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Jessica Jones by Kelly Thompson
Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter
When her daughter comes home with purple skin, Jessica Jones is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her time with the Purple Man and her marriage to Luke Cage. As Jessica digs deeper than ever before into the darkness at the center of her life, will she find relief, or just another nightmare? The critically-acclaimed team that brought you JESSICA JONES: BLINDSPOT returns with another thrilling, chilling tale that will challenge everything you think you know about Marvel's top P.I.!
136 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2019
13 people are currently reading
603 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Thompson
763 books1,032 followersKELLY THOMPSON has a degree in Sequential Art from The Savannah College of Art & Design. Her love of comics and superheroes have compelled her since she first discovered them as a teenager. Currently living in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend and the two brilliant cats that run their lives, you can find Kelly all over the Internet where she is generally well liked, except where she's detested.
Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.
Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.
Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.
Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
January 9, 2024
A comic book volume initially published in a digital only format. Having to fill the huge shoes of Brian Michael Bendis on this series, Kelly Thompson did a remarkable job.
Jessica Jones' baby is purple! Hers and Luke's worse nightmare realised? Well weighted, and succulently drawn by Mattia de Iulis this a surprisingly solid and actually impressive take over of one of Marvel's finest franchises. A strong and very well deserved 8 out of 12 Four Star read.
2019 read
Jessica Jones' baby is purple! Hers and Luke's worse nightmare realised? Well weighted, and succulently drawn by Mattia de Iulis this a surprisingly solid and actually impressive take over of one of Marvel's finest franchises. A strong and very well deserved 8 out of 12 Four Star read.
2019 read
October 19, 2022
The character of Jessica Jones is, especially lately because of Brian Bendis' Alias run, and a Netflix series, really interesting. Former superhero, estranged from Luke Cage, she's struggling to make a life for herself, figure thing out with Luke, maybe. And in the recent run Jessica she has been forced to engage with Purple Man, who's abusive, purveyor of mind control (and now dead).
And now the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones has turned purple. Wait, does this mean Purple Man had something to do with the conception somehow, or was he just messing with everyone's heads? In this one volume we find out what Purple Man had to do with this. Pretty entertaining, and Thompson does a nice job capturing the voice of Jessica, but the story is pretty forgettable, finally.
And now the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones has turned purple. Wait, does this mean Purple Man had something to do with the conception somehow, or was he just messing with everyone's heads? In this one volume we find out what Purple Man had to do with this. Pretty entertaining, and Thompson does a nice job capturing the voice of Jessica, but the story is pretty forgettable, finally.
July 30, 2019
Jessica Jones’ daughter Danielle has suddenly turned purple! Buh how?! Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man, is dead – isn’t he???
Bloop bloop bloop, nuh uh – turns out the “dead” character in the superhero comic ain’t dead. Worra shocker. Know what else isn’t shocking? Kelly Thompson’s not a very good writer. Try as she might, Thompson couldn’t make me care about the contrived story that obviously resolves itself smoothly and predictably. The ending was also too neat with a Scooby Doo-esque reveal of the villain at the end.
All of the emotions felt forced and unconvincing: Jess is drinking whiskey = sad. Jess and Luke having “serious” conversations about their purple daughter (as if that was going to stick!) = poignant. Uh huh. It read like the lazy, uncreative shorthand storytelling it was. And going back to the well with the Purple Man yet again seemed gimmicky. Doesn’t Jessica Jones have any other rogues?
Jessica’s inner monologues were overwrought and her punching her way to the truth was plain unimaginative. And yet – I wouldn’t say the writing was a total bust. The story is always clear and it wasn’t unentertaining to read. The drama just wasn’t convincing at all.
If it weren’t for Mattia de Iulis absolutely killing it with the art I’d be giving this book a lower rating. I’m a huge fan of Jamie McKelvie’s style which de Iulis’ art reminded me heavily of. Very crisp, sharp lines, wonderfully realised and expressive body language – stellar art, through and through.
Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter isn’t edge-of-the-seat reading but it’s a really good-looking ok book.
Bloop bloop bloop, nuh uh – turns out the “dead” character in the superhero comic ain’t dead. Worra shocker. Know what else isn’t shocking? Kelly Thompson’s not a very good writer. Try as she might, Thompson couldn’t make me care about the contrived story that obviously resolves itself smoothly and predictably. The ending was also too neat with a Scooby Doo-esque reveal of the villain at the end.
All of the emotions felt forced and unconvincing: Jess is drinking whiskey = sad. Jess and Luke having “serious” conversations about their purple daughter (as if that was going to stick!) = poignant. Uh huh. It read like the lazy, uncreative shorthand storytelling it was. And going back to the well with the Purple Man yet again seemed gimmicky. Doesn’t Jessica Jones have any other rogues?
Jessica’s inner monologues were overwrought and her punching her way to the truth was plain unimaginative. And yet – I wouldn’t say the writing was a total bust. The story is always clear and it wasn’t unentertaining to read. The drama just wasn’t convincing at all.
If it weren’t for Mattia de Iulis absolutely killing it with the art I’d be giving this book a lower rating. I’m a huge fan of Jamie McKelvie’s style which de Iulis’ art reminded me heavily of. Very crisp, sharp lines, wonderfully realised and expressive body language – stellar art, through and through.
Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter isn’t edge-of-the-seat reading but it’s a really good-looking ok book.
November 14, 2022
The Purple Man was thrown into the sun. So why did Luke Cage and Jessica Jones's daughter turn purple two days later? Lots of drinking and self-doubt revolve around Jessica trying to figure out what happened. Either A) the Purple man is really Dani's father or b) the Purple Man is still alive and somehow turned her daughter purple or c) it's a little of both. Now that someone new is finally in charge of the Purple Man, they feel the almost immediate need to write their own version of a Purple Man story.
April 1, 2019
I was pleasantly surprised by this. Kelly Thompson is not normally one of my favourite writers, but she definitely gets the voice and character of Jessica Jones. The story itself was a bit eh, retreading the old themes of abuse and mind control, and it once again deals with the Purple Man (come on, he just died, like, a year ago, lay him to rest at least for a little bit!). Then again, I really think Kelly Thompson found an interesting new angle of approaching similar themes, and it worked well as a self-contained story and as a new chapter in Jessica's troubled life. If there are any more of these coming, I would really like to see what Thompson does with Jessica next. The artwork by Mattia De Iulis was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved his new look for Jessica. I also thought the way he draws Emma Frost (whose cameos here were pretty great, btw) in her diamond form is really cool — she actually looks a bit translucent! I don't remember seeing her drawn this way by other artists, so if it's his personal idea then kudos to him. I also was happy to see one issue was drawn by Filipe Andrade — I know not everybody likes his style, but I personally really like it. Overall this was a really good Jessica Jones book, and fans of Bendis's original Alias will likely enjoy this.
June 16, 2019
I'm so sad this is the last book (right now) that Kelly Thompson will be writing for Jessica Jones, because she's got her voice down.
The last volume ended with Jessica Jones daughter turning purple. This brought up a lot of doubt. Is purple man still alive? Is the baby still Luke's? Did purple man do something to Jessica? It's a great build up and also let's us see the effects of what Purple Man did to his victims including Jessica. Who is behind it all? That you'll have to read to find out.
The build up is great. Looking into the mind of Jessica is great and a wonderful insight to it all. I also enjoyed the fighting moments, both brutal, and show off what Jessica can do. I thought too the art was pretty spot on. My negative would be the reveal, which I guessed, and didn't love. Everything else worked. A 4 out of 5.
The last volume ended with Jessica Jones daughter turning purple. This brought up a lot of doubt. Is purple man still alive? Is the baby still Luke's? Did purple man do something to Jessica? It's a great build up and also let's us see the effects of what Purple Man did to his victims including Jessica. Who is behind it all? That you'll have to read to find out.
The build up is great. Looking into the mind of Jessica is great and a wonderful insight to it all. I also enjoyed the fighting moments, both brutal, and show off what Jessica can do. I thought too the art was pretty spot on. My negative would be the reveal, which I guessed, and didn't love. Everything else worked. A 4 out of 5.
April 6, 2025
pretty good
June 26, 2019
New Batman writers gotta tell their Joker story.
New Captain America writers gotta tell their Red Skull story.
And now, with the vacuum left by Brian Michael Bendis, new Jessica Jones writers gotta tell their Purple Man story.
Despite personally feeling this particular story to be wholly unnecessary and unwanted, it's fairly well done, as long as you don't think about it too much. The daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones has turned purple. How has the dead Purple Man done this? Does this mean the Purple Man is really her father? Instead of calling in a favor from any of their many super scientist friends to solve this problem and run a simple DNA test, the characters decide to sit around and fret and, in Jessica's case, drink a lot.
An adventure/mystery ensues that assumes a lot of knowledge about the apparently numerous offspring of the Purple Man. Who are all these kids, and who are their mothers?
Oh crap, I'm thinking too much! Must stop!
New Captain America writers gotta tell their Red Skull story.
And now, with the vacuum left by Brian Michael Bendis, new Jessica Jones writers gotta tell their Purple Man story.
Despite personally feeling this particular story to be wholly unnecessary and unwanted, it's fairly well done, as long as you don't think about it too much. The daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones has turned purple. How has the dead Purple Man done this? Does this mean the Purple Man is really her father? Instead of calling in a favor from any of their many super scientist friends to solve this problem and run a simple DNA test, the characters decide to sit around and fret and, in Jessica's case, drink a lot.
An adventure/mystery ensues that assumes a lot of knowledge about the apparently numerous offspring of the Purple Man. Who are all these kids, and who are their mothers?
Oh crap, I'm thinking too much! Must stop!
June 3, 2019
Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iluis reunite for a second Jessica Jones mini-series that pits her against her greatest enemy - the Purple Man. But wait, isn't he dead?
Thompson weaves her tale through the Marvel Universe, using continuity both obscure and well known as she threads Jessica through the Purple Man's tapestry once again. With appearances by the Purple Children, Daredevil, Emma Frost, and a new villain who's almost as depraved as Killgrave himself, this one stands up next to Jessica's previous encounters with him easily. (In fact, it's probably better than that Bendis arc where he 'died', if you ask me).
De Iluis's artwork remains absolutely gorgeous - if David Marquez ever needs a fill-in, then De Iluis should be the first port of call. The fill-in issue by Filipe Andrade is a bit disorienting given the massive style departure, but given that that's entirely the point, it works very well.
I could read Kelly Thompson's Jessica Jones literally forever. I hope this isn't the end.
Thompson weaves her tale through the Marvel Universe, using continuity both obscure and well known as she threads Jessica through the Purple Man's tapestry once again. With appearances by the Purple Children, Daredevil, Emma Frost, and a new villain who's almost as depraved as Killgrave himself, this one stands up next to Jessica's previous encounters with him easily. (In fact, it's probably better than that Bendis arc where he 'died', if you ask me).
De Iluis's artwork remains absolutely gorgeous - if David Marquez ever needs a fill-in, then De Iluis should be the first port of call. The fill-in issue by Filipe Andrade is a bit disorienting given the massive style departure, but given that that's entirely the point, it works very well.
I could read Kelly Thompson's Jessica Jones literally forever. I hope this isn't the end.
May 4, 2019
Phenomenal story and artwork! Felt like an extension of the Netflix series which is always a good thing!
January 10, 2020
Jones' and Cage's toddler goes to the park and comes back purple, which sends Jessica spiraling through her own personal hell to the bottom of a whiskey bottle.
Thompson does a bang-up job on the emotional side of the story. The way Jones and her husband each spin out over the implications of Danielle spontaneously resembling the monstrous Purple Man is legit, their anguish feels spot on. The reader is free to agonize with the characters.
Thompson's plotting however....ugh.
I'm up-rating a bit because I was so impressed with how real and dark Thompson was (initially) willing to go.
Thompson does a bang-up job on the emotional side of the story. The way Jones and her husband each spin out over the implications of Danielle spontaneously resembling the monstrous Purple Man is legit, their anguish feels spot on. The reader is free to agonize with the characters.
Thompson's plotting however....ugh.
I'm up-rating a bit because I was so impressed with how real and dark Thompson was (initially) willing to go.
August 10, 2019
Last volume's cliffhanger is resolved in a decent if not amazing way. The is alas applied but fortunately it's a little bit more complicated than that which saves the day.
Jessica's interactions with others- notably Luke- under the circumstances she's enduring are very well handled and the surprising appearance of a character more related to mutant titles was interesting and somehow added to said character.
Thomson perfectly nailed Jessica's voice, she has nothing to be ashamed of coming after Bendis. The inner pain, the anger, the sad irony defining Jessica Jones are here in full, with good dialogues/monologues.
Art is impressive. Sometimes a bit stiff but nothing to write home about.
More 3,5* than 4, really, but the characters are used and the way the plot was driven deserve a bumped up rating.
Jessica's interactions with others- notably Luke- under the circumstances she's enduring are very well handled and the surprising appearance of a character more related to mutant titles was interesting and somehow added to said character.
Thomson perfectly nailed Jessica's voice, she has nothing to be ashamed of coming after Bendis. The inner pain, the anger, the sad irony defining Jessica Jones are here in full, with good dialogues/monologues.
Art is impressive. Sometimes a bit stiff but nothing to write home about.
More 3,5* than 4, really, but the characters are used and the way the plot was driven deserve a bumped up rating.
April 30, 2019
Another author Im not overly fond of. This was solid but when you compare it to Bendis' Alias run it just doesnt compare.
February 4, 2020
One of the best super-villains I have encountered recently is a psychotic purple guy who can do anything he wants at the snap of a finger. And, no, I’m not talking about Thanos.
I’m talking about the Purple Man, a.k.a. Kilgrave, who basically has the power to bend anybody’s will to do whatever he wants. Whether it’s baking him a cake or shooting your own mother, all Kilgrave has to do is put the thought in your head and you’ll do it. And everybody is susceptible to his powers, even superheroes.
Except Jessica Jones, who has somehow become “immune” to the Purple Man’s powers of suggestion. For some reason, this just excites him more.
The last time we saw Kilgrave, we thought it was the end of him. He literally dropped dead at the behest of Jessica, and Captain Marvel threw his body into the sun.
Except.
One day, Jessica wakes up to find that her daughter, Danielle, is purple. And, now, everything that has happened in the past needs to be questioned. Reality has to be questioned.
“Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter” is a taut, mind-trippy thriller that resurrects one of the creepiest villains in the Marvel universe. For Jessica, the nightmare isn’t over and it never will be until she can finally get the Purple Man out of her life, permanently.
One of the few JJ graphic novels not written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Michael Gaydos, “Purple Daughter” is written by Kelly Thompson and drawn beautifully by Mattia DeIulis and Filipe Andrade.
I’m talking about the Purple Man, a.k.a. Kilgrave, who basically has the power to bend anybody’s will to do whatever he wants. Whether it’s baking him a cake or shooting your own mother, all Kilgrave has to do is put the thought in your head and you’ll do it. And everybody is susceptible to his powers, even superheroes.
Except Jessica Jones, who has somehow become “immune” to the Purple Man’s powers of suggestion. For some reason, this just excites him more.
The last time we saw Kilgrave, we thought it was the end of him. He literally dropped dead at the behest of Jessica, and Captain Marvel threw his body into the sun.
Except.
One day, Jessica wakes up to find that her daughter, Danielle, is purple. And, now, everything that has happened in the past needs to be questioned. Reality has to be questioned.
“Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter” is a taut, mind-trippy thriller that resurrects one of the creepiest villains in the Marvel universe. For Jessica, the nightmare isn’t over and it never will be until she can finally get the Purple Man out of her life, permanently.
One of the few JJ graphic novels not written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Michael Gaydos, “Purple Daughter” is written by Kelly Thompson and drawn beautifully by Mattia DeIulis and Filipe Andrade.
March 15, 2021
Not quite as good as other story lines
May 15, 2019
Purple Daughter starts off as a pretty great book, with Jessica investigating a mystery that's crucially important to her, to Luke, and to her friend Carol. Kelly Thompson does a great job of hitting all of these character beats while simultaneously unravelling a very intriguing mystery.
The book weakens in its last third, which is considerably less nuanced than what came before it, and which has pacing problems, but the conclusion is still good enough, albeit with one frustrating reset button from Bendis' previous run. (Seriously: let there be repercussions and results, Marvel!)
Still, call it a 4.5 stars. A worthy sequel to Alias.
The book weakens in its last third, which is considerably less nuanced than what came before it, and which has pacing problems, but the conclusion is still good enough, albeit with one frustrating reset button from Bendis' previous run. (Seriously: let there be repercussions and results, Marvel!)
Still, call it a 4.5 stars. A worthy sequel to Alias.
July 23, 2023
#1 jessica jones: blind spot ★★★★☆
#2 jessica jones: purple daughter ★★★★☆
ugh i really love this character
content/trigger warnings; ableism, violence, alcohol consumption, slut shaming, mentions of rape,
#2 jessica jones: purple daughter ★★★★☆
ugh i really love this character
content/trigger warnings; ableism, violence, alcohol consumption, slut shaming, mentions of rape,
January 9, 2020
4.5 stars! Man I wish Kelly Thompson would come back and do more Jessica Jones stories. Both volumes added up to be something great.
After the last volume ended with Jessica and Luke’s daughter being turned purple, I was so intrigued to start this volume. With what Killgrave has done to Jessica you can imagine what this is doing to her and Luke now and Thompson handles it great. I also enjoy the people Kelly decides to put in her books. Great cameos that she really seems to get. Absolutely loved the interaction between Jessica and Emma. Plus all the fight sequences were amazing with the gorgeous artwork.
If you haven’t read this one, definitely check it out.
After the last volume ended with Jessica and Luke’s daughter being turned purple, I was so intrigued to start this volume. With what Killgrave has done to Jessica you can imagine what this is doing to her and Luke now and Thompson handles it great. I also enjoy the people Kelly decides to put in her books. Great cameos that she really seems to get. Absolutely loved the interaction between Jessica and Emma. Plus all the fight sequences were amazing with the gorgeous artwork.
If you haven’t read this one, definitely check it out.
June 3, 2019
I'm not sure that Bendis' last story needed to be amended, but this story seemed to get the psychological mess that the Purple Man could cause. I'm glad that Thompson is getting to continue this character. (I do miss the way that Bendis would use "D" or "E"-list characters from the Marvel universe.)
December 18, 2019
I am so tired of every Jessica Jones story being about the purple man. The reason alias by BMB was so fucking incredible was because it dealt with small scale human problems. Can't we just get a normal Jessica Jones detective story for once? And come up with a new fucking villain.
August 7, 2022
Ciekawe opowiadanie, chociaż wizja Jessici w stałym związku z Cagem, z którym dodatkowo posiada dziecko, trochę kłóci mi się z obrazem niezależnej kobiety do którego się przyzwyczaiłam. Zdecydowanie wolę wersję w której z Łukiem łączy ją jedynie przygodny seks.
January 31, 2021
Kiedy w życiu Jessiki pojawia się fiolet, poświęcone jej historie stają się znacznie ciekawsze. Prawie mam wyrzuty sumienia, że to napisałem – czy jestem okrutnym czytelnikiem?
September 1, 2019
Purple Daughter is a magical combo of two writing pitfalls in superhero books: no one stays dead, and marriage is only interesting when the relationship is threatened.
Jessica spirals into depression and drinking (she makes up for not taking a single shot last volume), when she and Luke find their daughter Dani has turned purple. But after a seemingly final death from Bendis, a controversial, unique and intensely disturbing villain has become an exhausting rehash – god forbid Jessica has a rogue other than the Purple Man! Jessica finally leaves the bar, and also leaves Luke and Dani, to investigate the Purple Problem. It’s fun to see her team up with the newly minted Black King, Emma Frost, and Jessica has her best moments when reluctantly partnered with another badass female character.
But truthfully, Jessica’s team up really should have been with Luke.
Back in the last issue of volume one, Luke accidentally buys purple balloons for Dani’s birthday, which triggers Jessica. Luke recognizes that he doesn’t fully understand Jessica’s trauma, and he tells her to be vulnerable with him – so why doesn’t Luke (and Thompson) make good on that promise?
This is, perhaps, the most vulnerable state their relationship could ever be in: Luke and Jessica can’t help but question if their marriage is a lie, if Jessica is still being controlled, if Dani is truly Luke’s daughter…it’s heavy shit. And yet, Jessica doesn’t let Luke investigate with her as she returns to her traumatic past. Luke doesn’t bribe Iron Fist to babysit Dani, and then insist that he not let Jessica do this alone.
Plus, there’s a major plot development at the end that would almost guarantee some significant trust issues and insecurity on both ends, but everything is wrapped up with a nice bow, and somehow the relationship doesn’t change much. Aside from both agreeing about Emma Frost’s boobs, I guess.
Thompson is great at writing heroines (Jessica, Kate Bishop, Elsa Bloodstone), but her villains are often convoluted and far fetched. Kate Bishop’s first villains were a hate cult that used stickers for mind control; in West Coast Avengers, M.O.D.O.K. builds himself a hot bod and zaps women into giant animals. The theme continues in Purple Daughter, with a convoluted, confusing and predictable villain; a hugely surprising, self-violating choice by Jessica that doesn’t seem to leave any emotional scars; and an infuriating escape that still robs Jessica of her peace. (How Jessica doesn’t just move into a therapist’s office is beyond me – though I was actually hoping we’d at least see her visit the support group again.)
The biggest highlight of the book is Mattia De Iulis’ gorgeous art. Everything is clean and sharp, and he uses a combination of blurring and color to show depth and movement. His texturing and shadowing work is also incredible, particularly Jessica’s leather pants and lovely hair detail too. Some of the fighting scenes just crackle on the page and De Iulis’ strong facial expressions really bring characters to life. Even though an artist switch during one issue fit the narrative, Andrade’s style was a bit too rough and unfinished for my liking. Perhaps that’s what the story was going for, but I would have preferred De Iulis use his style more creatively to get the same point across.
There’s no confirmation online, but I believe the series is on hiatus but there’s more Jessica Jones to come (mostly based on this post on De Iulis’ Instagram.) I’m still on board for future issues, Thompson remains one of my favorite writers and De Iulis is fast becoming a favorite artist too…I just hope Purple villains have been put to rest, permanently.
This review and more on my blog, Reading Art!
Jessica spirals into depression and drinking (she makes up for not taking a single shot last volume), when she and Luke find their daughter Dani has turned purple. But after a seemingly final death from Bendis, a controversial, unique and intensely disturbing villain has become an exhausting rehash – god forbid Jessica has a rogue other than the Purple Man! Jessica finally leaves the bar, and also leaves Luke and Dani, to investigate the Purple Problem. It’s fun to see her team up with the newly minted Black King, Emma Frost, and Jessica has her best moments when reluctantly partnered with another badass female character.
But truthfully, Jessica’s team up really should have been with Luke.
Back in the last issue of volume one, Luke accidentally buys purple balloons for Dani’s birthday, which triggers Jessica. Luke recognizes that he doesn’t fully understand Jessica’s trauma, and he tells her to be vulnerable with him – so why doesn’t Luke (and Thompson) make good on that promise?
This is, perhaps, the most vulnerable state their relationship could ever be in: Luke and Jessica can’t help but question if their marriage is a lie, if Jessica is still being controlled, if Dani is truly Luke’s daughter…it’s heavy shit. And yet, Jessica doesn’t let Luke investigate with her as she returns to her traumatic past. Luke doesn’t bribe Iron Fist to babysit Dani, and then insist that he not let Jessica do this alone.
Plus, there’s a major plot development at the end that would almost guarantee some significant trust issues and insecurity on both ends, but everything is wrapped up with a nice bow, and somehow the relationship doesn’t change much. Aside from both agreeing about Emma Frost’s boobs, I guess.
Thompson is great at writing heroines (Jessica, Kate Bishop, Elsa Bloodstone), but her villains are often convoluted and far fetched. Kate Bishop’s first villains were a hate cult that used stickers for mind control; in West Coast Avengers, M.O.D.O.K. builds himself a hot bod and zaps women into giant animals. The theme continues in Purple Daughter, with a convoluted, confusing and predictable villain; a hugely surprising, self-violating choice by Jessica that doesn’t seem to leave any emotional scars; and an infuriating escape that still robs Jessica of her peace. (How Jessica doesn’t just move into a therapist’s office is beyond me – though I was actually hoping we’d at least see her visit the support group again.)
The biggest highlight of the book is Mattia De Iulis’ gorgeous art. Everything is clean and sharp, and he uses a combination of blurring and color to show depth and movement. His texturing and shadowing work is also incredible, particularly Jessica’s leather pants and lovely hair detail too. Some of the fighting scenes just crackle on the page and De Iulis’ strong facial expressions really bring characters to life. Even though an artist switch during one issue fit the narrative, Andrade’s style was a bit too rough and unfinished for my liking. Perhaps that’s what the story was going for, but I would have preferred De Iulis use his style more creatively to get the same point across.
There’s no confirmation online, but I believe the series is on hiatus but there’s more Jessica Jones to come (mostly based on this post on De Iulis’ Instagram.) I’m still on board for future issues, Thompson remains one of my favorite writers and De Iulis is fast becoming a favorite artist too…I just hope Purple villains have been put to rest, permanently.
This review and more on my blog, Reading Art!
July 19, 2019
Didn't we just have a Purple Man story for Jessica Jones? Oh right, Brian Michael Bendis' final take on the series, Jessica Jones, Vol. 3: Return of the Purple Man, saw the Purple Man ejected into the sun.
Whoops! Maybe not! Jones' daughter has unexpectedly turned purple and the melodrama related to that is intense. Basically from page one, both Jones and Nick Cage bemoan their fates as if there's no way to figure out a solution to their daughter's purpleness. Don't they know like, all of the science-y Marvel heroes? Instead, Jones gets drunk and investigates a far larger number of purple beings than I recalled. Sure, she's a P.I., so the narrative makes sense from that angle, but I couldn't help thinking there was an easier solution out there.
Anyway, this volume wasn't terrible on its own, but it was 100% "been there, done that" for anyone who has read previous Jessica Jones volumes. I am sick to death of purple people.
Whoops! Maybe not! Jones' daughter has unexpectedly turned purple and the melodrama related to that is intense. Basically from page one, both Jones and Nick Cage bemoan their fates as if there's no way to figure out a solution to their daughter's purpleness. Don't they know like, all of the science-y Marvel heroes? Instead, Jones gets drunk and investigates a far larger number of purple beings than I recalled. Sure, she's a P.I., so the narrative makes sense from that angle, but I couldn't help thinking there was an easier solution out there.
Anyway, this volume wasn't terrible on its own, but it was 100% "been there, done that" for anyone who has read previous Jessica Jones volumes. I am sick to death of purple people.
April 25, 2019
Wow. Not what I expected. Far better and darker than I thought it would be. Solidly set in the Marvel Universe, including an inspired guest star, this book is savage. Jessica Jones, victim of the Purple man, who still has PTSD flashbacks when she sees the color purple, has to deal with a daughter who has turned the very color she fears.
January 29, 2022
Tripped over this recently. Not a bad Jessica Jones book. But echoes way too much of the show rather than the previous books. Which isn't necessarily fair. And Killgrave, sigh. There are definitely other Jessica Jones to tell. But it was nice to be back in that world for a little while. And it was a surprisingly good use of Emma Frost. 3.5 of 5.
March 28, 2019
Great concept. Mind-blowing art. Lots of female power. Dumb ending.
August 6, 2019
Great combo of story and art, continuing the story of Jessica Jones and her ongoing involvement with the Purple Man and his descendants.
January 6, 2020
Effrayant à souhait pour le lectorat et nos protagonistes (on passe quand même beaucoup de pages à montrer le traumatisme et la dépression dans laquelle Jessica Jones s'enfonce, Luke Cage aussi, tout en devant prendre soin de leur fille).
Passé le développement psychologique des personnages, on retombe dans le style de l'enquête de Jones pour tenter de comprendre ce qu'il se passe. Ça reprend bien le style de recherche que l'autrice a précédemment utilisé dans Jessica Jones: Blind Spot (et donc, on campe bien Jessica Jones comme une détective) avec les éléments importants stylisés comme photographies bien qu'il n'y en ai pas beaucoup.
La fin du volume (un peu avant la troisième partie) est beaucoup plus en mode affrontements physiques et un immense psychologique. La mise en scène au début de la troisième partie était particulièrement désagréable au niveau dessin, ce que j'imagine être intentionnel, mais a vraiment coupé ma lecture.
Une bonne entrée dans la série des Jessica Jones, probablement une des meilleurs, avec une prémisse terrifiante qui nous fait vraiment craindre pour les personnages tout au long du volume. La révélation de la cause n'est pas décevante non plus.
Passé le développement psychologique des personnages, on retombe dans le style de l'enquête de Jones pour tenter de comprendre ce qu'il se passe. Ça reprend bien le style de recherche que l'autrice a précédemment utilisé dans Jessica Jones: Blind Spot (et donc, on campe bien Jessica Jones comme une détective) avec les éléments importants stylisés comme photographies bien qu'il n'y en ai pas beaucoup.
La fin du volume (un peu avant la troisième partie) est beaucoup plus en mode affrontements physiques et un immense psychologique. La mise en scène au début de la troisième partie était particulièrement désagréable au niveau dessin, ce que j'imagine être intentionnel, mais a vraiment coupé ma lecture.
Une bonne entrée dans la série des Jessica Jones, probablement une des meilleurs, avec une prémisse terrifiante qui nous fait vraiment craindre pour les personnages tout au long du volume. La révélation de la cause n'est pas décevante non plus.
October 6, 2019
One day Jessica Jones goes to check up on her daughter only to see the unthinkable. Her daughter's skin is purple. Is this the doing of the Purple Man, Zebediah Kilgrave? Is this his way of showing he wasn't killed - and if he wasn't, who was killed in his place? Or is it the unthinkable - is the child in fact his?
Jessica is in a panic, and her husband Luke is now beginning to understand just how horrific the life she leads is. What is real, and how can you know it's real, when you might not even be the one in control of your own mind?
Kilgrave's daughter makes an appearance, as do his children. Emma Frost is called in for help, but for the most part this is Jessica on her own, partially by her own choice. This is her problem to deal with, her Hell to live. I realized only after reading Hawkeye: Anchor Points that this was written by the same author, and I have to say I enjoy her writing. While this book wasn't incredible, it had a brilliant idea and was well executed.
Overall? A solid read with a great premise.
Jessica is in a panic, and her husband Luke is now beginning to understand just how horrific the life she leads is. What is real, and how can you know it's real, when you might not even be the one in control of your own mind?
Kilgrave's daughter makes an appearance, as do his children. Emma Frost is called in for help, but for the most part this is Jessica on her own, partially by her own choice. This is her problem to deal with, her Hell to live. I realized only after reading Hawkeye: Anchor Points that this was written by the same author, and I have to say I enjoy her writing. While this book wasn't incredible, it had a brilliant idea and was well executed.
Overall? A solid read with a great premise.
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