Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. [Hardcover]

Brian Michael Bendis (Author), Alex Maleev (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the team behind one of the most acclaimed comic runs ever, reunite in this exciting new series. Ripped from the pages of SECRET INVASION and NEW AVENGERS, this explosive first chapter follows the new adventures of Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman as she rediscovers her life in a world she did not make.

COLLECTING:

Spider-Woman #1-7

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078511999X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785119999
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.6 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Michael Bendis is an award winning comics creator and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For the last eleven years, Brian's books have consistently sat on the top of the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel's popular AVENGERS franchise by writing every issue of the NEW AVENGERS plus debuting the hit books MIGHTY AVENGERS and DARK AVENGERS along with the wildly successful 'event' projects HOUSE OF M, SECRET WAR, SECRET INVASION, and SIEGE.
This summer will see the blockbuster new line-ups for AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS.
Other recent projects include the groundbreaking SPIDER-WOMAN MOTION COMIC, that debuted number one on iTunes TV sales chart and the New York Times best selling HALO graphic novel.
Brian is one of the premiere architects of Marvel comic's Ultimate line of comics. A line of comics specifically created for the new generation of comics reader. He has written every issue of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN since it's best selling launch in 1999, and has also written ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, X-MEN, MARVEL TEAM UP, ORIGIN, SIX and the ENEMY trilogy.
He is creator of the JINX line of crime comics published by image comics. This line has spawned the graphic novels GOLDFISH, FIRE, JINX, TORSO (w/ Marc Andreyko) and TOTAL SELL OUT.
Brian's other projects include the Eisner award winning "POWERS" (w/Mike Oeming) from Marvel's creator owned imprint ICON, and the Hollywood tell all "FORTUNE AND GLORY'. Entertainment Weekly gave both projects an "A." SONY and FX networks are currently developing POWERS for series with Brian as exec producer.
Brian is currently adapting his spy graphic novel FIRE for Universal Pictures as a starring vehicle for Zac Efron.
Brian is a member of Marvel studios creative committee, which consults on their numerous ongoing film projects. He has consulted on IRON-MAN and IRON MAN 2 and is currently consulting on THE FIRST AVENGERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR and THE AVENGERS
Brian has won five prestigious EISNER awards, including 'Best Writer of the year' two years in a row. He has also won over two dozen Wizard comic awards. Brian is the recipient of the Cleveland Press 'Excellence in Journalism' Award and was named "Best Writer of the Year." by Wizard Magazine and Comic Buyer's Guide for three consecutive years.
He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Alisa, his gorgeous daughters Olivia and Sabrina and his dogs Lucky, Max and Buster.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Expected better...., February 8, 2012

By 

Fernando H. Ramirez "The Common Man's Final Word" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. (Hardcover)

SPIDER WOMAN: AGENT OF SWORD is a very brief graphic novel. I read it in about 45 minutes. The story is about the titular character, and a mission she undertakes to take down Skrulls in a foreign country (Madripoor). She fights three of them and Hydra (the terrorist group that wants her back). The story ends abruptly (wont give away the ending), and I can't say that I really got into the character or the story throughout any of read.

Bendis writes his dialogue in the style of Quentin Tarantino, like he did when he was doing his creator owned books. I've read better from him.

But the thing I most disliked about the book was the fumetti-style storytelling of Maleev. He does a few great images in the book, and of course... his covers are awesome. But the fumetti storytelling turned me off big time. (Fumetti is comics made with photos.... and Maleev obviously takes photos and uses them to draw from (probably traced in Photoshop).) The result is stiff looking characters who look posed and unreal. Maleev does some amazing coloring with some awesome textures, but it feels wasted on traced photographs. Plus he often re-uses certain poses instead of doing new ones, which upon seeing them... took me out of the story and made me feel he was taking artistic shortcuts. I think he's a great artist, but not when he's relying so heavily on stiff photos. The book would have been much better with characters drawn from his imagination, and I can't believe that it is faster for him to take photos, scan them, manipulate them, trace them, and lay them out in Photoshop... than it would be to just DRAW them. If this is what he's going to do in the future... I would rather he just do the iconic covers (which suits the fumetti style much better) and leave the storytelling to someone who will actually draw the characters from his/her imagination.

Come to think of it... I probably would have enjoyed the story more if the fumetti hadn't been so distracting. I've seen good work from Maleev, so I know he can do it. But this is like some of his later DAREDEVIL run (some of the DAREDEVIL run was good and not TOO fumetti) where the whole thing looked like fumetti.

From what I understand, a motion comic was made of this. I feel no need to watch it, even for free on Netflix.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another entertaing read by Bendis and Maleev., December 3, 2010

By 

F.C. (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. (Hardcover)

It could be argued that this book is not quite as engrossing as Bendis and Maleev's run on Daredevil, but that one was much longer, while this is a self-contained story that they have apparently left to stand alone. Whatever computer-generated art process was used on it makes the art look a little different than what you're used to seeing from Maleev, but it doesn't diminish the look of the book in any way. Maybe they'll come back and do something else with this character someday, maybe not; anyway, if you like their earlier work, you'll probably like this one.