Spider-Woman #1

The problem here is that I'm sick of Skrulls. Totally tired of them. They were in every book for so long that I heard rumors that Marvel was trying to stay away from them for a bit because the whole comic line had become so over-saturated with wrinkly-chinned shapeshifters. So what is the new Spider-Woman comic about? She's an agent of SWORD. And her one job is to chase down Skrulls. So I'm probably not going to pick this up again.

Bendis seems to have some affection for Jessica Drew. She spends most of the identity rolling thoughts around in her head, repeating things, and talking to Abigail Brand. There is a bit of combat at the end to liven things up, but for the most part this is a talker. I like the idea that Jessica Drew is messed up by the things that have happened to her, but I'm not sure that watching her kill Skrulls on the D-L is how to make her character more interesting. There isn't any type of set up for a supporting cast in this premiere issue, unless Abigail Brand will be coming around regularly, but I don't see that happening. So this relaunch probably isn't for me, although it may stay street level enough to play to Bendis' strengths. I fear it will play more to his weaknesses, like the plotting in Secret War.

I chose the Ross variant cover because what draws me to Spider-Woman is her 70s camp look and her bright appearance, she's a neat looking hero. But this dark take doesn't seem like it will carry the mood I'm looking for from the character.

Alex Maleev draws beautiful pictures that fit the story pretty well, but there are a lot of cutaways and artistic shots too. This is not "classic" storytelling by any means, but it is moody and pretty to look at.

Average