BEVERLY CROSS

Real Name: Beverly Cross (possibly an alias)

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Extortionist, con-artist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Former partner of Johnnie Pingas

Enemies: Sheriff Morris Walters, Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk

Known Relatives:
Johnnie Pingas (common-law husband), unnamed mother (possibly deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Los Angeles, California

First Appearance: Savage She-Hulk#15 (April, 1981)

Powers/Abilities: None, except for her devious manipulative little mind and total disregard for human life.

History: (Savage She-Hulk#25 (fb)) - Beverly Cross was born in the slums of Los Angeles, California. Her mother abandoned her when she was six and she became an uneducated runaway. At eighteen, she parlayed her looks to infiltrate the criminal underground and ended up as a lover to Johnnie Pingas, a drug pusher later busted by Sheriff Morris Walters. With nowhere to go, she hooked up with Sheriff Walters for revenge with plans to extort him for everything he had.

(Savage She-Hulk#15) - Unaware his daughter had a dual identity as the She-Hulk, Sheriff Walters reacted as her unexplained absences pushed him out of her life. Beverly used the situation to convince him to sell the family home where Jennifer was still living.

(Savage She-Hulk#17) - Beverly secretly showed off the Walters' house to a real-estate agent planning to make a price too high for Jennifer to afford or for her father to turn down.

(Savage She-Hulk#18)- Sheriff Walters gave Jennifer first crack at purchasing the house as she made a down payment on it. The check bounced when she realized her client might be paying her off for motivation on a bigger favor. A letter explaining the predicament was intercepted by Beverly to provoke hostility between the sheriff and his daughter.

 

(Savage She-Hulk#19) - Sheriff Walters briefly calmed down and tried to contact Jennifer as her alter-ego was being kept prisoner by the Doc. Beverly used the absence to push Walters into selling the house and both evicting and disowning Jennifer. The pressure forced Jennifer to disavow her identity and trash the house as she pursued an existence solely as the She-Hulk.

(Savage She-Hulk#22) - As Beverly ripped up and threw away Jennifer's letter, Sheriff Walters discovered the pieces and realized that someone had been interfering with his communication to his daughter.

(Savage She-Hulk#23) - As the Walters' house was sold, Beverly requested the payment be made out to her and even forged power-of-attorney papers to cinch the deal. She simultaneously met Councilman Frank Rhoads and flirted with him.

(Savage She-Hulk#24) - Sheriff Walters discovered Beverly was responsible for destroying his relationship with his daughter and threw her out of their apartment. He was unaware she had all the money from the sale of the house.

(Savage She-Hulk#25) - Realizing she had lost Morris Walters to Jen, she planned revenge via a palimony suit that would ruin his reputation forever.

Comments: Created by David Anthony Kraft, Michael Vosburgh and Frank Springer.

Considering that Sheriff Walters had Christmas in the house in Sensational She-Hulk#36, it is concievable that Cross was caught and the money recovered.

Beverly Cross is obviously the worst of the She-Hulk's foes as she was able to move around in the background and manipulate the events around her to her own advantage. Curiously, she changes from a short, possibly Latină individual into a statuesque brunette by series end.

Furthermore, the name of Sheriff Walters' wife goes from Ann (issue 15), to Elaine (issue 18) and back to Ann (issue 25). In the OHOTMU, it's listed as Elaine!
Maybe she should have talked to Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, or Johnathon Lowell Spencer Storm--Snood.

by Will Uchtman

CLARIFICATIONS:
Beverly Cross should not be confused with:

Johnnie Pingas Jr. was a Los Angeles mobster who made his money manufacturing and selling cocaine. He gave Berverly Cross everything she wanted until he was busted and imprisoned by Sheriff Walters.
--Savage She-Hulk#25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearances:
Savage She-Hulk#15 (April, 1981) - David Anthony Kraft (artists), Michael Vosburg (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Mary Jo Duffy (editor)
Savage She-Hul#17-19 (June-August, 1981) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#22-23 (November-December, 1981) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Frank Springer (#22), Dave Simons (#23), Al Milgrom (#23) & Jack Abel (#23) (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#25 (January, 1982) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Al Milgrom, Sal Trapani & Armando Gil (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#25 (February, 1982) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Al Milgrom, Sal Trapani, Mike Vosburg, Rick Magyar, Mike Gustovich, Dave Simons, Steve Mitchell, Bob Wiacek, Joe Rubinstein & Jack Abel (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)

Last updated: 11/21/02

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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