Dark Angel Revisited

Well … now we know why Marvel delayed the long-hyped Bendis/Maleev Spider-Woman series.

Rather than despair over the latest turn of events, however, the Fortress Keeper prefers to look upon this apparent shift in the status quo as an opportunity.

After Jessica’s role in Secret Invasion becomes more apparent, perhaps Marvel will revisit the Spider-Woman: Origins mini of a few years back and undo one or two of its retcons.

It’s not as if we found the book that objectionable; in fact, the Keeper rather enjoyed the Luna Brothers’ art. However, the changes designed to make Jessica’s origin more “down to earth” (no High Evolutionary for one thing) didn’t particularly clear anything up.

If we had our way, Jessica Drew would return to her true roots: a spider who evolved through super-scientific means into a human woman.

Yeah, yeah we know. Archie Goodwin came up with that particular origin on the fly and TPTB felt it would never work for an ongoing character.

But let’s face it, Spider-Woman works best as a character that’s a bit … creepy.

And really, what’s creepier than a humanoid spider?

People would shun her company and view her motives with suspicion. Hated, feared and lonely, Jessica’s inhuman instincts would compel her to prowl the darkest corners of the Marvel universe, preying upon horrors too dark and bizarre for the average super-hero or law-enforcement agency.

Doesn’t that sound like a concept the guy who wrote Marvel’s Alias could handle?

Plus, as Fred Van Lente and Graham Nolan proved in a recent issue of Marvel Adventures Iron Man, the “human spider” angle passes the single most essential test for comic-book origins:

It can be summed up in two panels.

No more Avengers, no more Skrulls, no more La Femme Nikita rip-offs. That’s the Spider-Woman comic we want to read.

Is the Keeper alone in this opinion?

(Don’t bother responding, Fortress Fans. We already know the answer … )