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Alias #3-4
Alias: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2
As a costumed adventurer, Jessica Jones was plagued by a lack of self-esteem and an inability to master her superhuman powers. She hung up her cape and tights when she realized she would forever be considered a second-rate super hero. Now a tough-as-nails private investigator, Jessica returns home to find a mysterious girl in a costume hiding in her apartment, but she flies away before Jessica can find out who she is. Through sources, Jessica discovers that her intruder is Mattie Franklin, a.k.a. Spider-Woman, a teenage super hero with a connection to Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. With Mattie in danger, Jessica Jones must seek help from an unlikely source - Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman - to bring her home alive. Then, for the first time, learn all of Jessica's hidden secrets - how she got her powers and joined the Avengers, and the dark, unspoken chapter in Marvel Universe history that changed her life forever. Guest-starring Peter Parker, Jean Grey, and the Avengers! Collects ALIAS #16-28.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,086 books2,472 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 20, 2022
A teenage Marvel super hero out of her head on drugs and being used and abused by some lowlifes? J Jonah James seeing Jessica Jones as a super villain. Dating an Ant-Man. Being friends with an Avengers. And of course there's the best ever rendition (at the time) of Purple Man. Welcome to the world of Jessica Jones!
When I first read this I thought it was exceptional, and as one of my earliest exposures to Bendis' near pitch perfect dialogue, it was at first reading. Many readings later, now used to the almost stylised dialogue of Bendis, I have to ask why is almost the entirety of who Jessica Jones is, defined by what a man did to her? And even these ground braking first volumes still manage to make her 'love life' part of her story. In the context of the time it was written it was refreshing and part of a real move to try and make Marvel less fan-boy-centric. I will love it for when I first read it, but can see how kids born in the 21st century, might ask what all the fuss was about this series? 8 out of 12.
2021 read
When I first read this I thought it was exceptional, and as one of my earliest exposures to Bendis' near pitch perfect dialogue, it was at first reading. Many readings later, now used to the almost stylised dialogue of Bendis, I have to ask why is almost the entirety of who Jessica Jones is, defined by what a man did to her? And even these ground braking first volumes still manage to make her 'love life' part of her story. In the context of the time it was written it was refreshing and part of a real move to try and make Marvel less fan-boy-centric. I will love it for when I first read it, but can see how kids born in the 21st century, might ask what all the fuss was about this series? 8 out of 12.
2021 read
May 18, 2018
Me gustó un poquito menos que el primer volumen... quizás porque tenía más de historia de superhéroes y menos de la Jessica detective que tanto me gusta, pero aún así es un gustazo de lectura.
Es una pena que no alargaran las aventuras de Jessica resolviendo casos porque es francamente genial. Leeré la continuación más adelante, (aunque he leído por ahí que no mantiene el nivel) me he quedado con muchísimas ganas de más.
**Si queréis leer un cómic adulto, adictivo, original y que le da la vuelta a todas las historias de superhéroes... Leed Alias!
Es una pena que no alargaran las aventuras de Jessica resolviendo casos porque es francamente genial. Leeré la continuación más adelante, (aunque he leído por ahí que no mantiene el nivel) me he quedado con muchísimas ganas de más.
**Si queréis leer un cómic adulto, adictivo, original y que le da la vuelta a todas las historias de superhéroes... Leed Alias!
February 14, 2012
It took me almost a year to buy the second volume of Alias after loving the first mostly due to the cost. So I start reading volume two and I'm about halfway through and I think to myself, "Was this worth the wait? Was this the same series I praised so highly in volume one?" The first arc was a good four star story, but it didn't surprise me in the way the first volume had since I had already read about MGH in Daredevil. Once I got the second arc, everything changed. Bendis does something very skillful in Alias. He makes you love Jessica and feel for every heartbreak she has, but he doesn't tell you why she is that way until the very end. Jessica Jones's past hits you like a ton of bricks. The way the fourth wall is broken down near the end is absolutely genius as well. For any fan of Bendis's work on Daredevil or even other stories where Luke Cage and Jessica Jones appear, Alias will really deepen your appreciation of those series as well. Alias is without a doubt one of the best superhero comics you can buy.
October 9, 2020
This is a little hard to rate for me, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I thought the first half was ok, but more of a 3.5 star read. I loved the second half though, especially from the point on where Killgrave appeared and we found out more about Jessica's past. So 4 average stars it is.
The art again isn't exactly pretty, but fitting. I loved the contrast between the present and Jessica's past. I liked reading about her past in general, I thought Bendis told her story in a very clever way and made the reader care for Jessica more and more.
I liked the stories in this volume too, more so than in volume 1. But maybe that's also because volume 1 was my very first comic ever, and since then I've gotten a bit more used to the genre. Jessica Jones is not your typical superhero comic though: it's dark, harsh and sad, with lots of swearing, alcohol and strong mental abuse. Also, Killgrave is about as bad as villains get, because how do you fight a wicked f***er like him?!
Jessica is an interesting character, a great antihero and an extremely strong person in her very own way. In this volume there are also a lot of cameos , and a nice little What If... story in the end that made me smile a lot. I'd definitely recommend the series, regardless of whether you've seen the tv show or not.
The art again isn't exactly pretty, but fitting. I loved the contrast between the present and Jessica's past. I liked reading about her past in general, I thought Bendis told her story in a very clever way and made the reader care for Jessica more and more.
I liked the stories in this volume too, more so than in volume 1. But maybe that's also because volume 1 was my very first comic ever, and since then I've gotten a bit more used to the genre. Jessica Jones is not your typical superhero comic though: it's dark, harsh and sad, with lots of swearing, alcohol and strong mental abuse. Also, Killgrave is about as bad as villains get, because how do you fight a wicked f***er like him?!
Jessica is an interesting character, a great antihero and an extremely strong person in her very own way. In this volume there are also a lot of cameos , and a nice little What If... story in the end that made me smile a lot. I'd definitely recommend the series, regardless of whether you've seen the tv show or not.
July 15, 2019
4.5 stars!! The writing here is just as good as volume one, just throw in some action and cool fights. A lot of cameos in this one as well. The the stakes are higher in this book right form the start. The story about Mattie really had me worrying for her safety, hoping that they would get her out of the situation she was in. We get a little back story of how Jessica got her powers which was pretty cool. It was pretty rough learning what the Purple Man did to her which made my heart drop when I read what happened with Killgrave right after. Over all great volume. Would definitely recommend.
November 7, 2018
I love, love, love this a lot.
I love Jessica and the way she is. I love that she's tough and vulnerable and her opening up to Luke? I want to hug her a lot.
The art is perfect for this story. <3
I also love all the things they kept for the show and all the things they changed. <3
I love Jessica and the way she is. I love that she's tough and vulnerable and her opening up to Luke? I want to hug her a lot.
The art is perfect for this story. <3
I also love all the things they kept for the show and all the things they changed. <3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2018
Un deuxième volume aussi bon que le premier ! la première histoire était super bien, on voit un côté plus humain à Jonah (incroyable mais vrai), bref c'était du tout bon. Et puis on a les origines de Jessica et l'intrigue avec Killgrave. Je préfère la version David Tennant ^^ mais son délire comic était incroyable ! Le chapitre bonus est touchant.
July 4, 2012
Si el tomo anterior era un 9, este es un 9,50. Le falta para ser perfecto, pero muy poquito. Hasta el dibujo de Gaydos, que en el #1 parecía bastante pedorro, acá pega un salto cualitativo enorme. Y el guion, que ya de por sí era bueno, mejora más todavía. Las cualidades de este comic son tantas, que me limito a buscar sinónimos para "copado" y "grosso" a riesgo de que un análisis que se pretenda sesudo termine tirando por la borda mis cumplidos. Por decirlo de alguna manera, es lo más vertiguesco que haya leído en Marvel. Y eso que este comic transcurre en el universo oficial. Ahora, espero poder engancharme con la "continuación", The Pulse, ni bien pueda. Aunque ya sé que me voy a encontrar con algo más light, supongo va a valer la pena.
May 11, 2011
Even better than the first volume. Too bad this comic series had to end.
May 19, 2012
reading this for a class. things could be much, much worse
March 7, 2016
Ends just as good as it started with lots of difficult stuff to read and process. On to the show, to be more scarred and exhausted, but entertained.
July 23, 2019
En parfaite continuité avec le volume précédent (Jessica Jones: Alias, tome 1 - Secrets et mensonges), cette anthologie couvre de nouveaux deux arcs narratifs: le premier concernant la disparition/enlèvement/mystère entourant la troisième spider-woman et le second constitué de flash-back au moment où l'homme pourpre découvre Jessica Jones et la torture psychologiquement. Un petit "what if" à la fin clôt le recueil (dans lequel les auteurs imaginent ce qui aurait pu se passer si Jessica Jones avait joins les Avengers), ce n'est honnêtement pas un texte très intéressant.
Les deux autres arcs narratifs sont cependant aussi bons que dans le premier volume, on a à peu près le même genre d'intrigue, de noir, de BD adulte. Je suis aussi agréablement surpris de comment on approche le viol mental par l'homme pourpre; pour avoir lu Jessica Jones, Vol. 3: Le retour de l'homme pourpre et le retour de Bendis et Gaydon à la rédaction de Jessica Jones, cet arc narratif est franchement vraiment supérieur, à mon avis, à tout ce qu'ils ont fait après la parution de la série Netflix sur le personne.
Le dessinateur se sort aussi de ses images figées d'une case à l'autre et arrive à rendre ses personnages beaucoup plus expressifs que par rapport au dernier volume, une très agréable amélioration qui vaut la peine d'être notée.
Je suis content en fait d'avoir lu un peu dans le désordre les Jessica Jones, j'ai lu le pire en premier (The Pulse ; je ne le recommande à personne), puis la reprise de Bendis et Gaydos pour finalement lire leurs premiers écrits. Cet ordre permet en quelque sorte de lire le meilleur pour la fin.
J'ai maintenant hâte de voir ce que Kelly Thompson fait du personnage en reprenant la série dans les prochaines anthologies à paraître en français (La fille pourpre et Angle mort).
Les deux autres arcs narratifs sont cependant aussi bons que dans le premier volume, on a à peu près le même genre d'intrigue, de noir, de BD adulte. Je suis aussi agréablement surpris de comment on approche le viol mental par l'homme pourpre; pour avoir lu Jessica Jones, Vol. 3: Le retour de l'homme pourpre et le retour de Bendis et Gaydon à la rédaction de Jessica Jones, cet arc narratif est franchement vraiment supérieur, à mon avis, à tout ce qu'ils ont fait après la parution de la série Netflix sur le personne.
Le dessinateur se sort aussi de ses images figées d'une case à l'autre et arrive à rendre ses personnages beaucoup plus expressifs que par rapport au dernier volume, une très agréable amélioration qui vaut la peine d'être notée.
Je suis content en fait d'avoir lu un peu dans le désordre les Jessica Jones, j'ai lu le pire en premier (The Pulse ; je ne le recommande à personne), puis la reprise de Bendis et Gaydos pour finalement lire leurs premiers écrits. Cet ordre permet en quelque sorte de lire le meilleur pour la fin.
J'ai maintenant hâte de voir ce que Kelly Thompson fait du personnage en reprenant la série dans les prochaines anthologies à paraître en français (La fille pourpre et Angle mort).
May 29, 2017
I love Alias, and I'm more than a little sad to see the series come to an end. I think that there could have been a lot more story lines for the series. But the series did end up well. Jessica's past is revealed, including her ties to the Avengers and why she decided to give up trying to be a superhero.
Altogether, this was a great book, and I wish that the Jessica Jones in New Avengers resembled this Jessica Jones more
Altogether, this was a great book, and I wish that the Jessica Jones in New Avengers resembled this Jessica Jones more
June 5, 2019
The ALIAS series seems to have the inverse of diminishing returns, where it gets better the further along the story goes, as Bendis drifts away from making “gritty” detective story arcs and just focuses on Jessica as her own character. The earlier stories examine the larger Marvel Universe from the POV of an outsider, but I don’t care too much about that, so when the later issues started being ABOUT Jessica rather than about what Jessica SEES, it got a lot better. Over all I liked ALIAS, and I may read THE PULSE miniseries soon, too, once I work my way through the rest of my backlog of comics.
November 21, 2023
Not sure if this a 3.5 or 4 star read
I liked the first story arc of the mystery of the spider woman but I felt it dragged on and should’ve ended sooner and while the ending didn’t make me angry it also didn’t elicit a reaction, and I hated that they brush past the line spider woman said in the apartment which was intriguing by just saying she didn’t remember and it was just one of life’s mystery
And I liked the second arc, but it definitely needed more time to develop
I liked the first story arc of the mystery of the spider woman but I felt it dragged on and should’ve ended sooner and while the ending didn’t make me angry it also didn’t elicit a reaction, and I hated that they brush past the line spider woman said in the apartment which was intriguing by just saying she didn’t remember and it was just one of life’s mystery
And I liked the second arc, but it definitely needed more time to develop
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2017
why are the drawings so ugly?! i understand that it means to reflect jess's instability and raw character but it could be done in a much more subtil and pretty way
April 21, 2019
Sharp, witty, funny, irreverent, I love the shit out of this comic. The Netflix show is horrible in comparison, avoid it, read this instead.
June 23, 2019
Much more different than the show, similar storylines but the vibe was definitely different
August 4, 2019
Un cómic que examina la humanidad del superhéroe y que tendría 5 estrellas si no fuera por el perezoso dibujo de Michael Gaydos, lleno de viñetas repetidas.
February 22, 2020
I don't know, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. I feel like almost nothing was explained and it just felt rushed and strangely pointless.
August 16, 2022
For a comic book character, Jessica's pretty well rounded. *snerf*
August 29, 2022
What a nice ending.
January 3, 2013
If you've read Alias Ultimate Collection Vol. 1, you know exactly what to expect from Bendis & Gaydos. Suffice to say that the elements that you liked (or didn't) are still here. Where this book departs in formula from the earlier arcs is that Bendis integrates his other Marvel work into the stories ( Daredevil's outing in the tabloids and the MGH drug, which features prominently in Bendis' Daredevil run, and the Raft prison break which led to the formation of the New Avengers) and helps make this book feel like a true part of the shared Marvel Universe.
(1st arc: The Underneath) Jessica investigates the disappearance of a teenage super-hero who has fallen prey to an up-and-coming drug dealer, who keeps her doped-up and is extracting some tissue samples from her (to make MGH). This arc also features one of Bendis' favourite characters, Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman.
(2nd arc: The Secret Origins Of Jessica Jones) The final arc of this "mature" series is just as strong as the previous ones. It shows us how Jessica got her powers, how she was in a coma (twice!) and how she was under the Purple Man's spell for eight months. Bendis took this ostensibly lame super-villain and made him into something really terrifying. What he accomplished over the course of this series (literally inventing this character and then having her evolve & grow, and also making us care [a lot] about her) is remarkable.
The series got re-launched for an all-ages audience under The Pulse, Vol. 1: Thin Air. No more F-Bombs! (... or sex, for that matter)
(1st arc: The Underneath) Jessica investigates the disappearance of a teenage super-hero who has fallen prey to an up-and-coming drug dealer, who keeps her doped-up and is extracting some tissue samples from her (to make MGH). This arc also features one of Bendis' favourite characters, Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman.
(2nd arc: The Secret Origins Of Jessica Jones) The final arc of this "mature" series is just as strong as the previous ones. It shows us how Jessica got her powers, how she was in a coma (twice!) and how she was under the Purple Man's spell for eight months. Bendis took this ostensibly lame super-villain and made him into something really terrifying. What he accomplished over the course of this series (literally inventing this character and then having her evolve & grow, and also making us care [a lot] about her) is remarkable.
The series got re-launched for an all-ages audience under The Pulse, Vol. 1: Thin Air. No more F-Bombs! (... or sex, for that matter)
September 4, 2015
This books really deserves a better review than I'm going to give it, but I've written like 10 today and am totally burnt out and I already know I'm going to get sidetracked by the Purple man thing.
Okay, so this and the first Alias collection are at least in the top five of all super hero stuff I've ever read. Bendis did an amazing job of making Jessica Jones a character you loved not just in spite of her flaws but because of them. And you go for so long knowing there is something so dark in her past and the reveal was, at least for me, worse than I imagined. There are few things short of murder that you can do to someone that is worse than raping them, and it always feels odd or wrong to even suggest something might be as bad if not worse than that. But what happened to her at the hands of Purple man, I personally feel those 8 months would leave a much deeper scar on her soul than a one night event. And part of me, a big part of me, wanted to see her kill him at the end. But she didn't and I guess that's what made her morally better than him, that's what makes her a hero even though she no longer wears the costume.
The end, although I was sad to see the series end, was perfect. Especially having had a few glimpses here and there of their baby later on in other comics. Those last two pages, of Luke and her sitting on the steps together. The dialog is sparse and so real and the art work is soooooooooo perfect, more than any other two pages that I've ever read in a comic it felt real. And having gone through a similar conversation when I found out the mother of my child was pregnant it really hit home (the whole excitement, but pulling it back for a bit to ask if she wanted to keep the baby and then getting to let the joy full out).
Okay, so this and the first Alias collection are at least in the top five of all super hero stuff I've ever read. Bendis did an amazing job of making Jessica Jones a character you loved not just in spite of her flaws but because of them. And you go for so long knowing there is something so dark in her past and the reveal was, at least for me, worse than I imagined. There are few things short of murder that you can do to someone that is worse than raping them, and it always feels odd or wrong to even suggest something might be as bad if not worse than that. But what happened to her at the hands of Purple man, I personally feel those 8 months would leave a much deeper scar on her soul than a one night event. And part of me, a big part of me, wanted to see her kill him at the end. But she didn't and I guess that's what made her morally better than him, that's what makes her a hero even though she no longer wears the costume.
The end, although I was sad to see the series end, was perfect. Especially having had a few glimpses here and there of their baby later on in other comics. Those last two pages, of Luke and her sitting on the steps together. The dialog is sparse and so real and the art work is soooooooooo perfect, more than any other two pages that I've ever read in a comic it felt real. And having gone through a similar conversation when I found out the mother of my child was pregnant it really hit home (the whole excitement, but pulling it back for a bit to ask if she wanted to keep the baby and then getting to let the joy full out).
December 28, 2015
As I said about this first volume, this is an almost proctological view of the superhero universe, seen by a female private eye. Jessica Jones has been compared to Phillip Marlowe, with good reason, but Megan Abbott's woman-centric noir, like Queenpin, is a better fit. In any event, Jessica is a private eye and not a detective, with all the noir connotations.
The highlight is definitely the last four issues, where Jessica encounters the Purple Man. (Who is in fact purple. Also, in contrast to David Tennant, his neck is slightly wider than his head. And he's weirdly meta, talking about Jessica as a comic-book character and comics as a medium.) Don't expect the comics version of the (outstanding) Netflix series. But it's a worthwhile read. There was a little too much Marvel Universe for me, but I doubt it'll bother anyone else.
The highlight is definitely the last four issues, where Jessica encounters the Purple Man. (Who is in fact purple. Also, in contrast to David Tennant, his neck is slightly wider than his head. And he's weirdly meta, talking about Jessica as a comic-book character and comics as a medium.) Don't expect the comics version of the (outstanding) Netflix series. But it's a worthwhile read. There was a little too much Marvel Universe for me, but I doubt it'll bother anyone else.
January 31, 2015
The first time I read this I thought it was amazing. On this reread, I still really liked this story. Jessica Jones is such an interesting character to follow. However, this volume has a villain who talks to Jessica in relation to her being the main character in "her" comic book, with mention of closeups, continuity, and "her readers". It just came off to me as super corny. The villain still came off as a credible threat, his dialog was just weak. Thankfully, that was but a small piece of this story, with everything else being pretty stellar.
April 20, 2011
In which our wonderfully fucked-up ex-heroine detective gets an origin story and a messy case featuring two competing Spider-Women. Later, Luke Cage is the ideal sensitive boyfriend (OK, former sackmate) as Jessica decides whether a class action suit against a certain violet-skinned human who once enslaved her is worth the risk. As with the first volume, this was much better than I expected: witty, gross, fun, unpredictable.
July 10, 2023
it continues to be one of my favorite runs, that I cherish and revisit every few years. Many of the arcs are fantastic little noir stories and finishing on the most affecting Purple Man arc (which had some meta moments that I completely forgot about). What a great start to that character, someone completely self-destructive, relatable and normal in a world of heroes that is so grand, and a wonderful story of overcoming your history and demons with fun little insights to the larger world.
February 19, 2012
I think this is probably the best thing I've read by Bendis so far.
No, I take it back, I may like some of the individual issue Avengers heartbreakers he's done with Alex Maleev better, but this is definitely the best sustained work I've seen by him so far. And many many kudos to Michael Gaydos for all the varied and interesting layouts he manages for Bendis' lengthy dialogues.
No, I take it back, I may like some of the individual issue Avengers heartbreakers he's done with Alex Maleev better, but this is definitely the best sustained work I've seen by him so far. And many many kudos to Michael Gaydos for all the varied and interesting layouts he manages for Bendis' lengthy dialogues.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews