Spider-Woman #11 // Review
Jessica Drew is returning to the store. Her old outfit had some issues. Now she’s got a new one that looks a lot like the old one, but it’s different. Her boyfriend really wants to talk to her, but she’s got a lot on her mind, and she really needs to deal with work right now. All of this might come across as being incredibly mundane were it not for the fact that Jessica leads a double life as the title character in Spider-Woman #11. Writer Karla Pacheco launches Jessica in a new direction in another issue brought to the page with flash and nuance by artist Pere Pérez.
The recap on previous issues happens at the opening of the issue. Jessica delivers that recap to her costumer Ronnie, who has put together an all-new Spider-Woman costume for her that looks a lot like the old one. Her boyfriend wants to talk to her, but she’s busy. Afterward, she’s out to dinner with him when a bank across the street is being robbed by a couple of conquistador-looking guys referring to themselves as Los Espadas Gemalas de Toledo. Jessica has to go back to work.
Pacheco has put together a delightful evening with Jessica. The reader gets to hang out with her at Ronnie’s costume shop for a bit before heading out to dinner at a nice-looking place that’s cut short by a flashy bank robbery next door. Through it all, Jessica is a lot of fun to be around because she’s finally back on top of things fighting crime against weird costumed people with theatrical personalities. She’s happy. And she doesn’t happen to notice that her boyfriend seems to have a lot on his mind, but that doesn’t matter because so much is going on. Pacheco has everything covered beautifully down to the last panel.
Pérez’s trademark ability to render detail without compromising mood, drama, or the flow of action is in gorgeous form here. Pérez finally has a chance to give a classy Marvel Spider-person a spin in her native habitat. A stylish evening in Marvel Manhattan feels distinctly atmospheric as Spider-Woman handles a couple of guys who look realistically theatrical. Jessica’s enjoyment of her current life is brought to the page with beaming happiness that Pérez brings to the page with shining beauty. Action rips across the page with great form and poise.
The cover states that this issue is a “great jumping-on point!” The cover is not wrong. Pacheco has put together the issue like a fun, little date with a woman who is finally back on her feet. Aspects of her life are clearly rendered in a very appealing way the mixes action with drama and comedy almost perfectly. Pacheco and Pérez have proven to be a really good team in the series thus far. This issue gives the artist and writer a chance to connect with the character outside of the heavy machinery of a long-running plot arc. It’s fun.
