Not a bad start.
I only picked this book up because I've been longing to see Bendis and Maleev team up again. Their work on Daredevil was always some of my favorite so coming into this story felt like coming home to a good meal.
And it should also be noted that for the most part I've been avoiding most Marvel books since Secret Invasion. I've always thought Skrulls were weak and I hated the idea. So between Secret Invasion and Dark Reign which I've both avoided like an STD I really knew nothing coming into this book.
So imagine my surprise when this turned out to be a decent read!
Bendis brought me up to speed pretty quickly on what's been going on with Spider-woman (at least all that I need to know for this story to work). We know that she was missing because she was kidnapped by the Skrull Queen, that she's back now and her life is in tatters, and that she has no purpose. She even contemplates suicide near the beginning because she's aware of just how ruined her life is... And then she's given a second chance. She's given an outlet to use that rage and frustration. She's brought in S.W.O.R.D.
Agent Brand is someone I'm only familiar with because of Whedon's run on Astonishing X-men but I like her character, I like the agency and the purpose behind it, and I like her look. She looks pretty hot in this issue.
So she comes in to hand Jessica a purpose, Jessica accepts, and then BOOM! we're off and moving before we're even halfway through the issue. The pace was nice and this issue ends with some interesting questions that need to be answered. I definitely would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read with decent art.
And in Maleev's defense I DO consider his photo-rendered-referenced style as art. It might bug some people but I dig it. It feels like looking at a movie...
