Alias

Alias 24-28

Jessica Jones 1-18

Looks like past me didn’t think that Alias 22-23 were worth getting.  Maybe because I didn’t care about the origin of Jessica Jones?  Well, present me cares, and getting the trade of 22-28 off of eBay is cheaper than buying the two issues, so that’s in the mail.  

So the Purple Man finally shows up, and it’s just as horrifying as the first time around.

Kilgrave as written by Brian Michael Bendis really is one of the most terrifying villains ever written.  David Tennent’s portrayal in the show is equally sinister. 

Couldn't Jean Grey have made this a permanent thing?

The problem is one of diminishing returns.  If I remember right, he’s never as effective as his initial appearance in Alias.  Case in point is his return at the end of Jessica Jones.  The set up is legit scary:

Brrr.

But the follow up devolves into an interminable debate about what Jessica and Kilgrave really want, whether or not Kilgrave is a god, and a bunch of other nonsense.  It’s one of the few times Bendis completely fails to entrance with his pages of dialog.

Fortunately, the rest of the issues are as great as the first half of the run.  Some great cases involving some deep undercover work, Maria Hill, and the collapse of the Ultimate universe.  

The soldier's reaction is the best.

Even better are the scenes with Luke Cage and baby Dani.  The moments of ‘normal’ family life, instead of getting lost among the craziness of Jessica’s cases, stand out as shining moments of joy, even more special than the wonder of superheroes.  Yeah, becoming a dad has made me a total sucker for this kind of thing.

These David Mack covers...

Hee.

Luke has been more than fair.  But Jessica had her reasons.

Being a parent supercedes all.

Aww...

He's so cool.

Yeeeaaaah boi!!!!

I could have kept reading years of additional Bendis Alias stories.  At least the follow ups by Kelly Thompson are almost as good.  (If I remember right.  We’ll find out tomorrow.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good (Pretty good for JJ 13-17, the return of Purple Man)