Spider-Woman
The creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev holds a special place in my heart. Before he went and fucked it all up with the abysmal Secret Invasion storyline, which managed to skew the entire Marvel Universe for a year, Bendis was the man behind the resurgence of one of my all time favorite characters, Daredevil. With the aid of Alex Maleev’s gritty and washed out line work, the world of Hells Kitchen became the playground for one of the most gripping storylines to hit a Marvel character in ages.
When Bendis and Maleev announced they were leaving Daredevil in the hands of a new creative team, I not only mourned their departure but also became really curious as to what they would be doing next. Much to my dismay, it seemed the partnership would be splitting. Bendis, it was announced, was moving to the Avengers to sow the seeds for what would become the Secret Invasion arc. Maleev, it seemed, was simply dropping off the face of the planet, with only a guest shot here and there to satiate my thirst for his fantastic artwork.
Much to my surprise, I got wind a year or so ago that Bendis and Maleev were not split but simply working on a rather ambitious new project to be revealed at a later date. Earlier this year we were finally treated to the fruit of that secret labor in their newest partnership, Spider-Woman. More than just a comic book, this run also attempts to leap into the future of comic books with a motion comic on iTunes. Whether or not it succeeds or not is up to you but I found the results to be well worth the time, if not the cash.
Okay, we’re talking about a little used character from the 1980′s called Spider-Woman. I know. I don’t get the love for this character either, but Bendis seems to have a thing for her. So much so that he made her the host body for the Skrull Queen at the end of Secret Invasion. At any rate, Bendis has taken Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman) and made her the center of a more personal tale of the Secret Invasion aftermath. What makes the book work is that it’s less of a tale of Spider-Woman and more a tale of her alter ego, Jessica Drew. Taking it’s cue from the Iron Man movies, this story is less a thrilling super hero adventure and more a character study. One which has a former detective/super heroine dealing with a life that’s gone to hell and struggling with the aftermath of some cataclysmic events that have left her alone and isolated.
At the start of the book, Jessica is feeling as if she is the most screwed over person on earth after being replaced and abused during the Secret Invasion story. At this point she is recruited by a character named Abigail Brand into S.W.O.R.D, which is a counterterrorism agency not unlike S.H.I.E.L.D., only with a focus on extra-terrestrial activities. Her mission, which is a perfect one for someone abused by an alien species, is to kick some serious Skrull ass. The rest of this too short run has her doing just that and in the process, Jessica begins to learn how to deal with her new life of mistrust and anger.
The book looks wonderful, with some of Maleev’s best work being shown off here. The writing, while being nothing more than a blown out revenge tale, is worth reading. If for no other reason than it takes a rather unknown character and really begins to flesh her out into something compelling. The whole look and feel of the book makes it feel like a gritty noir story with dark shadows and undercover agents mixed in with high tech gadgetry and super-heroine antics. While this particular story arc may not be compelling enough to drive a complete series, for seven issues it works pretty damn well.
What makes Spider-Woman stand out, however, is the motion comic version which can be found on iTunes. Here, Maleev’s work takes on an added dimension with depth and effects added in. The voice over work is exceptional with the character of Jessica Drew being voiced by Nicolette Reed. The cost of the complete seven issue motion comic is $14.95, so you’ll have to decide if this mini movie is worth your investment. If you want, you can also buy the individual issues for $2.99 each. If you’re not interested in the motion comic, than I recommend you check out the physical book at your local comic shop. It may be short lived, but the Spider-Woman run really shows that Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev still make one hell of a team.
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Tags: alex maleev, brian michael bendis, itunes, jessica drew, marvel, motion comic
May 11th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
@Hilden I completely agree with your write up of Spider Woman, especially the motion comic. The work here is beautiful and the motion comic really draws out the tone and depth that the author intended.
I remember the Spider Woman Saturday morning cartoon that I watched religiously as a kid. It was cool to see a different take on a spider-powered human, but I always felt like Jessica Drew never really got flushed out. If anything, she got tossed in as a tertiary character working with the Avengers and even Tony Stark. This piece of work does what 20 plus years of comic story telling failed to do, make Spider Woman a character I actually care about. It’s my hope that they use this as a launchpad for more as it’s truly bad ass!
May 16th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
I just finished the motion comic. It is pretty cool. Expensive for a little less than an hour of playtime, but very well done. I’m pretty lost as to why she’s so screwed and angry, but I’ve taken it at face value and jumped in. I hope to see more motion comics in the future. I think a $10 price point is much more reasonable though. Thanks for the recommendation I quite enjoyed it.