Alias Red Band 2 featured image
Reviews

Alias: Red Band #2 Review – Slow Train To Catch A Killer

  • Written by: Sam Humphries
  • Art by: Geraldo Borges
  • Colors by: Arthur Hesli
  • Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
  • Cover art by: David Mack (cover A)
  • Cover price: $4.99
  • Release date: April 15, 2026

Alias: Red Band #2 (Marvel Comics, 4/15/26: Writer Sam Humphries and artist Geraldo Borges continues Jessica Jones’s hunt to find a serial killer who may be using mind control to turn innocent citizens into killers. The issue is packed with crime noir atmosphere, but the pacing takes a severe dip from issue #1. Verdict: for die-hard Jessica Jones fans only.

First Impressions

The first issue in this series had me curious for what Sam Humphries could do with Jessica Jones. It’s fair to say after reading the second issue that he gets the character, but his timing, pacing, and overall engagement—especially when it comes to Typhoid Mary—leave something to be desired. If there’s some urgency to catch a serial killer, it’s probably not a good idea to slow the pacing down.

Recap

In Alias: Red Band #1, we see Jessica Jones quietly taking up the case of a serial killer who dispatched one of her friends and neighbors, despite the express wishes of her husband and Mayor Luke Cage not to get involved in an investigation when she’s legally not allowed to do so. Jessica gets involved anyway and soon finds that she needs the help of Typhoid Mary, who also has a personal vested interest in catching the killer. The issue ends with Jessica and Typhoid Mary arriving at the next murder scene, only to find that it is a completely different person involved—indicating that it’s not one killer but a string of innocents who may have been somehow turned.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS)

The issue begins with Jessica Jones and Typhoid Mary brutally interrogating Randall, the man who was caught after killing his wife and children in the first issue. Randall seems to be disconnected from the tragedy of his crimes, probably due to the fact that they found a postcard at the scene with a mysterious symbol typed in typewriter font on its face. Randall is aware of the killings, but he seems unable to explain how or why it happened, leading Jessica to believe that it’s due to some sort of mind control.

What follows is a jaunt around New York City as Jessica Jones and Typhoid Mary bicker over protocol, tactics, and the right (or wrong) way to do an investigation. The trail eventually leads to a specialized typewriter—an antique typewriter identified by a collector of sorts. But before Jessica can draw any conclusions, a new postcard with a new symbol takes hold of Typhoid Mary’s mind.

How is the story in Alias: Red Band #2?

Sam Humphries delivers a crime noir thriller with loads of atmosphere, some personality in the dialog between Jessica Jones and Typhoid Mary, and a reasonably mysterious killer at the heart of the hunt. Unfortunately, the obnoxious banter between Typhoid Mary and Jessica Jones verges on high school drama, and the pacing takes a massive downturn compared to the first issue. The story is there. It’s the execution that’s lacking.

How is the art in Alias: Red Band #2?

Geraldo Borges’s art is exactly what you need for a crime noir thriller. It’s all about the shadows. The shadows are deep, dark, dramatic, impactful, and evocative of something ugly underneath the city streets. Every conversation appears to be slathered in long shadows and a smoky aesthetic that makes you almost believe you can hear a sultry jazz group playing in the background at a low volume. I’m going to complain a lot about the pacing and the writing execution, but Borges’s art is pitch perfect for this type of story.

Arthur Hesli is doing an equally fantastic job executing the colors that give mood and atmosphere to every panel. The dark shadows that Borges puts on the page are complemented by Hesli’s choice to bathe the characters in tragic reds and heartbreaking blues.

Characters

Sam Humphries rightly puts Jessica Jones at the center of this story. And by all accounts, he’s doing a fine job capturing her personality and voice. However, her patience—and probably the reader’s—is severely tested by Typhoid Mary’s obnoxious, juvenile prattling and attempts at breaking the law at every turn simply for the sake of doing it. You get strong echoes of DC’s Harley Quinn, and that’s not a compliment.

Originality & Concept Execution

The heart of any mystery is, of course, the mystery itself. And on that count, Sam Humphries does a fine job of laying out a murder mystery with no clear killer or sense of design but one that’s still interesting enough to keep you moving along. A mystery requires breadcrumbs, and Humphries is laying them out at a good pace to keep the reader interested and to help the reader get involved in solving the puzzle. So the originality of finding a serial killer in the Marvel Universe may not be brand spanking new, but the execution in laying out the mystery is fairly well done here.

Pros and Cons

What We Loved

  • Sam Humphries nails Jessica Jones’s voice—and perhaps Typhoid Mary’s as well. But the former is welcome; the latter is not.
  • The murder mystery so far is well constructed.
  • The art team is absolutely the highlight of this issue by creating a sultry, atmospheric crime noir aesthetic.

Room for Improvement

  • Typhoid Mary’s personality is annoying to the point of obnoxiousness.
  • The pacing takes a massive dip.
  • Some of the panel progressions seem to be either slightly out of order or don’t flow logically, which makes following along on a murder mystery slightly more complicated.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 2/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3.5/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1/2

Final Thoughts

(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)

Alias: Red Band #2 keeps the intrigue of the murder mystery fairly high, but the pacing and the obnoxious banter between Jessica Jones and Typhoid Mary hold this issue back severely when compared to issue #1. Sam Humphries has constructed a decent mystery at the heart of the issue, but it’s getting lost because the positives are getting buried underneath the negatives.

6.5/10

We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media: 

Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics

If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.

Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support. 

Leave a comment