Comic Review: Spider-Man: One More Day (Re-Review)

Writers: J. Michael Strazynski & Joe Quesada

Artist: Joe Quesada

ONE MORE DAY is the definition of a story that gets worse and worse the more you think about it…

Rating: ⭐

Ever since I started reviewing comics, there has been one single book that I have shown more hatred and contempt for than any other... SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY…

For those who are unaware, SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY is widely regarded as one of the worst Spider-Man stories ever published, with the controversy surrounding it rivaling even that of THE CLONE SAGA (though having read the entirety of the saga myself for my CLONE MADNESS series, that story was CITIZEN KANE compared to this abomination). The story serves as the conclusion to J. Michael Straczynski’s (or JMS's) run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, where following the events of CIVIL WAR, Peter Parker has publicly revealed his secret identity to the entire world and is now a wanted fugitive on the run. In response, the Kingpin hired an assassin to eliminate Peter, but Aunt May was hit instead. The plot focuses on Peter desperately searching for a way to save May from dying, as he seeks help from various members of the superhero community, including Iron Man and Doctor Strange, who state that Aunt May is beyond saving. When all hope appears to be lost, Peter is suddenly approached by the Mephisto (who’s basically the Marvel Universe’s equivalent to the Devil), who claims to be the only can prevent May's death. Instead of offering to save May’s life in exchange for Peter’s soul, Mephisto instead desires to erase Peter and MJ’s marriage from existence. After spending one more day together, Peter and MJ agree to Mephisto’s terms, saving May’s life, and altering the time line (and basically the twenty years’ worth of Spider-Man comics) to where Peter and MJ never got married.

Mephisto wants Spider-Man's marriage. From Sensational Spider-Man #41 (Nov 2007). 
Art by Joe Quesada. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

This was a story that was immediately criticized by both fans and critics alike upon its initial release, and I myself have I’ve already written two reviews over this monstrosity. Despite that fact, I have been personally unsatisfied with both of my previous reviews, as I feel neither provide a coherent or satisfying analysis of the book’s problems. My very first review OMD (which was also the very first comic review I ever wrote) is one that I deeply regret making to this day, as I had not actually read the story back then, but just a plot summary of it on Wikipedia. As a critic, this was very unprofessional and inexcusable, as my arguments lacked credibility since I had no genuine evidence to back them up. A couple of years later, I rewrote my review of OMD after having read the story by then, and could provide legitimate criticisms. While my second review was not without merit, as it did address my biggest problems with the book, it also suffered from severe problems as I let my anger get the better of me while I was writing it. Therefore, the review came across as less of a mature and critical analysis, and more as a rant and tirade towards OMD and Joe Quesada, the former Editor-in-Chief of Marvel who spearheaded the project. However, since writing both reviews, I have gained much more experience as a critic, and feel that it is necessary for me correct my past mistakes. As such, I feel it is necessary for me to critique OMD one last time, and in a less biased and calmer manner.

Some people might think it's unnecessary for me to review this story for a third time, as both of my previous reviews clearly stated my main problems with the book: that I found the decision to erase Peter and Mary Jane’s marriage from continuity to be incredibly insulting to me as a Spider-Man fan as it regressed Peter’s character development, and was an editorial mandate enforced by Joe Quesada and Marvel Editorial, who deliberately ignored the wishes of the fans for their own selfish purposes. While it is true that those were my initial and only problems with OMD (and are still the biggest ones in my opinion), I felt obligated to reread the book when I recently read the entirety of JMS’s run on Spider-Man. After having read the book for a second time (as well as having watched Linkara’s review of it that he did for his 200th episode), I discovered that OMD has far more problems than I initially realized. On top of editorial greed, the retcon of Spider-Man’s marriage, and insulting of the intelligence of both Spider-Man fans and readers of comics and escapist fiction, OMD is also plagued by awful narrative structure, plot contrivances, and out-of-character behavior. Aside from redeeming my past mistakes, this is another major reason as to why I’m reviewing OMD again, as it’s the definition of a story that continuously gets worse the more you think about it. Basically, you fail to to notice most the book’s narrative flaws because you are distracted by the other problems that are more offensive on a personal level. As such, I’ll feel that should address all of OMD’s narrative failings before I discuss issues that personally offend me. I should also mention that none of my criticisms will be directed towards the book’s writer, JMS, as he has publicly stated that he did not want to write the comic in the first place, but that he was forced to by Marvel Editorial. In addition, JMS has also stated that he loved writing Peter and MJ as a married couple during his run on the book, and even threatened to take his name off the final issue of OMD in protest. As such, I hold no ill-will towards JMS and don’t blame him at all for his involvement in the book’s creation (plus, I really loved the rest his work on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN…), and will be associating the majority of OMD’s problems with Joe Quesada and Marvel Editorial, as they conceived the premise and have been incredibly biased towards Peter and MJ’s marriage since its inception back in the 1980s. With all that out of the way, it’s finally time to go into all the reasons why ONE MORE DAY is such a monumental failure of galactic proportions!

One of the less apparent, yet serious problems with ONE MORE DAY is that the plot is poorly structured and loaded with unnecessary filler. As I previously stated, the premise of the comic is that Peter and Mary Jane sacrifice their marriage to save Aunt May’s life by making a deal with the Devil. Because of this, one would think that the majority of the plot was focused on Peter and MJ, exploring the depth of their relationship and why they’re prepared to give it up to save Aunt May. Unfortunately, that is not the case as the deal with Mephisto ultimately doesn’t come in until more than halfway through the story. OMD is a four-issue story arc, and three of those four issues contribute nothing to the overall plot. This is particularly evident with the first two issues of the story, as they focus on Peter begging other superheroes to help save Aunt May, and they tell Peter that there’s nothing they can do before Peter leaves to find help from someone else. This is a major problem as both issues end exactly where they began, with May dying and Peter continuing to beg other superheroes for help. As such, neither chapters do anything advance the overall plot of the book, and provide nothing new to contribute, therefore coming across as unnecessary padding. Issue three commits similar sins by having most it dedicated to Peter coming across alternate versions of himself who are only there to point out the various ways in which Peter’s life could have gone in a different direction, and it’s only at the very end of this issue that Mephisto finally shows up and makes his offer. Essentially nearly three-fourths of OMD’s plot is completely wasted on Peter begging for help, as well as him meeting parallel versions of himself for no adequate purpose. Because of this, deal with Mephisto lacks sufficient build-up and comes completely out of left-field, as Quesada fails to provide insight into why Peter and MJ are willing to sacrifice their love and happiness for each other to save Aunt May, whose already an old woman likely to die of natural causes in the near future. Peter and MJ’s dilemma therefore lacks tension, as the reader is not given any emotional connection or reasoning as to why Peter is unwilling to let go of Aunt May, other than him constantly whining about how May’s death would be his fault due to publically unmasking. In my opinion, if OMD wanted to be an effective story about a couple giving up their love to save someone else, it should have focused its time on analyzing the importance of Peter’s relationship to Mary Jane, compare it with his relationship to Aunt May, explain what they each person means to him on an emotional level, and why he’s willing to let go of one in exchange for the other. This would not only have provided genuine emotional depth to the story, but also would've given better build-up and development to the erasing of the marriage. It wouldn’t necessarily have saved OMD as I still hate the premise, but would have made it feel less forced in my eyes. However, because the reader’s time is wasted by with unnecessary filler the central conflict of OMD lacks emotional weight and feels rushed and shoe-horned in at the last minute, making an already insulting premise even worse.

In relation to the poor narrative structure, OMD also relies heavily on illogical contrivances and inconsistencies in order to advance the plot. Basically, OMD falls into the category of an “idiot plot,” which to quote the late Roger Ebert, is “any plot containing problems that would be solved instantly if all the characters were not idiots.” All throughout OMD, each of the characters make stupid decisions for the plot to advance, while completely ignoring obvious and more logical solutions in front of them. This is most evident in the fact that apparently, no one in the Marvel Universe is capable saving Aunt May from a bullet wound in the chest. All throughout the story, Spider-Man visits various characters for assistance, such as Iron Man and Doctor Strange, and each of them state that they cannot help. This makes absolutely no sense as not only is the Marvel Universe home to gods, aliens, monsters, and technology far more advanced than that of the real-world, but it’s also inhabited by superheroes who have fixed much worse problems than a simple bullet wound. For instance, Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, one of the most highly skilled magic users in the world, as well as a well-renowned surgeon. He should be perfectly capable of healing a simple bullet wound, but instead the writers have Strange idiotically reason that he can’t do it because of the damaged nerve endings in his hands. As Linkara perfectly stated in his review, Strange could easily get around this problem by creating magic hands to operate on May, or have him consult and advise other doctors performing the procedure. But instead, Quesada decides to ignore a fairly simple solution to the problem and make the situation ludicrously hopeless for no logical reason, which is further illustrated by Strange later sending multiple astral projections of Peter across the world to ask for aid from other superheroes and villains, including Mr. Fantastic, Beast of the X-Men, Black Panther, and Doctor Doom, and they too are incapable of helping.

 Spider-Man desperately seeks help. From Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 (Nov 2007). 
Art by Joe Quesada. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

This is undoubtedly one of the laziest plot contrivances I’ve ever seen as it only serves to make the situation more hopeless than it needs to be. While I can understand someone like Beast being incapable of helping Spider-Man due to other crap going on in the X-Men books at the time, it makes no sense that the Black Panther and Doctor Doom can’t help. The Black Panther rules a country that has the most advanced medical technology on the planet, and Doom not only previously stated during JMS’s run that he owed Spider-Man a debt for saving his life from Latverian terrorists, but he could easily save May by allowing Peter to borrow his time machine to prevent the assassin’s bullet from hitting her, or he could transplant her brain into a Doombot or something.

Doctor Doom owes Spider-Man a debt. From Amazing Spider-Man #50 (Apr 2003). 
Art by John Romita Jr.. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

In relation to the problems concerning Doctor Doom, Quesada also ignores other alternative solutions for saving Aunt May that are made possible due to previously established continuity. For instance, in the 1960s SILVER SURFER series, a young woman was nearly killed by aliens wielding highly advanced laser-guns (and I'd imagine that alien weaponry would cause far more damage than the high-powered sniper rifle that May was shot with) and the Surfer was able to heal her using the power of the near-infinite cosmos.

Silver Surfer heals a dying woman. From Silver Surfer #3 (Dec 1968). Art by John Buscema. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

Based on that information, why didn't Spidey find a way to contact the Silver Surfer, especially considering that Peter is friends with the Fantastic Four, who are closely affiliated with the Surfer? Or why not have him go to the X-Men and have them contact the alien Shi'ar race, who once saved Professor Xavier from a near death experience by transplanting his brain into a cloned body? 

Moria MacTaggert clones Charles Xavier's body. From Uncanny X-Men #167 (Mar 1983). Art by Paul Smith. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

The comic never bothers to mention these possibilities. Because of how many alternative options there are to saving May’s life, this makes the deal with the Devil incredibly ill-conceived, as it could have easily been avoided, and is only there because Quesada deliberately and lazily ignored those aforementioned solutions in order to move the plot in the direction he desired. This is one of the worst sins a writer can commit as it removes all intelligence and depth from characters, reducing them into idiotic puppets whose actions are dictated by whatever the plot wants them to do. Overall, OMD suffers heavily from “idiot plot syndrome” as it relies on lazy and moronic contrivances in order to advance the plot, while completely ignoring solutions made possible based on previously established continuity. 

The final flaw that I noticed upon rereading OMD was how heavily out-of-character Peter Parker was in the story, especially in comparison to the rest of JMS's run. Throughout the comic, Peter continuously whines and complains about how the whole situation is his fault, and refuses to simply accept May’s death. While I can understand being upset over a family member dying (as that’s perfectly natural), I am unable to sympathize with Peter as not only does his whining get really irritating very quickly, but it also doesn’t make sense from a character perspective. Peter says that he can’t accept May dying as she took the bullet intended for him, but that he would be fine if she were simply dying of natural causes.

Spider-Man whines about it being "all his fault." From Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 (Nov 2007). 
Art by Joe Quesada. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

Not only is that just stupid (dead is dead Peter…), but it’s very clear that Quesada was attempting to recreate the guilt that Peter felt for being indirectly responsible for Uncle Ben’s death, but it massively fails here. See earlier in JMS’s run, Aunt May had discovered Peter’s secret identity, and when Peter confessed how he felt responsible for Ben’s death, May revealed that she felt the same way, as she and Ben had an argument that led to Ben walking outside where he was shot by the burglar. Upon learning this Peter felt a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, as not only did he and May share similar guilt, but May held no-ill will towards Peter afterwards.
 

Aunt May shares Peter's guilt. From Amazing Spider-Man #38 (Feb 2002). Art by John Romita Jr.. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

Essentially, Peter should have been absolved of his guilt over Uncle Ben after this, and his moping over May’s bullet wound contradicts the aforementioned character development. This correlates with my next problem concerning Peter’s behavior in OMD, as his whining and selfishness completely contradicts the maturity that he expressed earlier during JMS’s run. Throughout JMS’s stories, Peter came across as a mature adult as he not only perfectly balanced his normal and superhero lives, but he also took a teaching job at his old and financially run-down high school in order help young adolescents that he saw his old self in, confided all the secrets of his superhero life to both MJ and May, and showed leniency towards confused individuals that were unwillingly drawn into crime. Conversely, Peter comes across like an immature man-child in OMD as he not only whines about how no one can understand his pain (which is a selfish mentality as he's not the only person on Earth to ever lose a loved one...), but he also neglects to listen to anyone who would bring up the very real possibility of May dying, completely ignoring them. However, the biggest out-of-character moment for Peter in OMD is his willingness to make a deal with the Devil (and before anyone tries to tell me that Mephisto technically isn’t the devil, he’s still a demonic entity who makes offers in exchange for people’s souls and resides in a Hell-like dimension; not to mention the fact that Mephisto’s name is a reference to Mephistopheles, the demon from a German legend to whom Faust sold his soul to). In all the years since Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first created Spider-Man in 1962, this has undoubtedly been the biggest slap in the face ever given to Peter’s character as it completely goes against what he stands for. Peter’s has always upheld the belief that “with great power comes great responsibility,” as it expresses the idea that those who have power should use it wisely, and abuse of said power is irresponsible. By having Peter make a deal with a Satan-like figure, he is essentially ignoring his moral principles and using power for his own selfish-gain, which betrays both the core-concept of the character and the beliefs that his aunt and uncle raised him to uphold. In my opinion, if the writers wanted to have Peter save May he should have done so in a manner that reflected the character's sense of responsibility. For instance, he could have offered to turn himself in to the authorities under the condition that May received medical treatment, or he could have asked Dr. Doom to repay the debt he owed him, thereby making sure that the former stayed true to his word while simultaneously teaching a supervillain a lesson in responsibility. And if he couldn't save May, Peter should have taken up responsibility by simply accepting May's death (which he had previously done when she supposedly died during THE CLONE SAGA). But instead, Joe Quesada decided to have Peter make a deal with the Devil, which is undoubtedly one of the most irresponsible actions imaginable. This comic literally gives the phrase, “character assassination” a whole new meaning…

Now that I’ve discussed ONE MORE DAY’s other problems, it’s finally time for me to elaborate on the elements about this comic that anger me on a personal level. Ever since the beginning, I’ve made it perfectly clear that my greatest problem with OMD was that it erased Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s marriage from existence. From a purely technical standpoint, OMD is basically a massive retcon, as it states that Peter and MJ never got married in previous issues, and will continue to remain unmarried in later issues. This offends me for a variety of reasons. To start off with, removing the marriage from Peter’s life removes one of the most important elements of the Spider-Man books: the character’s ability to relate to the reader. Joe Quesada has stated on numerous occasions that he disliked the marriage as it aged Peter’s character and made it difficult for teenagers to relate to him. I still find this reasoning to be complete bullcrap, as while yes, Peter was originally intended to appeal to a teenage audience (hence why he was still in high school when he first debuted), Quesada fails to understand that those teenage readers eventually grow up. Like Peter, they too get married, deal with financial concerns, have families, and lose loved ones. Essentially, having Spider-Man marry MJ allows him to grow up alongside the readers, therefore making him more relatable. By wiping the marriage from Peter’s history, Quesada is essentially removing the essence of what makes his character appealing. Another problem I have with the retcon from a personal standpoint is that I have been a huge fan of Peter and MJ as a married couple since I was a little kid. I’ve always found their relationship to be extremely compelling, as the two shared terrific chemistry, were both highly fleshed-out characters and had so many heart-warming moments together that just provided me a happy feeling whenever I read them. To see those beautiful moments taken away from me and then be told that they never happened is not only incredibly insulting, but also disappointing. This correlates with my next major problem, which is the fact that retconning the marriage essentially regresses Peter’s character development over the past twenty years. I went into great discussion over this in my previous review of OMD, so I’ll keep it brief here. Basically, I’ve always felt that the marriage further fleshed out Spider-Man as a character, as he felt more mature afterwards, having to deal with the complications of the adult world, and had a deeper and intimate relationship with MJ. The marriage also also widened the scope of his responsibilities, as he not only had obligations towards MJ as a husband, but also had to be more careful as Spider-Man. Since OMD is now saying that Peter never got married, his character has essentially been regressed to where he was before the marriage. As a fan of literature, undermining character development is inexcusable. The final major problem I have with Quesada retconning the marriage is that the idea of Peter and MJ would sell their marriage to the Devil doesn't make sense from a character perspective. Not only is May likely to soon die of natural causes, but Peter should not be putting his feelings for his aunt over those for his wife. As Linkara perfectly summarized in his review, “marriage raises the stakes in the relationship. It’s bigger than just that guy or girl [you’re] romantically affiliated with. You are saying that you want to spend the rest of your life with this person. They have become your family.” Therefore, Peter should not be willing to give up his love for MJ, as by marrying her, she has become his soul-mate, the person whom he should care about the most, which is further supported by AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #50 from JMS’s run. In that issue, Peter confessed to MJ that he's able to do what he does as Spider-Man because of her, that it’s her that gives him strength, that his life would be difficult without her, and that he needs her and not the other way around.

Peter needs Mary Jane. From Amazing Spider-Man #50 (Apr 2003). Art by John Romita Jr.. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

Plus, May herself would've been furious with Peter is she ever found out that he sold his marriage to the Devil, as she has always placed greater emphasis on Peter's happiness over her own, and a previous issue had May's spirit tell Peter that her getting shot was not his fault, and that it was her time to pass on and he needed to let go of his guilt. This further cements my previous point about Peter's selfish behavior as he's essentially ignoring the dying wishes of the woman who raised him like a surrogate mother, thereby believing that his pain is more important than what she wants. Overall, if Peter and MJ's love for each other was supposed to be this powerful, the idea that they would sacrifice it for Peter’s aunt is not only completely implausible, but it contradicts the previous development to the couple's relationship.

However, despite all my complaints about the horrible narrative structure, plot contrivances, out-of-character behavior, and even the retconning of the marriage, I believe that the biggest sin committed by ONE MORE DAY at the end of the day is the amount of editorial greed and cynicism surrounding the project. As I previously stated, the decision to undo Peter and MJ’s marriage was not a decision of the writer JMS, but rather an editorial mandate that was enforced upon him. Joe Quesada was a strong vocal opponent towards the marriage ever since its inception in the 1980s, and wanted to get rid of it from the Spider-Man books, even though there were a lot of fans who enjoyed the marriage, and JMS had been further developing Peter and MJ’s relationship during his seven-year run on the book. Essentially ONE MORE DAY was created because of the selfish interests of a single editor-in-chief, who willingly ignored the wishes of both the fans the then-current writer of Spider-Man, and enforced his own idea of what the story should be despite it going against the past twenty-years of Spider-Man’s history. This heavily angers me, as not only does it reinforce the terrible idea that editors should dictate a story’s direction rather than the actual writers, but it also shows a clear sign of contempt towards the audience as well. The layers of insult towards Spider-Man’s fanbase are clearly apparent in OMD, as by retconning the marriage and saying it never happened, Quesada is basically telling the fans, “say, you guys like Spidey being happily married? WELL SCREW YOU, YOU CAN’T HAVE IT! NOW READ WHAT I WANT YOU TO READ INSTEAD!” This is unforgivable in my eyes, as I feel comic book writers and publishers should owe a bit more respect to their readers, as they’re the source of the company’s profit, which is more likely to be gained when the customers are satisfied. By refusing to listen to the wishes of the readers, Quesada is not only insulting the audience’s intelligence, but also the very people who buy and pay money for the books Marvel creates. In addition, layers of contempt also seem to extend to comic book readers as a whole, and not just Spider-Man fans. This is particularly evident in a scene from the third issue of OMD, where Peter encounters an alternate version of himself in the form of an overweight video game designer that states, "You know why guys like me get into games like that? Because there's something missing... because things didn't plan out like they were supposed to. So we go someplace else.”

Earth-7161 Peter's speech about "Video Gammers." From Sensational Spider-Man #41 (Nov 2007). 
Art by Joe Quesada. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

If you didn’t already notice, this speech is clearly meant to be a metaphor for comic book readers, saying that they only enjoy escapist fiction because they’re losers who are unsatisfied with their lives. That is, without a doubt, one of the most insulting statements towards comic book fans I have ever read in my entire life. Not only is it hypocritical for a comic book of all things to be criticizing people for enjoying escapist fiction (which comics are clearly a part of), but the sheer audacity that someone at Marvel would shame their customers by telling them, “You buy our crap because you're a loser, so keep buying our crap, loser!” is purely disgusting and offensive to me as a person who has been collecting and reading comics since the third grade! Even disregarding the deal with the Devil and the retcon of the marriage, the highly insulting statements made by ONE MORE DAY alone are deserving of all the hate and scorn this book has received.

After having analyzed and discussed every single one of the comic's numerous problems, I feel safe in my maintaining judgement of SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY as my hated comic book of all-time. While I freely acknowledge that other comics like Frank Miller’s HOLY TERROR, the entirety of Chuck Austen’s run on UNCANNY X-MEN, and even AVENGERS #200 are worse from an objective standpoint, I still hate OMD more as this is the only comic I have ever read that has managed to offend me personally. On top of retconning the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane, ONE MORE DAY is not only plagued with terrible story structure and pacing, plot contrivances and continuity errors, out-of-character behavior concerning Peter, and editorial greed, but it also goes as far as to insult the intelligence of both Spider-Man fans and comic book readers in general. Never have I ever seen a comic with so much cynicism, contempt, and laziness surrounding it. It is the definition of a book that gets worse and worse the more you stop and think about it. Say what you will about THE CLONE SAGA, but it at least had genuine effort put into it, as the writers were trying to tell a good story that remained true to Peter Parker’s character and mythos despite the saga's narrative shortcomings. ONE MORE DAY on the other hand, shows not even the slightest attempt of effort, and serves as a colossal middle finger towards Spider-Man’s entire mythos and the people who read him. It is undeniably the worst Spider-Man comic ever created, and I can't possibly imagine someone coming up with a worse conceivable story for the wall crawler...

“Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people's happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human race.”

-Bertrand Russell

Comic Review: Jessica Jones: Alias (Vol. 1-4)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artists: Michael Gaydos, David Mack, Mark Bagley, Bill Sienkiewicz, Rodney Ramos, Art Thibert, Dean White, Al Vey & Rick Mays

Bendis’ work on ALIAS is an achievement in character psychology, adult-oriented fiction, and exploring serious issues...

Ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(WARNING: The following review contains both massive spoilers for the plot of ALIAS, and discussions about mature subject matter that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised!)

One of the most least understood and divisive genres that I’ve come across in any medium is “mature,” or adult-oriented fiction. This is primarily due to the fact that stories specifically created to appeal to an adult audience tend to fall into one of two categories. The first category is what I like to call “pseudo-mature” stories, as these are the ones that shove in as much violence and sexual content as possible for the sole purpose of shocking the audience, whereas the other category is the stories that utilize said dark and mature themes in order to serve a legitimate purpose, whether it be to explore the mindset of a character, provide commentary on society, or elaborate on controversial and serious issues. Unfortunately, “pseudo-mature” stories are the type of adult-oriented fiction that appear the most frequently, which has I feel has severely damaged the image of adult-oriented fiction in the eyes of the general public. What a lot of creators fail to understand is that filling stories with gratuitous amounts of sex and violence for no purpose only serves to make these “adult” stories more childish. Comics are no stranger to this to, as several writers have attempted to make their stories darker by increasing the amount of violent and sexual content in their stories. At best, this makes their books come across a juvenile and pandering such as the majority of bad 90s and Rob Liefeld comics. At worst however, not understanding dark subject matter or sensitive issues can end up becoming heavily offensive to readers, such as AVENGERS #200, which I covered in my last review. What’s truly sad about this is because of the prevalence of “pseudo-mature” stories, audiences are often biased towards adult-oriented fiction in general. If handled correctly, the utilization dark and serious issues in fictional stories has the capability to highlight sensitive subjects in a manner that is both respectful and dignified. Such is the case with the comic series ALIAS, which greatly excels in using its main character to discuss serious issues such as depression, PTSD, and even rape in a mature and tasteful manner.

For those who are unaware, ALIAS was a 28-issue comic series that served as the introduction of the character Jessica Jones, a former superhero who operated as a private eye in the Marvel Universe. The series was the first book to be published under Marvel’s MAX imprint, a line of comics that was designed to serve as their equivalent to R-rated movies. While controversial, the MAX imprint was important as it not only allowed the creation of comics that appealed to an adult audience, but also promoted a greater prevalence of creator-owned content. ALIAS was one such example, as Jessica Jones was an original character created by Brian Michael Bendis, who I feel the majority of the comic’s success can be attributed to. As I’ve mentioned before, Brian Michael Bendis is not only the long-time writer of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, but he’s also quite possibly my all-time favorite comic book author (followed closely by Jeph Loeb, Grant Morrison, and most recently J.M. DeMatteis). The primary reason I hold Bendis in such high regard is because I feel that he, more than any other writer I’ve encountered, has the ability to develop his characters in a manner that makes them as close to resembling real people as possible. This was especially evident in his work on ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, as Bendis perfectly understood how real teenagers acted and behaved, which he portrayed through Peter Parker and his classmates. Bendis' intricate knowledge and understanding of human behavior directly contributes to ALIAS mature discussion of sensitive issues in my eyes, as by modeling his character close to reality allows the him to portray the comics themes as close to reality as well. I’ll admit that before reading ALIAS I had very little knowledge of the character Jessica Jones, but once I heard that Bendis created her, and that his series was being adapted into the JESSICA JONES Netflix series, I decided to take a look into ALIAS. Not only is Jessica Jones one of the most well-grounded and psychologically complex female comic book characters I've ever come across, but the comic’s ability to explore dark and sensitive subject matter in a tasteful manner conveys the potential of adult-oriented fiction.

The first issue of the series opens in the offices of Alias Investigations, where Jessica Jones is dealing with a dissatisfied client who hired her to discover whether or not his wife was actually a mutant. Although the client angrily lashes out at Jessica and attempts to strangle her, she quickly throws him out of window of her office door. Later when she reports the situation to the police, it is discovered that Jessica was once a costumed superhero known as Jewel, but for unknown reasons had retired from crime fighting years ago. Now a private investigator, Jessica is trying to make a living for herself by discretely gathering information and spying for clients, often those connected to the superhero community. But investigative life has not made things easy for Jessica, as she is also suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She attempts to drown her sorrows through various methods, including chain-smoking, alcoholism, as well as extreme sexual activities with other superheroes such as Luke Cage. Her personal struggles are also present in her everyday behavior, as she is shown to be rude, foul-mouthed, and introverted while interacting with friends, strangers, and even romantic partners. As the series progress, Jessica is forced to use her skills as both a private investigator and former superhero in order to solve various cases, including a government conspiracy theory against both Captain America and the White House, tracking down a missing Rick Jones and later a young girl suspected of being a mutant in a conservative and racist small town, as well as discovering a connection between the new Spider-Woman and a gang dealing and getting people hooked on the Mutant Growth Hormone drug. Throughout these cases, the reader gradually learns more about Jessica Jones history, including the origin of her powers, her reasons for retiring from crime fighting, as well as the source of her psychological turmoil when it resurfaces in the present day.

Before I address the highlights of ALIAS, I feel that I should provide my one major criticism of this comic. While the majority of the series avoids being gratuitous with its explicit content, the one area in which it’s unnecessarily exploited in is its strong language. Throughout the series, Jessica Jones is portrayed to be extremely foul-mouthed, often using words like “sh**” and “f***” in her regular vocabulary. Now to be fair, having strong language isn’t necessarily a problem in and of itself, as it does work to a degree when considering both Jessica’s personality and events of her past. My main issue with the language however is that it feels needlessly forced at times. For instance, the very first issue has the f-word as the first piece of dialogue in the series, and I think it would be difficult to find an issue ALIAS that does not say the f-word at least two or three times. Because of how much words like f*** are used in the series, it feels like sometimes Bendis is using the f-word just because he knows he can get away with it in a comic aimed specifically at adults. While the overuse of strong language can be somewhat forgiven as this was the very first comic published under Marvel’s MAX imprint, it does take some credibility away from what is otherwise a well-written and mature story. I’m not the only one who thinks this, as Bendis himself has openly stated that he probably used the f-word too much while writing ALIAS, which was why the comic’s sequel series THE PULSE was ultimately published outside the MAX line. Aside the occasional overuse of profanity, however ALIAS remains one of the most well-written adult-oriented stories I’ve ever come across.

The success is of ALIAS can be primarily attributed to the series’ main character Jessica Jones, whose psychological dilemmas and complex characterization directly correlate with the comic's realistic portrayal of dark and sensitive issues. Although Bendis does not reveal Jessica’s backstory until later on in the series, he provides enough information for readers to understand and care this character. We quickly learn that Jessica is a retired super heroine now working as a detective, and that she's very pessimistic woman who is rude towards others. Her attitude is made evident from the first scene in Issue #1, where Jessica’s is shown to be somewhat uncaring about her client's problems, having both a disinterested facial expression, and openly telling him not to “come in here and sh** on my desk.” While this rude behavior could have easily made Jessica unlikable, she still shown to be a good person with moral standards, as during many of her investigative cases, she is willing to forget about the job assigned to her if it means endangering or ruining the lives of others. This is conveyed through her refusing to leak out Captain America’s secret identity after accidentally catching him on tape, as well as denouncing a small town after learning that the missing child they hired her to find runaway because of the community's conservative and blind racism. Essentially, Jessica is portrayed as a character who while having unlikable qualities, readers can still connect and sympathize with, which is further enhanced when by her rude behavior being caused by traumatic events from her past. (SPOILER ALERT) As the series progresses, Bendis reveals that during Jessica Jones’ career as the super heroine Jewel, she encountered a villain known as Zebadiah Kilgrave (also known as the Purple Man), a man whose purple skin secrets airborne pheromones that cause individuals around him to do what ever he commands, simply by asking or telling them to do so. Jessica fell prey to Kilgrave’s mind control, as he transformed her into his superpower slave for a period of eight months. Unable to fight against Kilgrave’s influence, Jessica was forced to obey the Purple Man’s every command, whether it be to strip off her clothes in front of him, act as his lackey by fighting off law enforcement or other superheroes, or even watching him sexually assault other young girls while making her wish that he was doing it to her instead of them. Although Jessica was later saved by the Avengers and freed from Kilgrave’s mind control, the experience left her traumatized, causing her to retire from crime fighting, and suffer from depression and post traumatic stress disorder in the present day.

As I stated, ALIAS is a comic that heavily focuses on controversial issues such as rape, depression, and PTSD, all of which is presented through Jessica's past with Kilgrave and how it has impacted her in the present day. Before I go into further analysis, I should address that discussing sensitive issues like rape in a fictional story can be extremely risky, as writers can easily offend people actually affected by these issues if they are not careful. This was my main problem with AVENGERS #200, the subject of my previous review, as that comic had a villain rape Ms. Marvel for no other reason than to serve as a plot device, and the story ended with Ms. Marvel falling in love with her rapist and leaving to live with him in limbo. Not only was it sexist slap in the face towards women, but it actually becomes insulting to rape victims in general due to how poorly rape was portrayed in that story. But to be perfectly clear, it’s not the fact that AVENGERS #200 decided talk about rape that’s the problem, its that did it badly. In my opinion, sensitive issues such as these can be portrayed well in fictional stories if writers use them not for shock value or as plot devices, but rather to explore how they affect people both physically and psychologically.

ALIAS accomplishes this better than any other story I've encountered. Here, the subject of rape is metaphorical rather than literal, as while Jessica states directly in the story that Kilgrave never physically raped her, he still invaded and controlled her mind for over eight months. Bendis ingeniously utilizes Jessica’s past with Kilgrave in order to both convey how rape victims are affected by these events, as well as to progress Jessica’s own character development. When Kilgrave used his power to take control of Jessica’s mind, she was completely unable to resist and was forced do whatever he told her to do. This meant that whenever he told her to strip in front of him, or watch him rape other women in front of her, she was doing it against her own will and was being violated both physically and mentally. So while mind control itself is unrealistic, Bendis uses it as an effective metaphor for rape, which is further made clear through the emotions that Jessica express after the incident. Not only did Jessica feel personally violated, but she begins to lack self-esteem, as she continuously doubts herself, expresses despair over a loss of control, suffers from depression and PTSD, and sometimes even blames herself for what she did while under Kilgrave’s control. This is reflective of how rape affects people in the real world, as repeated studies have shown that the aforementioned behaviors expressed by Jessica throughout the story are frequently felt by victims of rape. By using the emotions felt by Jessica to convey of how rape impacts people both physically and psychologically, ALIAS serves as a definitive example of how to properly portray controversial issues in a fictional (take notes FAMILY GUY!).

Along with exploring the physical and psychological consequences felt by rape victims, Bendis also utilizes these themes to further flesh out Jessica as a character in her own right. The narrative of ALIAS places great emphasis on how Jessica was affected by her encounter with Kilgrave emotionally, as she feels that she has lost control of her life. Not only does she lack confidence in herself, but she suffers heavily from depression, is foul-mouthed, susceptible to anger, hesitant to discuss her past, experiences relapses from PTSD and panics at the mere-mention of Kilgrave's name, and attempts to drown her sorrows through drinking, smoking, and sexual promiscuity. Jessica's depression and attempts to cope with it are particularly evident in one of the comic's more infamous moments, where Jessica allows Luke Cage to engage in intense sexual activity with her, and she expresses through her inner monologues that she wants to feel something different than what she is currently experiencing, whether it be pain, humility, or anger. Essentially, this conveys that Jessica is a woman who has hit rock bottom in her life, and is willing to do anything to cope with her pain. Bends also utilizes Jessica's feelings of despair to progress her character development, as she is eventually forced to overcome the demons of her past when Kilgrave suddenly returns into her life. This is expertly portrayed when the Purple Man attempts to break through Jessica’s insecurities by comparing her life to that of a comic book character, describing her as a third-rate character who believes that the story is all about her, and that he's an invading force in her life by stating that it “may be [her] book, but this is [his] time.” Not only is this analogy a creepy breaking of the fourth wall, but it serves as an effective metaphor of the state of Jessica's life, and her feelings of doubt, ultimately placing her in a position where she is forced to choose between Kilgrave controlling the direction of her character, or to write her future for herself. Overall, Bendis effectively utilizes this meta-commentary in order to allow Jessica to overcome the traumatic events of her past and triumph over Kilgrave. For him to be able to create a character that not only serves as a fairly accurate depiction of how serious issues like rape affect people, but is also a fleshed-out and three-dimensional character in her own right is an accomplishment truly worthy of recognition (as well as the fact that he managed to make a character called the Purple Man scary… let me repeat that… he made THE PURPLE MAN SCARY!!!)

Not since the likes of Alan Moore’s WATCHMEN have I come across a comic aimed at mature readers that utilizes its dark subject matter to such an effective degree. While ALIAS is a well-written series with compelling detective stories, Brian Michael Bendis elevates the book through it’s psychologically complex heroine Jessica Jones, and utilizes the dark events of her past to discuss issues of rape, depression, and PTSD in a tasteful and mature manner. Aside from the masterpiece that is ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ALIAS is undoubtedly Bendis’ best for Marvel, and I cannot recommend it any more than I already have! Whereas most adult-oriented stories nowadays are often “pseudo-mature,” relying on shock value and being pointlessly offensive, ALIAS manages to stand strong with its rich character psychology and respectful depiction of serious issues, which effectively carried over years later into the equally compelling Netflix series JESSICA JONES! Overall, ALIAS is a series that manages to be more adult than most stories marketed towards adults.

“Maturity is the ability to think, speak, and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity.”

-Samuel Ullman

Comic Review: Avengers #200

Writers: Jim Shooter, David Michelinie, Bob Layton & George Pérez

Artists: George Pérez

Undoubtedly one of the most misogynistic pieces of crap that I’ve ever read! AVENGERS #200 is a sheer milestone of failure!

Ranking: ⭐

One of the biggest problems that continues to plague the comic book industry to this day is the prevalence of sexism, or bias towards female readers. Ever since comics first became prominent in the late 1930’s, there has been a common stereotype that the only audience that exists for comics is adolescent males. The stereotype exists not just among the general public, but among the comic companies themselves, as they will often attempt to pander their books solely to boys rather than appeal to a general audience. This has lead to many writers possessing a biased view towards women, which I feel hurts female comic characters in two specific ways. The first and most obvious problem is the objectification of female characters, as they are often portrayed in an overtly sexual manner (primarily through wearing revealing costumes), as conquests for the male characters, or as fragile creatures that need to be protected. While this is definitely a major problem, it’s nowhere near as damaging as the other sexist trend that plagues comics: “women in refrigerators.” Coined by feminist comic book writer Gail Simone, the phrase “women in refrigerators” refers to female comic characters who are either injured, killed, or depowered for the purpose of progressing the development of other characters (particularly men). I find this to be the worst form of sexism towards female characters, as instead of using these horrible events to further develop the female characters themselves, or to touch upon serious issues, they are instead reduced into plot devices for male characters. This not only devalues these characters as characters in my eyes, but as women as well, portraying them as both weak and as tools to progress the plot. While the stuffing of Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend’s body in a refrigerator (the case that the trope is actually named after), Sue Dibny’s rape and murder in IDENTITY CRISIS, and even Karen Page’s drug addiction and career as a porn star in the pages of DAREDEVIL are frequently referred examples, the worst case of “women in refrigerators” in my opinion, would have to be Ms. Marvel in the infamous AVENGERS #200!

While most readers today immediately think of the Muslim teenager Kamala Khan when they hear the name Ms. Marvel, she was not the first person to bear the title. That honor goes to Carol Danvers, who has currently taken on the mantel of the new Captain Marvel. For those who are unaware, Carol Danvers is a former U.S. Air Force pilot who gained superhuman strength and flight abilities after being exposed to a device that fused her genetic structure to that of the superhero Captain Marvel, effectively transforming her into a kree-human hybrid (the Kree is an often fought alien race in the Marvel Universe). Carol is perhaps most well-known for her connections to the origins of the X-Man Rogue, as she permanently stole Danvers’s powers while she was a member of Mystiques Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Chris Claremont created the character in the late 70’s as a response to the lack of strong and independent female superheroes in comics, as he wanted to prove that women could be strong without having to be pushy or reliant on men. Unfortunately, while Carol Danvers was meant to be a figure for the liberation of women, she herself became the victim of one of the worst cases of sexism in comic book history. After her solo-series was canceled, Carol became a member of the Avengers, where the writers decided to have her play a crucial role in the series upcoming landmark 200th issue. The set up for issue 200 began at the end of AVENGERS #199, the Avengers returned to their headquarters to discover that Carol had suddenly become nine months pregnant within the time span of just a few days. The issue then ended with Carol going into labor. The original idea behind the pregnancy was for Ms. Marvel to have been artificially impregnated with the child of the Kree’s leader, the Supreme Intelligence, but because a similar plot-line was already done in the pages of WHAT-IF, the writers were forced to completely rewrite the story from scratch. It’s also worth noting that the end-product of AVENGERS #200 is credited with four writers, including Jim Shooter (former Editor-in-Chief at Marvel and writer of the SECRET WARS crossover), David Micheline (co-creator of the Spider-Man villain Venom and author of the classic IRON MAN: DEMON IN A BOTTLE), Bob Layton (who was a frequent co-plotter with Micheline), and George Perez (the artist of NEW TEEN TITANS and CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS). While each of these men are good writers in their own respective fields, AVENGERS #200 was such a monumental train wreck, that they themselves have openly admitted it to being absolute garbage!

The story opens following the cliffhanger at the end of the previous issue, where the Captain America, Hawkeye, and Iron Man are waiting outside the Avenger’s medical bay as Ms. Marvel gives birth. After Thor helps deliver the child, the Avengers soon discover that the baby is aging at a rapid rate, learning to speak and obtaining knowledge to use complex tools and machinery within the span of a few hours. Although initially distrusting of the baby, Carol Danvers soon agrees to meet her supposed “child,” only to discover that he is now a full-grown adult who addresses himself as Marcus. Marcus then reveals that he is actually the son of the Avenger’s long-time nemesis, Immortus, who he had conceived with another mortal woman within his Limbo dimension. After Immortus’ death in a previous story, Marcus desired to live on Earth, but understood that since he was a product of Limbo, he could not enter our realm without disrupting the fabric of time and space. To prevent this problem, Marcus had forcibly abducted Carol and impregnated her with himself so that she would give birth to him on Earth, supposedly preventing the risk of his presence altering reality. Marcus’ plan is revealed to have failed however, when his presence causes different time eras to collide with each other, resulting in dinosaurs, medieval knights, and ships from the future to run amok across Manhattan. Will the Avengers be able to stop the complete collapse of the time stream, and if they do, how will they deal with Marcus in light of the atrocities he was revealed to have inflicted upon Carol.

To fully explain why AVENGERS #200 is a monumental disaster would take an eternity as it virtually fails in almost every category imaginable! Not only is this one of the most horribly written and poorly conceived comics that I’ve ever come across, but it leaps an extra mile in terms of awfulness with it’s extremely misogynistic treatment of Carol Danvers. Before I discuss the issues of sexism however, I feel that I should address the comic’s other problems first. The first and most immediate problem with AVENGERS #200 is the idiotic characterization of all the other Avengers. Throughout the story, the Avengers never take Carol’s feelings into consideration and do not react to her perilous situation like human beings would. This behavior is even present in the previous issue, as instead of attempting to investigate what could have caused it, the Avengers instead simply express excitement over the idea of a baby, with Wasp stating “Wow, a real baby,” or Beast proclaiming that he could be the kid’s teddy bear. It is simply astonishing how horribly written the Avenger’s behavior is, as real human beings would never act like this, and it completely contradicts their established characters. If this were a well-written story, the Avengers would have immediately investigated the circumstances behind the pregnancy, as well as provide medical care and emotional support for Carol. Instead, the characters are written as if their blind to both reality and Carol’s feelings, as not once do they stop and think that she might be hurt by the things inflicted upon her, or that a newborn baby speaking and asking to work with advanced technology is bit out of the ordinary. Not since the likes of SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY and MAXIMUM CLONAGE have I seen such idiotic and out-of-character behavior, which is made worse when Marcus reveals the terrible things he did to Ms. Marvel. 

The other major problem with the comic disconcerting the sexism is that the premise is extremely weak for a milestone issue. Seeing as this is the 200th issue of the AVENGERS series, one would think that Marvel would want to honor such an occasion by telling an epic story that either reflected upon the Avenger’s history what made the book so great to begin with, or provided new and innovative concepts to the team’s mythos. Instead, the story that Marvel decided to tell was essentially about some random guy in limbo who had never appeared before this story, impregnating a mortal woman just so he could live on Earth. This is an especially weak plot when compared to Marvel’s other landmark issues, which told either emotionally gripping or exciting tales that either celebrated aspects the character’s past or introduced something new into their lives. This was evident with stories such as the return of the Burglar who murdered Peter’s Uncle Ben in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #200, the reveal Magneto’s tragic origins as a Holocaust survivor in UNCANNY X-MEN #150, or even Iron Man attempting to reclaim control of his company from Obadiah Stane in IRON MAN #200. When compared to the effort and innovation present of Marvel’s other milestone issues, the plot of AVENGERS #200 comes across as weak and mundane, providing nothing notable or innovative to the team’s history. Even putting aside the terrible writing and misogynistic treatment of Ms. Marvel’s character, AVENGERS #200 would still fail as a milestone issue due to it’s weak premise.

Speaking of misogyny however, it’s finally time to discuss the real reason as to why this comic is so notoriously infamous and despised. As I stated previously, the plot of AVENGERS #200 is centered around Ms. Marvel being impregnated by Marcus so that he could give birth to himself on Earth. While this premise is already weak, it is elevated from being stupid and contrived, to downright terrible and insulting when it is revealed exactly how Marcus carried out his plan. When Marcus reveals his history to the Avengers, he states that he abducted Carol Danvers from Earth and into his Limbo dimension. Although he says he could have mind controlled her with Immortus’ machines, he at first attempted to win her love through various gifts and acts of flirting. Marcus then immediately contradicts this statement by stating, and I quote, “Finally, after relative weeks of such efforts - - and admittedly, with a subtle boost from Immortus’ machines - - you became mine.” 

If it wasn’t already clear before, this comic is basically saying that Marcus raped Carol in order to achieve his plan. This is not something that’s implied, can be misinterpreted, or is hidden between lines. It is directly stating that Carol was raped, as the “subtle boost from Immortus’ machines” line suggests that Marcus used mind control in order to Carol do something that she would not do of her own free will. Even disregarding that one line, the implications of Carol’s plight would still be horrible, but they are made more damaging due to them not only being openly stated, but that no editor was able to spot such an obvious flaw. In my opinion however, it is not the rape itself that makes the treatment of Carol’s character so blatantly sexist, as it would have been excusable if the writers wanted to tell a story about how rape affects people both physically and psychologically. Instead, it is the manner in which it’s presented that makes this story both horribly misogynistic, and the worst example of “women in refrigerators” that I’ve ever seen in a comic. After Marcus reveals that he raped Ms. Marvel and that his presence will permanently damage the space-time continuum, he states that he needs to return to his limbo dimension. Carol however, states that she we’ll accompany him, stating that the feelings she felt for him during her time in limbo still lingered on, and that she felt closer to him due to her also having given birth to him on Earth. 

I… I can’t believe this is… this comic is essentially stating Carol Danvers, a rape victim, has fallen in love with her rapist, and the story then ends with her leaving with her rapist to live with him in limbo… That is without a doubt the most insulting and disgusting piece of misogynistic bullcrap that I have ever heard in my entire life! Not only is this a sexist slap in the face to Carol Danvers, but it’s also extremely insulting to rape victims and to women in general, portraying them as weak individuals with no willpower of their own, and are easily swayed by sex and love for men! That just enrages me to no end! What makes this even worse is the fact that none of the other Avengers even attempt to stop Carol from leaving with Marcus. In fact, they actually help Carol by having Thor transport her and Marcus to limbo. This is just awful on almost every conceivable level! I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but not even the modern-day works of Frank Miller are this sexist and degrading towards women. Miller may be a dirty old man who objectifies women as prostitutes and conquests for men, but not even he went as far as to insult rape victims by having a character fall in love with their rapist! I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more insultingly misogynistic than what is presented here in AVENGERS #200, and I hope I never will!

AVENGERS #200 is not just one of the most insulting and disgusting pieces of misogynistic crap that I’ve ever come across, but it also ranks among the top 5 worst comics that I’ve ever read or reviewed! It’s right up there alongside travesties like SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY, Chuck Austen’s run on UNCANNY X-MEN, and Frank Miller’s HOLY TERROR in terms of sheer awfulness! Not only is this comic horribly written with it’s idiotic mischaracterization and poorly conceived for a milestone 200th issue, but it has a prominent female character raped for no reason, and ends with her leaving with her rapist to have a “happily ever after.” Ironically Carol Danvers did end up having a happily ever after as AVENGERS #200 was immediately despised by both fans and people working at Marvel. This led to Chris Claremont undoing the damage in AVENGERS ANNUAL #10, where after having her powers stolen by Rogue, Carol returns to the Avengers and berates them for not helping her and that she was forced to leave as she was under Marcus’ mind control. And let me just say, after all the crap that Carol went through in AVENGERS #200 it was incredibly satisfying to see her essentially give the Avengers the middle finger and leave the team, allowing her to spend time with the X-Men until she recovered her powers. Aside from some of the creative fights the Avengers have with the time-displaced creatures and the artwork by George Perez, there is nothing redeemable about this garbage! To be fair to the writers however, I hold no ill-will towards them for this comic, as they've written plenty of good comics, and all of them have admitted that AVENGERS #200 is absolute garbage. Jim Shooter himself even publicly stated this on his blog, and that even though he has no idea how the heck it ended up the way it did, he takes full responsibility for it as he was Editor-in-Chief at the time. This is a story that's so bad, that none of its creators want to take credit for it! Overall, the only means in which AVENGERS #200 can be considered a milestone story, is as a milestone of sexism, misogyny, horrible writing, idiotic characterization, poor planning, and a degradation of women in comic books!

“The greatest threat to women (and by extension humanity) is the growth and acceptance of a misogynistic, authoritarian and violent culture of militarism.”

-Amina Mama

Anime/Manga Review: Elfen Lied

Creator: Lynn Okamoto

Despite it’s controversial material, ELFEN LIED manages to stand strong through it’s psychologically complex drama and characters…

Ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(WARNING: The following review discusses mature subject matter that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised!)

Those who have followed my reviews may have noticed that I have a tendency to defend stories that are prone to negative criticism or are controversial in some form. I think this is because unlike some reviewers, I prefer to look at each story I come across with an open mind and sense of optimism. Whenever I hear about a book, movie, or TV show that has largely mixed or negative reception, I become legitimately curious as to whether these criticisms are warranted, or if there are good elements to the work that people overlook because of these criticisms. More often than not, I usually find myself enjoying these works despite their flaws, as I am able to discover good things about them that I find to be worthwhile, and feel that the negative reception towards the story as a whole overshadows them. As a critic, I have reviewed countless stories that I feel have received large amounts of unfair negative attention and provided my own unique perspective on them, whether they be comics like SPIDER-MAN: THE CLONE SAGA, SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CARNAGE, and BATMAN R.I.P., movies like the STAR WARS prequel trilogy, and even video games like FINAL FANTASY VIII. However, if there’s one genre of media that is more susceptible to dividing both audiences and critics than any other, it would have to be Japanese animation, or anime. Anime creates heated arguments between individuals like no other genre of fictional media that I’ve ever come across. With almost every anime that I’ve watched, people seem to either look at them with blind love, or mindless hate. This results in unfair bias towards these shows in my opinion, as the lack of middle ground with anime causes people to be instantly turned on or off by them without fully judging and analyzing it for themselves. Such is the case with ELFEN LIED, a highly controversial anime that has been both simultaneously universally praised and critically derided.

For those who are unaware, ELFEN LIED is a thirteen-episode miniseries that is notorious for it’s high levels of graphic violence and sexual content. I had first heard about this show while watching a countdown list about the top ten most controversial anime ever made, and ELFEN LIED made the number nine spot. After watching the video and doing further research, I discovered that despite it’s controversial material, this anime has a massive fanbase that praises it for it’s deep themes about humanity and psychological drama. Despite ELFEN LIED’s cult following, several critics I’ve come across (including the creator of that particular countdown list) have stated that there is no actual depth to this anime, and that it does nothing but portray over-the-top violence and sexual content that serves no purpose other than to shock and disturb. Similar to comics like IDENTITY CRISIS, this was a show that I was legitimately curious as to whether its criticisms were warranted, or if the fans were right about the anime’s supposed depth. Having watched the entire series, I can safely say that I really enjoyed ELFEN LIED. While I can understand where some of the criticisms are coming from, I feel that many of them are unfair, as this series has a lot to offer in both its themes, and especially it’s psychologically complex characters.

The first episode of the series begins in an underground containment cell located on an island research facility, where an armed guard is suddenly mutilated and decapitated by an unknown force. The source of the guard’s death is quickly revealed to be a mysterious young woman named Lucy, who is being monitored and caged within the facility. Lucy is a member of a race of mutated humans known as Diclonius, who are distinguished by their red eyes, pink hair, and horns resembling cat ears protruding from their skulls. But the most terrifying aspect about Diclonius is their ability to summon “vectors,” invisible hands known that are capable of ripping normal human beings to shreds. Bloodthirsty and driven by her hatred of mankind, Lucy breaks free of her confinement and begins slaughtering the guards and staff as she escapes the facility. As she reaches the island’s shores however, she is hit in the head with a sniper bullet. Although the helmet she was wearing prevented her from being killed, the impact causes Lucy severe head trauma and amnesia. The next day, Lucy is discovered on the beach of a small Japanese town by a young man named Kouta and his cousin Yuka. Taking the amnesiac Lucy back to their home, the two soon discover that Lucy has been reduced to the mental state of a toddler, and is capable of only saying a single word, “Nyu.” Using this word as a name for her, Kouta attempts to take care of the seemingly innocent “Nyu.” This proves difficult however, as Lucy’s amnesia quickly evolves into multiple personality disorder, as she frequently switches between her childlike “Nyu” persona, and her usual murderous self. To further complicate matters, it appears that Lucy had previously known Kouta before he discovered her on the beach. As the series progresses, the lives of Lucy/Nyu, Kouta, and Yuka will be changed forever as Lucy’s former captors continuously send agents to capture her, including other Diclonius, more individuals become intertwined in Kouta’s life, and the dark and tragic secrets behind Lucy and Kouta’s mysterious past are finally revealed!

While I don’t deny that this is undoubtedly one of the most violent shows I’ve ever seen, I found ELFEN LIED to be an intriguing series that utilizes its dark subject matter in order to develop compelling themes about mankind’s conflicting capabilities for cruelty and kindness, which are effectively conveyed through the show’s psychologically complex characters. However, before I discuss the elements that I enjoyed in ELFEN LIED, I feel that I should provide my own opinions towards the criticisms and controversies surrounding the show. The most obvious criticisms are concentrated on the show’s violence and sexual content. This is particularly evident when concerning the first seven minutes of the very first episode, as they alone seem to determine whether or not people will love or hate this anime. Within a short amount of time, the viewer is immediately presented with both nudity and extremely graphic violence, as a naked Lucy mutilates and decapitates several armed guards with her vectors, and the scene is complete with ridiculously large amounts of blood and gore. While I can definitely understand this scene turning people off, I feel that it works within the context of the show. The scene perfectly establishes the characterization and personality of the main protagonist before she loses her memories, as well as the show’s overall dark tone. The over-the top violence also serves to create suspense and intrigue for the rest of the series, particularly with Lucy's amnesia and split personality disorder. While she is acts innocently naive and childlike in her “Nyu” persona, the viewers are aware that her true personality is sadistic and murderous. Therefore, the viewers are drawn in by are desire to know whether or not her true personality will reemerge, and how it could possibly affect the lives of the other characters.

Aside from ELFEN LIED’s graphic violence, the other major area of criticism that I feel is largely biased is the anime’s portrayal of dark themes like discrimination and child abuse. While fans of ELFEN LIED have praised these themes for providing commentary on the savage nature of mankind, several critics have labeled the show’s depiction of these issues as pseudo-philisophical. Essentially, they’re saying that while the show is under the impression that it’s saying something deep and profound through it’s dark subject matter, its over-the-top portrayal causes it to become disconnected from reality, therefore preventing it from effectively depicting the themes it wants to convey. One scene where this criticism is particularly noteworthy is in a flashback to Lucy’s childhood, where while growing up in an orphanage, Lucy was repeatedly harassed and discriminated by the other children for her horns and introverted demeanor. When the bullies discover a stray dog that she secretly befriended, they end up brutally beating it to death right before Lucy’s eyes. People have criticized this scene for being highly unrealistic, as they feel that the idea of kids beating a dog to death is highly unrealistic, and that the scene only serves to exploit animal cruelty.

While I do understand where these criticisms are coming from, I respectfully disagree as I feel that the scene works on both a thematic and narrative level. Although the scenario is definitely extreme, it’s not entirely implausible, as bullies in real-life have been known to resort to extremely cruel tactics in order to torment their victims, which is further supported by the bullies in the show being motivated by prejudice. Another factor that provides further plausibility to this scene is both the bullies’ status as orphans and the shows’ setting in Japan. Japan has one of the lowest rates of unadopted orphans, as children who are not adopted by an immediate relative are often legally barred from being taken in by other families. This is primarily because the child will often be asked to take on the name of their adoptive family, which many Japanese citizens view as dishonor towards ones’ own kin. As such, it is reasonable to believe that the bullies in ELFEN LIED fall into this category, and are tormenting Lucy as a means of “finding someone even more miserable than themselves.” I also feel that this scene works on a narrative level, as it effectively progresses Lucy’s character development. Before this scene, Lucy had not yet developed her hatred of humanity, and sought to coexist with other humans, which was conveyed when she showed her dog to another girl. The girl ended up betraying her trust however when she revealed the dog to the bullies, resulting in them killing it in front of Lucy. The combination of witnessing the dog's death and having her trust betrayed causes Lucy to deem the bullies as inhuman monsters, and they're the first people to be killed by her vectors. I feel that this scene effectively establishes a good foundation for Lucy’s hatred of humanity, as because she was still a child, it was easy for her to associate these bullies’ acts of cruelty with mankind as a whole, especially since she had not been exposed to life outside her orphanage. On the whole, while I freely admit that ELFEN LIED’s attempts to portray society’s corruption are over-the-top, I still feel that the criticisms about the anime lacking depth are unfair, as it does manage to effectively utilize its dark material from both a thematic and narrative perspective.

The area in which ELFEN LIED was a truly shines in my eyes however, is in it’s psychologically complex and tragic characters. As I’ve admitted throughout my reviews, one thing that will instantly draw me into a story is characters with in-depth psychologies and complex backstories. I enjoy analyzing characters from a psychological perspective, as I feel that it allows me to fully understand who these characters are, and what makes them do the things that they do. This is further enhanced through knowledge of the character’s backstory and past, as it allows the viewer to understand exactly what factors molded the character’s personalities and motivations into what they are today. ELFEN LIED definitely excels in this regard, as several characters are provided fleshed-out backstories and three-dimensional characterizations that make them highly engaging and intriguing. The two characters that I feel receive the greatest amount of psychological development are the two main characters, Lucy and Kouta. As I stated previously, Lucy is portrayed to be a relentless serial killer with an inherent hatred of mankind and desire to eliminate all human beings. This born largely out of her being both discriminated and bullied as a child due to her horns, as well as her Diclonius DNA giving her an evolutionary instinct to kill in order to repopulate the planet with her own species. Despite Lucy's savage nature, she is also provided layers of humanity that not only allow viewers to understand and connect with her, but also provide the character a three-dimensional struggle. It is later shown in the series that Lucy befriended and fell in love with Kouta back when they were both children, and he was the only person in her life to show her true kindness. This friendship creates an internal dilemma for Lucy, as she is now torn between her hatred of humanity, and her love for Kouta. Her struggle is further escalated when a misunderstanding causes her to be responsible for a great tragedy in Kouta’s life. This ultimately results in Lucy feeling guilty for driving away the one person that genuinely accepted her for who she was, which carries on into the present day when she returns into Kouta’s life as the amnesiac “Nyu.”

I found Lucy’s internal struggle to be both highly compelling and psychologically complex. Although she is a relentless killer, she seeks redemption in the form of making up for the pain she caused for the one person who truly accepted her. Because of the kindess that Kouta showed her when they were children, Lucy genuinely loves Kouta and wants to be by his side, but she feels that the tragedy she was responsible for will prevent her from obtaining that bond. This effectively correlates with Lucy's amnesia at the start of the series, as it reflects her desire to be with Kouta. While amnesia has become an overused cliché in anime, I felt that ELFEN LIED provided a unique interpretation of the formula by having Lucy's amnesia quickly evolve into multiple personality disorder. Because of Nyu's childlike ignorance and innocence, Lucy subconsciously allows this personality to dominate her mind as she feels it allows her to forget about the pain that she previously caused Kouta. Not only did this provide a unique twist on the usual amnesia cliché found in anime, but it also made Lucy a psychologically complex and sympathetic character. Essentially, while she is portrayed as a sadistic serial killer with little regard for human life, she ultimately seeks redemption through rectifying the sins that affected the one person who accepted her in her entire life. I felt this made Lucy a character viewers could connect and sympathize with, as while we may not approve of the murders she commits, the circumstances that caused her to commit these actions are provided depth and believability, and her desire to redeem past sins is admirable and allows the audience to want and see her achieve said redemption. Overall, while Lucy is portrayed as a sadistic murderer who hates humans, she is provided complex psychology and three-dimensional depth that made her a highly compelling and sympathetic anti-heroine in my eyes.

The other character that I felt possessed three-dimensional psychology and depth was the object of Lucy’s desire, Kouta. Unlike most of the human characters in ELFEN LIED, who are portrayed as inherently cruel and savage, Kouta serves as an effective foil to humanity’s capacity for darkness by representing the kindness that humans are also capable of. Throughout the series Kouta is portrayed as compassionate and kindhearted individual who is willing to put the needs of others before himself, no matter what obstacles may befall him. Not only is this evident when he decides to take care of the amnesiac Lucy/Nyu after randomly discovering her at the start of the series, but also when he adopts two other girls who were previously victimized and abandoned by society. Kouta's capacity to do things simply out of the kindness of his heart not only fleshed the character's nobility in my eyes, but it also effectively allowed him to serve as a lighthearted foil to the anime’s otherwise dark tone. This was primarily portrayed through his childhood friendship with Lucy, as while most kids bullied Lucy for her horns, Kouta was one of the few people to not be turned-off by her appearance, even stating that he found her horns to be “awesome.” I felt that Kouta’s friendship and kindhearted treatment towards Lucy was especially important to the plot, as it both served as the foundation for Lucy’s character arc and motivations in the present day, and as a counterbalance to the mistreatment she had previously experienced. While the bullies from Lucy’s past and the scientists who held her captive served as archetypes for mankind’s corruption, Kouta acted as a counterbalance by representing the compassion that man was also capable of. Kouta’s capacity for near unlimited kindness not only made him an extremely likable character in my eyes, but also allowed him to serve as a great foil to the anime’s themes about mankind’s corruption and cruelty.

Although ELFEN LIED is notorious among the anime community for it’s graphic violence and controversial material, this was a series that I found to be extremely engaging and compelling! While the violence is often over-the-top, the show still greatly excels at utilizing its dark subject matter to create in-depth themes and parallels towards humanity’s darkness through it’s two psychologically complex main characters, Lucy and Kouta. While I can definitely understand why some people would be turned-off by this anime due to it’s levels of graphic violence and nudity, I feel that several of the criticisms its received are unfair, as they have created biased opinions about the show lacking any depth. This is definitely a shame in my opinion, as I felt that the show possessed great depth with its psychologically complex characters, whose fleshed out backstories and parallels allow them to help drive ELFEN LIED’s themes about humanity’s conflicting corruption and kindness out of the ball park! If I did have any legitimate criticisms, it would be that some plot points are left unresolved (primarily due to adaptation differences from the manga it’s based on), and that some of the nudity felt very forced and unnecessary. Despite those problems, I found the anime as a whole to be an incredibly entertaining and satisfying watch. While I would definitely advise caution, I feel that ELFEN LIED is an anime that people should look at with an unbiased and open mind as it’s good elements are definitely worthwhile!

“Controversy is part of the nature of art and creativity."

-Yoko Ono