When many fans think of Marvel, Jessica Jones is usually not the name that pops up first.
She is a fairly new character in respect to the universe as Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos created her in 2001. Since then, she has starred in numerous comics and has become an integral part of the street-level heroes, garnering her own TV show.
Despite this short time in the Marvel Universe, she has represented some of the most compelling character study and storytelling the famed publisher has to offer.
For one, she has some of the most tragic backstory I’ve come across. She is the former mid-tier superhero Jewel who did run with the Avengers for a time before meeting Zebediah Killgrave (the Purple Man).
The Purple Man put her under his mind control and forced her into crime as well as psychological torture.
This trauma sticks with Jones as it shapes her into the jaded and cynical head of Alias Investigations. This allows her to operate in the seedier parts of the Marvel Universe, uncovering crimes that are well beneath the Avengers or even other street-level heroes.
The Alias comic series does a fantastic job at establishing her and what you can come to expect of her over the next two decades. Furthermore, it operated under Marvel’s adult-centric MAX line, meaning it was an unfiltered view at a broken yet successful investigator.
Jessica keeps the rest of the Marvel Universe at arm’s length but she does interact enough with it that you feel like you are on the streets of a superhero-filled New York. Furthermore, she is selective of when she uses her powers, resulting in her being rusty when she does.
I recently finished Bendis and Gaydos’s run form 2016 and it was like they never missed a beat with the character. This series takes place in the aftermath of the dimension-ending Secret Wars event and it handled the fallout in an interesting away.
At one point, Jessica takes a case from a woman who wants her husband investigated. The husband claims he is from a different universe that got folded into this one. Therefore, he had no memory of his wife and kids so they didn’t mean anything to him.
And then there’s the TV series. It had the monumental task of following up the successful Daredevil series, but Krysten Ritter did a phenomenal job at bringing the character to life.
It was the TV show that initially piqued my interest and made me want to read more, but Alias is what solidified my love for the character and her story.
One reason I think she is so compelling is she has yet to become oversaturated. Even in the wake of her TV series, Jessica Jones does not appear frequently. She pops in when necessary but leaves when her story is complete.
Jessica Jones lives in a world much different than the rest of the superheroes, including her Defender allies. She has experienced a lifetime of trauma and, unlike other superheroes, she handles it in a very human albeit unhealthy way.
And still, she maintains her moral compass and does what she believes is right. It is such an interesting dynamic to see her balance her cynicism and self-destructive behavior with her duties as a force for good.
What about you? What do you think about Jessica Jones as a character? How much of her story have you experienced? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Marvel (via Comic Book Herald)
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