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Spider-Woman: Origin #1-5
Spider-Woman: Origin
This all-new epic chronicles the intriguing secret history of Jessica Drew and her journey from child experiment to Hydra agent to S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to super hero to private eye to Avenger! Written by New Avengers scribe Brian Michael Bendis and searing-hot newcomer Brian Reed (Ms. Marvel), and featuring stunning full-color visuals by the Luna brothers (Ultra, Girls), this story is packed with intrigue leading directly into the upcoming Spider-Woman series from Bendis and Eisner Award-winning artist Alex Maleev (Daredevil). Collects Origin #1-5.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
13 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,413 books2,579 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 108 reviews
September 4, 2015
This "reboot" origin miniseries by Bendis retells the story of Spider Woman, mostly sticking to original Marvel canon but adding some more details about her parents. It has clean artwork and very nice coloring, with an almost vintage four-color comic book feel but a modern palette. This is the original Marvel Universe, with the original not-Samuel Jackson Nick Fury in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. And unlike the Black Widow volumes I just finished, Spider Woman carries her own story without any guest appearances from other Marvel heroes.
Jessica Drew grew up on Wundagore Mountain, and had an "origin story" not too different from Peter Parker's - except instead of being bitten by a radioactive spider, she was zapped by a laser beam carrying spider DNA while in utero. Yeah, I don't know how a laser "compiles" DNA either, but there you go. The laser went through a "Wundagore Widow" and into little pre-natal Jessica Drew, and ten years later, she's sticking to things and shooting electrical beams from her hands.
Her parents, it turns out, were actually being financed by Hydra, and Jessica spends much of the rest of her life being chased around by both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. She spends time as an agent of both, but eventually (a little too abruptly, I think) joins the side of the angels.
Of course this story was a bit abbreviated, trying to introduce an established character with a lengthy history in five comic book issues. But it was a good introduction to the character, and depicts her as a combination of sweet and naive and cold-blooded killer.
This is not really a "light" superhero story for younger readers, but it's suitable for teens and does not require an intimate familiarity with 30 years of Marvel history.
All that said, this is a fairly compressed story that skips over a lot of things. Jessica's abrupt development from a girl who spent ages 10 to 17 in a coma to a skilled espionage agent able to go to ground and evade both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra for years, and who also apparently gained the sexual and psychological maturity of her physiological age, was not really explored much.
I liked this book, but 4 stars is being a little generous because I am a Spider Woman fan.
Spider Woman is probably my favorite non-X-Men Marvel heroine (though Captain Marvel is cool too). I actually have a Spider Woman collectible figure:
Ain't she cute? So when does Spider Woman get a movie?
Jessica Drew grew up on Wundagore Mountain, and had an "origin story" not too different from Peter Parker's - except instead of being bitten by a radioactive spider, she was zapped by a laser beam carrying spider DNA while in utero. Yeah, I don't know how a laser "compiles" DNA either, but there you go. The laser went through a "Wundagore Widow" and into little pre-natal Jessica Drew, and ten years later, she's sticking to things and shooting electrical beams from her hands.
Her parents, it turns out, were actually being financed by Hydra, and Jessica spends much of the rest of her life being chased around by both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. She spends time as an agent of both, but eventually (a little too abruptly, I think) joins the side of the angels.
Of course this story was a bit abbreviated, trying to introduce an established character with a lengthy history in five comic book issues. But it was a good introduction to the character, and depicts her as a combination of sweet and naive and cold-blooded killer.
This is not really a "light" superhero story for younger readers, but it's suitable for teens and does not require an intimate familiarity with 30 years of Marvel history.
All that said, this is a fairly compressed story that skips over a lot of things. Jessica's abrupt development from a girl who spent ages 10 to 17 in a coma to a skilled espionage agent able to go to ground and evade both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra for years, and who also apparently gained the sexual and psychological maturity of her physiological age, was not really explored much.
I liked this book, but 4 stars is being a little generous because I am a Spider Woman fan.
Spider Woman is probably my favorite non-X-Men Marvel heroine (though Captain Marvel is cool too). I actually have a Spider Woman collectible figure:
Ain't she cute? So when does Spider Woman get a movie?
August 29, 2019
A good intro to Jessica Drew.
June 29, 2021
Spider-Woman: Origin is a short standalone Marvel run that introduces readers to Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman. I first read Spider-Woman through the New Avengers and was curious about her Hydra background so I decided to pick this up. This review will contain some light spoilers.
Her origin is about as sterotypically comic book-y as you can get. Her parents are spider DNA researches and experimenters who also turn out to be working for who we know are the bad guys. While Jessica Drew is still in the womb there is a terrible accident that zaps spider DNA into her before she's born.
to continue to the full review please visit https://amanjareads.com/2021/06/17/sp...
Her origin is about as sterotypically comic book-y as you can get. Her parents are spider DNA researches and experimenters who also turn out to be working for who we know are the bad guys. While Jessica Drew is still in the womb there is a terrible accident that zaps spider DNA into her before she's born.
to continue to the full review please visit https://amanjareads.com/2021/06/17/sp...
March 7, 2014
I've loved what I've seen of Jess in Captain Marvel, but this is a long way from that cheerful character. This is Jessica's dark past, her birth and her training as a member of Hydra. We see a couple of flashes of her later humour -- when told her costume doesn't count as a uniform, she retorts that she'll just go and break that to Captain America -- but mostly this feels a bit flat, despite the emotional content. It just goes too fast: one minute she's a seven year old in an adult body, the next she's an adult who's willing to sleep with her enemy to get what she needs, using her body consciously and purposefully.
The art is okay, but nothing special -- people kept talking about the Luna brothers when I was looking up this comic and raving about them, but the art here felt kinda flat here, too.
Still, it's good to have more backstory on Jessica Drew.
The art is okay, but nothing special -- people kept talking about the Luna brothers when I was looking up this comic and raving about them, but the art here felt kinda flat here, too.
Still, it's good to have more backstory on Jessica Drew.
May 24, 2011
There were panels that made me wonder if the artist was even trying.
January 4, 2019
I loved knowing the origin story of Jessica Drew especially the I was just recently introduced to her character but the art style and coloring doesn't fit the superhero story at all and to me it feels like such a bad pick. Art styles in comics - to me - have such a huge impact on the story as it's mainly a visual read, and I think this volume could've been stronger if the art was stronger. (Sorry to the artist I just think the style could fit something else not necessarily a superhero comic.)
January 11, 2018
An amazing character with a pure and kind heart!!!!
A good origin story!!!!
A good origin story!!!!
September 5, 2017
The Luna Brothers are at it again. And when I say 'it' I mean sub-par illustrations. The characters are not only indistinguishable within the comic, but indistinguishable compared to other Luna Brothers creations. It was an honest to god distraction while reading this book.
The story itself, however, was intriguing. I have always enjoyed Spider-Woman so I enjoyed getting to know her backstory more fully. Some of the characters seemed a little under-developed and there were a handful of story elements/plot points which felt as though they weren't quite given the amount of time they needed to have the impact they were shown to have.
Overall, a fun read marred by poor illustrations and sometimes strange pacing.
The story itself, however, was intriguing. I have always enjoyed Spider-Woman so I enjoyed getting to know her backstory more fully. Some of the characters seemed a little under-developed and there were a handful of story elements/plot points which felt as though they weren't quite given the amount of time they needed to have the impact they were shown to have.
Overall, a fun read marred by poor illustrations and sometimes strange pacing.
November 26, 2014
Collects Spider-Woman: Origin issues #1-5
This was an engaging origin story for a character that I've always liked. While I've always liked her, this made me realize that I don't know that much about her. For example, I'm still not positive what her power-set is, and I'm pretty sure the key power she displayed in this collection is barely used in battle these days (her electrical power).
I liked the connections to HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D., and I'd love to see this early storyline continued.
The artwork wasn't bad, but there was something weird about it. It was as if I was seeing screenshots from a cartoon instead of reading a comic book. It wasn't a dealbreaker, though.
This was an engaging origin story for a character that I've always liked. While I've always liked her, this made me realize that I don't know that much about her. For example, I'm still not positive what her power-set is, and I'm pretty sure the key power she displayed in this collection is barely used in battle these days (her electrical power).
I liked the connections to HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D., and I'd love to see this early storyline continued.
The artwork wasn't bad, but there was something weird about it. It was as if I was seeing screenshots from a cartoon instead of reading a comic book. It wasn't a dealbreaker, though.
March 16, 2011
Hmmm. Not really good, but not bad, either. More like 3.5 stars. I might have rated it higher if the art wasn't so bland and boring. All of the characters look like each other, with these chubby round faces, and sickly skin color. Well, except for Taskmaster, but then his face is a skull.
Maybe I'm being too hard on the art, but I was really looking forward to this one, so it was pretty disappointing.
Maybe I'm being too hard on the art, but I was really looking forward to this one, so it was pretty disappointing.
March 7, 2012
Okay, so the artwork is kind of...terrible. In spots. The rest is just okay. But in a world where most superheroes are men who wear their underwear on the outside of their...suit? costume? Whatever...it's nice to have a female character who is more than just cat ears, a thong, and bad puns. It's even better to have a woman whose back story is tragic and compelling and complex. She's flawed, but understandably so. I rooted for her to kick some ass, and she did not disappoint.
May 4, 2019
Pretty decent retelling. Not a fan of the artwork at all.
March 5, 2023
Me gustó mucho, no sabía absolutamente nada de Jessica Drew previamente a comenzar a leerlo y quedé gratamente sorprendido. BMB logra crear una historia de origen muy sólida en tan solo cinco issues y me dejó queriendo saber más de la vida de Jessica post-Hydra. Algo que tengo que resaltar es el arte de los paneles de página entera, cada vez que aparecían me deleitaban, una arte genial que junto con el ritmo rápido pero no apresurado de la historia hacen que sea una lectura muy emocionante. Mi única queja? Tal vez Nick Fury, no sé pero estaba entre que me gustara mucho su interpretación y también me molestaba un poco cada vez que hacía un chiste. Pero bueno, gran comic en general, perfecto para cualquier persona que quiera conocer más sobre Spider-Woman y un gran comienzo para leer más de ella.
March 20, 2022
Gorgeous art and a great telling of Jessica's journey to where and who she is now. HOWEVER, there seemed to be a lot missing, especially considering where this story ends. Though the summary promises a look at her time with the Avengers, we get nowhere close to that. Perhaps a volume 2 could have allowed for a more complete "origin." This really feels like the title should have been Spider-Woman: Quite a Bit of Her Origin. Recommended for fans of Jessica.
May 28, 2025
You're better off just reading the Wikipedia page for Spider-Woman. I'd recommend Spider-Woman, Vol. 2: New Duds instead if you're looking for a book with Jessica Drew. Nick Fury seemed very out of character here.
January 31, 2018
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
May 21, 2022
Story was okay, not great. The art also kind of sucked.
May 26, 2015
Spider-Woman Origin written by Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed and illustrated by the Luna brothers attempts to summarise Spider-Woman's origin story. It doesn't do a stellar job, though I suspect this is at least partly due to being limited to five issues. I also read Spider-Woman Saga which is a short (10 page) one-shot summarising Spider-Woman Origin and bridging the gap between it and Spider-Woman Agent of SWORD. This review contains spoilers as I intend to discuss some problematic elements of the story. Read at own risk.
This was a weird comic. I feel like they wanted to cram so much backstory into five issues that at times it felt like a montage sequence from a movie. According to Wiki, apparently this story rewrites/retcons a bit of Spider-Woman's history for more modern comic stories, but from the summaries I read it doesn't strike me as wildly different, more like shifting timelines around. My main problem with this story is how shallow it was. There was little depth of character and zero nuance to events that really should have been nuanced. You know, like a movie montage.
After a supposedly horrible childhood — we really don't see anything horrible happening to her, other than being isolated with her parents and some medical issues, and certainly nothing that screams evil brain-washing cult — Jessica drew finds herself in a coma between the ages of 7 and 17. So when she wakes up, in HYDRA's presence, she's basically still 7, in a mostly developed body, she seems to magically gain maturity somehow? It's really not explained and it really should be. Because if you assume her mind continues to develop at a standard, she's something like mentally 10 (or certainly low teens, I may have lost track of a time jump) when she decides to sleep with an old dude to get close enough to assassinate him. EW! Between waking up and that moment she does have the chance to learn lots of stuff, but as far as I could tell, HYDRA only taught her how to fight, not how to adult. So when she goes off and leads a semi-successful life in hiding... I just don't buy it. There was a lot of implausibility in this comic, more than usual. Oh, and it was super weird seeing a white Nick Fury.
Given the stolen childhood aspect, I couldn't help but compare it with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt who lost a similar chunk of her life (but started out older). Unlike Kimmy, Jessica isn't shown as having any trouble adjusting to the real world, which is ridiculous. Like, this whole thing was actually more ridiculous than the HYDRA brainwashing she undergoes. While I bought the HYDRA brainwashing by the end, the problem of how many life skills she could have possibly learnt in between all that martial arts training remains a problem. More than zero, sure, but I don't see how she had much time for it.
To summarise: Jessica's traumatic childhood didn't seem all that bad (like, OK, her father was experimenting on her, but he wasn't hurting her) until the very end just before HYDRA comes in. I felt like I got a better feel for the character's past from references in Avengers Assemble and Captain Marvel appearances. Spider-Woman Origin just left me thinking, "Huh? Is that it?" The art was pretty and probably the best thing about it. Only a few gratuitous butt shots. I don't particularly recommend reading Spider-Woman Origin if you're looking for, y'know, good comics. If you want a quick summary of Jessica Drew's life, then go for it.
3.5 / 5 stars
Read more reviews on my blog.
This was a weird comic. I feel like they wanted to cram so much backstory into five issues that at times it felt like a montage sequence from a movie. According to Wiki, apparently this story rewrites/retcons a bit of Spider-Woman's history for more modern comic stories, but from the summaries I read it doesn't strike me as wildly different, more like shifting timelines around. My main problem with this story is how shallow it was. There was little depth of character and zero nuance to events that really should have been nuanced. You know, like a movie montage.
After a supposedly horrible childhood — we really don't see anything horrible happening to her, other than being isolated with her parents and some medical issues, and certainly nothing that screams evil brain-washing cult — Jessica drew finds herself in a coma between the ages of 7 and 17. So when she wakes up, in HYDRA's presence, she's basically still 7, in a mostly developed body, she seems to magically gain maturity somehow? It's really not explained and it really should be. Because if you assume her mind continues to develop at a standard, she's something like mentally 10 (or certainly low teens, I may have lost track of a time jump) when she decides to sleep with an old dude to get close enough to assassinate him. EW! Between waking up and that moment she does have the chance to learn lots of stuff, but as far as I could tell, HYDRA only taught her how to fight, not how to adult. So when she goes off and leads a semi-successful life in hiding... I just don't buy it. There was a lot of implausibility in this comic, more than usual. Oh, and it was super weird seeing a white Nick Fury.
Given the stolen childhood aspect, I couldn't help but compare it with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt who lost a similar chunk of her life (but started out older). Unlike Kimmy, Jessica isn't shown as having any trouble adjusting to the real world, which is ridiculous. Like, this whole thing was actually more ridiculous than the HYDRA brainwashing she undergoes. While I bought the HYDRA brainwashing by the end, the problem of how many life skills she could have possibly learnt in between all that martial arts training remains a problem. More than zero, sure, but I don't see how she had much time for it.
To summarise: Jessica's traumatic childhood didn't seem all that bad (like, OK, her father was experimenting on her, but he wasn't hurting her) until the very end just before HYDRA comes in. I felt like I got a better feel for the character's past from references in Avengers Assemble and Captain Marvel appearances. Spider-Woman Origin just left me thinking, "Huh? Is that it?" The art was pretty and probably the best thing about it. Only a few gratuitous butt shots. I don't particularly recommend reading Spider-Woman Origin if you're looking for, y'know, good comics. If you want a quick summary of Jessica Drew's life, then go for it.
3.5 / 5 stars
Read more reviews on my blog.
June 2, 2015
A friend told me to check out Spider-Woman, I had no idea who Jessica Drew was until I read Secret Invasion and had a look on Wikipedia! She sounded awesome, and it is always good to find new female heroes to delve into. When I got my Marvel Unlimited subscription this is one of the first books I checked out.
So, as a character I love Jessica Drew. I've seen bits of her since in Captain Marvel stuff and she's a lot more light hearted there. This is a pretty dark and tragic origin story that has her being trained and brainwashed by HYDRA, and send after SHIELD. The story isn't great.. the pacing is weird. There are huge time jumps that miss out some potentially interesting stuff. She goes from teenager to ass-kicking agent out of nowhere, it would be good to see her get used to her powers (they seem to me electrical energy and flight). It's almost like a timeline, or an outline with no fleshed out plot.
Also the artwork is sloppy, not a fan.
Jessica Drew I love.. this book is average, but it was a decent introduction to her and I'll definitely be reading New Avengers to see more of her.
So, as a character I love Jessica Drew. I've seen bits of her since in Captain Marvel stuff and she's a lot more light hearted there. This is a pretty dark and tragic origin story that has her being trained and brainwashed by HYDRA, and send after SHIELD. The story isn't great.. the pacing is weird. There are huge time jumps that miss out some potentially interesting stuff. She goes from teenager to ass-kicking agent out of nowhere, it would be good to see her get used to her powers (they seem to me electrical energy and flight). It's almost like a timeline, or an outline with no fleshed out plot.
Also the artwork is sloppy, not a fan.
Jessica Drew I love.. this book is average, but it was a decent introduction to her and I'll definitely be reading New Avengers to see more of her.
October 24, 2015
I preface this by saying this is not a comic character that I have ever followed and know very little about. That being said it was an OK story and the artwork was OK. I agree with Anne too that the brownish tones were a little too dark and maybe the artist chose that coloring because of the dreariness of the situation but I need vibrancy. Anyway I liked the ending and would read more about Jessica Drew.
December 5, 2014
Wow what a great origin story. Bendis writes a touching family story that is executed beautifully. The art is early computer work from mid 2000's and its works well and keeps the story on pace. Agents carter and woo cameos ( very small) are cool but when she crashes that plane with Jared, wow. I've always liked Jessica drew as a character more so than Peter Parker, this just solidifies my view.
May 10, 2019
Reread this for comic book club four years after I'd first read it and I still love it. I wish it went more into her head and her motivations, hence the 4 stars instead of 5, but it's still a fun, fast-paced read about one of my favorite Marvel characters and a great introduction to her as well.
February 13, 2016
Good origin story for a character I'd always wanted to know more about. Not a huge fan of the artwork; it wasn't bad, just not my favorite.
I also liked the inclusion of Taskmaster and Whiplash, two of my favorite Marvel villains.
I also liked the inclusion of Taskmaster and Whiplash, two of my favorite Marvel villains.
Read
September 5, 2012Nick Fury demanding a Dr Pepper during an interrogation is pretty great.
August 7, 2015
más lazy
August 8, 2023
I don't get it.
Okay, Spider-Woman's origin is a mess. She had already had at least three somewhat different origins before this point but they all have a few things in common: Jessica Drew was raised at Mount Wundagore by her geneticist parents Jonathan and Miriam Drew, colleagues of Dr. Herbert Wyndham, who would later become the Grand Evolutionary. Jessica ended up being experimented on by her father and Wyndham (the details of how and why are different in every version), her parents died, and she was placed in stasis. After awaking as an adult, she stayed with the Grand Evolutionary for a time before leaving and starting a life of her own. After accidentally killing her husband she is hunted as a witch before being rescued by Hydra and trained as an assassin. Hydra sends her against Nick Fury but during the mission she discovers the truth about Hydra, goes back and destroys their base, and then retreats to build a life of her own as an independent bounty hunter.
Bendis's version keeps much of this. The main difference is that the Grand Evolutionary isn't involved. Or is he? Rather than working for Dr. Herbert Wyndham, Jonathan and Miriam Drew work for Hydra, represented by a General Wyndham. Even though the issue recaps call him General Herbert Wyndham, the comic never connects him to the Grand Evolutionary, except in visions Spider-Woman sees that were placed in her mind by Mentallo. I think the implication is that all her connections with the Grand Evolutionary and his New Men were illusions Hydra put in her head to control her? Except that doesn't make sense, because her parents worked at Mount Wundagore and the general is named Wyndham. So what is Bendis doing here? Is the implication that the Grand Evolutionary was involved after all? But why would the Grand Evolutionary be connected with Hydra?
I don't know but I'm confused and frustrated and irritated.
Okay, Spider-Woman's origin is a mess. She had already had at least three somewhat different origins before this point but they all have a few things in common: Jessica Drew was raised at Mount Wundagore by her geneticist parents Jonathan and Miriam Drew, colleagues of Dr. Herbert Wyndham, who would later become the Grand Evolutionary. Jessica ended up being experimented on by her father and Wyndham (the details of how and why are different in every version), her parents died, and she was placed in stasis. After awaking as an adult, she stayed with the Grand Evolutionary for a time before leaving and starting a life of her own. After accidentally killing her husband she is hunted as a witch before being rescued by Hydra and trained as an assassin. Hydra sends her against Nick Fury but during the mission she discovers the truth about Hydra, goes back and destroys their base, and then retreats to build a life of her own as an independent bounty hunter.
Bendis's version keeps much of this. The main difference is that the Grand Evolutionary isn't involved. Or is he? Rather than working for Dr. Herbert Wyndham, Jonathan and Miriam Drew work for Hydra, represented by a General Wyndham. Even though the issue recaps call him General Herbert Wyndham, the comic never connects him to the Grand Evolutionary, except in visions Spider-Woman sees that were placed in her mind by Mentallo. I think the implication is that all her connections with the Grand Evolutionary and his New Men were illusions Hydra put in her head to control her? Except that doesn't make sense, because her parents worked at Mount Wundagore and the general is named Wyndham. So what is Bendis doing here? Is the implication that the Grand Evolutionary was involved after all? But why would the Grand Evolutionary be connected with Hydra?
I don't know but I'm confused and frustrated and irritated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2024
3.5 stars
This is Jessica Drew's origin story. Growing up with her researcher parents, she was hit with a laser before being born. She grows sick and her father grows more desperate to save her. After awakening from a coma, she's recruited by Hydra and eventually partners with S.H.I.E.L.D. The first five issues are pivotal for telling Jessica's story and how she came to be.
Before reading these few issues, I didn't know much about Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman as a character. I felt this story did a great job of skipping around in her story without throwing in too many details. This felt like a nice overview of the character.
The art style was a miss for me. It felt too cartoony or too animated for some of the more serious tones of the story. There must have been an artist change in issue #2 because I LOVED the art style. Jessica is in this prison and you can see the darkness on her face as she hides in the shadows while being interrogated. I wish more of the issues had this art style.
I'm glad I read this! I would love to see a Spider-Woman comic book adaptation. Hopefully, if that happens, they do right by the character as Spider-Woman has always been sexualized in the comics.
This is Jessica Drew's origin story. Growing up with her researcher parents, she was hit with a laser before being born. She grows sick and her father grows more desperate to save her. After awakening from a coma, she's recruited by Hydra and eventually partners with S.H.I.E.L.D. The first five issues are pivotal for telling Jessica's story and how she came to be.
Before reading these few issues, I didn't know much about Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman as a character. I felt this story did a great job of skipping around in her story without throwing in too many details. This felt like a nice overview of the character.
The art style was a miss for me. It felt too cartoony or too animated for some of the more serious tones of the story. There must have been an artist change in issue #2 because I LOVED the art style. Jessica is in this prison and you can see the darkness on her face as she hides in the shadows while being interrogated. I wish more of the issues had this art style.
I'm glad I read this! I would love to see a Spider-Woman comic book adaptation. Hopefully, if that happens, they do right by the character as Spider-Woman has always been sexualized in the comics.
March 17, 2023
This was .. okayish maybe?
Like its not bad but it felt like it could have been better. I tried to read up on the history of Jessica drew and it was confusing and how this was the series that revitalized her character and gave her a good origin and it sorta does that with establishing how she gained her power, HYDRA connections and whats happened to her parents, her weird life and the struggles of it all and ties her closer to Spider-man and the Marvel universe at large with the villains showing up or references to things which are easter-eggs too maybe.
I like how it shows her going to different paths and choosing her own life rather than being stuck in the HYDRA vs SHIELD thing and also it reads well if you are reading/have read Bendis New avengers run where she is a prominent player and yeah the tie-ins to that are awesome and you may like it in that regards. The art was not my fav but it works for the story. Certainly the next one Secret invasion is one of her best stories and the follow up SW: Agent of SWORD is next!
Like its not bad but it felt like it could have been better. I tried to read up on the history of Jessica drew and it was confusing and how this was the series that revitalized her character and gave her a good origin and it sorta does that with establishing how she gained her power, HYDRA connections and whats happened to her parents, her weird life and the struggles of it all and ties her closer to Spider-man and the Marvel universe at large with the villains showing up or references to things which are easter-eggs too maybe.
I like how it shows her going to different paths and choosing her own life rather than being stuck in the HYDRA vs SHIELD thing and also it reads well if you are reading/have read Bendis New avengers run where she is a prominent player and yeah the tie-ins to that are awesome and you may like it in that regards. The art was not my fav but it works for the story. Certainly the next one Secret invasion is one of her best stories and the follow up SW: Agent of SWORD is next!
May 28, 2018
This book is quite a mess. While I'm overall fond of Bendis, as I enjoyed his run on "Spider-woman: Agent of Sword", I simply felt this book was trying to take itself seriously despite the silly elements in it, making a complete mess even for superhero standards.
The worst part is the artwork. The Luna brothers, my god, I know they can draw good, but this book isn't one of their best works. From dull surprise, to the superhero outfits looking silly (And I know that realistically, they are, but is an artist work making them look good on paper), to a minor villain looking like Nicholas Cage wearing drapes, I just couldn't enjoy this book besides some good ideas.
The worst part is the artwork. The Luna brothers, my god, I know they can draw good, but this book isn't one of their best works. From dull surprise, to the superhero outfits looking silly (And I know that realistically, they are, but is an artist work making them look good on paper), to a minor villain looking like Nicholas Cage wearing drapes, I just couldn't enjoy this book besides some good ideas.
August 31, 2024
This was ultimately disappointing. I think it could have been done a lot better-- in some ways it felt a bit rushed. The timeline didn't make sense in terms of her development as a person-- she comes out of a coma in the body of a seventeen year old with the memories and life experience of a seven year old. Just a few years later, she's sleeping with Otto Vermis to get information? Frankly, I don't understand why the coma part of the storyline was necessary at all. They should have either nixed or or treated it with a lot more care.
I wasn't a fan of the art style, but that's personal preference.
I wasn't a fan of the art style, but that's personal preference.
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