REVIEW: ‘Spider-Woman,’ Issue #11

Spider-Woman #11 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Karla Pacheco, art by Pere Pérez, colors by Frank D’armata, and letters by Travis Lanham. Having acquired a cure for the disease that was killing her, Jessica Drew was able to return home to her son and boyfriend. With her return to her “normal” life, Jessica looks to bring one last detail of her world back to the way it was before her near-death experience at the hands of her homicidal mom clones.

As our story opens, we find Jessica and her boyfriend Roger out getting a new suit made for her. Or rather an old suit remade. It seems Jessica is going back to her iconic orange suit she is famous for. While it makes sense to have Jessica return to her classic look, I gotta admit, I really loved the new design. But, if going back to something that Jessica associates with happier times is what she needs, I won’t begrudge Pacheco for taking her back to the classic.

Once the shopping is done, Spider-Woman #11 sees the couple stop to have dinner out. Unfortunately, the calm meal is cut short as a pair of villains attacks the bank across the street. While Jessica is clearly eager to break in her new super threads, I felt so bad for Roger in this sequence. The character clearly wants to do something for Jessica, but Jessica is so caught up in herself she can’t see what he is going through. Pacheco’s script delivers Roger’s struggle throughout this book in a way that makes the character feel sympathetic while managing to not make Jessica feel heartless toward him. She’s just caught up in herself at the moment. It’s not how it should be, but it happens sometimes.

The last element of Spider-Woman #11′s story I have to mention is the new villains. From the utterance of their first lines, Pacheco has clearly set out to establish these two in the category of “villains you love to hate”. These two are real pieces of work, and I hope to see Jessica mop the floor with both of them soon.

Between Roger’s struggles, Jessica’s acrobatic battle with the newest villains on the block, and this book’s trademark wit, there are a lot of different tones sewn through this narrative by Pacheco’s writing. Happily, artist Pérez not only delivers the various tones of the book but enhances the book’s various moods amazingly. While this book is overflowing with the artist’s fantastic efforts, the best is saved for last as Pérez delivers the most memorable panel of the book on its final page.

Helping bring even more punch to the fantastic linework in Spider-Woman #11 is D’armarta’s eye-catching colors. D’armata’s most striking contribution to the art here is the excellent approach to shading brought to this book. Light and shadow are utilized here to not only heighten the shape and depth of objects but also to deftly focus the reader on key aspects of the art.

Rounding out the book’s presentation is Lanham’s letters. Lanham delivers the perfect amount of emphasis on the text’s visual design. With plenty of bold, or alternate fonts utilized to give the high-energy moments some extra punch Lanham uses the text to not just convey the story but also enhance its already abundant energy.

Summing it all up, Spider-Woman #11 delivers a great start to this new story. With Jessica losing herself in the moment, and Roger struggling to be heard, I cannot help but look forward to how Pacheco and company bring these two back into sync.

Spider-Woman #11 is available now wherever comics are sold.