The Alias series by Brian Michael Bendis established Jessica Jones as a top-tier private investigator who used less conventional means to solve her cases. Now, the Alias series continues in Alias: Red Band, where Jessica can’t stay away from the thing she does best.
Jessica Jones gave up her investigation services when her husband, Luke Cage, decided to run for mayor. But staying away from crime solving isn’t easy for the new first lady of New York City. When Jessica gets caught doing some innocent digging, Typhoid Mary offers to help her with the case in a much more discreet way. These two make up the classic straight guy and wisecracker combo in this series, and their chemistry is bound to build during the rest of the run.
Sam Humphries’ characterization for Jessica definitely differs from Bendis’ original take, especially during the first few pages of the issue. Near the end, however, Jessica began to take on her usual demeanor. The rest of the run seems promising given that we’ve at least gotten glimpses of that familiar side of Jessica.
David Mack’s designs make the main covers well worth picking up, but for those hardcore collectors out there, the variant covers are equally stunning. The Lucas Werneck variant of Issue #1 is a particularly striking portrait of Typhoid Mary with reflections of Jessica Jones in both of her swords.
If you weren’t the biggest fan of the original art for Alias, you’re in luck with Alias: Red Band. The art still has similar indie styling, but Geraldo Borges’ thinner lines allow for the characters to be more expressive. Arthur Hesli’s colors aren’t as muted as the original series, which is perhaps due to Typhoid Mary’s presence. Typhoid Mary’s design is the perfect balance of wild and scary, balancing out Jessica’s slouchy posture and grumpy persona.
Between their aesthetic differences and their preferred crime solving methods, Jessica Jones and Typhoid Mary are the duo that drives this series. Their journey to solving this case can only get more exciting throughout the next few issues.
