Spider-Woman (2015) #11
Previously in Spider-Woman #10
Spider-Woman #11 | Writer: Dennis Hopeless | Artist: Veronica Fish | Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham | Cover Artist: Javier Rodriguez
The events in this issue take place before the Civil War II issue in which Clint is acquitted of killing Bruce Banner. That’s one of many reasons these big events can be frustrating. Most people can’t afford to read all of the tie-ins and you have to accept that the ones you’re reading might not line up chronologically with the main title’s releases.
When last we saw Jessica, she was storming out of a bar having just learned about Bruce’s death on the news. She heads straight for Banner’s lab, slipping past the Alpha Force security in an effort to make sense of what happened. Through a wonderfully written and drawn flashback we learn that Bruce and Jessica were pretty close, but she also had a soft spot for his green, mean alter ego. It’s easy to see why they got along and I don’t just mean the rapid fire witty banter. When Jessica resorts to trashing the lab, it’s clear she, like Bruce, knows what it’s like to have deep rage inside of you that’s triggered when provoked or stressed. And learning that your ex-boyfriend murdered your friend is plenty stressful.
Thankfully, she has other friends, including Roger, who talks her down. Still, she’s not any closer to understanding what went wrong. She decides to sneak into the Alpha Force headquarters to speak with Clint.
Since this event began I’ve been saying Carol just doesn’t get it. For me, this is unlike the first Civil War where I at least saw valid points in both arguments. And while I understand Carol’s desire to make the world as safe as possible, you cannot deny that this predictive justice is just plain wrong. It stinks of thought policing and profiling.
When she confronts Jessica, she says she’ll allow her to talk to Clint, but Jessica has to speak with her first. It’s another display of hubris, and worse than that, it shows she’s still not viewing how her actions have affected others. Jessica is her best friend, but she can’t recognize that this won’t be like the other times they’ve disagreed. They won’t hug it out later.
But before Jessica leaves, Carol has the message loud and clear: This time it’s different. There’s no going back.
Spider-Woman #11
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Plot - 10/1010/10
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Dialogue - 10/1010/10
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Art - 9.5/109.5/10
Summary
If you’ve been reading my Spider-Woman reviews from the beginning you know I’m a huge fan of Javier Rodriguez’s work on the series. I was sad to learn he’s leaving the series; only doing covers until issue 13 (I believe), but I will definitely be following him to Doctor Strange. That said, I’ve also come to enjoy Veronica Fish’s work, especially in Archie. I went back and forth with how to review her work in this series. Is it fair to compare it to another artist’s work? If it looks great, shouldn’t that be all that matters? But what about personal preference?
So, here’s where I landed: Veronica Fish is an amazing artist and I continue to be blown away by her work. I’m looking forward to seeing more of it in this series and others. I took off half a point simply because I miss Jessica’s old face - which I loved because it was so full and round. After this, I will be reviewing her work in this series based on just that: her work.
