run of the mill flying car.” To boot, it’s green just like the She-Hulk.

This comic (unless I’ve sold it) and others are available for purchase through Peacock’s Books on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in buying it, search for it there by title, issue number and date of publication.