Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. #1 (Motion-Comic) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Script) and Alex Maleev (Art) w/ voice work by Nicolette Reed (Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew), Stephanie K. Thomas (Abigail Brand), and Geoff Boothby (Spider-Man)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Since the Spider-Woman motion-comic is quite a bit different than your average comic, I’ll be reviewing it by breaking down each of its different elements before tackling the motion-comic as a whole. Let me know what you think of the format in the comments section. If it’s requested, I’ll tinker with the formula before the next chapter hits Itunes.

The Story: Jessica Drew, still reeling emotionally from having her world turned upside down by the Skrulls, is offered a job to be an agent of S.W.O.R.D. by Abigail Brand.

The Script: The script by Brian Michael Bendis is a bit predictable and fairly standard as far as first issues go. It works well enough, but it feels like a whole lot of time is spent capturing Jessica Drew’s mindset and getting readers up to speed about how things got where they are. While the expository stuff is necessary and expected, it leaves the first episode of Spider-Woman: Agent of Sword feeling a bit dry. A little bit more action would have gone a long way, though I will say that the one action beat effectively captures the emotion that Bendis is clearly shooting for.

The Artwork: Alex Maleev’s gritty artwork is very impressive. It effortlessly captures the tone, mood, and emotion of Bendis’ script. The best thing about the art though, is the fact that it’s in no way overpowered by the motion-comic effects. The effects compliment the work far better than I had expected. From the glowing signs of Madripoor to the brutal action scene, a chance to see Maleev’s work in motion is almost worth the price of admission alone.

The Voice Acting: The voice acting is, in a word, uneven. Most of the time it’s good, but every once in a while there’s a snag that serves as a reminder that a comic script works a bit different than a cartoon or live action one. Nicolette Reed does a fine job as Jessica Drew, especially since Reed’s accent fits Drew so well. My only real complaint is that a few of the more emotional moments seem a bit forced. Stephanie K. Thomas effectively captures the no-nonsense style of Abigail Brand, but something about her delivery left me wishing for a bit more. Geoff Boothby is, quite simply, a great Spider-Man. Out of the three voice actors, Boothby is the only one that delivers lines flawlessly.

The Motion-Comic Effect: Since it isn’t overpowering or intrusive, I have no problem recommending the motion-comic format. On a personal note, I think that Marvel’s motion-comic works far better than the Watchmen motion-comic did back when it was first released. The voice acting is better and the effects blend with the artwork more effectively. I realize more was put into Spider-Woman, but it’s hard to avoid comparing the two.

Conclusion: Since it’s only $0.99, I recommend giving the first issue of Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. a try. It’s a bit slow, but there’s definitely a lot of potential. And while it takes a bit to get comfortable with the format, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny