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| Alias | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | MAX (Marvel Comics) |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | September 2001 – November 2003 |
| No. of issues | 28 |
| Main characters |
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| Creative team | |
| Created by | Brian Michael Bendis |
| Written by | Brian Michael Bendis |
| Artist | Michael Gaydos |
| Letterers |
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| Colorist | Matt Hollingsworth |
| Editors |
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| Collected editions | |
| Omnibus | ISBN 0-7851-2121-8 |
Alias is acomic bookseries created by writerBrian Michael Bendis and artistMichael Gaydos. It was published byMarvel Comics under Marvel'sMAXimprint for a total of 28 issues from2001 to2004.
The protagonist ofAlias isJessica Jones, a former costumedsuperhero named Jewel who left that life behind to become aprivate investigator. The running thread is Jessica's character development, as her past and personality are revealed to the reader while, simultaneously, she tries to come to terms with them herself.
Characters from the series moved to Bendis' subsequent seriesThe Pulse. The series received generally positive reviews from critics.
Alias was the basis of thefirst season of theNetflixMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seriesJessica Jones, which premiered in November 2015.Jessica Jones, a follow-upongoing series toAlias created by Bendis and Gaydos as atie-in to thetelevision series, began publication in 2016.
Alias was one of the titles that launched Marvel's "R-Rated" MAX imprint. It was written by Bendis and illustrated for most of its run byMichael Gaydos, with covers byDavid W. Mack. Bendis relates in a text piece on the letters page of the book's final issue that it was one of the reasons the imprint was created. Marvel Publishing PresidentBill Jemas read a draft of the script for the first issue ofAlias (which, characteristically, starts with the word "fuck") and exclaimed, "Why couldn't we publish this?"[1]
Being under the MAX imprint imposed certain other limitations on what the creators could do in the series. Bendis gave this as one reason for ending the series and moving the characters toThe Pulse.[1]
In a 2005 interview, Bendis revealed that originally,Alias was plotted to be an explicitly out-of-continuity story following a reinvention ofsuperheroprivate investigatorJessica Drew returning to her P.I. roots, before deciding to have his reinvention simply be a new unrelated brunette P.I. also named Jessica,[2] deciding the character had a "distinct background and voice from Drew's", giving the character the new surname "Jones" while still keeping the first name "Jessica" (after Drew) on the basis of how "two [people] can have the same first name".[3]
Previously, Bendis commented:[4]
Some of the flashbacks to Jessica Jones's past are drawn in the style of classic 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s Marvel Comics issues.[citation needed]
Tasked to look for a missing woman,private investigatorJessica Jones finds herself caught in a conspiracy involvingCaptain America and thePresident of the United States.[5] Subsequently, she is hired to find the recently missingRick Jones.[6] The first issue introduces her relationship withLuke Cage, whom she sleeps with after meeting him at a bar. The arc also establishes Jessica's friendship withCarol Danvers, who attempts to set her up withScott Lang. Other characters appearing in the arc includeMatt Murdock andMan Mountain Marko.
Jessica Jones is assigned to look for a missing girl rumored to be amutant in a small, prejudiced town. She discovers the girl is a runaway and brings her home.[7]
Issue #15 overlaps withDaredevil (Vol 2) #36, which was also written by Brian Michael Bendis.[8] Both issues depict the same scene, in which a disguisedNatasha Romanova visits Matt Murdock at his law office, from two different perspectives. TheAlias scene focuses on Jessica and Luke Cage, who argue about their relationship while stood guard outside Murdock's office, while theDaredevil version of the scene depicts his conversation with Natasha. The issue goes on to show Jessica's first date with Scott Lang.[9]
J. Jonah Jameson hires Jessica to uncoverSpider-Man's identity.[10] Later,Mattie Franklin, the latestSpider-Woman and Jameson's stepdaughter, goes missing and Jessica is asked to find her. In the course of her investigation she discovers that Mattie is embroiled in a criminal underworld producing Mutant Growth Hormone, a drug designed to give ordinary people super-powered abilities. Along the way, Jones meets an unexpected ally in fellow private investigator Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman, who is also investigating Franklin's disappearance. Meanwhile, Jessica's relationship with Scott Lang becomes strained after an encounter withMadame Web dredges up bad memories from her past.[11]
Issues #22-23 depict Jessica's teenage years, revealing that she attended Midtown High School with Peter Parker, whom she secretly had a crush on and was present when he was bitten by the spider that gave him his powers. Jessica, then known as Jessica Campbell, loses her parents and brother in a car crash involving truck carrying hazardous materials. After waking up from a coma, Jessica is taken in by the Jones family, and soon discovers that she has developed super-powers. The story ends with Jessica deciding to become a superhero.[12]
Family members of those murdered by thePurple Man ask Jessica to find evidence of those murders that he never confessed to. Jessica is initially reluctant, due to her history with the Purple Man. After drinking and ending up at Luke Cage's apartment, Jessica tells Luke about her history with the Purple Man. During her career as a superhero called Jewel, Jessica encountered the Purple Man at a restaurant. He mind-controlled Jessica for eight months, forcing her to bathe him, watch him have sex with other women, and making her beg for his attention. One day, in a fit of rage the Purple Man ordered Jessica to go and kill superheroes. Although the ensuing fight broke the mind-control over her, Jessica was mistaken for a threat by the Avengers and badly beaten.Jean Grey helped Jessica awaken from her resulting coma, and implanted a psychic defense in her mind in case of future encounters with the Purple Man.[13]
After confronting the Purple Man in prison, he escapes and Jessica is forced to deal with him and her past trauma. Jean Grey triggers Jessica's psychic defense, allowing her to defeat him. In the aftermath of the fight, Jessica tells Scott Lang that she is three months pregnant, and that he is not the father. Later that day, Luke arrives to confess his feelings for her. She tells him that she is pregnant with his child, and the series ends with them about to begin a new chapter of their lives.[13]
| Title | Material collected | Date published | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alias Investigations: B Level | Alias #1–9 | May 2003 | 978-0785111412 |
| Alias Vol. 2:Come Home | Alias #11–15 | February 2003 | 978-0785111238 |
| Alias Vol. 3:The Underneath | Alias #10, 16–21 | June 2003 | 978-0785111658 |
| Alias Vol. 4:The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones/Purple | Alias #22–28 | November 2004 | 978-0785111672 |
| AliasUltimate Collection Vol. 1 | Alias #1–15 | May 2009 | 978-0785137320 |
| Alias Ultimate Collection Vol. 2 | Alias #16–28 | February 2010 | 978-0785144908 |
| AliasOmnibus | Alias #1–28,What If? Jessica Jones had Joined the Avengers | March 2006 | 978-0785121213 |
These have since been rereleased with the title ofJessica Jones: Alias.
The entire series received generally positive reviews from critics. According to Comicbook Roundup, the series received an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 based on 28 reviews.[14]
The series won theComics Buyer's Guide Award for "Favorite Comic Series" in 2003, and theHarvey Award for "Best New Series" in 2002.
The series was also nominated for twoEisner Awards in 2004: "Best Continuing Series" and "Best Serialized Story" (for "The Secret Origin of Jessica Jones" & "Purple" inAlias #22–28).[15]
Alias was adapted into thefirst season of theMarvel Cinematic Universetelevision seriesJessica Jones.Carol Danvers was replaced byTrish Walker (acomposite character of Danvers,Foolkiller, andPatsy Walker) due to the simultaneous development ofCaptain Marvel (2019).[16]
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