Marvel Launches Surprise ‘Jessica Jones’ Series

Marvel’s Jessica Jones is back in a previously announced series debuting today to launch Marvel’s latest digital initiative.

Jessica Jones #1 is the first in a three-part miniseries from writer Kelly Thompson (Hawkeye, Rogue & Gambit) and artist Mattia de Lula (Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor) [Edit: On Twitter, Thompson has clarified that Jessica Jones is not a miniseries but an ongoing series that will take brief breaks between story arcs, emulating the bingeable seasons television model]. The series launches the Marvel Digital Originals line of a digital comics specifically intended to spotlight characters being featured on Marvel Television series. Though it launched before Marvel Digital Originals was officially announced, the Cloak and Dagger series from Dennis Hopeless and David Messina that debuted in June will be added to the Marvel Digital Originals line.

“There’s a huge audience out there — not just on the Netflix front but on ABC, Freeform, Hulu, etc. — that experience these characters digitally,” Marvel editor Nick Lowe told IGN. “In fact, it was hard not to notice when characters like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist were some of our biggest sellers in the digital marketplace. That was the inspiration for the Kaare Andrews/Afu Chan’s Iron Fists digital strategy and this next big step for us.”

The biggest difference between Marvel Digital Originals and typical print comics, or even other digital originals, is that is it foregoing the standard 20-page format and will instead release in 40-page monthly installments. “We looked at the velocity of many of the digital release programs of our television shows and thought twice-the-content might fit the bill here, too,” Lowe said.

Thompson was suggested by Jessica Jones co-creator Brian Michael Bendis to write the series. Jessica’s ongoing adventures had been exclusively written by Bendis until he made the jump from Marvel to DC Comics.

“Kelly was actually suggested by Brian Michael Bendis, co-creator of Jessica, when he was wrapping the previous volume because he was impressed by her depiction of Jessica in Hawkeye. And Mattia de Iulis had the slick neo-noir vibe the team was looking for,” Lowe said.

Here’s the synopsis for Jessica Jones #1:

“BLIND SPOT Part 1! Jessica Jones was once the costumed super hero known as Jewel. She sucked at it. Now she’s a private investigator at her own firm, Alias Investigations. She sucks less at that. With the Purple Man gone, her relationship with her husband, Luke Cage, and their daughter, Danielle, is better than ever. But her past always comes knocking, and when a woman whose case she fumbled winds up dead on her office floor, Jessica goes from private investigator to prime suspect. Can she find the real killer and clear her name? A DOUBLE-SIZED Marvel Digital Original you don’t want to miss!”

Are you excited about Marvel Digital Originals? Let us know in the comments!

Jessica Jones #1 is available now.