⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars – This was a short 18-issue series but a welcome return for the team behind Alias, and a fitting conclusion to this chapter of Jessica’s story.
Format: Marvel Unlimited
Read: October 2024
Jessica Jones, Vol. 1: Uncaged!
Collects #1-6
It felt so good to be back with a “proper Jessica” book! Written by Bendis and drawn by Michael Gaydos it just feels right. This feels like a return to Alias, not just because she takes a case, but it’s great to return to such mature storytelling and complex characters.
However, I will say starting the book with Jessica in prison out of the blue is incredibly confusing and, when you realise that, no, you haven’t missed anything, it’s quite a frustrating way to tell the story. Especially as I came to this from New Avengers where Luke and Jessica were retiring from the team to focus on their family!
But I loved being with Jessica again at the centre of the story and in excited to read more.
Jessica Jones, Vol. 2: The Secrets of Maria Hill
Collects #7-12
I don’t know a lot about Maria Hill and when she does show up in what I’ve read (The New Avengers) she’s usually a frustrating antagonist, so it was nice to see her a bit more vulnerable.
I’m glad Jessica and Luke have made up, though I don’t think the reasons for her undercover work had adequately explained stakes compared to the huge risk she took! The way this plot played out is the main reason this series loses a star from my rating.
Jessica Jones, Vol. 3: Return of the Purple Man
Collects #13-18
It’s a little sad that this marks the end of an era for Benis and Gaydos at Marvel (apparently their last title before leaving to work on Pearl), but it is a fitting conclusion to Jessica Jones’ character arc.
The final issues see her worst fears realised. The Purple Man is back and he comes for her, and her daughter. There were a lot of things that I really appreciated how this as a story about the relationship between an abuser and his favourite victim, it’s not really about superpowers this is a dynamic that plays out between ordinary people all the time. He thinks they have a special relationship because she was the one who got away, and now he comes to her as if she were his friend because he needs her to help him now he’s having an identity crisis. He might decide not to use his super powered control over her but he still brings out all the textbook psychological manipulation tactics of a toxic, abusive partner and that is more disturbing to read.
My favourite piece of this story is that it demonstrates Jessica’s personal growth. She no longer believes she must face her problems alone, and she accepts help from her best friend Carol Danvers. She also communicates effectively with her husband Luke, in a way that the Alias version of Jessica wouldn’t have and also Luke (mostly) is able to let her deal with things herself.
I also loved Bendis’ note at the end about wanting to leave Jessica in the final issue having had a perfect day, and that that perfect day was simply solving a P.I. case in a way that nobody but her would have been able to. It was beautiful.
I actually am pretty sure I read this run before! Probably around 2016 before the TV came out, and I was really into reading as much Carol Danvers as I could, and I was definitely intrigued by “the lady with the baby” when reading New Avengers too! But because that was before I’d ever read Alias a lot of the nuance was lost on me and it made much more of an impact on me for having done that and spent more time with the character through reading The Pulse, and New Avengers as well.
Next I’m going to read The Defenders (2016) as that intersects this title, Jessica mentions enjoying being on that team and I do love them as a group (still upset there was only one season of the TV show!). Then I’ll try the Kelly Thompson digital originals, I remember that I liked her Captain Marvel stuff so I’m intrigued by what she does with Jessica!
