Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencillers: Michael Gaydos, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mark Bagley, David Mack
STORY
Jessica Jones used to be a super heroine but for some reason she turned her back on this life. Now she tries to earn her living as a private investigator under the banner of "Alias Investigations". But fate isn't through with her. In a new case she gets tangled into a conspiracy of national dimensions – involving none other than Captain America and US-president George Bush! She also has to deal with two cases of missing persons. First she has to find Hulk's old pal Rick Jones. Then she has to face anti-mutant prejudices during her search for a missing girl (and possible mutant) in a small rural town.
REVIEW
Some people obviously can't stand the guy but I just LOVE Brian Michael Bendis - okay, that came out wrong... What I meant to say is that I like his gritty, realistic approach to the super hero genre, especially in his earlier work. I would argue that "Alias" is his masterpiece.
The one thing that really makes this comic stand out is the character work. Jessica is a very engaging character. She is (for reasons we're not told yet) a very frustrated woman who tries to ease her pain with swearing, booze and men. She easily could come across as unlikeable, but in his excessive dialogues Bendis manages to convey that her hard exterior hides a heart of gold. You really become invested in her life, not least because her cases are fresh and engaging. Bendis cleverly uses A-, B- and C-list-characters of the Marvel universe. I especially liked the small character moments, for example Ms. Marvel as Jessics's BFF, Jessica's complicated relationship with Luke Cage or her date with Ant-Man. The entire characters act like real people in these situations.
The whole feeling of the series is very mature. No wonder: "Alias" was one of the first comics of Marvel's "MAX" imprint which focuses on R-rated titles. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stand much unnecessary violence and pointless nudity. In fact there are quite a few sex scenes (one even heavily implies some backdoor action) but each one of them is a vital part of Jessica's character development. And it's the same case with the swearing: As I said, Jessica has quite the potty mouth – the very first word of the comic is "fuck". This, too, never seems forced. Jessica just doesn't mince matters.
Enough about the writing, let's talk about the art: I have to admit, I was at first a little turned off by Gaydos' pencils. Over the time it really grew on me – so much that nowadays Gaydos is one of my favorites and the definitive Jessica-Jones-artist. The keyword here is like in all the other aspects of "Alias" realism. Gaydos' people just look real – not as in "photo-realistic" but as in "authentic". When other artists draw Jessica, they tend to illustrate her as the typical comic babe with big tits and a perfect face. In "Alias" she is attractive despite some problem areas. I like her better this way.
One last word about this trade paperback: I really love these "Ultimate Collections" of Marvel (maybe not as much as I do Brian Michael Bendis ;-) ). You get 15 issues for a very reasonable price (for example just under 17 Euro at bookdepository.com). This is what I call "value for money"!
RATING: A
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