She’s been out of the spotlight for a while, but underrated Marvel Comics’ icon Jessica Jones is back for a new series that’s certain to please her biggest fans. It was 25 years ago that fans first met Jessica in her smash-hit series, Alias. Since then, she’s made a real name for herself thanks to her incredible investigative prowess as well as her harrowing origin story. Since the days of Alias, Jessica has starred in a few other series, such as Jessica Jones (capitalizing on the Netflix show’s popularity) and The Variants.
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Jones has also popped up in stories starring her fellow street-level heroes. But ever since her husband, Luke Cage, became the mayor of New York City, Jessica hasn’t been seen as much in recent months. However, with another live-action appearance coming up in the new season of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Comics is striking while the iron is hot by reviving the series that gave the world Jessica Jones. Fans of the classic series can go ahead and relax, as Alias: Red Band #1 does an amazing job giving us the Jessica Jones energy we’ve been craving.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Fantastic characterization for Jessica Jones | Slower start to story |
| Accessible for new and old readers | Not much action |
Alias: Red Band #1 is Jessica Jones Exactly as You Remember Her
Marvel Comics’ Alias: Red Band #1 comes from Sam Humphries, Geraldo Borges, Arthur Hesli, and Cory Petit. Our favorite detective is struggling, as Jessica has turned in her investigative license to help the optics of her husband’s police reforms. But Jessica accidentally stumbles upon a murder scene at an old neighbor’s apartment. Things are tense between Jessica and Luke when the story blows up, and Luke is insistent that Jessica not pursue this investigation. While she’s not happy with their situation, she relents and heads off to drown her sorrows at a nearby watering hole.
While grabbing a drink, Jessica is confronted by Typhoid Mary, who reveals there’s more to the deaths than has been publicly revealed. Apparently, there is more than one killer, and Mary asks Jessica to investigate so that Mary can bring street justice to the murderers. Jessica agrees to investigate, even though it means having to work with Typhoid Mary. While Jessica prepares to go underground to solve the mystery, a flashforward to a month later reveals that Jones is testifying to the New York City Council over her involvement in the case she just took.
Alias: Red Band #1 is a Cautious, But Great First Step in Jessica Jones’ New Era
As much as I love superhero comics, I love books like Alias. Ones that are still set in a fantastical world like the Marvel Universe, but where the characters, environment, and problems all feel more ‘real’. Right from the beginning, this series takes full advantage of carrying the ‘Red Band’ branding. From Jessica’s sailor mouth to the stomach-churning crime she finds herself caught up in, this book manages to distinguish itself from Marvel’s other releases. Marvel’s been pushing adult books hard lately, and honestly, Alias is the book that Red Band was made for.
I think this book does a great job of familiarizing everyone with Jessica, whether readers have never read anything starring her or they’ve missed out on what she’s up to. You get that she’s got a messiness to her, but also a strong moral fiber. This book also really makes you feel the pressure she’s been facing as the First Lady of NYC, unable to do what she wants and having her identity minimized to being just ‘the Mayor’s wife’. Jessica’s characterization makes this book and it’s something I think will carry this series in the coming issues.
Of course, I can’t downplay Geraldo Borges’ contributions. There’s not much action to work with, but Borges’ art is confident, capturing Jessica’s emotional state as she runs through fear, uncertainty, and anger. And Arthur Hesli takes Borges’ work to the next level, especially in the scenes dealing with the grizzly crime Jessica discovers. It’s hard to capture the same look and feel as the original Alias, but I can tell this team is giving it their all. And from the frank conversations and the spiraling mystery Jessica’s caught up in, this version feels like a worthy successor to Alias.
Whether you were a fan of her original series or you just loved her Netflix show, and you can’t wait for her upcoming MCU appearance, Alias Red: Band #1 does Jessica’s fans well. It’s a simple, straightforward beginning to a crime story, but it’s quite well done. They say you can’t go home again, but Alias: Red Band #1 does a hell of a job giving fans a story with the same feel as the original series without sacrificing the past two decades of her characterization. If you need more Jessica Jones, this is the book you need to read.
What did you think of Alias: Red Band #1? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
