Twenty-five years ago, the Marvel Universe got a little darker when Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos introduced us to Jessica Jones in the pages of Alias. This March, the hard-boiled private investigator returns to the shadows in ALIAS: RED BAND #1. Written by Sam Humphries with art by Geraldo Borges, this new series leans into its “Red Band” rating, delivering the kind of unfiltered, noir-soaked storytelling that defined the character’s debut.
Check out the preview below:
ALIAS: RED BAND #1 by Sam Humphries and Geraldo Borges
A Marriage Under Pressure
Life hasn’t exactly slowed down for Jessica. While she’s still pounding the pavement in Hell’s Kitchen, she’s now doing so under the intense spotlight of City Hall as the wife of New York City’s Mayor, Luke Cage. This high-profile marriage is creating a friction that might be Jessica’s toughest case yet.
Writer Sam Humphries notes that the political life is taking a toll:
“It’s not looking good for New York City’s first couple. Being a mayor sounds like a great idea, but the reality is tearing them apart. It’s driving Jessica to do things she’d never thought she’d do, like hide things from Luke and lie about it. All of that is going to bite her in the ass, and if you’re married to a politician, that’s never good.”
ALIAS: RED BAND #1 by Sam Humphries and Geraldo Borges
The Unlikely Alliance: Enter Typhoid Mary
To solve a grisly string of murders, Jessica is forced into a partnership that no one saw coming: the Kingpin’s lethal right-hand, Typhoid Mary. Meeting under the worst possible circumstances—jail—the two must find a way to work together despite their mutual loathing.
Humphries explains the volatile dynamic:
“They can’t stand each other, kinda hate each other’s guts, but there’s a string of murders happening in Hell’s Kitchen that’s beyond anything either of them has ever seen. Jessica has investigated a lot of crimes, but she’s never really had to do it with a partner. They’re so oil and water, I knew it would be volatile, and they’d be at each other’s throats.”
ALIAS: RED BAND #1 by Sam Humphries and Geraldo Borges
Embracing the Red Band
Fans of the original MAX series will be pleased to know that this book isn’t pulling any punches. The creative team is using the Red Band label to push the boundaries of Jessica’s world, both visually and narratively.
“It’s so exciting, I lost control and accidentally wrote a ton of blood and guts into the script,” says Humphries. “Geraldo Borges and Arthur Hesli are really killing it on the art and colors… The Red Band rating lets us get back to Jessica’s gritty, MAX roots, but also to push her into new territory.”
ALIAS: RED BAND #1 by Sam Humphries and Geraldo Borges
Looking Ahead: The Postcard King
The mystery deepens by issue #3, where Jessica and Mary hunt down a deranged figure known as The Postcard King. This suspect uses letters to manipulate his victims, but he may just be a small part of a much larger, more dangerous network of killers.
ALIAS: RED BAND #3
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES
Art by GERALDO BORGES
Cover by DAVID MACK
On Sale 5/20
