The Pulse Vol. 1: Thin Air

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good but...
Review: ...am I the only one who thinks it isn't Jessica Jones if she isn't cussing up a storm? Swears are not a necessity for me-- I think most things are better off without them-- but Jessica was the quintessential Marvel Max character and she feels white-washed now that she's in a mainstream, kid-friendly title.

For those who do not know Jessica Jones, she is a former Avenger who quit the team to become a private investigator; her firm and her comic book were named Alias, and this book lasted through four awesome TPBs, all for mature audiences. The last one, book 4, is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. I read it over and over the day I bought it, savoring every word. Jessica is such real character with down-to-earth problems despite her super powers, and Bendis has a lovely way of making everything resonate emotionally. The way she was drawn was also compelling; Michael Gaydos' subtlety of expression was beautiful. The look on her face when Luke Cage tells her he likes her... perfect.

Don't get me wrong, this book is still pretty good. Many minor characters are awesome. For example, J. Jonah Jameson is humanized for the first time that I have ever read and that was great. And the moment between Peter Parker/Spiderman and Ben Urich is priceless-- the whole book is worth it just for that. Welcome to the Bendisverse, by the way, where all Bendis comics intersect; oddly, it helps to have read Daredevil/Out and Daredevil/Widow, both great books but neither of them Spiderman books, to appreciate this important Spiderman scene that also does not take place in a Spiderman book...

But while minor characters become beautiful, Jessica loses her shine. I found her relationship with Luke Cage a little too happy to be interesting -- where is the conflict that arises when two people are suddenly stuck together forever by a pregnancy? And without Gaydos' unique style, she seems a lot less special.

I am still going to buy the next book, but it has a lot to live up to and I think it could be better.