Spider-Woman: Origin # 4 *Spoilers*

[Spiderchick1974]

As we get closer to the conclusion of this so far excellent miniseries, things look even bleaker and more confusing for Jessica. Last issue Jessica discovered that Hydra lied tio her about SHILED,, incapacitated Taskmaster and three dozen terrorists and sent a plane crashing into one of Hydra's headquarters.
All she wanted was to be free of the lies and manipulations and to honor the memory of her dead parents. Until Nick Fury finds her and tells her that her parents aren't dead.

In issue 4, Fury offers Jessica a position as a SHIELD agent , and she accepts, with the intent of finding her parents and as she puts it "Burn Hydra to the ground"
She discovers that her parents divorced, her father kept on working for Hydra and her mother moved to NY, under an alias...
Jessica goes to th eBig Apple and she finds that her mother has been killed by Whiplash/Blacklash, a hired assassin for Hydra, and there's the little matter of what she may have been killed over:Something called The Athena Device...
What the heck is that?

We still don't know, but Jessica apparently finds out and once again disappears from SHIELD's sight; she follows the evidence that leads her to one Otto Vermis, a Hydra bigwig that she easily seduces, under a false identity.
After her cover is blown aboard Vermis' luxury yatch, she narrowly escapes alive and she flees, but not before planting a nice little surprise under Otto Vermis' vessel.
A very explosive surprise.
(There's also a cool scene with a shark that shows how resourceful Jessica is)
Some weird lil things that add to the eerie atmosphere, like Jessica once again seeing a cow's head in place of Vermis' at some point)
It's like her mind is all messed up and the reader is privy to that.
Confusing but compelling...I can't stop reading.

More hints are dropped about the Athena Device thing, Jessica tracks down her father to an oil rig platform in the middle of nowhere, and Madame Hydra is about to make her entrance.
But before that happens, Jessica gets ready have a little conversation with her estranged dad, Jonathan Drew.
And she isn't too happy.

The pacing is fast and furious. I can't believe how fast this mini has moved, and all along, it has felt like a widescreen action epic...full of explosions, and intrigue and twists and surprises and mystery and more twists.
And all with a cool woman as the protagonist. (Bravo Bendis and Reed)

Issue 5 promises to finally reveal all the truth...hopefully we will know what exactly happened to Jessica in her childhood, what Hydra really did to her mind, what the heck is the Athena Device and why Miriam was killed for it and
most of all...(as far as I'm concerned)will Madame Hydra be revealed as Jessica's mother? (effectively retconning the retcon that undid that initial revelation from her original book?)

Will Jessica be revealed as an evolved spider? Will General Wyndham be revealed as a false memory? Will we see The High Evolutionary and Bova?
Can't find to see how this ends.

[Tobias March]

Sounds like it'll make a good trade. With this and Next Wave coming out in August in trade form I'll be happy. I hope the rumours of Marvel scaling back their trade publishing are false.

[Mr. Palmer]

So far, my favorite issue of the mini.

Whiplash, the seduction of Otto Vermis (creepy when you give it a few mental images), and the shark... I can dig it.

[EmmettHULK]

The Athena Device:Sounds to me like this has to do with how Hydra wanted to create an army of spider-soldiers back on some issues of Marvel Team-Up.
Wasn't Athena the goddess who turned Arachne into a spider?
(Arachne used to be Jessica's first codename)

[spike1205]

i bet jessica herself is the device

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

i bet jessica herself is the device

Interesting...

[Young Avenger]

I thought the issue was ok. Nothing great. I still can't get over how the Luna's draw Fury. He so flat and sad all the time. The way they draw his 5 o clock shadow is a joke.

[Eumenide No 2]

This was truly da freaking bomb!

The best issue so far...no question.
Everything is falling into place, and yet the air of WTF is still there.
Jessica shows again how smart, determined and all-around badass she is.
(But I hope she didn't sleep with Vermis...ewww)

And that thing with the shark...lol and DAMN! at the same time...

The Luna Bros keep doing art that looks like scenes from an action film, too cool...and there are some interesting details that foreshadow stuff I would love to see addressed next issue, like Jessica's relationship with Viper/Madame Hydra and Jessica's exact nature...is she a spider, evolved and is she a pawn of the High Evolutionary after all?
Why is hell does she keep having these visions of a cow and a werewolf?

Oh, and speaking of which...that scene that showed Miriem in bed, all slashed up,was definitely reminiscent of the scene in which that wolf killed her way back during one of those Evolutionary War books...
(I was thinking "Spider-Woman better hunt down Whiplash and beat his ass, but then she took care of it, and in a much more exciting way than I could imagine)

It has been a great mini-series so far, and I love every issue more than the previous one. This has certainly upped my Spider-Woman-Interest a million notches...
If the upcoming Spider-Woman ongoing book retains the frenetic pace and the action quotient of the mini , I am there for the long haul!

[Periscope]

I thought the issue was ok. Nothing great. I still can't get over how the Luna's draw Fury. He so flat and sad all the time. The way they draw his 5 o clock shadow is a joke.

Definitely agree with this. Thought the issue was alright, nothing really stood out in it though.

I can't stand the character designs (or lack thereof), which seem to include chubby man, thin man, and woman. Jessica looks pretty good, but every woman in this appears identical, and Nick Fury looks like he forgot to wash his face this morning :p

All in all I'm enjoying the mini and look forward to the ongoing.

[agrich]

I'm thinking the ongoing, by Bendis and Maleev, will be a whole lot better than this miniseries.

I don't know if the Luna Brothers are lazy artists or just not that good at drawing men, but Nick Fury and indeed most of the male characters are pretty rough, by which I mean only barely finished.

Storywise, I dunno, I had higher expectations than what the series has delivered.

I dunno, that's cool that some people are enjoying it, but I think the covers are the best thing about the series.

[TheMuertoCorpse]

I wanted to wait for the trade but a friend told me that this was excellent, so I checked # 1 and I'm hooked now(Glad I didn't wait)

In issue # 4 things are strting to come full circle, I think the moment with her mother at the hotel room was powerful and visceral, and the sequence with Vermis, the yatch and the shark was straight out of a James Bond film...and I mean that as a compliment...the good James Bond films) with Jessica playing both the James Bond and the Bond Girl roles.
Luna Bros have a very cinematic vision in this book, and I am loving it.
Bendis can really write the gals, and this is alongside Alias and daeredevil some of his strongest work, with no silly decompression to speak of, and lots of action.

Like it's been said before, if the ongoing is as good as this, I'm in.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

Another fantastic issue of a fantastic miniseries.

[Eric_Carnaby]

I am tempted to buy this.
I watched the Spider-Woman cartoon as a kid, and I liked it, but I don't know...her original book wasn't that great.
I hear so many good things about Origin...should I just wait for the trade?

Is Taskmaster really showing up in this mini?

[Young Avenger]

I am tempted to buy this.
I watched the Spider-Woman cartoon as a kid, and I liked it, but I don't know...her original book wasn't that great.
I hear so many good things about Origin...should I just wait for the trade?

Is Taskmaster really showing up in this mini?

Taskmaster showed up in issues 2 & 3. Since there is only one issue left you might as well wait for the trade.

[kcekada]

I don't know.

This Origin serires has me more confused than ever. I hope there's a huge pay off next issue, otherwise, put me in the camp who prefers the original origin.

At this point, not feeling too good about the upcoming Spider-Woman series.

[kcekada]

I thought the issue was ok. Nothing great. I still can't get over how the Luna's draw Fury. He so flat and sad all the time. The way they draw his 5 o clock shadow is a joke.

Ummm... every character they draw has virtually the same expression.

I will say that they can tell a story, but they don't have the kind of artwork that makes you want to go back and look at it.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

I am tempted to buy this.
I watched the Spider-Woman cartoon as a kid, and I liked it, but I don't know...her original book wasn't that great.
I hear so many good things about Origin...should I just wait for the trade?

Is Taskmaster really showing up in this mini?

He showed up in issues 2 and 3, and who knows, might show up in # 5.

Just go get the floppies...AND the trade :D

Seriously, it's a great read...loved everything Bendis and Reed have done...and like kcekada said, I hope there's a huge payoff and resolution and some questions answered, because there are some elemnts of the mini that are confusing me...
And yet, that's part of what I've loved...the fact that not everything has been put on the table completely, that there are some underlying questions to be answered...it's fun.

[EmmettHULK]

Loved the issue.
It was yet another perfect mix of action, characterization, and suspense.
Jessica has been really screwed over by Hydra;hopefully she gets to whoop their asses next issue.
So far she has been merciless and I expect no less from issue # 5.

Spoilers:

I think Madame Hydra will be revealed as Jessica's mother next issue.

Great book, great comic book action, great character.
I expect great things from the Spider-Woman ongoing series

[The Shadow]

I finally read the issue and I dunno... I felt underwhelmed. It just felt like another "Searching for Jessica" issue which we had the issue before.

Overall I'm loving the series but IMO this was the first mis-step... well, more like a little slip ;)

[SabrinaMorrell]

This latest issue has it all, and everything that makes me love the character.
She was at various points strong, vulnerable, badass, sexy and smart;
And the strong emotional arc that she's been through since issue # 1 (the search for Jessica, as Shadow puts it) is exactly what keeps me coming back for more.


I am looking forward to the denouement next issue, and anticipating the regular series that is planned for later in the year.

[Eric_Carnaby]

I couldn't help it, I bought all three issues today(I was lucky...the shop guy told me that the mini has been selling out consistently and he sold me his personal copies)

I am blown away.
The writing is solid, filled with great dialogue, razor-sharp suspense, vivid, explosive action and some great twists.
I was never a fan of Jessica, I thought her original series was lame, but this has completely floored me. I am definitely getting the Spider-Woman ongoing.


To me Bendis is strictly hit-and-miss, but this is 100 % hit.
And the art is great...I love weird, quirky, off-the-beaten-path artists...and The Luna Bros are just that.

A fantastic book.
Period.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

I couldn't help it, I bought all three issues today(I was lucky...the shop guy told me that the mini has been selling out consistently and he sold me his personal copies)

I am blown away.
The writing is solid, filled with great dialogue, razor-sharp suspense, vivid, explosive action and some great twists.
I was never a fan of Jessica, I thought her original series was lame, but this has completely floored me. I am definitely getting the Spider-Woman ongoing.


To me Bendis is strictly hit-and-miss, but this is 100 % hit.
And the art is great...I love weird, quirky, off-the-beaten-path artists...and The Luna Bros are just that.

A fantastic book.
Period.


Awesome! Another fan! :D
Glad you are enjoyingthis!
Don't forget to pick up the Spider-Woman ongoing, by Bendis and Maleev!

[Eric_Carnaby]

Awesome! Another fan! :D
Glad you are enjoyingthis!
Don't forget to pick up the Spider-Woman ongoing, by Bendis and Maleev!

I am, unquestionably! :)

[SalazarSleaze2]

To me Bendis is strictly hit-and-miss, but this is 100 % hit.
A fantastic book.
Period.


I agree.
And this last issue was very cool/slick , very Bond-esque, very fast and very good.

I am counting the days till the last issue...(and the inevitable resolution of all the mysteries)
I am loving how Bendis and Reed have managed to incorporate drama, action, intrigue and traditional superhero themes into a perfect fusion.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

Cool review from SilverBullet
http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/reviews/114286101285935.htm

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed
Artists: The Luna Brothers

Publisher: Marvel


Plot: Jessica is still tangled in Hydra’s arms, and Nick Fury’s allegiance just complicates things further. When she finds out her parents still live, she impulsively takes off on a solo undercover mission.

Comments: There’s one thing missing from this story, despite the respectful acknowledgement of the “works of Goodwin, Romita Sr., Buscema, Wolfman and Infantino” on the title page. In setting their story in mundane and familiar spy territory, Bendis and Reed undercut the sci-fi aspect of Spider-Woman’s origin. As her conception as a meta-human is the result of an accident by her scientist parents, there’s no place left in the story for the High Evolutionary.

He’s the sort of high-concept entity Bendis just doesn’t do; can you imagine him writing Galactus, or even the Watcher? A character like the Evolutionary is aloof and removed from normal reality, a comic book convention that drives and creates other characters, but is barely more than an idea himself. Here he’s so aloof as to be little more than a rumor, or a memory.

Instead, Bendis and Reed focus attention on Jessica as a dupe, pawn and victim of Hydra’s clandestine machinations and cultish zeal. Fury’s no-nonsense offer of assistance to Jessica cuts through their illusions, but with strategic manipulation of information rather than simple honesty. Jessica has no one to trust, and so she struggles to come to terms with her identity and origin, and with those missing years of her life where she was totally at Hydra’s mercy. She also has a badass streak, and a tendency towards final solutions, as her seducer Jared and her teacher the Taskmaster learned last issue.

Add that to her penchant for disguise and her ability to disappear into deep cover, and she’s formidable; it’s clear why Fury wants her on his side.

Visuals: Joshua Luna does the layouts, and Jonathan Luna does everything else, including colors. The mood has been remarkably consistent on this series, matching Jessica’s grim situation with a generally low-key, muted world, punctuated by odd visionary moments. Even the horrible revelations, like the murdered body of Jessica’s mother, are more lurid than disgusting. There’s a simple, storybook quality to the art (despite frequent gunfire) that is in synch with Jessica’s stunted growth, with a child that woke up one
day in a powerful adult body, surrounded by enemies.

Summation: This has been a compelling, coherent if downbeat series that has followed a main character and a limited supporting cast through escalating predicaments. It looks fit to make sure all the guns left on the mantelpiece during the story will be fired in the final chapter.

[Annie get your Rum]

I think it was a great issue.
Still alittle confused by the sporadic glimpses of a cow's head and a werewolf (wtf?) but I have a feeling it will be explained in the last issue, which can't be out fast enough.
I even like the art, I think it perfectly fits the story.

Poor Miriam...was that really her?

And Whiplash...I remember him from an old Marvel Team-Up between Spidey and Iron Man.

very good ride so far, Hope the concluding chapter doesn't disappoint.

[Doom Hammer]

This was a good issue. Jessica is quite a little rebel.

I'm looking forward to the Bendis/Maleev series more. I'm been going through withdrawl, since they ended their Daredevil run.

I can't get into the Luna Bros. art. Seriously, sometimes I wonder why I'M not drawing comics for Marvel, when they're hiring these guys. Their art is by no means bad, just...very, very plain.

I know sometimes "less is more" and all that, which is why I can believe that I'm simply missing something, but I'm not a big fan, regardless.

BRING ON MALEEV!

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

http://www.noisetosignal.org/comics/2006/03/alternate-cover-19th-march-2006.php#more

Spider-Woman Origin #4
Marvel
• Writers Brian Reed & Brian Bendis
• Artwork The Luna Bros.

This issue continues the overhauling of Spider-Woman's origin in preparation for her ongoing series by Bendis & Maleev. You damn well know I'll be jumping on that one as soon as it's available. In the mean time, we've got Brian Reed, who recently impressed me with his opening issue of Ms. Marvel, and the Luna Bros. who have made quite the name for themselves with their series Ultra, at Image.

With one issue left to go, Jessica is reunited with her parents. Following what she goes through in this issue, she'd probably rather have skipped those particular reunions. I'm finding that this series has been most instrumental in helping us new Jessica Drew fans understand the moral ambiguity and unspecific loyalties that pervade the character in her current appearances. Reed and co-writer Bendis are well aware that right now, she's not the hero she'll become, and is being driven almost exclusively by the chance for revenge.

There's a lot of hype around the Luna Bros. which I'm not sure I understand. Perhaps they're better writers than artists, because I'm certainly not feeling anything from the art alone. It's all grossly under-inked, every character is flat as if they have been traced as outlines on a photo - at least when Greg Land does it, he's remembers to add some shading. The backgrounds are all a mess of blurred computer colouring - a stylistic choice, yes, but not one I'm enjoying. It's not so bad as to distract me from the story, but when I think about what Maleev's surely about to do with the character, I find that I just can't wait for them to be gone.

Still, the package is worth your interest. I'm finding that it is, if nothing else, excellently paced. I'm not sure how it'll read in a trade but it's working very well in the monthly format. There's only one more issue to go, and while it's little more than a re-telling of previous convoluted origin stories, it's certainly worth a little interest if you're going to be following the character in her new series.
B.

[Kaskratiski]

This was a good issue. Jessica is quite a little rebel.

I'm looking forward to the Bendis/Maleev series more. I'm been going through withdrawl, since they ended their Daredevil run.
BRING ON MALEEV!

AMEN!

I am looking forward to that too.

This was a great issue, but was that really Jessica's mother?
I have to ask, because we have seen how Jessica's mind is playing tricks one her, so who knows...
Issue # 5 will most likely be amazing...everything has to fall into place, and I expect nothing but Bendis' A-game.

[blackbolt]

I'm really enjoying this miniseries, but the spelling of her mother's name fluctuates between 'Miriam' and 'Merriam' (I think between issue one and two) and it really irritated me.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

I thought the original name was Merriem...
But I didn't see any different spellings from issue 1 to 2.

[geewaiho]

skimmed through the issue, gross, jessie does it with that OAP, not that theres anything wrong with liking older men, but the skin of his chin was down to his chest, gross.
Well you cant fault jessie in not giving 100% in what she does.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

skimmed through the issue, gross, jessie does it with that OAP, not that theres anything wrong with liking older men, but the skin of his chin was down to his chest, gross.
Well you cant fault jessie in not giving 100% in what she does.


I am not 100 % she actually slpet with him...his words sounded like he was talking about how disgusted he was at the possibility of her sleeping with him just to get some info, but it wasn't 100 % explicitly stated she did...
It looked like she was waiting for him to get the champagne(she mentioned it) to proceed with her seduction...
But the scene could be taken in either direction.

But yes, it would be gross if she did.
But I can understand her desperation to find her mother's killer and to serve him with her brand of justice...

[Haunt]

Jessica's a geritol-chaser! and i thought Wanda was kinky! :eek:

[Babylon23]

First off, let me say that I'm really enjoying this series. It's one of the few books I've read by Bendis in recent times that has actually entertained and enthralled me.

However, there is one thing I'm a little confused about. With Wyndham now a general and not a scientist, and the suggestion that Spider-Woman is hallucinating much of her original origin, does this invalidate the High Evolutionary's history. I'm a little confused by this aspect of the story.

[Spiderchick1974]

I think it will all be explained in issue # 5.
There was a glimpse of the High Evolutionary in issue # 3, I think...

I doubt Bendis would radically mess with the H E, who is a very big part of the Marvel Universe across the board...

[Babylon23]

You're probably right. I may be jumping the gun a little, since the story hasn't concluded yet. I just hope this isn't another continuity problem along the lines of "Wanda was always crazy" or "Chaos magic doesn't exist".

[TimmyTony]

That was a hell of a book.
Loved the entire thing, especially how Jessica disposed of Vermis and Whiplash.
(loved the bit with the shark too)


Jessica is easily turning into Marvel's top superheroine, and with her upcoming regular series, it's inevitable her ascent(comeback) into the A-list will be complete.

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

You're probably right. I may be jumping the gun a little, since the story hasn't concluded yet. I just hope this isn't another continuity problem along the lines of "Wanda was always crazy" or "Chaos magic doesn't exist".

Did you see the new previews for next issue? (# 5)

[Kaskratiski]

The new issue comes out today, doean't it?

I can't wait to get to my LCS!!