Review: The Variants #1

Jessica Jones is having a Crisis and our enjoyment is Infinite. Gail Simone may be the ideal writer to create a team book only starring Jessica Jones. Phil Noto might just be giving us the best work of his career. The Variants #1 is just the beginning of the madness but we are already getting the adventure of many lifetimes. Phil Noto is just perfect as the artist for this series fully capturing the range of human and heroic moments.

The issue starts off with a very familiar feel as Jessica remembering good times with friends in a coffee shop. She remembers meeting Brinina who helps her try on various ‘identities’ of lipstick as she prepared to marry Luke Cage. We then come back to the present where Daredevil swoops in to help Jessica as she mysteriously passes out. He reminds her to come to court the next day to support another victim of the Purple Man.

Jessica wakes remembering the anniversary of Killgrave’s mind control approaches. She goes to the coffee shop and takes down a group of gangsters with amazing underplayed style. She goes to the court and discovers Maria had a reactivation of the Killgrave mind control ten years after the initial incident. Jessica leaves angry and disbelieving, but mostly scared as her own ten year anniversary of abduction by Killgrave is the next day.

Jessica arrives home to an intruder that turns out to be a doppelgänger. As they battle a third version of Jessica arrives wielding the shield and symbol of Captain America. This entire roller coaster of an issue is filled with tense humor, anguish, nostalgia and action.

Phil Noto can make even the simplest conversation dynamic and somehow makes us feel every moment in the action scenes. This combination of Simone’s off over the top humor with Noto’s more understated style is an unexpected creative collaboration that really works. Noto and Simone are like players in an orchestra where each of their skills are lifted by the other to the point that the entire work is better than the sum of its parts. Every part of this book is effortless, interesting character work with a fascinating examination of the many parts which make up Jessica Jones.

Writing: 5 of 5 stars

Art: 4.8 of 5 stars

Colors: 4.8 of 5 stars

Overall: 4.9 of 5 stars

Writer: Gail Simone

Art: Phil Noto

Letters: Cory Petit

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.