When the Mayor’s Wife is a Superhero

Alias: Red Band #1 main cover by David Mack (Marvel Comics)

The following article is an analysis and review of the recent Marvel Comics’ book, Alias: Red Band #1, featuring Jessica Jones by Sam Humphries

Jessica Jones is still the same self-depreciating investigator who can’t let go of a hunch. Despite the gruesome nature of her cases, Jess’ ability to look away is nonexistent.

This holds true when she returns to her old apartment-office and stumbles upon the dead bodies of her neighbors Mrs. Hopkins alongside her daughter Lucy. Jess becomes suspicious after seeing their piled up mail and a blood-mouthed rat crawling out of their door. She breaks in and after spotting signs of an abandoned home, it finally hits her after she sees the Hopkins’ decaying bodies being fed on by the rodents. The detective also spots a symbol, a thin octagram carved into Lucy’s hand.

A horrified Jess doesn’t even get a minute to process it, as she’s photographed breaking and entering by a paparazzi. Eventually, it makes the front page.

“Mayor’s wife”. Jesus, I have a name. They know that.

Her investigative nature is what makes her Jessica Jones, it’s essentially her purpose. However, in the wake of her husband Luke Cage’s mayorship, her investigative nature is a headline. It becomes something to poke at by the media, and she’s consistently reduced into being nothing more than the Mayor of New York City’s wife.

The ramifications are strong, as Jess can no longer be herself without implicating those close to her on a high scale. What doesn’t help is that she retains her blunt, aggressive manner of speaking. Jess doesn’t like to politick, which compounds the stress of the one she’s arguing with, this case being Luke Cage.

“I am not ‘the mayor’s wife’!

I don’t remember you serving me divorce papers.

Not yet.”

-JJ & Luke

Chains

The divorce papers aren’t here yet, and probably never will be despite what Jess says. Despite their love for each other, this is a chain. Every action creates a reaction for Luke, as many people still don’t accept a former vigilante for mayor. His wife’s actions only serve to fuel the fire.

But Jess NEEDS to investigate, both to help others out and to deliver justice. When clues pop up, when she can piece an investigation together, it won’t leave her mind. Even when she heads to a bar to try and drink the thoughts of her marital argument away.

Yet, they remain, and it doesn’t help when Typhoid Mary–Wilson Fisk’s wife– arrives at the bar.

“Only a woman dressed in hot pink would be insane enough to marry The Kingpin. She does look good though.”

After a brief conversation of bantering and dry humor, Mary tells Jess she should continue to inspect the murders. Jess agrees but can’t due to Luke, until Mary shows her a recorded video that didn’t make the news coverage of the incident.

It features a man holding a postcard and surrounded by the same rats from the beginning of the issue, stating that “the king” is on the way. He carves the same symbol from Lucy’s hand into his, before telling the viewer to show this video to “the man with the desk a million feet wide”, presumably Mayor Luke Cage.

Typhoid Mary reveals that the killer on video was caught by the mob, during which another murder occurred. There’s more than one killer, and three hired investigators were already killed by the others.

“Which I guess makes you the fourth-best investigator in Hell’s Kitchen.

Screw you.”

Jessica tries to avoid accepting Typhoid Mary’s offer of resources and knowledge to work this case. She knows working with the mob will come adjacent to complications and morality clashes, However, every pivot or counteroffer she makes is accepted by Mary.

“We’ll be like… Mulder and Scully! Bert and Ernie! Thelma and Louise!

Thelma and Louise died.

Oh, you’re no fun.”

Jess eventually accepts because she wants to solve the case. After all, her neighbors were murdered.

“As if I was going to say no. I knew I was going to investigate the case the second I left Luke’s office…and if I have to go underground to do it, then I guess that’s where I’ll go.”

The story ends with a flash to the future. Jessica Jones is in court with Matt Murdock next to her as presumably her legal counsel, as she’s being questioned under oath of when she conspired with Typhoid Mary to break New York law and conduct an illegal investigation. Much like most of the issue, even the end comes back to Luke, as she’s asked when she decided to “jeopardize her husband’s political career.”

The Crown

The cover art and final page feature imagery that looks like an abstract Crown of Thorns surrounding Jessica. On the final page, the art is layered into snapshots, like a photograph. They symbolize the headline-capturing pictures that have come to define both her marriage and career.

Alongside graffiti on the cover page that reads “Queen of New York”, it’s no secret that these photographs have allowed the weight of New York’s crown to hammer down on the former PI.

Final Thoughts

This was one of the best first issues I have personally ever read. It’s fleshed with character layers as soon as one turns the first page and watches Jessica wrestle with the pull of returning to her PI work. The art and text compliment each other magnificently, and the dry humor is some of the most enjoyable I’ve seen in a Marvel book. It’s a great jumping on point for new fans of the character, and it holds true to a lot of Jessica Jones’ character philosophy.

Things in Jessica’s life always end up spiraling into chaos, as if she was a magnet. She went back to the office looking for her daughter’s narwhal toy, and ended up in the most chaotic of situations. This one has ramifications beyond the usual though, and it’s intriguing to see how this’ll affect both her marriag and Luke’s future as New York City’s mayor, despite the unfortunate circumstance of all her life’s events being tied so closely to the mayorship.

Final Rating: 9.5/10