Marvel puts Jessica Jones through the ringer in “Alias: Red Band” issue two, hitting it out of the park as writer Sam Humphries, penciler Geraldo Borges, letterer Cory Petit and colorist Arthur Hesli give us mystery-packed thrills and exciting developments into Jones’ exposure to the world of Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

For starters, this comic is beautiful. Right from panel one, the intense coloring of the panels and the lack of lighting surrounding some of the panels makes the reader feel like they are in a scenario where they are never safe. 

The only times where you get the feeling that Jones is truly safe is when she is in areas with people that she can trust: her mom, her kids, the courtroom with Matt Murdock and even the antique seller – although her pages are inked in black with jagged borders around the panels emphasizing the desperation Jones is feeling with the lack of leads she has on the case.

Also, the lighting of Typhoid Mary – the current wife of the Kingpin – makes you feel like you can never really trust her. 

In some scenes, she will have the lighting go dark on her face, emphasizing a sense of disconnection with both Jones and the reader. You can never tell if she is three steps ahead of you or if she is lost in her own little world.

On top of that, we are given more information about why Typhoid Mary is invested in this story. In the previous comic, she said it was because the crimes were bad for business, but in a very interesting scene in this issue, it is clear that there is more than she is leading us to believe.

Without giving too much away, it definitely feels like Typhoid Mary is heavily affected by the story.

We already know that she has gone through three other investigators, as told in the previous issue, but there is clearly more to the story that she is not telling us.

The fact that this is also a comic made for more mature audiences allows for the comic to express itself that it wouldn’t have been able to had it been a normal story. 

The opening scene of the comic just feels that much more gruesome and violent giving you a feeling of claustrophobia and discomfort.

These feelings of isolation are clearly represented in Jones herself too.

While yes, she is constantly with other characters throughout the issue, the comic truly shines as you realize how isolated Jones truly feels.

The first issue of this series already highlighted Jones’ marital issues with her husband, New York City Mayor Luke Cage; however, you truly feel like Jones is fully turning away from all that’s important to her for this mystery. 

She leaves her kids with her mom, tells Cage that she is watching them and essentially ditches her family to catch the murderer.

I really want Cage and Jones to stay together and I don’t know if they will after the conclusion of this series but, if they do, there will have to be some major reconciliation between the two in order to truly step away from this whole ordeal.

Of course, the cover art is also beautiful. 

The collage style of the cover makes the art feel like it is fully using the space that is given as the Typhoid Mary takes center stage, a knife dividing her face into two distinct parts, while Jones looks onto the reader from the background. It makes you feel somewhat discombobulated, but in awe, as text in both typewriter font and weird pencil markings fill the cover.

According to their website, The comic comes at a time when the famous Jessica Jones comic, “Alias,” turns 25 years old, leading to Marvel releasing the mystery thriller related to the famous investigator that we are currently reading.

While, yes, the book has a lot to distinguish itself from, the collection of high stakes pacing and in depth character analysis make the story a must read for any fan of Jessica Jones, Marvel fans or comic readers willing to get into a good story.