Keeping with the Defenders theme, we have another new series starring one of the leading characters from the upcoming Netflix series. Jessica Jones is another character who has seen their stock rise rapidly following her great Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in her own Netflix series. Now she has made a return to her own solo book accompanied by her original creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.
A former super hero, Jessica abandoned her heroic endeavours following a traumatic encounter with The Purple Man and opened up her own detective agency where she would act as a private eye for both regular people and members of the super powered community, as documented in the series Alias. Following her debut series, she would leave her darker corner of the Marvel Universe, marry Luke Cage, become a mother and have stints as an Avenger. Jessica Jones marks a return to her roots as she reopens her detective agency, but the Marvel Universe has changed a lot since its doors were last open.
Whilst Jessica has been away from her signature environments for quite a while, her original author Brian Michael Bendis has maintained a handle on the character in the intervening years and kept her true to her roots whilst showing a lot of character development (motherhood will do that to you). But in this new series, we see a return to the more morose snarky version of the character that was initially established. Her imprisonment and current separation from Luke Cage and their daughter are obviously major contributors to this change in temperament, but nothing is as clear cut as it seems. Bendis creates a great narrative focused on Jessica’s new case and how it ties into her imprisonment, which does a great job capturing the tone of his previous series starring the character and merging her street level and superhero detective work. He also does a great job with the supporting characters, with Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) being a particular highlight as she acts almost as an intermediator between the regular Marvel Universe and the darker corner of it that Jessica typically occupies. The villain of the piece – whilst not Purple Man levels of evil – is a great character and again plays to the strengths of the combination of street and national level threats this series inhabits.
Original artist and co-creator Michael Gaydos also returns to the character for this series and he hasn’t missed a beat. The great blend of action and noir art styles is on top form and it’s hard to picture anyone else illustrating Jessica in this environment. And to top the reunion off, even original series cover artist David Mack returns with some of his best Marvel covers to date.
This series works great as both a jumping on point for those who have recently encountered Jessica Jones through Netflix and as a follow-up to one of the edgiest books Marvel has ever put out. Don’t wait till The Defenders hits Netflix for your Jessica Jones fix as this new series will more than satisfy that need.
Jessica Jones is published 23 May 2017 by Marvel
9781302906351 – P/B – £14.99
Find more Jessica Jones here
Post by Leo