By Brian Michael Bendis, David W. Mack (Illustrator), Michael Gaydos (Illustrator)
Format: Paperback
Published: January 1st, 2003
Age: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy – Crime
Rating: 5/5 Stars
In Alias, Volume 2, superhero turned PI Jessica Jones investigates the disappearance of a teenage girl, with little but the girl’s collage books to get clues from. As she gradually pieces it together, she gets an eyeopener to life in a small town, especially for anyone who might be different, like, say, a mutant. Then, we get something more uplifting to end the volume – a standard bodyguard job that allows for some nice character development, and a date with none other than the Ant-Man.
I really liked this volume – I love the way Jessica Jones is connected to the rest of the Marvel world, and as someone who tends to more dip in and out of Marvel graphic novels than strictly follow any, I still found this very enjoyable and appreciated the connections that stretched beyond Jessica’s own personal storylines.
Here, Jessica investigates the disappearance of a girl in a small town, working through rumours and what little clues are available. One persistent rumour is that the girl was a mutant, and it forces Jessica to confront the prejudices that linger in small towns. It works really well, and like a lot of the Marvel mutant prejudice story, sits as a kind of metaphor for queerness. No one is actually able to verify that she is a mutant, and Jessica has to work through multiple theories from the townsfolk. I really liked the use of the collage the girl leaves behind, too, and how Jessica feels a connection to her through her self-expression. It results in some absolutely incredible pages, giving the reader the same sense of connection.
Then we get Jessica on a date, and this was just fun. Pure, simple, and enjoyable, and a really nice, warm note to end the volume on. But again, it drives home the connections in the Marvel universe, as not only is Jessica on a date with Ant-Man, but it comes after temporarily buddying up with Luke Cage on a bodyguard job for Matt Murdock.
Overall, I really liked this volume and thought it was a nice continuation from Volume 1. It’s also making me want to (at some point!) check out some of the wider stories around it, but it’ll be a fair while before I do that. For now, I’m just keeping an eye out for Volume 3.
Unwrapping Words 