Alias: Red Band #2 is One Killer Mystery (Review)

If you need a solid mystery story, Marvel Comics is whipping up something special with its recent relaunch of Alias. The comic that Jessica Jones debuted in ended quite some time ago, but with Jones featuring in Daredevil: Born Again’s newest season, Marvel is striking while the iron is hot by reviving Alias under the publisher’s adults-only ‘Red Band’ line. Alias: Red Band unites writer Sam Humphries (Harley Quinn, Uncanny X-Force) and Geraldo Borges (Storm, Thunderbolts) and sees Jessica tackle her most complicated mystery in years.

With her husband now the mayor of New York, Jessica has turned in her license as a P.I. and shut down Alias Investigations. But after a visit to her old office, Jessica discovers that her next-door neighbors have been brutally slaughtered. At Luke’s behest, Jessica doesn’t get involved, but a run-in with Typhoid Mary makes Jessica realize that there is more than one killer running around with the same M.O.. The two decided to team up and find whoever is behind all this. But as a flashforward has revealed, this case is going to take Jessica to some dark places.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Alias: Red Band #2 Builds Tension Amazingly Well

Alias: Red Band #2 picks up with Jessica and Mary continuing to chase down any leads they have on the killings or the Postcard King, the mysterious figure connected to them all. They interrogate Randall, a man who killed his wife and children, though he proclaims he doesn’t know why he did it. Mary isn’t buying his story, but Jessica feels differently, thinking Randall’s actions have something to do with the strange symbol carved into Randall’s hand, the same symbol found on a postcard Randall was carrying. Unfortunately, the interrogation gives them nothing useful.

Read Next

Alias: Red Band #1 is the Jessica Jones Revival We Need (Review)

The only thing Jessica and Mary have to go on is the symbol on the postcard, which was made with a typewriter. They begin scoping out places that might sell old-fashioned typewriters and end up in an antique store on the Upper West Side. Although Jessica is unable to obtain information from the store owner, she takes a liking to Mary and reveals that she knows a customer who is very particular about typewriters. The owner pulls the customer’s information, and the duo heads to Hell’s Kitchen to meet with Tyson Kelso.

Jessica and Mary meet with Tyson, who seems like a normal enough guy, and ask him what he can tell about the symbol on the postcard. Mary takes the lead on the interview while Jessica takes a look around Tyson’s apartment. She spots something odd sticking out of Tyson’s files, causing him to panic and start scribbling. Just as Jessica discovers a hidden cache of postcards, Tyson exposes Mary to the scribble he just made. In an instant, Mary snaps and attempts to kill Jessica Jones, spurred on by whatever dark magic Tyson just used.

Alias is Building a Gripping and Powerful Mystery

I thought the first issue of this series was great, but as is usually the case with stories like this, the first chapter left me wanting. However, Humphries does an amazing job here, ratcheting up the intensity while leaving us just hungry enough for more. I also really like how genre-aware it is, especially during the scene when Jessica starts listing all the possible causes of the postcard murders. And while I don’t know if Mary is the most necessary addition here, I have to admit I’m a sucker for the good cop/unhinged cop thing they’ve got going on.

Borges also does an amazing job in this issue. We get a lot of really good, intense scenes as Jessica and Mary investigate the mystery. From the duo’s interrogation of Randall to the sudden twists and turns of the Tyson reveal, there’s a fantastic flow to it all. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something about how colorist Arthur Hesli elevates Borges’ artwork. It really establishes a tense atmosphere when the story calls for it and makes those scenes carry that much more weight.

I feel confident in saying that this book really does improve on the first issue in every way. It keeps what works and tweaks it just enough to make the mystery even more captivating. We still don’t know what the whole deal is with the postcards, Tyson’s connection to all of this, or his reasons behind it. But it’s shaping up to be the kind of weird and violent mystery Jessica Jones was made to tackle. Anyone who is looking for a gripping, if unconventional mystery story, definitely needs to check out this issue (and the previous one, of course).

What do you think about Alias: Red Band #2? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!