If You Wrote Comics: Jessica Jones

[The Dying Detective]

In light of Luke Cage getting an If You Wrote Comics thread I decided to pull the trigger and do one for his darling wife and owner of Alias Investigations; Jessica Jones-Cage. As always just imagine if Marvel gave you full reign to do anything you want to her, her rogues gallery, and supporting cast (if there are any enemies and supporting character exclusive to her). As always let loose, live, enjoy and maybe find a new direction for her. And I'll throw my hat in and just start with making her and Luke co-owners of Alias Investigations.

[kcekada]

I think she worked best on the periphery of the Marvel U. Once she was part of the action (New Avengers), I didn't feel she worked as well.

[gurkle]

I would lean hard into the idea of JJ as a private detective who investigates mysteries in the Marvel universe. It would be sort of a serious version of Slott's She-Hulk, which ran with the comedy potential of a law firm in the Marvel universe and how the law applies to the characters and tropes we're familiar with. Jessica could look at the seamy, sleazy side of the Marvel universe - adultery, petty crime , blackmail.

The original run had some of this, but since it avoided having too many obscure continuity references, there is a wealth of stuff that Jessica could expose. Basically there is a lot of gritty stuff out there that is too petty for the superheroes to deal with. But how is it different in a superhero universe than it is in our universe?

[responsarbre]

Yeah, Jessica looking at the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe was always the secret sauce that made Alias (and the more enjoyable sections of The Pulse) work. I think the last run veered into "personal family drama" a little too often for its own good (perhaps under the influence of the Netflix adaptation, which also prioritized stuff related to Jessica's life over Jessica actually working cases). I think Bendis actually has tried his hands at some semi-obscure continuity; the short Bendis/Gaydos story in the 75th anniversary special is sort of a fun investigation of an old Golden Age mystery. We just need more of that. Jessica is unique to have a certain outsider's view on the Marvel Universe, which is always what made her appealing as a character.

I would also maybe bring in Dakota North and a couple other of the PI characters at Marvel. I think the best way at dealing with characters that are overly similar is to stick them in a room together and show how they think and act differently from each other. Bendis did this with Jessica Drew in his original run and it was a lot of fun, and that tactic is something that Brubaker also used with a lot of the different espionage characters in Marvel to great effect; it was immensely helpful that we saw how Black Widow, Bucky, Sharon Carter, and Nick Fury all had distinct ways of approaching problems, fighting, and interacting with other people.

[kilderkin]

If I did, the purple man would never show up again and I'd give her some new villains to deal with

[Tiamatty]

I'd probably do a Jessica/Luke duo book. I talked about that in the Luke Cage thread.

[ed2962]

I agree with what a couple of people have said in that part of what made the Max series work was that it was the sleazy underbelly of the Marvel Universe thru the eyes of a hero with serious self esteem/self loathing issues. Bringing her into the mainstream 616 undercuts much of that but I think a taste of it could still remain, even at a PG-13 level.

One thing I'd want to explore is former heroes and villains who have faded from public view, but may or may not still be active...some in costume and some not. Maybe Willow The Wisp is now a bouncer at a strip club or something. Rocket Racer does a YouTube Channel now. That sort of thing.

Also, I'd try hard to maybe it a detective comic. People come to her with typical cases...missing persons, cheating spouses, unsolved murders. Sometimes they lead to bigger adventures, sometimes they stay at a human level.

[The Dying Detective]

If I did, the purple man would never show up again and I'd give her some new villains to deal with

Care to name a few villains who can fight Jessica?

[XPac]

Care to name a few villains who can fight Jessica?

I'd like her to do a story with Purple Girl personally.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd like her to do a story with Purple Girl personally.

Purple Girl is one Kilgrave's daughter isn't she?

[Carabas]

Care to name a few villains who can fight Jessica?

Mostly new, original creations if it were me.

[The Dying Detective]

Mostly new, original creations if it were me.

Nothing is out of bounds have a go and try to make new villains for her to fight. New characters often mean new stories can be told.

[Carabas]

Nothing is out of bounds have a go and try to make new villains for her to fight. New characters often mean new stories can be told.

That's the backwards way to go about it.
You don't make up a cool badass villain and then come up with a story to put him in.
Story comes first, and any created characters come from the needs of the story.

[The Dying Detective]

That's the backwards way to go about it.
You don't make up a cool badass villain and then come up with a story to put him in.
Story comes first, and any created characters come from the needs of the story.

I do that too but sometimes I tend to do the opposite so that I can have something to work with. And also at Marvel and DC character tends to come first because they existed long before you and were born and often times the writers have to craft stories revolving around the character not the other way around.

[Carabas]

...and often times the writers have to craft stories revolving around the character not the other way around.

I am unconvinced writers at DC and Marvel are forced to make Captain Cold or Wrecking Crew or whatever stories.