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Pulse #13
Book Released: 27 Jan 2006
Review posted: 16 Feb 2006
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Publisher: Marvel Comics
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Adam White
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Finally! The real Brian Bendis has stood up, and he makes his
appearance in The Pulse #13. Back when I reviewed The Pulse #9, I was not very enthusiastic
about the title or the portrayal of the main characters; however, in
#13 Bendis does a 360° and gives us two stories that resonate in a
way that has been missing in those characters’ lives since the
series stopped being Alias. Alias artist Michael Gaydos
has returned to the book as well, and helps Bendis recapture the magic
of that lamented series for at least one brief, shining issue.
Bendis makes you care about D-Man (which
is, in itself, a steep mountain to climb), both through his portrayal
of the beleaguered Dennis Dunphy and Ben Urich’s compassionate
intervention.
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Bendis dusts off the typewriter and gets back to basics, telling
two separate tales: the first involving the birth of Luke Cage and
Jessica Jones’s baby; the second about Ben Urich’s quest
to find the erstwhile D-Man (bonus points to anyone who remembers him
— I did). Jessica goes through labor at Dr. Strange’s
Sanctum Sanctorum, New Avengers in tow, which makes for plenty of
comic opportunities given Jessica’s penchant for colorful
dialogue (censored in this reader-friendly book, of course) and the
relative prudishness of most of the rest of that bunch. The best
comic moment is perhaps when Luke Cage asks Dr. Strange if he has any
Public Enemy — it’s the little details like that that
bring back the fun of Alias. The second story also serves as a
poignant look at the sad life of D-Man, a hero who seemed in the past
to be worth little more than fodder for use in any of
Wizard’s “Lamest Hero” joke lists. Bendis
makes you care about D-Man (which is, in itself, a steep mountain to
climb), both through his portrayal of the beleaguered Dennis Dunphy
and Ben Urich’s compassionate intervention. It all makes for a
moving issue, running the gamut of emotions in a mere twenty-two
pages.
Michael Gaydos has in no way forgotten Jessica Jones, as he
captures her likeness in a way that no other artist has matched.
While other artists have tried to make Jessica look more in line with
typical Marvel women, Gaydos stays true to form and renders her as an
individual with her own look, mannerisms, and style, and effectively
captures the wide range of emotions she runs through as well,
considering she’s giving birth throughout the issue. Gaydos
also provides a haunting vision of D-Man, one that is both tragic and
heroic, a lost hero who has as many aspirations in his heart as his
mind has limitations. Great expressions for D-Man as well, and
Urich’s compassion is plainly visible without words. Gaydos
does fantastic work here, and it renews my sadness over
Alias’s demise.
Why was thirteen the lucky number? What finally clicked, made the
stars align, and put the pieces of this series back together again? I
don’t know why, but I’m certainly happy that it did. Of
course, they could just be taunting me since Bendis and Gaydos only
have one issue of the series left before it switches over to Jenkins
and Bachs and shifts focus onto their crew from Generation M.
But Generation M is great too, so maybe a fresh start for the
book will help liven it up. And it may pave the way for some new
title for Jessica and Luke down the road; I certainly hope so, because
these two characters deserve a series to explore their increasingly
exciting lives and the multifaceted narrative of the only true
romance that has genuinely developed over time at Marvel in decades.
It would be a crime to just drop the story, so to Bendis, I say this:
You’ve got the talent, the characters, and the influence to keep
this story alive — let us see what happens next.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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