Marvel’s Karla Pacheco Talks Spider-Woman’s New Costume, New Job, and Old Friends (Exclusive)

The one true Spider-Woman Jessica Drew is back in a brand new series, but there will be some changes since the last time we saw the fan-favorite hero. The new Spider-Woman ongoing series will have writer Karla Pacheco and artist Pere Perez at the helm and will find Spider-Woman with a new mission, some new enemies, and a new job to navigate on her superhero adventures. ComicBook.com had the chance to talk to Pacheco all about the new series, which also gives Spider-Woman a brand new costume, and we kicked things off with what the most important element she hopes to bring to the character in this new series and what Spider-Woman’s biggest strength happens to be.

“Jess’s greatest strength has always been her resilience,” Pacheco said. “She’s been dealt a lot of bad hands in life but has managed to overcome them over and over again, still maintaining her dedication to “what’s right” and her sense of humor. In this series, we definitely push that to the limit, and really dig into how that past has affected her.”

While she digs into her past, Drew will also be putting her trademark, powers to work, and Pacheco is having a ball with them. “I’m having way too much fun with the venom blasts. So many zappies,” Pacheco said.

Spider-Woman will find herself with a new job, and part of the series will be exploring how she got that job, why she took it in the first place, and how it opens up a host of questions about her past.

“Jess’s new job quickly turns out to be a lot more than it seemed on the surface,” Pacheco said. “She took it on because she hit a particular low point in her life, and has to support her family. But it leads to some massive discoveries about her life, her history, and her future. It absolutely changes everything for her, but how much, how permanently…we’re about to find out!”

Spider-Woman’s son Gerry has been an important part of her life for a while now, and somehow she’s managed to still fight crime and be a single parent at the same time. We had to ask what role Gerry plays in the new series, and Pacheco replied “Jessica sent Gerry to live on a farm upstate,” so take that as you will. Spider-Woman being a parent was a focal point of her last series, so we’ll have to wait and see if it plays a substantial role in this new one.

One of the more buzzed-about topics regarding the new series has to do with Spider-Woman’s new costume, which was designed by Dave Johnson. The suit wasn’t just redesigned for the sake of it though, and in addition to some secrets, it is also a great indicator of where Jessica Drew’s mindset is these days.

“The new costume plays a very important part in the story.,” Pacheco said. “Just on the surface, it’s a great representation of where Jess is at right now. She’s not feeling like a hero, and she doesn’t really feel worthy of her old costumes. But that suit also comes with…some secrets. I love the costume, Dave Johnson did a great job with the design for a darker, more dangerous Jess. I love the more subtle triangle elements, and the webbing on the feet. I just think it looks great for blowing things up and punching dinosaurs in!”

Sentences like “blowing things up and punching dinosaurs” are the reason I love comics by the way. That’s not important to this story mind you, I just wanted to say it aloud.

Now, in recent years when you think of Jessica Drew it’s hard not to also think of Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers. Carol and Jessica are at times inseparable, and while this series will focus more on Spider-Woman as an individual, we will see some familiar faces…at least it seems that way.

“This is her first solo series in quite a while, and I definitely wanted to focus on Jess, specifically on her feeling alone and doubting herself and her relationships,” Pacheco said. “But a lot of familiar faces will be making appearances, and I will say that we see Hawkeye and Captain Marvel IMMEDIATELY in Issue 1! Sort of. I mean…kinda? Just trust me.”

While Spider-Woman has been around the Marvel Universe for a while, she doesn’t have a large rogues gallery of her own that isn’t borrowed from other heroes. It seems this new series is going to introduce a few new ones to the mix, and Pacheco is excited to introduce them.

“Oh dude, you have NO idea,” Pacheco teased. “(But yes. And they are extremely cool.)”

In addition to the comics, Spider-Woman is also reportedly getting a live-action film if recent rumors are to be believed. If or when she makes her movie debut, we had to ask what the one thing the movie needs to capture about Jessica Drew and why, and if there’s one thing she’s most excited to see on the big screen.

“I mean, if they go off this new series, we’d get 90 minutes of helicopter explosions and dinosaur punching. Just sayin’. But Jess is Jess,” Pacheco said. “Show her strength, her humor, her resilience…can’t go wrong with that! (Also lots of venom blasts and helicopter explosions).”

You know, we’d be down for some dinosaur punching action on the big screen, so sign us up!

Now all eyes turn towards Spider-Woman #1, but to help tide you over we’ve got an exclusive look at Spider-Woman #3, which you can see in the images above, and the official description for the issue can be found below.

SPIDER-WOMAN #3

KARLA PACHECO (W) • PERE PéREZ (A)

Cover by JUNGGEUN YOON

DINO-MIGHT!

• With another all-out attack on her client, Spider-Woman is really beginning to regret taking this gig.

• As the tables turn yet again, a quick escape leads to the last place on Earth Jess wants to be.

• The shocking return of someone from Jess’s past ups the ante and throws Spider-Woman’s life into chaos!

Spider-Woman #1 hits comic stores on March 18th.

Are you excited about Spider-Woman’s new series? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Spider-Woman and comics!