Whether it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe or other superhero contexts that have gone from paper to the big screen, there will always be an obstacle that these productions will have to face: fidelity to the paper original. After years of films and series based on superhero comics, the most intransigent fans continue to complain that these transpositions tend to betray the original spirit of the characters, accusing the writers and producers of not having correctly transposed their heroes. Even the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe series dedicated to the muscular Jennifer Walters was involved in a similar discussion, but surprisingly it was Dan Slott defending the accuracy of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
To allay controversy over character fidelity, Dan Slott defends She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
The danger of this comparison between the original paper and film adaptation is linked not only to the different narrative grammar of the two media, but also and above all to the editorial life of these characters. On several occasions it is figures that have kept readers company for decades (Spider-Man has recently blown out sixty candles, just to give an example), which translates into a vast range of adventures, written by different authors, which the screenwriters who bring these characters to the cinema can freely draw on.
In the case of She-Hulk, the matter is further complicated by the presence of a completely different narrative tone compared to the other characters in the House of Ideas. After its creation, the best-known comic interpretation of Jennifer Walters remains that of John Byrne, who in the 80s was the first to break the infamous fourth wall, giving life to an ironic comic series that overturned the narrative dogmas of the period. The Disney+ series created by Jessica Chow relied heavily on this interpretation of Byrne, not failing to wink at other authors, not least Dan Slott, author of a long run of the heroine who also had plenty of space in the series .
It was therefore inevitable that after years of such diatribes, ironically celebrated also in the last episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at LawFinally, an author intervened in defense of one of his characters. Dan Slott is certainly not a name that needs introduction, but in addition to his work on Jennifer Walters, it is enough to recall his long militancy on the pages of Tessiragnatele, during which he created a maxi-event like Spider-Verse/Spider-Geddon.
From his Twitter profile, Dan Slott defended the accuracy of She-Hulk: Attorney at Lawnot forgetting how familiar he is with the character:
To all those who argue that She-Hulk Attorney at Law is not ‘true to the comics’…. I’m the guy who has written more issues of She-Hulk than anyone else, I’ve read every single issue of every single She-Hulk cycle. And I’m saying, for the record, it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe show that’s most faithful to the comics.
Anyone saying the @SheHulkOfficial TV show wasn’t “comic book accurate”…
I’m the guy who has written more issues of SHE-HULK than anyone.
I’ve read every single comic from every #SheHulk run.
And I’m saying, for the record, it is the MOST comic book accurate show in the MCU. pic.twitter.com/d1LGOrkve9
— Dan Slott (@DanSlott) January 2, 2023
This intervention by Dan Slott aims to defend the work of Jessica Chow and her creative team, but it should be kept in mind that these transpositions should be experienced as new interpretations of well-known characters, aware of how the different mechanics of cinema and seriality require a necessary reinterpretation of the characters themselves. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has shown on several occasions that it has convincingly reworked great moments of the Marvel Comics Universe (there Civil War comics is decidedly different from cinema!), showing how a different interpretation of the stories with which the most intransigent readers of the original comics have grown up does not take anything away from the charm of paper adventures, but rather allows them to approach a different audience, accustomed to other narrative styles.
