| Alias | |
|---|---|
Promotional art for cover of Alias #28 Art by David Mack and Mark Bagley |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | MAX |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Crime |
| Publication date | November 2001 – January 2004 |
| Number of issues | 28 |
| Main character(s) | Jessica Jones |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Brian Michael Bendis |
| Artist(s) | Michael Gaydos |
| Letterer(s) | Oscar Gongora Richard Starkings Cory Petit |
| Colorist(s) | Matt Hollingsworth |
| Creator(s) | Brian Michael Bendis Michael Gaydos |
| Editor(s) | Nanci Dakesian Kelly Lamy Stuart Moore Joe Quesada |
| Collected editions | |
| Omnibus | ISBN 0-7851-2121-8 |
Alias is a comic book series created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos. It was published by Marvel Comics under Marvel's MAX imprint for a total of 28 issues from 2001 to 2004.
The protagonist of Alias is Jessica Jones, a former costumed superhero named Jewel who left that avocation to become a private investigator. The running thread is Jessica's character development, as the layers of her past and personality are revealed to the reader while, simultaneously, she tries to come to terms with them herself.
Characters from the series moved to Brian Michael Bendis' subsequent series The Pulse.
Contents |
Alias was written by Bendis and illustrated for most of its run by Michael Gaydos, with covers by David Mack.
Alias was one of the titles that launched Marvel's "R-Rated" MAX imprint, and was reported[1] to have been one of the reasons the imprint was created. Marvel Publishing President Bill Jemas read a draft of the script for the first issue of Alias (which, characteristically, starts with the word "fuck") and exclaimed "Why couldn't we publish this?"[1]
Being under the MAX imprint imposed certain other limitations on what the creators could do in the series. They were not allowed, for example, to use many of Marvel's most famous characters, such as Spider-Man (with the exception of one cameo). Bendis gave this as one reason in afterword to Alias #28 for ending the series and moving the characters to The Pulse.
Asked to look for a missing woman, Jessica finds herself caught in a conspiracy involving Captain America and the president of the United States. Later, her friend Carol Danvers hooks her up with Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man. Subsequently she is hired to find the recently missing Rick Jones.
Other characters appearing in the arc include Daredevil (as Jessica's attorney Matt Murdock), Captain America, and second-tier villain Man Mountain Marko.
Jessica Jones is assigned to look for a missing girl rumoured to be a mutant in a small, prejudiced town.
J. Jonah Jameson asks Jessica to uncover Spider-Man's identity. Later, Mattie Franklin, the latest Spider-Woman, goes missing and Jessica is asked to find her. When she does, she discovers a criminal underworld that sells the drug known as the Mutant Growth Hormone. Along the way, Jones meets an unexpected ally in Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman, who is also investigating Franklin's disappearance.
Jessica's origins, including her source of powers, how she became a superhero, and why she quit are revealed.
The series was collected into a number of trade paperbacks:
The series won the Comics Buyer's Guide Award for "Favorite Comic Series" in 2003, and the Harvey Award for "Best New Series" in 2002.
The series was also nominated for two Eisner Awards in 2004: "Best Continuing Series" and "Best Serialized Story" (for "The Secret Origin of Jessica Jones" & "Purple" in Alias #22-28).[2]
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