Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman goes toe-to-toe with none other than herself?! The fight against herself will test her in the worst way possible.
In the Devil’s Reign storyline, Wilson Fisk has switched his roles. Dropping the name of Kingpin, in favor of New York’s Mayor. He is now looking to make the Avengers’ life a living hell. Spider-Woman is his latest victim. Thunderbolts were sent in to assault Lindsey McCabe, Jessica’s friend, and business partner. Adding to that, Jessica’s son, Gerry is abducted by a Thunderbolt and a Skrull. The former queen, Veranke, masquerading as Spider-Woman. To add to the insanity of the situation, Jessica believed her to be dead. With all this going on, it is up to Jessica to confront her past and save her baby boy.
We first see Linda Carter aka Night Nurse handing over Gerry to “Spider-Woman”. Both Night Nurse and Gerry are suspicious of Jessica, especially Gerry. Veranke, impersonating Spider-Woman, is about to put Gerry in a van. Night Nurse then realizes that this is not the real Jessica. She attempts to retrieve Gerry but is swatted away. Suddenly, the real Spider-Woman springs into action. The van drives off as Jessica is unloading jabs onto Veranke. Night Nurse is then commanded by Jessica to call for backup. The fight continues as Jessica is shocked by an electrical bio shot by her rival. Yet, Jessica manages to get up and hit her with sweet chin music.
The Thunderbolt is in traffic as Jessica is closing in on Gerry’s location. She opens the backdoors but doesn’t see her son. Out of nowhere, Iron Man offers his assistance. However, Jessica’s quick thinking sees that this is actually Veranke. The pair fight in the back of the van. Jessica has the upper hand and temporarily disables Veranke’s masking abilities. We then see Gerry crawling on the ceiling of the van. The Thunderbolt tries stopping him but is shocked by the bio shot. Gerry then steers the van off of a bridge. The van lands on a boat with trash inside. Next, Ben Reilly pulls up offering his help. He is then attacked by Jessica, believing that he was Veranke.
He lands in the water, confirming he is not the former queen. Attempting to find Gerry, Captain Marvel has already retrieved him. Jessica does not buy it and is about to attack her next. Another Captain Marvel shows up and Jessica is left conflicted, as the Captain Marvels bicker. Jessica then instructs her son to zap the imposter. It is confirmed that Gerry is with the right Captain Marvel.
Jessica and Veranke go at it once more. Jessica is once again on top, but Veranke tries getting into her head again. She appears as Ronin (Clint Barton), attempting to guilt Jessica. However, Jessica hits “Ronin” with a left hook. Next, she disguises herself as Gerry. Despite this, Jessica slams her to the ground. Then, Veranke poses as Lindsey. Once more, Jessica does not fall for it and floors the Skrull.
After defeating her, she is reunited with her son. Captain Marvel then takes Veranke with Jessica suggesting that she leaves her in the harbor. Or in an old refrigerator in the trash. She then tells her anywhere, until they can handle Kingpin. Jessica then sees Lindsey at the hospital. They talk about what happened, with Jessica apologizing. Yet, Lindsey is not bitter about the incident. We then see someone spying on Jessica with Lindsey. It is someone from a group. This faction is dedicated to taking out Spider-Woman. The issue ends as the stable dubbed itself the Anti-Arachne.
This issue was very good! I am enjoying the Devil’s Reign storyline. Karla Pacheco’s writing is a big part of not just the issue, but everything tied to it. The author’s work here was awesome! Seeing a mother saving her child was good, especially with the action. This just goes to show that mothers will do anything to protect their children.
Speaking of kids, Gerry Drew became a very interesting character here. I loved how he got involved with stopping the bad guys. I also enjoyed how he knew who the real Spider-Woman and Captain Marvel were. I hope to see more of him in the future. Additionally, Spider-Woman fighting “her allies”, including her son, was just beautiful! Towards the end, it strengthened the issue. The situation really tested her mentally. This just goes to show that she is an underrated character!
As for the art, Pere Pérez and Frank D’Armata did a great job as well! The feeling of watching the fight made me feel like I was watching it in real-time. Yes, that happens in almost every comic book. But this, no pun intended, hit differently. The shots of the fight, the Drews’ usage of their bio shots, designs of the characters were nice to look at. My favorite illustrations would have to be the last moments of the fight. It told an entirely different story on its own. That’s how good it was! Finally, the cover is really good too! The artists, along with Junggeun Yoon deserve a lot of praise for their fantastic work!
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