Spider-Woman #7 // Review
Jessica Drew is drawn into the mess of a major crossover as she is introduced to the menacing events of King in Black as her personal drama takes a back seat in Spider-Woman #7. Writer Karla Pacheco breathes charm and wit into the plight of a harried superhero drawn-into a major event with the aid of artist Pere Perez. As with Jed MacKay's treatment of the crossover event in the pages of Black Cat, Karla Pacheco has done an admirable job of weaving her protagonist into the heart of a big, crazy shared plot without compromising her appeal as a central character. Jess hangs out with Power Man, Iron Fist, Night Nurse, Hawkeye, and Captain Marvel in a thoroughly enjoyable crossover issue.
It's been a rough year for Jessica Drew; she's had family drama. It's been as difficult for her to be a mother as it has for her to be a daughter. She's had health problems that have made her very erratic. She's called in to work even though she's not feeling up to it at all. The fate of the largest city in the country and, quite possibly, life on the planet is at stake, so it's kind of an emergency situation. Probably no hazard pay or overtime, though. Her line of work makes everything so much more complicated for her.
Pacheco pulls Jessica Drew into the King in Black with a smart sophistication. It can be very, very difficult to balance the super-powered adventure end of a superhero's life with her personal life in a way that makes them believably integrated. Pacheco has done a very clever job of that in an issue that engages multiple ends of her personality. She comes across as any woman one might pass on the street...who just happens to be dealing with personal demons that are more menacing than anything most people could safely imagine. Regardless of what happens in Spider-Woman's life, Pacheco keeps Jessica Drew firmly grounded in a dash of emotional realism. And she does it with a very witty sense of humor.
Only a few issues ago, Pacheco gave Perez the task of delivering a major offensive involving a child, a superhero, and a middle-aged-looking guy mounted on dinosaurs in the snow. He pulled it off with some explosive visuals. Months later, Perez is allowed to go quite big with the action once more, and he does a gorgeous job of it. A huge symbiote's massive menace is powerfully summoned to the page with a vivid sense of proportion between the tiny, heroic Spider-Woman and the massive symbiote. Pacheco knows her artist, and she's handing him an opportunity that he's taking somewhat breathtaking advantage of. In addition to this, Pacheco also manages a really tight articulation of drama. This adds a great deal of punch to the typical hero-vs-hero action that takes place when Jessica loses it and starts attacking her friends.
Pacheco and Perez can start to return to a more Jessica-centric storyline in future issues, having rolled through the punches of a very aggressive mega-crossover event. Spider-Woman #7 offers one of those rare glimpses into what can happen when the right team pops over to the larger universe for a quick adventure before returning to heavier matters when the smoke clears.
