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fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This collects 9 issues. 1-6 are when a case results in Jessica having a video tape of Captain America's secret identity and being suspected in a murder. Issues 7-9 are about Jessica finding a missing person, who claims to know the Avengers.
Eh. I guess Noir detective stuff doesn't actually do anything for me. This never really caught me, and a lot of things bugged me about it. The story seems fine, but the art did nothing for me. Michael Gaydos has a grasp on the skills, but the coloring style is unappealing. Exaggerated dark shadows that sometimes blot out facial expressions paired with a muddy color palette was probably chosen for mood, but it did nothing for me.
Eh. I guess Noir detective stuff doesn't actually do anything for me. This never really caught me, and a lot of things bugged me about it. The story seems fine, but the art did nothing for me. Michael Gaydos has a grasp on the skills, but the coloring style is unappealing. Exaggerated dark shadows that sometimes blot out facial expressions paired with a muddy color palette was probably chosen for mood, but it did nothing for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, Death, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Abortion
carroq's review
2.0
I feel ambivalent about this book. Everything is just sort of OK. It does have a couple things going for it. First, this collects a few more issues than a normal trade. That works for this series because it combines two arcs that are somewhat related. Second, the writing is very good. The book is published under Marvel's MAX imprint, which means there are adult situations and a lot of swearing. I think it could have been done just fine without those.
Jessica Jones used to be a superhero named Jewel. She decided she didn't want to do that anymore. Now she works as a private investigator, mostly spying on cheating spouses. In the first half of the book she gets involved in a political scandal surrounding Captain America. The second half delves more into her character, and she is juxtaposed with a man she is investigating.
The art is probably the biggest thing that killed the book for me. It feels rather sloppy at times. I think they were trying to get a grittier feel through the art to go along with the darker tone of the story. There are some areas where it is clear that drawings were reused.
I wanted to like Jessica, probably partly because of the Netflix series. She felt so emotionless at times though. It does speak to where she is in her life, but it made it difficult to get into the book. There are glimpses of the character she used to be and where this series is headed. Unfortunately, it didn't appeal to me much and I don't see myself reading further.
Jessica Jones used to be a superhero named Jewel. She decided she didn't want to do that anymore. Now she works as a private investigator, mostly spying on cheating spouses. In the first half of the book she gets involved in a political scandal surrounding Captain America. The second half delves more into her character, and she is juxtaposed with a man she is investigating.
The art is probably the biggest thing that killed the book for me. It feels rather sloppy at times. I think they were trying to get a grittier feel through the art to go along with the darker tone of the story. There are some areas where it is clear that drawings were reused.
I wanted to like Jessica, probably partly because of the Netflix series. She felt so emotionless at times though. It does speak to where she is in her life, but it made it difficult to get into the book. There are glimpses of the character she used to be and where this series is headed. Unfortunately, it didn't appeal to me much and I don't see myself reading further.
delaneybull's review
5.0
Love it! I watched Jessica Jones when it came out on Netflix and absolutely fell in love with the character. It's interesting reading this after watching the series, because there are some differences but on the whole it's a great adaption into TV. It's a bummer that there are only four comics for her standalone, hopefully that changes now!
drew4therecord's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
leelah's review against another edition
4.0
I decided to treat myself with new reprint version of original Alias run before Netflix release, with new covers by David Mack. It looks pretty damn awesome, but if you have old trades, beside some new sketches and intro by Jeph Loeb there is no significant additional content.
Vol. 1 and covers issues #1-#9 in two separate stories- cases Jessica handles as ex-superhero, train-wreck private detective.
These stories are not vital for overreaching arc, but they are setting the base, showing us who Jessica is and they are tying it to Marvel universe, specifically Avengers. Noir feel and realistic dialogue paired with darker coloring with accents on plum, dark purple shades-you know, bruise colors (which is so meta I can't even...), makes Alias one of grittiest Marvel comics.
Alias is part of original Marvel MAX imprint, so you know what to expect. Adult themes with cursing and sexual situations which was rare to see in 616-verse.
I like Bendis Daredevil run- but his, quiet, understated and smart writing truly shines here. You see... it's easy to forget Jessica has superpowers- she is down on her luck, hard-working, underpaid girl with terrible romantic choices she can't entirely blame on huge amounts of alcohol. Which, of course, makes her different than more famous Marvel characters, but also more human and easy to relate to. Jessica deals with issues like lack of selfrespect, feeling inadequate, abuse and guilt which was grounbreaking in 2001. and relevant so many years later.
I hope TV show will make more reader pick this entire run since it's Bendis's best work (imho) and one of the best character development stories out there.
letsgolesbians's review against another edition
4.0
Love this. Love this story and this universe and Jessica. Knocked off one point only because I don't love the art. Definitely going to continue reading and will definitely watch the show.
vanessaletier's review against another edition
5.0
Loved !!
I can't wait to pick up the next one.
The comic is so different from the TV show and you learn so much more about the characters.
I can't wait to pick up the next one.
The comic is so different from the TV show and you learn so much more about the characters.
sarah_toast's review against another edition
3.0
The story line was pretty good. It could have been better. I found myself counting pages at times and that is not the best sign. I will continue to read the other volumes however. I loved the art style and the way the story was written. I learned some stuff about Jessica jones I didn't know before.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
4.0
I'd heard good things about Jessica Jones as a character but I was kind of scared to read any of her comics after reading the Wikipedia article about her... her backstory is SO GRIM. But now there's a Netflix show coming out so I was like FINE I'll READ the comics. And! I really enjoyed this. And! This volume doesn't go into her super grim backstory!
Note: I asked our adult graphic novel buyer to get this because the cover says EXPLICIT CONTENT and indeed, I would not recommend this for the teen GN collection for cussing and sexing and stuff.
Note: I asked our adult graphic novel buyer to get this because the cover says EXPLICIT CONTENT and indeed, I would not recommend this for the teen GN collection for cussing and sexing and stuff.
elle_victoria's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5