Jessica Jones: Alias Vol. 1

***not related to the Jennifer Garner TV show*** This book is for a VERY specific demographic: people who grew up reading Marvel comics who are now adults rediscovering the world of comics. This is the Marvel Universe from an adult point of view. You've still got Captain America, the Avengers, Daredevil, your old Marvel favorites here, but they're filtered through an adult's eyes. The first word of the book is "F---!" The protagonist, private investigator Jessica Jones, is complex, not totally likeable, like a real person. She has super powers but chooses not to use them (more is revealed about her background in the later books). I'm not a "Bendis can do no wrong" kind of guy. A lot of his stuff is fluff written to please young fans and sell books. Not this time. This is a character piece, a huge risk in the comic biz. This might explain it's short run. The artwork is dark and moody, a refreshing change from the typically glammed out super-hero books. The art fits the character perfectly. All four Alias books are totally engaging from start to finish. If you only buy one graphic novel, GET THIS! There are rumors that this series will come back. I hope so! Jessica Jones is currently in "The Pulse," a comic where she works for the Daily Bugle. It's an "ensemble cast" kind of book so she's not really in it that much. If you really want more of her story, Pulse is worth picking up. But get the other three Alias books first!

Alias follows the life of Jessica Jones, private investigator. Jessica Jones is a mutant, and is considered in some circles to be a super-hero, although that description doesn't fit her very well. This part of Alias doesn't clearly say what Jessica's powers are, in the beginning we learn that she has a mean left hook and later on she breaks a shotglass in her hand with no cuts after. As the story progresses more of her history and her powers are revealed, and there are a lot of cameos from more famous Marvel heroes. The appearances of other heroes is pretty neat for readers who are familiar with the Marvel universe, but it doesn't prohibit people who haven't read from starting.There's a little of everything in Alias, Jessica takes a normal case which leads her to a large governmental conspiracy which provides action and also shows Jessica at work as a detective. The major story arc aside, I found that the heart of Alias is Jessica's endearing personality, I think that people will see their own traits in her life. It's somewhat pricey compared to other graphic novels, but it's also pretty long by graphic novel standards, and I think that it's a smart buy. Alias has the "MAX" rating which is comparable to a R rated movie. I didn't find it to be offensive, there's a lot of profanity though. Not related to the television show "Alias".

The great Brian Michael Bendis has done it again. With Marvel's first title to warrant the "MAX" title (intense violence and language), Alias shows Bendis at his best. His penchant for dialog and unconventional storytelling is so proudly displayed in this first collection of the series that it is easy to see why he is one of the most revered writers in comics. Alias tells the story of former Avenger Jessica Jones, who has since quit being a superhero and has opened her own private detective agency called Alias Investigations. Even though she still has superpowers and Alias takes place in the underbelly of the Marvel Universe, Bendis manages to make Jessica seem like a real life everyday person. She is obsessive, self destructive, and usually looking to do the right thing. In this first collected volume, she has a one night stand with Luke Cage, becomes entangled in a conspiracy involving Captain America's secret identity, and meets Matt Murdock. Michael Gaydos' art is a gritty almost Frank Miller-esque style that suits Alias well, even though it may take some getting used to. All in all, this is superb comics storytelling that one could only expect from Bendis.

Jessica Jones, a has-been superhero, is now the sole operator of Alias Private Eye; but when she happens upon an explosive secret, she is faced with a difficult dilemma while, at the same time, a series of unfortunate events make her become aware that she is being set up. Then, later, several of Jessica's smaller cases help us learn more about her character.Brian Michael Bendis has created another winner here. His (yet again) fantastic dialogue and unconventional storytelling make for another fantastic read. His superb mix of charaterization, dialogue, action, suspense, and humor make this book a must read. Michael Gaydos' artwork really adds to the street level grittiness of the story, and the muted colors also intensify the dark tone of the stories."Alias" comes highly recommended for fans of Bendis' early comic noir books, "Powers" readers, and "Daredevil" readers looking for an even more gritty and adult take on superheros.NOTE: "Alias" is a Marvel MAX book and is suggested for older readers due to strong language and violence (a comic book equivalent to an R-rated movie).

If you have ANY kind of knowledge of the Marvel Comics stable, you will enjoy this seedy view of the Marvel Universe as seen through the eyes of Jessica Jones, former super-hero, former member of the world-famous AVENGERS, now turned private investigator. She's a functioning alcoholic trying to eke out a living by performing skip-traces, spouse-spying, and missing person investigations. As she exists in the world of Spider-Man, The Hulk, and company, her investigations and associations lead her to cross paths with the occasional hero or villian when they're not tending to the usual spate of bank-robbing, world-conquering, or world-saving. She has a one-night-stand with Luke Cage, Power-Man, Hero-For-Hire and she becomes a dupe in an espionage-sting involving Captain America's secret identity. She's a new character but she's been retroactively inserted into Marvel history so most of the super-hero community is aware of her existence. I thought that she was actually a thinly-disguised version of Jessica Drew who has also become a private investigator since she lost her powers as the original SPIDER-W0MAN. But THIS Jessica seems to have retained a semblance of her powers which she occasionally uses in the course of her work.Even if you're not into comics and super-heroes, this work stands up on its own with realistic street dialogue that rings true to the ear, thanks to the very-talented Brian Michael Bendis. It definitely raises the bar for the entire spandex-genre, proving that there can be more to a super-hero tale than the monthly slugfest...