Interview: Harrison Wilcox and Ryan Stegman on SHE-HULKS

Today sees the long-awaited-by-me debut of She-Hulks by writer Harrison Wilcox and artist Ryan Stegman. From the little I've seen, it is already obvious that it's only a matter of time before everyone on this team is a sequential art superstar, but in the meantime they sat patiently and humored me while I peppered them with questions about Hulk history.

 


 

iFanboy: According to the publicity we've seen so far, She-Hulks spins out of recent events in the Hulk books, with Jen Walters and Lyra tracking escaped members of the Intelligencia in the aftermath of World War Hulks. Is the pursuit of the Intelligencia simply the first of (hopefully) many arcs, or do you plan for it to be the long-term plot that drives the book for the foreseeable future, like Richard Kimball's hunt for the one-armed man in The Fugitive?

Harrison Wilcox: It's not the tone of book, just the first arc. We wanted to do something where each issue could stand on it's own. Really you could spend six issues on each of the first four. Each villain could have an entire arc, but we wanted to compress the story, get to the action fast, and keep moving forward as fast as possible.

iF: Jennifer Walters has lived many lives in the Marvel universe. Besides her obvious role in the Hulk family of books, she has also been an Avenger and a member of the Fantastic Four. At this point, all she needs is a spider bite and a secondary mutation and her Marvel Bingo card is complete. Will any of these past lives be coming into play in her new book? Will she be calling in any favors with Reed Richards in her pursuit of the Red Ghost, or will she and Lyra be more or less on their own?

HW:  This is very much a story ingrained in the Marvel Universe. This first arc is about the two leads, seeing how they interact with one another as both women and super-heroes and building out into the universe from there. You don't need to have ever read a Hulk story to be able to pick up this book and have fun.

Ryan Stegman: To answer the second part of your question:  The She-Hulks work more or less on their own.  All I'm sayin' is…I've not drawn Reed Richards in this book . YET!
 
iF: Along those same lines, can we expect any visits from the supporting characters from She-Hulk's other recent books? Will any of her old law partners or romantic interests be popping by, or has she left that part of her life behind her for the time being?

HW: There will be at least one appearance of a character from She-Hulk's past.
 
iF: Generally, Hulk books are about two things: the deep psychological duality between inner and outer self, and smashy smashy pow pow. How much time in the spotlight will each of these elements get in She-Hulks? Will many panels be devoted to "weak Lyra" and Jennifer Walters, Attorney at Law, or will it be all green, all the time?

HW: If the book was called "Jen and Lyra" instead of "She-Hulks" we'd probably have trouble selling copies. But the characters do get more human face time than I think people are used to in a She-Hulk book. Part of the theme of the first arc is learning how to live a "civilian" life while still being a superhero. There's a lot of interesting character moments that come out of that and that will impact all of the smashy smash smash.
 
RS: My favorite part of drawing this book so far has been the quieter character moments that I've been allowed to draw.  Drawing Hulk smash action is great, but there is something extra fun to me about the moments when the characters are revealing more of themselves than just the tough exterior.  And this is in large part because Harrison REALLY gave these characters a lot of personality.

iF: Of course, as part of the Red Hulk Saga, She-Hulk was believed to be dead for a year or so (although I can't remember her being mourned or even mentioned by her closest friends during that time). Do you plan on addressing that part of her story at all in the pages of She-Hulks?

HW: It doesn't come up directly, but that is definitely part of the subtext of the character. This is a superhero who disappeared for a long time due to the Intelligencia, and to her it seems like nobody tried to save her or even cared she wasn't around. And really that's a common theme with superhero deaths and disappearances. They're very quickly forgotten sometimes. But Jen isn't the kind of person who is going to sit around and feel bad for herself. She's going to channel those feelings and use them to make sure that never happens again to her or to anyone she cares about. It's a big reason why she wants to round up the rest of the Intelligencia.

iF: In addition to spending time in every corner of the Marvel universe, She-Hulk has had books that tried on just about every tone over the years. She started out as a straight-ahead rampaging monster in the classic Hulk mode before spending many years in winking, fourth-wall-breaking books. Most recently, she was even in the hands of Hulk maestro Peter David for a while. How would you describe the tone of She-Hulks given all that has come before?

HW: Fun Marvel action adventure that any and all types will enjoy. Thanks to the artwork by Ryan, this is an incredibly accessible book.  If you want to have a good time reading a book, this is it. If you've never read a comic book before or know someone who's never read a comic before, this is it.
 
RS: I read the final PDF of issue one and I was really pleased because the tone weaved around quite a bit.  There were very light moments and then some heavier moments.  And it all worked.

iF: What about Lyra? Marvel readers have certainly seen the "hero out of time" scenario play out before, but this time we have a hero from the future living in her ancient past. Will her knowledge of half-remembered history be a help or a hindrance? How much will this be touched upon, if at all?

HW: Things are so drastically different here that Lyra will be spending most of her time trying to fit in and kick butt. It's a very overwhelming experience and she doesn't have time to think about anything except the next fist flying her way.

iF: What will the dynamic be like between Jen and Lyra? Is it mentor/student, big/little sister, peer/peer, none of the above…?

HW: While Jen is technically Lyra's aunt, she plays more like a big sister to Lyra.

iF: Ryan Stegman, you have recently grown into one of my favorite "new" artists, with a fun-loving style that straddles the line between real and cartoony in all the right ways. What attracted you to this project? What sort of thing do you hope to be drawing as the book progresses?

RS: First of all, THANKS!  As for what attracted me to this project:  I had been drawing Red She-Hulk backup stories and I was really sucked into the world of the Hulk.  I can't say that I had been keeping up with it before that, but as soon as I got in there I realized there was a LOT of cool stuff going on.  And I had really enjoyed drawing Red She-Hulk, and I even got to draw Jen if only on a few pages.  But I knew from that moment that these characters would be a blast to work on. Harrison and I also worked together on the Red She-Hulk stuff together so I KNEW that working with him would be great.  We immediately hit it off and he wrote stuff that I wanted to draw and it was a blast.  So all that put together really got me excited for this project. As the book progresses, I just want to draw whatever is required of me!  Everything that's been put in the book so far has been so much fun, that I just trust that it will continue to be.

iF: As a devoted fan of Captain Britain, Doctor Voodoo, and S.W.O.R.D., I am embittered and hard-hearted when it comes to new Marvel books. I've just been hurt so many times before. What is the one thing you would say to me to get me to open my heart/wallet and give She-Hulks a chance?

HW: Because the artwork for this book is phenomenal. And in two years when Ryan Stegman is famous, you'll be able to sell it on ebay for a lot of money and make back all you spent on comics.
 
RS:  Well, if you like reading good fun comics with awesome characters then read this book.  If you prefer lame comics that have lame characters, this isn't going to be your cup of tea. 😉
 


She-Hulks #1 is out this Wednesday. Won't you go and pull it?

Comments

  1. I’m quite looking forward to this. Don’t know anything about Harrison Wilcox, but Ryan Stegman’s art is top notch. I hope it can last more than a handfull of issues.