Infinite She-Hulk

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Issue #1

"Sensational"

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Jennifer Walters was an extremely intelligent young lady. Ever since childhood, she'd tirelessly aspired to perfect her writing skills, in hopes of becoming a famous novelist. Jennifer was a bookworm in her youth, always seeming to be carrying some books in hand - fiction, nonfiction, poetry, science, etcetera. She was also the top of her class and possessed an acute, photographic memory. But because of her many talents, Jennifer was shunned by her envious peers. Excluded, Jennifer often found a silent place to sit or work by herself, while she watched the other students enjoy themselves. For the most part, it was a humiliating and excruciating pain. But she'd eventually learned to cope with it all the same.

Her father, William Morris Walters, was overly protective of her, while also mantaining a dual balance of tenderness and sternness. He wanted the best for his little girl, pushing her to succeed in her academic studies and be superior to her rivals. Of course, his urging was more of a stressful command rather than helpful encouragement. Her mother, Elaine Walters, was killed in a car crash when Jennifer was younger. She hadn't truly known her mother back then, merely relying on fading images of the woman that she'd strived to keep.

"I hate it, Dad." A teenage Jennifer said, while staring down at a plate of uneaten food.

"What? You don't like the steak? Did I cook it too raw?" William asked.

"No, Dad. Not the damn piece of steak. I mean, school."

"Jen honey, you've only got like - what? One more year at that school? After that, you're on to bigger and better things."

"But what about now, Dad? What about now?! Now, my life is a freakin' mess. I practically have no friends, everyone seems to hate me and I'm a social outcast! I want things to get better now."

"And they will."

"When?"

"When they do."

"Nice answer, Dad. I could've gotten a better one from a monkey."

"Listen here, young lady. You better stop acting like a smart ass. I think you're starting to forget who runs this house."

Jennifer eyed her father with an intense stare, which also seemed to exhibit signs of fear.

William sighed. "Look, Jen. I know that life seems like a living hell for you now, but things will get better. Trust me. Me...I didn't have the opportunities that you have. I wasn't a living brainiac who could solve any math problem. You wanna know who I was? I was a scumbag trying to mooch money off of people just to survive. Deception, drug dealing, gambling, fighting, theft, you name it. I'd do anything to get by. But then, one day, I met this very smart woman. She came up to me, asking why I was doing what I was doing. And I told her that this was my only option and I didn't have much choice. And she told me that men always have options and choices in life; it's just that they don't do anything with themselves. From that day forward, I pushed to turn my life around, eventually becoming a police officer. Your mother...she was such a charitable woman. She picked me up and showed me that there was so much more to life than fighting and stealing from people. Later, I even proposed to her and of course, she accepted. And then we had you - the sparkling sensation in our lives. Do you see the point I'm trying to make? Kid, you've got it made. You were born with all of your mother's smarts, morality and sensibility. You - you've still got your entire life ahead of you. But me? I don't have much choice. My only shot in life is to keep being a dog for the force and watching people throw their lives away. I suppose that's why I'm always so strict on you and your studies, even if I don't mean it. Jen baby, I want you to be the best. I want you to make a life for yourself out there. I want you to be sensational."

Jennifer was generally surprised by the sense of affection in her father's usually gruff, stern voice. She smiled and touched her father's hand from across the table, grasping it with great force. "Daddy, what are you talking about? You're not a failure. After all, don't we always have options and choices in life? It's just that we never do anything with them. But you've certainly done a lot with your life."

William grinned. "Guess you're right, Jen. You're always right. Just like your mother."

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"Oh look who it is, everyone. It's Jennifer." Mary MacPherran said. "Better move or she might start releasing loser fumes all over the place."

"I think it's already too late for that, Mary." Marsha Rosenberg stated with a smug grin.

Mary MacPherran and Marsha Rosenberg were two arrogant, stuck-up popular girls who were adored by everyone at Midtown High School - everyone except Jennifer, of course. They had it all - buxom, plus-sized breasts, handsome jocks who were at their every beck and call, money, cars, a circle of friends, teachers who absolutely loved them, etcetera; everything that Jennifer could only wish she had.

"Leave me alone, Mary. I am so not in the mood today." Jennifer ordered.

"Too bad, flatchest. I wasn't exactly asking for your permission." Mary retorted. "So, you still haven't got any friends? No surprise there. Maybe you should try hanging out with the freshmen. I hear they're not that discriminative towards total losers."

"Nice one, MacPherran. How long did it take you to come up with that one? You must be so proud to have thought of such an insult all by yourself."

Angered by Jennifer's witty comeback, Mary lunged in for a punch. In fear, Jennifer backed away and shut her eyes. But the punch never came. Jennifer opened her eyes back and saw John Jameson defending her. She smiled in reserved relief.

"What is this now, like the five-hundredth time you've done this? Geez, it's like you two girls don't have anything better to do than to pick on a poor, defenseless person like Jen." John stated, restraining Mary's arm with his strong grip.

Mary scowled at John in indignation and rage. He was practically the only boy at school who could resist her alluring charms.

"Whatever. Jennifer, you got lucky. Next time, don't expect to get off scott-free, especially if you piss me off like that again." Mary warned.

With that, both Mary and her companion, Marsha, stormed off in a tantrum-like march. Jennifer turned back to John, her personal bodyguard and liberator from harm.

"Poor? Defenseless? Why, Jonathan, I'm deeply hurt." Jennifer said jokingly.

"I helped, didn't I?" John asked.

"Yeah, you did. And you also just hurt my feelings. Congratulations, flyboy."

"Then would a movie help mend the situation?"

"Depends. What do you got?"

"Charmed Lovers is in theaters today. Wasn't sure if you wanted to see it."

"Hmmmmm. Normally, I'd be too proud and stubborn to go see a movie with you...but, since you're offering so nicely and I just happen to be a fan of corny, mediocre films...I graciously accept your offer."

"Good. Pick you up at seven? Or is that too early?"

"Seven's good. See you soon, Buzz Lightyear."

"Okay, can we please stop with the astronaut jokes? Just because I want to be an astronaut when I get out of college doesn't mean you can heartlessly poke fun at my dreams...J.K. Rowling."

"See! Now you're doing it."

"Couldn't resist the temptation."

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Graduation Day was an enormous relief for Jennifer. After all of the humiliation, pain and suffering that she'd endured throughout her high school years, it was all finally over. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of fulfillment at that notion. Her father was especially proud of her, hugging his daughter excitedly.

"See, Jen? Didn't I say that it was all going to be over? You're finally out. You've finally done it. Now, you're onto bigger and better things. Your mother's in Heaven, smiling herself silly at you." William said, giving her a hearty embrace.

"Oh, Daddy. Can you stop it? You're embarrassing me." Jennifer said, sarcastically.

"Now...are you going to take my words to heart? Are you going to do something with your life?"

"Can't say. But I'll definitely try."

Jennifer smiled as she turned her attention over to John, who was currently being smothered by his own parents. His irritable loudmouth of a father drowned him in pride and satisfaction, going on about how he was going to be big in life.

"Son, just think! This is just the beginning of your life! Soon, you'll have it all! Fame, fortune, glory, notoriety, women! Everything your big heart desires, kiddo! You'll be playing football on the moon in no time!" Jonah Jameson said, ecstatic about his son's graduation.

"Gee, Dad. You really think so?" John asked.

"Think so? I know so! Why else would we have had you?!"

"Oh, son. I'm so proud of you." Mrs. Jameson congratulated.

"Thanks, Mom." John said.

"So, what college are you thinking of attending? Columbia?"

"I was thinking something more along the lines of Empire State. It sounds like my cup of tea. Plus, Jen's going to be there, so..."

"Son! Today, you get to pick where we eat out! Any place you want to go!" Jonah screamed.

"Okay, Dad. Uh - would I be able to invite Jen and her dad?"

"Why not?! The more, the merrier!"

John smirked and looked over to Jennifer, who returned a grin of her own. She was definitely proud of herself; that went without saying. Now, she could finally aspire to be what she'd wanted to be in life - a writer. No road was unreachable to her. No mountain was too high to climb. Her limits were endless. She felt a deep sense of responsibility flowing through her veins. The young lady was entrusted with the responsibility of succeeding where her father had failed, and she was determined to make him proud.

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A/N - I'm finally done with the first issue of Infinite She-Hulk. And I have to say, I'm pretty satisfied with it. I'm aware of the fact that I didn't cover Jennifer's transformation into She-Hulk, but I'm not trying to rush anything. I want to cover her personal life first before delving into the origin of her powers. In the Infinite Universe, Jennifer Walters isn't related to Bruce Banner, although they may share a deep sense of kinship because of their similar struggles and superhero responsibilities. I slightly changed some of Jennifer's origin, such as making her mother die when she was much younger than seventeen; in this version, I changed it to make her die when she was around eight or nine. This caused her father William to develop a sense of responsibility and an over-protective relationship with Jennifer. In this version, William is portrayed as a man who was once a low-life drug dealer, gambler and thief who would do anything to survive on the streets, but who eventually matured and became a police officer at his wife's urging.

Oh, and Mary MacPherran and Marsha Rosenberg - well, they're vastly different than their Earth-616 incarnations. Let's just say that they were infini-tized. Unlike the regular Marvel, Mary and Marsha are not outcasts and are actually stereotypical popular girls. I thought they'd be perfect additions to this chapter as bullies for poor Jen. If you know about them in the real Marvel, you'll know where I'm taking those two. I even managed to fit John Jameson in the story. Yeah, I know that he is generally associated with SpiderMan, but he's been a love interest of Shulkie in the past, so it seemed like a good decision to include him.

Well, I've talked long enough. I hoped you enjoyed the first issue of Infinite She-Hulk. There's more to come.

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Next Issue - Sensational, Part Two