A Return of a Marvel Classic
Super short story: I've been a die-hard Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew fan for decades. I fell in love with the character from the start when I first saw reruns of the Spider-Woman cartoon in the early '80s. From there I discovered the adventures of Marvel Comic's Dark Angel depicted by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha towards the tail end of the original series. I eventually collected the entire series (issues #1-50) between the ages of ten and twelve, discovering Spider-Woman's many phases from superheroine against the supernatural, to bounty hunter, to private investigator. So one can imagine how ecstatic I was years ago when Jessica reappeared in New Avengers some years ago! What's more that a new chapter of the Alluring Arachnid's life was to begin and eventually take further flight in a new series -- and here it finally is.
Almost immediately I was disappointed with this book after already seeing the first Marvel Motion Comic which is this entire book in a condensed nutshell. Don't get me wrong, when I closed this issue, I enjoyed myself, but unfortunately the hype (or the wait) doesn't stand. Much like the Avengers titles that Brian Michael Bendis writes, I found the magic exasperated and I've become less of a fan after his work on Secret Invasion. A great series, but there's an over saturation of Bendis in Marvel and I've continued to loose interest despite my trying to hold on so I can remain current with continuity in the Marvelverse. Anyway, this fourth (or fifth?) phase of Spider-Woman's career sees her becoming an agent of SWORD and handling the fallout of the Skrull invasion (ugh!). I truly miss the sophisticated and confidant Jessica Drew who went through years of hell to gain her sense of self and true independence, not this pasty version of Drew who has almost gone back to square one following the debacle that was the invasion. Hopefully this series will progress quickly and we'll see the strong willed, intelligent, and powerful Jessica Drew that I miss so much.
The art of Alex Maleev fits the mood set by Bendis, but I wonder if the artist can handle a full blown superhero story. Possibly this book will not be that, but I hope we see some of the super heroic side of Spider-Woman that she finally embraced some years ago. I'm pleased that this book can claim it has a look all it's own, but am I fan -- let's see if the art grows on me, same for Bendis' storytelling. I promised myself I would not by a book for the love of a character alone, but I'm worried I may be doing just that.
~ Hype
