Jessica Jones #14 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis / Artist: Michael Gaydos / Marvel Comics

There’s a lot going on, like Brian Michael Bendis moving to DC Comics with an exclusivity deal just as Jessica Jones is starting get to get good. Focused on that latter though, Jessica Jones #14 picks up where the promise of issue #13 left off by having a complete conversation between Jessica and Killgrave through the voice of her own daughter, and it’s as creepy as you could have imagined. The last page of issue #13 – that nerve-rattling climax – multiplied by about 7 pages as one-third of the issue takes place with Jessica gripped in fear and inner dialogue on the moral quandary of her most evil villain speaking to her through the most beloved person in her life, a child any parent would protect. If the child were to attack her, would she kill her own child being used as a tool for Killgrave? Or would she let herself die, and her child live the rest of their life knowing they killed their mother with no explanation of why? Lose-lose.

The issue also bases itself in our favorite friendship between Jessica and Carol Danvers, a friendship of love and mutual respect. And trust, most of all. Artistically, Gaydos does a great job capturing the mannerisms and expressions of a person being mind-controlled versus when they return to themselves, and it manifests in an especially creepy way when the person being mind-controlled is a child. The downward-tilting camera angle, the slight smirk of amusement and control – it really is unsettling and knocks those scenes out the park. Equally amazing are Jessica’s calm reactions of introspection and fear, and the catharsis of emotion when she is given her daughter back. Jessica Jones is a powerhouse of suppressed emotion.

Overall, Jessica Jones #14 fulfills the promise of the issue that preceded it and continues an arc that is, and likely will be, the strongest yet. Be excited to stick around and see the what comes of the Purple Man, what steps Jessica has to take to overcome him, and how much it may break her in the process.

9.5 out of 10

Reading Jessica Jones? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.

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  • Jordan Calhoun is a writer in New York City. His forthcoming debut book "Piccolo Is Black" is a celebration of the common adaptations we made while non-diverse pop culture helped us form identities. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and Criminal Justice, B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Japanese, and an M.P.A. in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy. He might solve a mystery, or rewrite history. Find him on Instagram and Twitter @JordanMCalhoun

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