ALIAS: RED BAND #1 – The Return of Jessica Jones

Creative Team – Sam Humphries, Geraldo Borges, Arthur Hesli, VC’s Cory Petit, David Mack

Published by Marvel Comics

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The Story

This comic review is brought to you by the dynamic duo of Megan and Shawn!

Megan – Jessica Jones is back for the 25th anniversary of the character, and what a strong way to come back! In Alias: Red Band #1, we see Jessica come back to her old office, Alias Investigations, after forfeiting her license for her husband, Luke’s, career. Jessica misses this life so much, but isn’t able to go back to it with Luke being the mayor, and the police force already unhappy with a superpowered man being in office. When she leaves her old office, she notices her neighbor’s mail has been delivered but she has never received. Finding this strange, Jessica starts to put her skills to work and investigates for her neighbor’s well-being. What she finds is nothing short of disturbing.

Unfortunately for her, she had a photojournalist right on her tail who took pictures of her investigating, which isn’t legal. Being nothing more than a paparazzi with a more formal name, he sent the pictures to the paper, causing an uproar for Luke at work. The only way for Jessica to investigate the death of her neighbors is to do so quietly. Oddly enough, a very unexpected person offers their services to help her, which Jessica agrees to. All seems to be falling into place until we reach the final pages.

Sam Humphries brought so much heat to Jessica Jones return with Alias: Red Band #1. With a compelling case to investigate, emotions as high as they’ve ever been, and Jessica more motivated than ever, I cannot wait to see what Humphries brings in the best issue.

Shawn – What a great way to honor the 25th Anniversary of Jessica Jones. Sam Humphries immediately jumps into the narrative vibe fans have come to expect from a Jessica Jones story. This issue is so well written and serves as a great example of why Jessica Jones works so well as a red band comic. Humphries does a great job tapping into the tension that does and has always existed in Jessica’s relationship with Luke. While this is a great issue for Jessica Jones, Humphries does a great job highlighting the pressure Luke feels as the Mayor of the City.

The Art

Megan – If there’s one thing the artists did with Alias: Red Band #1, it’s create something perfect for the story. Geraldo Borges, Arthur Hesli, and Cory Petit put their talents on full display with how they brought Sam Humphries story to life.

Geraldo Borges brought heavily detailed panels with striking linework that put you straight into the mind of the story. Arthur Hesli perfectly captured the grittiness of the story and stuck to more muted tones until the story called for vibrancy to show Jessica exactly who she was dealing with. Cory Petit excellently captured the emotions of the characters through the dialogue, making you feel every bit of Jessica’s inner feelings. Together, the artists brought a dark and powerful comic that was authentic to Jessica Jones, and the readers will benefit heavily from it.

Shawn – Geraldo Borges and Arther Hesli really blew me away with this issue. Considering it was a Jessica Jones red band series, I expected everything to be very dark and muted, but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, Borges crafted some scenes that Hesli fit perfectly with dark colors, but there were still lots of opportunities for Hesli to show off a real knack for coloring. The bar scene in particular is a brilliant piece of work with Hesli and Borges showing incredible depth with lines, shadows, and simple colors. Cory Petit does a great job with lettering by adding some pop to the pages. There are a few dialogue-heavy scenes where the conversation could overshadow the art, but Petit’s work does an outstanding job of avoiding that pitfall.

Final Thoughts

Megan – 10/10. I can’t say enough good things aboutAlias: Red Band #1. For those who read the original Alias comics, you’re going to love this. For those that didn’t, you’re still going to love this. All gas, no breaks.

Shawn – 10/10. This issue threw me for loops in the best way possible. I expected this issue to be a slow build and the series to take off in issue 2, but after only a page or two, we jump right into the drama and action. Not only does the creative team do an amazing job with the drama and tension created by the main issue, but they capture the human element so well. This feels as close to a spiritual successor in comics as I’ve ever seen. Humphries captures the same energy we’ve come to know and expect from Jessica Jones, carrying her story forward in the same vein Bendis created her in.

Overall Grade – 10/10

Let us know in the comments what you thought of Alias: Red Band #1!