Karla Pacheco and Pere Perez have been on a roll with Spider-Woman ever since the first issue sold more than any other book in the entire month. The book is non-stop with action, quips, and plenty of twists and turns too. If issue #13 is any indication, they aren’t planning on slowing down any time soon, as Jessica Drew must use everything from a baby stroller to a folding chair to get the job done this week.
This issue opens with a full-page spread of Spider-Woman giving the baddy an uppercut with her baby stroller. Curving around here in 3D lettering the words “ooooooooh baby!!!!” can be read. Oh baby, indeed. This book opens with an epic action-packed page and never lets up. Jessica may no longer have a toxic anger problem due to something she ingested, but she’s certainly miffed at the person who woke her kid from their nap.
The action is intense at all times thanks to Pere Pérez’s art, but also because the scenes constantly change. We see Jessica take on the baddie in her house, then out the window, down the street, and then in a subway car, all rendered in great detail and easy to follow. And that’s only half of the book. There’s plenty more after that, and plenty of surprises I won’t spoil, that add up to a delightful action-packed issue.
Oh baby, indeed.
Credit: Marvel
The action works in large part because Pérez keeps things feeling real and dangerous. Spider-Woman is saving people being thrown by a baddie in one scene, for instance, or in another scene thanks to proper kinetic displacement we feel Spider-Woman drag along the cement ground or the incoming giant mammal that’s about to pound her. This book doesn’t let up visually, and really, every panel could be a splash page. There are also some on-point sound effects that are weaved into the scenes in clever ways.
Pacheco doesn’t let up on dialogue, either. Jessica is very pissed off, and she’s nearly constant with quips, barbs, and commentary on the action at hand. The bad guys — and there are multiple — can barely keep her off their tail and they certainly can’t keep Spider-Woman from talking. The voice is on point and, as Karla has stated, it’s her voice to a T. It works for the character.
If you’re looking for something deeper beyond breakneck action and fun quips, there are some interesting developments with the plot. Admittedly there isn’t a lot, it’s mostly a chase scene, but near the end of the book, some characters are revealed that ratchet up this narrative to a new level. The series under this creative team has always been good for surprise twists and turns and we’re likely getting a taste here.
Spider-Woman #13 is a great action-focused comic with a hell of a chase scene. In fact, this is probably the best chase sequence you’ll get in all of comics in 2021. Spider-Woman is breakneck, funny in a self-reflective way, and about as fun as comics can possibly get.
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