Biff Bam Pop Exclusive Interview: Charles Soule on writing She-Hulk

The great Charles Soule had a remarkable 2013, taking on writing duties for Superman/Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, and many others, and it looks like there’s no chance of him slowing down in 2014. Along with his recently announced gig writing Marvel’s Inhuman, he’ll also be writing the adventures of She-Hulk, the gorgeous green-skinned Goliath We had the chance to ask Charles a few questions about his plans for the character.

Andy Burns: Congrats on getting the chance to write She-Hulk, Charles. What appeals to you most about writing this particular character?

Charles Soule: Well, she’s an optimistic character who loves the fact that she has superpowers.  There’s no angst in Jennifer Walters, and that makes for a fun gig on my end. Plus, the fact that she’s an attorney doesn’t hurt (more on that in a bit), and I’m also very excited about the chance to define a new take on She-Hulk for a potentially new set of readers.

Andy Burns: Many legendary characters have had the chance to write She-Hulk? Do you have any particular stories, creators or arcs from the past that you may draw upon?

Charles Soule: Slott and Byrne are the arcs that I have in the back of my mind when I think about She-Hulk, but as you point out, many great writers have worked with her. More recently, Matt Fraction’s work on FF has been a true pleasure to read.  Still, though, I’m going to try to do my own thing here – after all, as great as those runs were, I always think it’s fun to see new takes on characters (whether I’m writing them or not!)

Andy Burns:  I’ve always enjoyed She-Hulk’s involvement with the Fantastic Four, both in the past when she stepped in to fill Ben Grimm’s shoes, as well as her FF recent run. How will her past as a team player effect her as a solo act? Will we see her interact with some of her teammates?

Charles Soule: I have definite plans for Jen to meet up with a number of friends and foes from her past.  I consider that to be one of the things that’s the most fun about working in a shared superhero universe – the fact that it’s shared. A trip to the grocery store could end up with She-Hulk helping Spider-Man fight Stilt-Man. She-Hulk has been closely tied to the Fantastic Four for years and years, and so I think it’s safe to say that we’ll see some of those folks showing up – although possibly not right away.  We do get a pretty big MU appearance in the first issue, with more to come. 

Andy Burns: How has it been working with artist Javier Pulido on the upcoming series? 

Charles Soule: Javier is brilliant! His design sense is second to none – his pages always look incredibly unique. It’s such a treat to be able to think up slightly non-conventional storytelling techniques, knowing that he’ll end up exceeding whatever ideas I had in my head.  Working with Javier was one of the big reasons I was excited about doing this book, and from what I’ve seen so far, I was right to be excited.

Andy Burns: She-Hulk is a lawyer and a super hero; you’re lawyer and writer – how are the character and her writer able to manage their time?

Charles Soule: With diligence and focus! It’s not always easy – lots of to-do lists, lots of just sitting down and getting the work done.  I’m fortunate to be (I think) a fairly fast scripter, which helps a lot – but the real secret is that I LOVE writing these characters. It’s not work – it’s fun. That, actually, is a great word to describe She-Hulk in general, and my upcoming stories in particular. Can’t wait for people to see what it’s all about!

She-Hulk, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Javier Pulido is out this February. Thanks to Charles for his time and to Chris D’Lando at Marvel for helping set this up