Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter Review (Kelly Thompson, Mattia de Iulis)

Jessica Jones’ daughter Danielle has suddenly turned purple! Buh how?! Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man, is dead – isn’t he???

Bloop bloop bloop, nuh uh – turns out the “dead” character in the superhero comic ain’t dead. Worra shocker. Know what else isn’t shocking? Kelly Thompson’s not a very good writer. Try as she might, Thompson couldn’t make me care about the contrived story that obviously resolves itself smoothly and predictably. The ending was also too neat with a Scooby Doo-esque reveal of the villain at the end.

All of the emotions felt forced and unconvincing: Jess is drinking whiskey = sad. Jess and Luke having “serious” conversations about their purple daughter (as if that was going to stick!) = poignant. Uh huh. It read like the lazy, uncreative shorthand storytelling it was. And going back to the well with the Purple Man yet again seemed gimmicky. Doesn’t Jessica Jones have any other rogues?

Jessica’s inner monologues were overwrought and her punching her way to the truth was plain unimaginative. And yet – I wouldn’t say the writing was a total bust. The story is always clear and it wasn’t unentertaining to read. The drama just wasn’t convincing at all.

If it weren’t for Mattia de Iulis absolutely killing it with the art I’d be giving this book a lower rating. I’m a huge fan of Jamie McKelvie’s style which de Iulis’ art reminded me heavily of. Very crisp, sharp lines, wonderfully realised and expressive body language – stellar art, through and through.

Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter isn’t edge-of-the-seat reading but it’s a really good-looking ok book.