Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1 Review
Everyone has felt isolated at some point in their life. Loneliness is a universal experience that very few people seem to speak about with candor. Whether by force or by choice, everyone has felt alone. Isolation and loneliness were the last themes that I expected to be met with when picking up Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1, yet here we are. A milestone celebration sets the expectation for a flashy, in-your-face reminder of just how powerful that character is and why they’ve stood the test of time. The thing is, it seems like Jessica Drew’s vulnerability is exactly why she has lasted this long.
Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1 consists of two stories: High Tag Wins by writer Ann Nocenti, artist Stefano Raffaele and color artist Neeraj Menon, and The Mysterious Spider-Woman by writer Dan Watters, artist Andrea Broccardo, and color artist Mattia Iacono. The first of the two acts a “then” story, paying homage to Spider-Woman’s roots. High Tag Wins sees private eye, Jessica Drew, in sunny Los Angeles. Nocenti’s return to the character feels simply effortless. It’s clear that she understands Jessica’s longing to connect with others outside of the suit, but how her pheromones often keep her from doing so. Nocenti’s writing showcases Jessica as a soft, but commanding character. Her insecurities do not lie within her own abilities. She knows she is an undeniably capable woman. Her struggles lie within her ability to relate to others. The fear that she can’t support her friends the way she wants and that they won’t care for her the way she cares for them. Who among us hasn’t felt this? Nocenti poignantly approaches Jessica at this very vulnerable place as Jessica finds herself questioning whether she is truly liked. Nocenti plays with this vulnerability even further by having Jessica express all of these feelings while donning her costume. What should act as a symbol of invulnerability is used to display how human Jessica’s emotions really are.
Raffaele’s artwork and Menon’s coloring deepen the layers of the story by playing with the light and shadows in an evocative manner almost reminiscent of a noir on one page. Jessica is enveloped in the warm Los Angeles sunshine for the majority of the story. But when the outcome of her detective work leads to a second confrontation with Flying Tiger, both characters are mysteriously draped in shadows. They also use this darkness to capture a brief moment of spiraling Jessica experiences due to her pheromones. Raffaele’s artwork displays Jessica’s sense of self being warped across three panels until she’s snapped out of it by her friend, Molly. Accompanied by Nocenti’s writing, these elements drive home how insecure Jessica can be. The same insecurity that is a universal truth for us all.
This second story, The Mysterious Spider-Woman, acts as a first glimpse into Watters and Broccardo’s upcoming Spider-Woman ongoing set to release this November. This team’s approach is much darker, offering a harmonic juxtaposition to High Tag Wins. It opens with Jessica Drew meeting Ben Urich atop the Daily Bugle’s headquarters regarding a break she made in a case of missing construction workers. The central message is the same: Jessica’s isolation from others. But Watters approaches the isolation from a different angle. Here, Jessica’s isolation is self-imposed. Urich can feel Jessica pushing herself away from him. She’s growing distant and ignoring his reassurance that he’s in her corner. She echoes that of a person suffering from depression, trying to end the interaction quickly and blaming it on her exhaustion. Her attitude lays interesting groundwork that makes the reader want to peel back the story and discover what’s going on with her. Watter is impressively able to pull off creating a captivating launching pad for the ongoing series while still paying tribute to Jessica Drew’s central themes.
Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1 / Watters, Broccardo, Iacono / Marvel Comics
Broccardo’s depiction of Spider-Woman is simply striking. The darker tone of this story is matched in its artwork and coloring from Broccardo and Iacono, respectively. Broccardo draws a hair-raising villain that had my arachnophobic skin crawling. While the big confrontation between the two could have been a bit more grandiose, it highlights what differentiates Spider-Woman’s abilities from those of Marvel’s other arachnoid heroes in a classic comic book manner. The scene served as a straightforward and in-character way to establish her powers for new readers without feeling like an exposition dump.
Sandwiching the action in between the scenes with Jessica and Urich on the rooftop allows the reader to fall back into what the story will really be about. The mystery was never about the missing construction workers – it was Jessica herself. What’s ailing her? Is she right to be closing herself off from the world? Or is she just doing further damage? She’s blending right into her surroundings and disappearing into the shadows, but why? The Mysterious Spider-Woman delivered as both a one-shot and a lead-in that leaves readers with bated breath on what’s next for Jessica Drew.
Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1 / Watters, Broccardo, Iacono / Marvel Comics
This year has shaped up to be a year for the spiders between the release of Spider-Noir, the record breaking Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the announcement of Midnight Spider-Man in Marvel’s highly anticipated Midnight line. These stories remind us that Spider-Woman has a unique thread in the web where we’re allowed to explore our own insecurities alongside her. Spider-Woman demonstrates how even the most formidable among us have to overcome this ubiquitous feeling. Spider-Woman’s 50th Anniversary Special confidently seats itself among the bold spidey releases of 2026, arguing that Jessica Drew has just as much to offer as every other Spider-person.
View on Kindle Store
Buy from Third Eye
This post contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission if you buy through this link.
