Review: Spider-Woman #5

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Nina Perez in Comics Reviews, Featured, Spider-Woman // 2 Comments

Five weeks have passed since Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) quit The Avengers to be a normal person who helps normal people. She’s been kicking it old-school, stopping crime in a brand-new uniform. You may remember there was a lot of controversy surrounding her old uniform (and her butt). Well, Jessica remembers, too, and admits to spending a whole week shame-Googling “Spider-Woman’s Butt.” References like those are just one reason Dennis Hopeless has become my new favorite comic book writer, and Spider-Woman is definitely my fave hero.

Unfortunately, Jessica ends up causing more damage than sometimes necessary in her new gig. In stopping small crimes, Jessica wracked up an impressive amount of property damage and public nuisance. This is probably why she’s not given much leeway when she breaks up a mugging and learns she actually interrupted an in-the-field police training exercise. If she was still a member of The Avengers, she’d have known it was scheduled. Now, she’s in jail for assaulting a police officer disguised as a mugger.

She’s bailed out by Ben Urich, reporter at the Bugle. He wants Jessica’s help in locating a few missing persons, but there’s a catch: they’re all wives/girlfriends/children of super villains. Jessica agrees to look over the file he’s accumulated so far in exchange for lunch, but quickly decides the case isn’t for her. She asks Ben if he ever considered the women might not want to be found.

However, not all of Ben’s words fell on deaf ears. Jessica tries to be a bit more careful apprehending her next villain, even going so far as to get confirmation he’s a bad guy before she starts wailing on him. “You are, in fact, in the process of committing several crimes, are you not?”

Though it turns out someone is holding his daughter hostage and forcing him to commit these crimes. Looks like Jess will be helping Urich after all.

Overall Thoughts:

I am digging this new everything: her uniform, the bike, her attitude (which is still feisty as fuck), everything! Not since Alana in Saga have I felt so closely connected to a comic book character. I appreciate Jessica’s desire to the right thing, her way. And she’s legitimately laugh-out-loud funny.
While I like the new artwork, the previous work remains my favorite - especially issue #4.
Who the hell is kidnapping super villain family members?
Jessica’s game of Charades while in jail was hilarious.
Goddamn. Her new uniform is perfection and proof that women heroes can still look cool while wearing something that is functional and not overtly sexual.