Spider-Woman Vol 1 (2016) Trade Review

Momma's Fury 

The recent relaunch of Spider-Woman in an effort by Marvel to expand diversity among their comics. Writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Javier Rodriguez succeed in telling a story about a pregnant superhero. The story is playful, suspenseful, and will probably go down as the defining Spider-Woman story thus far.

This is technically volume one of this series, however, this book is actually the third Spider-Woman volume Hopeless has written. I haven't read the previous two chapters, but I can say the story here is straightforward enough to be a welcome jumping-on point. There is one character, The Porcupine, who I wasn't familiar with, but after few panels I understood exactly who he was.

That is the strength of Hopeless' story telling here: he takes characters who previously didn't have defined archetypes or strong personalities and makes them immediately relatable. I've never connected with Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) before, but Hopeless writes somebody I care about and want to see more of. Jessica's relationships with her supporting cast also feel genuine, in particular her relationship with Captain Marvel and Roger.

Why not make Jessica Drew a mother? The character wasn't necessarily rocking the world before. Pregnant women and moms, however, need superheroes. When comics diversify by including more people, they become infinitely more interesting, and perhaps help readers gain a new appreciation for people, in this case moms. After all, appreciation and understanding are what fiction bring to the world, so it's fantastic to see Marvel going in that direction.

Rodriguez is the perfect artist for this more personal and emotional tale.  His facial drawings are all very expressive and add as much weight to the characters as the writing does.  His drawings of Jess at the beginning of chapter 5 had me cracking up. Also, there are multiple splash pages in chapter three that were very imaginative and full of detail. Jessica's rage in chapter four was quite the highlight. Colors were also great, with Ben Urich's office at the very end looking especially nice.



Who is this for? I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a superhero story with a less traditional protagonist. This book would also be a good gateway book for a momma bear in your life. The book is funny and light, but also engaging and suspenseful at times. It would be great for a first time comic reader.