To Know Her Is To Fear Her: Jessica Drew The Spider-Woman Appreciation 2024

[Chris0013]

I agree, with the key there being the way they have often written her since becoming Madame Web. It isn't so much being "Madame Web" itself that's the problem; its the way it changed her portrayal so much. Many times her personality has been unrecognizable. Her daughter Rachel has been almost entirely forgotten or ignored. Julia as Madame Web should still be Julia -- just with some new powers in the mix. I am grateful that Steve Foxe seems to be restoring Madame Web to being "Julia Carpenter" again instead of just "generic cryptic precog".

This. Instead of just showing up and making cryptic statements she should be showing up in places her pre-cog powers lead her to and dealing with issues herself.

[Frontier]

I agree, with the key there being the way they have often written her since becoming Madame Web. It isn't so much being "Madame Web" itself that's the problem; its the way it changed her portrayal so much. Many times her personality has been unrecognizable. Her daughter Rachel has been almost entirely forgotten or ignored. Julia as Madame Web should still be Julia -- just with some new powers in the mix. I am grateful that Steve Foxe seems to be restoring Madame Web to being "Julia Carpenter" again instead of just "generic cryptic precog".

I guess it's just hard not to connect her being Madame Web to the writing issues, she's usually the most clunky and uninteresting thing in Spider-Man stories where she shows up (though I guess that's usually what Madame Web is to people except when she's voiced by Joan Lee and is straight up unlikable ).

[Matternativ]

The covered eyes/open eyes costuming factor - and how it usually is decided to allow actors to make use of more of their faces in their performance - got me looking for examples of Jessica's mask being portrayed as dynamic and expressive (as Spider-Man's often are and have been successfully adapted Tom Holland's Spidey) vs just being static expressionless lenses. Not a lot of examples of Jessica's classic mask having expressions...so I wonder which way a movie adaptation would chose to go...or if they would go with the sunglasses lenses/mask as a happy medium (as seen in the Mattie Franklin and Arana characters in MADAME WEB).

[IMG]

Big fan of expressive eyes on Jess's mask.

[Frontier]

Big fan of expressive eyes on Jess's mask.

She wears the white eyes well .

[Dream Boy]

Nice to see Jess and Julia interacting and Julia acting more like well Julia.

[danielsan52]

Nice to see Jess and Julia interacting and Julia acting more like well Julia.

Agreed.

Marc Gruenwald brought Spider-Woman back in a Sensational Spider-Man Annual

It was there she first met Julia. Shadowoman (Sepulchre) and Lindsay were also involved. Shadowoman took Jessica’s costume before adapting her own and she was also linked to Magnus.

[Thirteen]

Agreed.

Marc Gruenwald brought Spider-Woman back in a Sensational Spider-Man Annual

It was there she first met Julia. Shadowoman (Sepulchre) and Lindsay were also involved. Shadowoman took Jessica’s costume before adapting her own and she was also linked to Magnus.

Was the fact that Jillian was just wearing a recolored version of Jessica's costume ever actually acknowledged on panel? It felt like the creative team just missed the design and recycled it for us to exercise of willing disbelief.

[HestiasHearth]

So, did Spider-Woman # 1 sell at all??? I don't see in the list of the top selling comics for november 2023 or December. WTF

https://icv2.com/articles/markets/vi...-november-2023

https://icv2.com/articles/markets/vi...-december-2023

[danielsan52]

So, did Spider-Woman # 1 sell at all??? I don't see in the list of the top selling comics for november 2023 or December. WTF

https://icv2.com/articles/markets/vi...-november-2023

https://icv2.com/articles/markets/vi...-december-2023

I hate seeing stuff like this. Marvel should promote the book more.

[Frontier]

I guess Gang War isn't doing too hot.

[danielsan52]

Gang War is doing well but Female led titles don’t do as well.

Dec 2023 Female lead titles

[kcekada]

Yikes! Carol's new series (how many series has she had this century?!) looks like a failure, but Jess's isn't doing much better. I think SW need a better story to launch it. Frankly, I never gave a crap about her kid as I thought the writer who came up with the pregnancy story was smoking to much ganja.

[Frontier]

Yikes! Carol's new series (how many series has she had this century?!) looks like a failure, but Jess's isn't doing much better. I think SW need a better story to launch it. Frankly, I never gave a crap about her kid as I thought the writer who came up with the pregnancy story was smoking to much ganja.

It does feel like the past few runs have had to really workaround her being a mom and having a kid.

[HestiasHearth]

I do remember, however, that the first issue of Karla Pacheco/Pete Perez' Spider-Woman relaunch ranked at # 1 on the March 2020 Top Selling lists. So, regardless of how many variants or whatnot, clearly Marvel put marketing effort behind the book and there was audience interest. But this time...what the eff happened? Not even in the top fifty??


ETA: not gonna lie: I never cared for Jessica having a kid or for the insistently funny voice that they gave her as of late. No, I am not one of those who hate comedy in comic books, but I always loved that Jessica was as different from Peter Parker as night and day (just like I love She-Hulk for being funny and vivacious and so different from Hulk, I loved Spider-Woman for being moody, sullen-ish, and darker, hence distinct from Spider-man). Nowadays, Jessica seems like a product from the MCU assembly line (and I DO NOT hate the MCU assembly line), all full of quips, pop culture winks, and humor that seems out of place.

[HestiasHearth]

Her costume is so iconic. I love it.

I'm so glad it made a come back.

I feel her costume is ridiculously simple, effective, and as you said, iconic. I never understood changing it, and I don't think anything they have tried with it has worked as beautifully as her OG togs.