Writer: Kelly Thompson

Art: Mattia De Iulis, VC’s Cory Petit, Martin Simmons, and Valerio Giangiordano

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 11th, 2020

After the last issue concluded, readers finally found out who was behind Jessica’s murder. Guess who? Drum roll: it was Dia’s boyfriend who created an evil twin of himself( okay…). Now, as disappointing as the build-up to a villain that readers have never heard of before was, how does anyone, let alone Jessica Jones, stop an evil boyfriend replica who has reality-warping powers? Well, I think that’s the point of this entire issue. Let’s dive into JESSICA JONES: BLINDSPOT #5 by Kelly Thompson and iron out the final details behind the how and why, as well as the possibilities behind stopping anyone with reality-warping powers.

Now, as interesting as the series has been to date, the last issue saw a bit of the wind taken out of my sails. My expectations as to who was reasonable were a bit deflating. I didn’t know Dia nor did I know her boyfriend other than the fragments given to us by Thompson in the prior issues. Additionally, I’m not a huge fan of a big reveal being something that didn’t seem like it was the focus of the story at all and basically felt like it was written in at the last minute to remedy underdeveloped plot threads with magical wishes or time travel. However, this specific issue had me looking for a better explanation. Readers, this is what we get now. So, can Thompson make this angle interesting AND can she put the connective tissue together to make this story FEEL like this was always planned? Well, that still remains to be seen.

Thompson spends a bulk of the issue explaining how Dia’s boyfriend received his abilities, how the evil twin was created, and how to ”Catch a Predator”. But, the motive for the evil boyfriend just didn’t jive with this reader. It seemed unintentional, obligatory, and unlikely, or at least as improbable as an evil time-warping twin could be. Plus, if he had these abilities to which he had pretty good control over, why stretch out Jessica’s capture for so long? Why not just kill her again immediately instead of dragging everything out? Furthermore, once Jessica understood that there is a villain with reality-warping powers running around killing people, why weren’t the Avengers informed? Heck, why wasn’t Luke informed?

I’m sorry but for a detective that was written to be so smart earlier, this came off so ludicrous. Granted, she has been toiling with Doctor Strange (whom she rights as a prick btw) but this is heavy, universal-ending stuff they’re playing with here. However, Thompson writes Doctor Strange as caring more about his $&@$ snakes then two rookie-wielding reality manipulating twenty something’s that could eventually end all life at some point. Really?!? All hands should be on deck. And likewise, the ending of the issue is left way too open and loose. Thompson created two super-charged beings with no ramifications that are available to crack open at any point. Something just didn’t sit well with this idea to me. These powers are next level and Jessica Jones shouldn’t be the only one privy to this. No offense.

On a more positive note, Kelly Thompson can write Jessica Jones’ dialogue extremely well. She has a knack for writing strong, capable, and snarky female leads. Look no further than this series to see Elsa Bloodstone! Thompson excels when writing witty female leads, inner monologues, and clever banter between Jessica and her co-stars. Additionally, her build-up in the first four issues of a detective story was spot on. It’s the reveal from left-field that appears to be her Blindspot. I felt like I was being left clues to discover the villain and his motives only to be force-fed a “warp whistle” to get me to the end of the story without having to battle all the levels in between.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This series is 6 issues long but somehow it feels like it’s completed after this issue. I’m not sure if I’m missing something or if this is an unexpected curveball Thompson is throwing in at the end to wrap things up in a much more promising way. But, the series felt done… a series that began with a sense of purpose and direction that just didn’t seem to be there by its conclusion. When we began this series, I fell in love with a detective who was trying to solve her own murder, which had so much promise and intrigue. It was so smart, funny, and interesting. Thompson made me leave each issue trying to pick apart clues as to who and why this all went down. However, one of the worst things a writer can do is make a reader feel so invested, make them care, and quickly rip it all away by magically explaining it away with a character that really didn’t exist until an issue ago. I really was admiring this series immensely until this issue. Let’s hope further explanation comes in a way I just can’t see to pull this series together. Here’s to hoping I’m the one with the Blindspot.