Betty Ross: Red She-Hulk...

Of the many female heroes at Marvel whom I have loved, followed, and enjoyed, Betty Ross was never one of them.  There was no reason she should be.  I didn't generally read The Incredible Hulk, though I kept up with the storyline well enough to know what was going on.  Most of the time.

Betty, typical of many female characters in comics through the 1960s and 1970s, seemed to only have an existence in relation to the Hulk, and to only appear in stories in which she was kidnapped, used, brainwashed, manipulated, and otherwise not the master of her own fate.

I wasn't very interested.

Then at some point when I was not paying attention to Hulk continuity, she became a gamma-radiated rage monster.  Without the rage.  The first time I saw her, she made if clear she liked being superstrong, red, and able to do whatever she wants. I could get behind this.  As my friend Cat said on her Writ Medium blog: "With Bruce, becoming the Hulk was about losing control.  With Betty, it was about gaining control."  As Red She-Hulk, Betty is empowered, independent, assertive and intelligent.  As Hulk, Bruce has characteristically been confused and angry.  While Bruce tends to rage as the Hulk, and to be a danger to those around him, Betty is powerfully protective of others. When Bruce turns into the Hulk, he becomes grotesquely large, ill-proportioned, and monstrous - by his own estimation and that of others.  Transforming into Red She-Hulk makes Betty vivid, dramatic, well-proportioned, and beautiful. In December 2012, the comic book series Hulk turned into Red She-Hulk, part of Marvel's new trend of giving female heroes their own comics.  Written by Jeff Parker, drawn with aplomb by Carlo Pagulayan, we got a story that revived and refurbished Machine Man as a friend and comic foil for Betty Ross.  The characters were fun.  The story was rather incoherent.  I think it needed more simplification, rather than more explanation. Perhaps it would have lapsed into coherency, but the title was cancelled. Today the very last issue came out, hastily finishing up a story that started out unclear and gathered further unclarity as it continued. The least coherent moment of the book was Betty's assertion of independence: "I make my own destiny, if that hasn't been made clear today. I fight for me."   At the end of the story, she entered the Ancient Order of the Sheild, from which she can presumably emerge whenever she is need as back-up character in another comic. I wonder what her current feelings are for Bruce Banner.  Or his for her. Am I sorry the comic has ended?  In an abstract way, yes: it was a mix of old comic book clichés and witty banter, falling somewhere between silly and pointless.  The art was lovely,and I hope to see more by Carlo Pagulayan soon.  Really, there was a lot of potential there, wasted in the story being told. If and when Betty Ross comes back, I'll be waiting. The thing I liked about Betty - besides her mellow personality and her wit - was her hair.  Black with dramatic red streaks.  Very cool.  I should take her picture with me when I go to the hairdresser. 

Art by Carlo Pagulayan

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