Spider-Woman: Agent of SWORD (Hardcover Edition; includes motion comic DVD)

  In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion of the Skrulls, Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman, is having trouble finding her place in the world. The Skrull Queen kidnapped the heroine, impersonating her, and nearly enslaving the human race. Restored to humanity and looking very much like the face of the Skrull invaders, Drew has lost friendships, relationships, and her self-esteem. 

   So when a woman with green hair comes around offering Spider-Woman a chance to get revenge on the Skrull race who did her wrong (and make a little money to boot) it's not very hard for her to ask 'Where do I sign?'  Spider-Woman might want to eat those words when her first assignment sends her to the seediest place on earth- Madripoor. 

    This mini-series from 2009 was originally released as a groundbreaking motion comic through iTunes. It was supposed to the be the first in a long line of comics that Marvel would publish in the new digital format for years to come.  But due to a score of delays, numerous burnt-out artists, and a general lack of interest, the Marvel motion comic project fizzled after just a couple of releases. 

   Thankfully, that was not the end of Jessica's story as Agent of SWORD was later released in single issue form a few months later. This volume collects all 6 issues and includes a copy of the comic in the digital form as intended by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev. 

   While Bendis doesn't disappoint with his deft storytelling, it's the art that is what makes this book worth owning. Maleev uses real models and then through the magic of digital paint, he renders the subject into an array of heroes, villains, and everything in-between. His painted covers are a sultry delight as well.

   The coloring of this story was quite dim and it doesn't translate very well online. Maybe the choice of colors was some sort of cameraman's trick to make the special effects pop,  but I just didn't like the motion comic version of this story. I also didn't like the voice actors used. Now, I think the big problem with that was not so much that they weren't talented but since I read the print version before watching the DVD, I had built up the voices in my head, so that what I heard just didn't fit my preconceived notions. 

   I bought this book on discount and I was very excited to own it. Now that I'm done, I feel like I got a really good read out of it and a disappointing cartoon version to boot. To be honest, I'm not going to keep this one. It's going to end up in my pile of books to sell. If you live in the central North Carolina area, keep an eye out as my copy might be popping up on a used bookstore shelf near you.

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.