She-Hulk & Character Consistency

In 2016, the She-Hulk character was handed over to an accomplished writer and given the pronoun-less title of “Hulk.” The story that unfolded, however, divided the fanbase, raising key questions about the role of character consistency in comics. 1/9

Mariko Tamaki is a much-lauded comics writer with a gift for portraying rich interior consciousnesses in works such as “Skim,” “Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass,” “This One Summer,” and “Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me,” among others. 2/9

As plotter, Tamaki took Jennifer in a bold new direction as a character consumed by trauma, living in abject fear of the monster within her. It was a grim and gritty portrayal that focused on Jennifer’s interior psyche beyond anything the character had explored previously. 3/9

And people didn’t like it. Jordan Richards of AIPT, for example, argues that “Jennifer Walters was not a good character to use for this type of story,” finding the story ambitious but wildly inconsistent for a character who was built around fun, whimsy, and sex-positivity. 4/9

This leads to the broader argument about whether continuity of tone and characterization is essential for an incoming writer or if we should take a more parallax view of comics characters and be inviting to alternate interpretations. 5/9

The balance here is easily perceived, but difficult to define. On the one hand, the very nature of the comics industry depends on ongoing and extended consistency across iterations, but there’s also a tacit acknowledgement that each writer must make their own mark. 6/9

This balance is complicated further by AU and non-canon stories, as well as by transmediation. Reading Tamaki’s thoughtful and introspective treatment of an unrecognizable Jennifer Walters thus offers some perspective for comics readers. 7/9

Simply put, what is the tipping point of creative license? More importantly, what roles does consistency play in our perception of comics works and how might that differ from other narrative formats? 8/9

By most accounts, Tamaki’s Jennifer was a rare mis-step by one of the most heralded contemporary writers in the industry. But did Tamaki actually mis-step, or did she just step in a different direction than the one many people were expecting? 9/9