She-Hulk (Vol. 2) #21
Another Me, Another U.
After his brief exile on Duckworld, Stu Cicero and his colleagues are going to catch up on comic books that have been released in his absence. Lewis and Chas complain about the lack of regard for continuity when they suddenly run into She-Hulk battling the Rhino. This is an impossibility since Iron Man stripped her of her powers and the Rhino has been apprehended. When they ask She-Hulk what's going on, she claims to have settled the situation with Tony Stark privately and got her powers back. However, Lieutenant Stone of Code: Blue approaches She-Hulk and asks her who the President of the United States is. When she gets the answer wrong, he identifies her as an "Alpha" and gasses her, then orders her men to take She-Hulk and the Rhino prisoner.
As it turns out, this She-Hulk is not the Jennifer Walters of this universe, but another reality called Earth-A. After she is arrested, this alternate She-Hulk is locked up with various other costumed beings from this reality who have been posing as various deceased or de-powered heroes and villains. They are all vacationers from Earth-A that purchased a vacation package from Interlocking Technologies that saw them sent over to this reality through an atomic resequencer to gain the powers and abilities of their counterpart in this reality. The entire project is run by Interlocking Technologies owner Albert DeVore. When this is learned by the offices of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg and Book, Mallory Book, the newest chair with the firm calls in DeVore to represent him in any pending secret identity theft suits lodged against his company. When Book asks where Jennifer Walters is, Stu Cicero informs her that she is down at the jail questioning her double.
At the jail, Jennifer grills her counterpart pointing out that she has no place in this reality of superhumans and is in a heap of legal trouble. However, before she continues, Jennifer asks her double one important question: did she sleep with the Juggernaut. When the alternate She-Hulk confirms this, Jennifer is happy that now she has proof that she did not have a fling with the supervillain. Their meeting is interrupted when the Two-Gun Kid comes into the cell and tells them that the double of the Wrecker is on a rampage in the city and they need She-Hulk's help. Since Jennifer's powers have been shut off, she agrees to post her double's bail so she can coach her from the sidelines. During the ensuing battle, the phony Wrecker is easily defeated and taken into custody. Jennifer hands him her card and offers to represent him at trial. When it is established that Jennifer "retired" as She-Hulk, her double from Earth-A points out how boring her life on her world is and she would miss being able to do this every month.
Meanwhile, Augustus Puglises has returned to Timely Plaza and is surprised to see the changes that have happened since he has been gone, namely Mallory Book becoming a partner. He passes by a number of cubicles where heroes from this Earth are confronting their Earth-A counterparts over the problems they have caused on this world. He then crosses paths with Mallory Book as she is taking a call from Titania who is asking for legal representation. When Book takes the case, Pug warns her not to cross that line, then tells her that they need to talk. Meanwhile, in another room, Reed Richards is working on a device to send all the visitors from Earth-A back home. Just then, Jennifer and She-Hulk arrive with the Stephen Strange from Earth-A. As Jennifer berates Reed for working with Tony Stark, She-Hulk decides to go looking around. She comes across Pug warning Mal about getting revenge. Telling her about the potion that stripped him of the love he felt for Jennifer. Hearing this strikes She-Hulk silent. Meanwhile, Jennifer continues to confront Richards about all the things that he did for "her own good", such as keeping her mental block a secret, shooting her cousin into space, and Iron Man infecting her with nanites that block her powers. Fed up with Reed's excuses, she grabs her double and storms out.
The two go to a karaoke bar where Jennifer gets really drunk and decides that she will go back to Earth-A while her double stays on Earth since she is basically the She-Hulk everyone wants anyway. They are soon joined by Mallory Book who insists that GLK&B will need her in the future, but Jen insists that her double will fit the bill perfectly after she spends a few months catching up on. Later, back at Timely Plaza, the visitors from Earth-A are sent back home. Jennifer also decides to go through with her plan of going to that reality. She says goodbye to everybody and enters the portal. However, Reed Richards suddenly has an idea and uses the atomic resequencer to pull Jennifer back. This expunges the nanites from her body, allowing her to change into the She-Hulk once again. With everything back to normal, the She-Hulk from Earth-A gets returned to her proper dimension. With that out of the way, Stu Cicero informs everyone that he is leaving the law firm to get a job at Marvel Comics.
On Earth-A, the Jennifer Walters of that world catches up with her boyfriend Augustus Pugliese and tells him that she went to another dimension where she discovered that nobody there loved her as much as he does. While on Earth-616, She-Hulk and Pug go for lunch, and she calls him her best friend. Pug remarks that this is that way it was probably meant to be.
Recurring Characters
She-Hulk, She-Hulk-712, Mister Fantastic, Mallory Book, Ditto, Mr. Bobo, Stu Cicero, Two-Gun Kid, Augustus Pugliese, Titania, Morgan le Fay, Dazzler, Beast, Wiccan, Hulkling, Vermin, Code: Blue (Lt. Stone, Rigger Ruiz, Mad-Dog Rassitano), Interlocking Technologies (Albert DeVoor, Albert DeVoor-712), Wiccan-712, Hulkling-712, Thing-712
Continuity Notes
Lewis and Chas point out that the Rhino had been captured five times that week and that he is supposed to be in a wheelchair. They are referring to the events of Sensational Spider-Man Vol 2 #32-34, Punisher War Journal Vol 2 #3-4, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America - Spider-Man, Cable & Deadpool #36-37 and Punisher War Journal Vol 2 #13-15. However, they were incorrect in stating that the Rhino is supposed to be in a wheelchair.
All references to Al Gore and George W. Bush in this story, particularly on Bush being President, should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Stu Cicero mentions that Captain Ultra was cured of his pyrophobia. He was seemingly cured of his pyrophobia in Marvel Comics Presents #50.
Stu's colleagues mention the times that the Fantastic Four interacted with Earth-A. This happened in Fantastic Four #118, Fantastic Four #160-163.
Jennifer Walters mentions a number of high profile superhero cases:
Plunder v. Plunder: This is likely a reference to how Ka-Zar reclaimed his family fortune from his brother following the events of Daredevil #14.
The People v. Phineas Horton: Is most likely a reference to the order that forced Phineas Horton to seal the original Human Torch in concrete in Marvel Comics #1.
Namor v. The Surface World: is a reference to when the Sub-Mariner attempted to sue the surface world for ownership of Earth's oceans. This trial happened in Daredevil #7.
This story confirms that it is the She-Hulk of Earth-A who slept with the Juggernaut in Uncanny X-Men #435.
The panel where Wiccan and Hulkling are confronting their Earth-A counterparts they learned how this pair joined the 50-State Initiative in Avengers: The Initiative #2. The Wiccan and Hulkling of Earth-616 were strictly anti-registration as seen during the Civil War event and did not sign up for the Initiative.
Stu Cicero checks to see if Captain America is still dead. At the time of this story, Captain America had just been recently killed in Captain America Vol 5 #25. He is later resurrected in Captain America: Reborn #1-6.
Jennifer berates Reed Richards on a number of things, they are:
How Reed told her that she could never turn back into Jennifer Walters against after a dose of radiation in Marvel Graphic Novel #18. As revealed in She-Hulk #11, this was a lie to cover up the fact that a mental block prevented her from doing so.
She also mentions how the Hulk was shot into space, this happened in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #91 however at this time the Hulk had since returned to Earth as seen in World War Hulk #1-5.
