Alias and the continuing adventures of Jessica Jones (Not the TV Show!) by Haze

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Alias and the continuing adventures of Jessica Jones (Not the TV Show!)

POSTED BY: HAZE
UPDATED: Monday, June 19, 2006 10:35
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VIEWED: 1283
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Wednesday, June 14, 2006 7:14 AM

Over the last week inspired by the Best Superhero Movie thread I have been rereading three of my favourite graphic novels. Watchmen (Greatest Comic ever written), The Dark Knight Returns (Arguably the Second greatest Comic ever written, but while its contribution to redefining the medium is undeniable I feel its has not aged very well) and Alias. Now the first two I’m guessing any comic fan worth there salt has read but the first two but that last one, that last one you might not be too familiar with. Alias is the comic that launched Marvels MAX inprint featuring comics aimed at adults. Alias Omnibus cost me close to 80 euro the binding hinds some of the artwork and it is so large and heavy its virtually impossible to read it comfortably without the help of a desk.

And it has nothing to do with the TV show.

Compared to the other two (especially Watchmen) Alias can seem quite naive in its attempts to be “Adult”. There lots of smoking and drinking and more swearing than a mid 80ths action flick, so much swearing in fact that it sometimes seems that Brian Michael Bendis is completely enamoured by the fact that he has actually been given permission to do so. But still I love it, actually its would be more accurate to say I love Jessica. The first time I read the book cover to cover I was left with the undeniable realisation that I was completely in love with Jessica Jones. I think a lot of people who read the series felt the same way. Jessica is by far the best “good thing” about Alias be she is by no means the only one. Taking Purple Man, a goofy Z-list villain with a silly name and a mind control gimmick and turning him into one of the most disturbing villains in Marvel history was a stroke of genius, even if it was a simple one. You would have thought that someone at Marvel would have realised years ago that the thought of a guy who can make you do anything he wants would actually be quite frightening. Also it was very nice to see the what the Marvel universe looks like from the bottom, comics can be so lofty. Buy my problem is, (and this is where we get to the meat of this post) Marvel (or Bendis) just did not know when to quit. Alias as a self contained entity was wonderful, it had a beginning middle and end with a satisfying conclusion for the main character that would have left people wanting more but satisfied. If they had just left it there Alias would be hailed as a classic (probably still will in a few years), a completely contained and entertaining work of fiction. But no, the character of Jessica was popular, people wanted more, and so it was that Jessica Jones went screaming (but not swearing) into the main stream.

*spoilers ahead*

Brian Michael Bendis assured fans that The Pulse even though it was a mainstream Marvel publication would not see the character of Jessica watered down. But obviously that was impossible, for as slightly juvenile the constant swearing was in Alias, it was a major part of her character. As The Mighty Thor put it “Young maiden of Midguard thy language leaves something to be desired” hell she even swears at a young Peter Parker! (who looked like he had never heard a swearword before in his life) so the lack of her colourful four letter friends was always going to fell odd. What’s more fans reacted badly to the changes in Jessica’s life. Anyone with a eye for characterisation could have seen this was going to happen. In Alias the character of Jessica Jones was defined by her angst her self esteem issues, everyone reading it (with a heart) was rooting for her. Really looking for that moment where she realised, overcame, and got some happiness (and boxed Purple Man square in the mush). Everyone wanted to see it. But no one wanted to see the aftermath. See, the character of Jessica was so defined by her struggle with her problems that the second she overcame them, the second she stopped being an alcoholic detective and became a capable professional and mother, the second she gave up the coat, that was the second she became a completely different character. So up came to roar, “where is the Jessica we fell in love with!?” And the answer? She got better, found love, and is not permitted to swear anymore. All the things that made her her (even her smile thanks to a new artist) is gone, destroyed by the happy ending everyone wanted for her.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, they should have left her in the pages of Alias.

I have stopped reading Marvel for a while so what happens to Jessica from here I wont know. The recent decimation event was a deus ex machina to far for me. It annoyed me terribly, its almost the Marvel answer to Crisis of Infinite Earths except unlike D.C.s famous house clean it wasn’t necessary.

I would like to hear the opinions of other people who have read Alias and ask, do you agree with me? What your view on this oh so adult comic?

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Monday, June 19, 2006 4:10 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

I haven't read Alias yet, but I have heard of it.

When I started reading comics again just over a year ago (when Joss started work on X Men), did some searching on amazon for graphic novels that appealed to me. Alias was one of them.
I've always liked tales of private detectives, and Alias sounded like a really cool comic.

Though I didn't buy Alias (like I said "yet"), I have read The Pulse. I thought it was a great idea for a comic - tell the stories of the superheroes from the reporter's perspective.
I really liked the first story... the secret war I didn't follow and not long after it was cancelled.
Of course, not having read Alias, I didn't know of any watering down in Jessica Jones' character.

I will say this though, I bought a few "Powers" stories - which are MAX - and I really felt the constant swearing was unneccessary. Just because you can get away with it in a MAX comic, doesn't mean that it's a good thing (or clever).
It kinda grated after a while, which is one of the reasons I've put off buying Alias.
I mean if the stories are really good, then I'll forgive the swearing - like I will in any movie - but if its there just for the sake of it - kinda pointless. It's not needed.
Look at Daredevil - one of the best comics on the shelves right now. Yes it has bleeped out swearing, but not a lot.
That being said, Bendis is a great writer

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Monday, June 19, 2006 10:35 AM

HAZE

If you do read it please post here and share what you think. Flawed though it may be more people should read it. Jessica is just a fantastic character.

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