Comic Report: Alias 1-28

I first encountered Jessica Jones in The Pulse, a short series detailing her work at the Daily Bugle and pregnancy. I dug the character, so I wanted to read more.

The omnibus edition of this series is out of print (and out of my price league) so I was stoked to find this entire series on eBay for about $20. Bagged and boarded and in VF-NM condition, even. Go eBay!

Jessica Jones may have some superpowers, but she isn't a super hero. She's an alcoholic, foul-mouthed (This series launched Marvel's MAX line and they delight in tossing around f-bombs) depressed, self-destructive private detective whose life is full of dysfunctional relationships and one-night stands.

At least she tries to do the right thing. Sometimes.

But even as she swears up and down that she's not a hero, she doesn't want to be a hero and she's not cut out for the world of heroes, she can't get away from them. She gets a case that involves Captain America's secret identity. She does jobs for Matt Murdock. She sleeps with Luke Cage. She dates Ant-Man (the Scott Lang version). She lunches with Ms. Marvel. She investigates missing mutants.

Jessica just can't get away from supers. Because she used to be one.

Uhh, NOT! Here's a favorite trick of writer Brian Michael Bendis. Make a new character, and retcon them into having been a key part of the Marvel Universe all along. It works with Jessica (went to school with Peter Parker, almost became an Avenger). Other times that Bendis has done it (Sentry, the Hood) -- I just want to kick his teeth in.

So there never was a perky teenaged hero in the 80s named Jewel. And she didn't disappear mysteriously. Except now there was, and she did.

Get it?

OK, unless you're a comic fan you don't. Let's move on.

Continuity issues aside, this is a simply fabulous comic for grownups. Bendis' writing is real, gritty and practically perfect. This is my favorite work by Bendis, and Jessica is one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe. (And she's probably a Skrull. Sigh.)

The art by Michael Gaydos has a urban, rough edge that reminds me of Frank Miller, but works for this project.

Just how good is Alias? Bendis takes a third-string, lame-ass villain like the Purple Man and makes him cool. Not only cool, but SCARY. I was very impressed.

With the current direction of the Marvel Universe (Civil War, the Skrull plot, etc.) there are a handful of series that *everything* goes back to. Alias, the little book that no one read, is one of those. There are a lot of answers here.

So read it if you're a Marvel fan, or read it if you're not. Because this is simply amazing comic art.