Spider-Woman #5
I have always been a fan of Spider-Woman. What they did with her during Secret Invasion was a turn for the character and one that has made her more three-dimensional. However, after that, there hasn’t really been a reason to pick up her solo book because no writer seems to want to flesh her out. I get to see her while reading the Captain Marvel title, where she appears in her original costume. I am not a fan of her new costume in the least, which makes me avoid this title like the plague.
Then they did that absurd storyline where she was pregnant and now has a baby. Of course, this is more a hindrance to future writers than a blessing. As a single mother and a superhero, especially with a baby, she has to be seen as an unfit mother since she’s never at home during these stories. So, she’s leaving her newborn baby with a sitter or a friend. Most new mothers barely leave their child’s side at such a young age, but not Jessica Drew. This was a very poor idea and unfortunately, we’re stuck with it. It’s like making Black Widow a mom, it just doesn’t work.
The best thing they can do is force Jessica to give up the child to keep him safe from whatever is hunting her. That would add great depth to the character, but I digress.
Instead, we get garbage like issue #5. The only reason I even picked this issue up was because it was an anniversary issue with an awesome image by Greg Land on the cover (in her iconic original costume). However, between the covers is a whole lot of nothing. Writer, Karla Pacheco doesn’t seem to care much about how this character develops, so just throws some tropes in there and hit the accelerator.
The issue begins with Jessica fighting her elderly mom, who has an uncanny resemblance to Aunt May. I kid you not, she’s fighting an old woman with white hair, who’s jacked up on some kind of serum that makes her look like she’s bat-shit crazy. My name is Jessica Drew, and my biggest nemesis is my elderly mother. How ludicrous is that?
Then her mom takes on another old woman, and we have the fight between the geriatric brigade. If you’re thinking maybe the visuals made this look less stupid – they don’t. The artist is really talented, but there is no helping this insane rant. They even do a splash page for the fight scene between Jessica and her mom and I just looked at it with a “…really?” while rolling my eyes.
Then a new chapter begins with a different artist where Jessica looks like Jennifer Connelly and she has a zoom meeting with a guy and her baby. See what I mean? They just don’t know what to do with the kid, so we get zoom meetings like that makes it all okay. The problem is she’s out there by choice when there are plenty of other heroes that would do the job for her if she asked. Case and point, at the end of the issue, she visits Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, who is on a farm doing nothing. Jessica recruits her to go on a mission into space.
It’s just a sad time for Jessica Drew. Skip not only this issue but this entire title. It’s not worth the read and I have no idea why it hasn’t been canceled. She needs a complete reboot at this point. Keeping my fingers crossed.
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