Those of you who paid for Marvel’s new Spider-Woman motion comic on iTunes… well, I’ve got some bad news for you, and good news for the rest of us: the whole thing is now available for free on Hulu.
I’ve complained loudly about motion comics before, but I managed to enjoy this one quite a bit. Mostly, this is thanks to Brian Michael Bendis’s typically naturalistic, believable dialogue – and his immense love for Spider-Woman. Jessica Drew is just one of a number of obscure characters whom Bendis has plucked from years of disuse and ridicule, and turned into complex, intriguing bundles of psyche. For his turn at Spider-Woman, Bendis is joined by Alex Maleev, who is one of the best illustrators today in terms of setting a moody, noirish tone. Maleev’s gritty, realistic art style perfectly fits a story that is more spy-thriller than superhero comic. The two previously teamed up for a legendary run on Daredevil that – well, if you haven’t read it, just go out and grab that right now. Seriously. Right this second. Do it. It’s that good.
But back to Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman.
Marvel devotees will remember Jessica’s recent return to Earth, after being kidnapped and replaced by the Skrull queen for a number of years. In the wake of the Skrull invasion, Drew is trying to find a place for herself in a brave new world. Currently, that involves being an agent of the Sentient World Observation and Response Department (S.W.O.R.D.), whose job it is to protect the Earth from alien threats. To this end, she is sent to Madripoor, to hunt and destroy any Skrull cells still in operation after the end of the Secret Invasion.
Of course, things get a little messy when Madame Hydra decides to get involved.
The voice acting is passable (though Wolverine most certainly does not sound like that), and some cool original animation pops up occasionally to aid the standard “static images moving slowly across the screen” motion comic format. As I said, it’s not my favorite medium, and I’d much rather read it in comic form – which I will, once the trade comes out. Until then, this is a fine (and free!) way to get your hands on a very compelling story that is both well-written and exquisitely drawn.
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