Skip to content

Please note that when you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Thanks!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks!

Alias Jessica Jones Reading Order

  • by

Popularized by the Netflix television series, Jessica Jones was created in the pages of a Marvel comic book series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos. She first appeared in Alias #1 (November 2001), published under Marvel’s MAX imprint, which allowed for explicit language, sexual content, and adult themes.

Jessica Jones is a private investigator with a past tied to the Avengers. Once a costumed superhero operating under the name Jewel, she abandoned that identity after a traumatic career marked by failure and psychological abuse. By the time Alias begins, she is a chain-smoking, self-destructive alcoholic and the owner and sole employee of Alias Investigations, a small New York detective agency specializing in cases involving superhuman individuals.

The early storyline follows Jessica as she navigates morally compromised investigations and personal demons, including a case involving the exposure of a superhero’s secret identity, which draws her into a larger and increasingly dangerous conspiracy. Central to her backstory is her history of manipulation and control by the villain Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man, an experience that defines much of who she became.

Although Alias was published under the MAX imprint, Bendis moved Jessica Jones to the core Marvel Universe. Subsequent stories fully integrated her into mainstream continuity, establishing that she attended Midtown High School alongside Peter Parker and later became a member of the Avengers during the New Avengers era and started a romantic relationship with Luke Cage. Over time, Jessica Jones evolved from a noir-styled deconstruction of superhero tropes into a recurring figure within Marvel’s primary ensemble of characters.

Jessica Jones Reading Order

The best way to get to know Jessica Jones as a character is to read Alias. However, it was written for a mature audience and contains dark subject matter, explicit violence, and strong language. Readers who are uncomfortable with this type of material may prefer to start with The Pulse, which offers an alternative entry point and presents the character within Marvel’s mainstream continuity.

Jessica Jones: Alias

Unlike many Marvel characters, Jessica Jones debuted as the lead of her own ongoing series rather than as a supporting or secondary figure. Alias was her first solo title, serving as an introduction to the character. Published under Marvel’s MAX imprint from 2001 to 2004, Alias established Jessica Jones’s background, personality, and role within the Marvel Universe, and remains the essential starting point for readers seeking to familiarize themselves with the character.

The Alias series is part of our 50 Best Comics and Graphic Novels of All Time, as well as our selection of the 25 Best Marvel Comics to read.

As the omnibus edition may now be difficult to obtain, the series remains available in collected trade paperback editions:

If you want to know What if Jessica Jones Had Joined The Avengers?, the question has been answered with this one-shot.

Jessica Jones Reading Order Icon

Jessica Jones: The Pulse & Young Avengers era

After Alias, Jessica Jones reappears in The Pulse, a series chronicling her employment at the Daily Bugle. There, she works on the newspaper’s newly created, superhero-focused section of the same name. During this period, Jessica transitions from working as a private investigator to becoming more directly involved in superhero affairs, as she becomes fully integrated into the mainstream Marvel Universe.

Around this time, she becomes increasingly connected to the superhero community, appearing in House of M, a bit in Daredevil, and mostly in Young Avengers stories.

And a more detailed reading order for that era:

Jessica Jones Reading Order Icon

Jessica Jones & The New Avengers

In New Avengers Annual #3, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are married. At the time, Luke Cage is a core member of the New Avengers roster (see the Bendis-era Avengers reading order for a broader view of the series). While New Avengers includes some important developments for Jessica Jones, she’s mostly a supporting character. Her involvement is intermittent, and much of the series centers on other characters. 

As a result, this era is largely optional for readers primarily interested in Jessica Jones. Marvel thought about that, though, and published a trade paperback collecting some important issue of that era:

  • Jessica Jones: Avenger
    Collects New Avengers (2005) #38, #47; New Avengers Annual (2006) #3; New Avengers (2010) #8, #31; What If Jessica Jones Had Joined The Avengers?; Custom Netflix Jessica Jones NYCC Comic; Material From Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #601, Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration #1.

You can read all of New Avengers, and from the perspective of enjoying and following the Marvel Universe in the 2000s, I recommend that you do. For Jessica Jones, here’s what you need to know:

  • New Avengers #22
    Let’s start with a Civil War Tie-In about Jessica and Cage. Go to the Civil War Reading Order.
  • New Avengers #28 to #35
    During that period, Jessica Jones pops up here and there. She got some cameos and even a bit more in issue #34. It was collected in New Avengers vol. 6: Revolution and New Avengers vol. 7: The Trust.
  • New Avengers #36 + Annual #2
    That’s the issues you need to read. Jessica Jones is forced to register to protect her baby.
  • Jessica Jones: Avenger
    As I was saying before, this TPB collects important issues for Jessica Jones, New Avengers #38 and #47. Between these two, you can read the Secret Invasion crossover.

Jessica Jones Reading Order Icon

Jessica Jones: Mother and Superhero

With the Siege event, there are changes concerning Jessica Jones. She ends up with a more interesting thing, doing more superhero work. We are in 2010, and a new volume of New Avengers began. It was called “Heroic Age,” and the new team consisted of Luke Cage, Victoria Hand, Iron Fist, Mockingbird, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, The Thing, Wolverine, and of course, Jessica Jones.

The Mighty Avengers era

Following the Avengers vs. X-Men event, Marvel relaunched much of its superhero series. During this period, Jessica Jones largely retreated into the background, making sporadic appearances alongside Luke Cage, most notably in Mighty Avengers. Her presence during this era was minimal. Aside from a handful of brief scenes, she remained largely in the background. So, for readers focused specifically on Jessica Jones, this phase is even more optional than her earlier New Avengers appearances. Let’s just go directly to the next era.

The New Jessica Jones Solo Series

We’ll skip the All-New All-Different Marvel, because it’s mostly like the Mighty Avengers era. Let’s focus on what’s really interesting: there’s a new Jessica Jones solo series.

With the help of the Netflix Show, Jessica Jones is really back in action. A lot has changed in the Marvel Universe, and many secrets are hiding in the shadows… secrets only a special woman like Jessica Jones can hope to uncover. Alias Investigations is open for business, and of all the many mysteries to discover, her new case may be the most dangerous one!

There was also a Defenders TV show, and Bryan Michael Bendis wrote a series starring Jessica, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist to capitalize on it. 

Jessica Jones Reading Order Icon

Jessica Jones by Kelly Thompson

After a long tenure at Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis departed the company to work primarily on Superman and other titles at DC Comics. As a result, he did not continue writing Jessica Jones beyond his earlier runs. Kelly Thompson took over the character and relaunched the Jessica Jones series in a short Marvel Digital Original series.

  • Jessica Jones: Blind Spot [2026]
    Collects Jessica Jones: MDO Digital Comic (2018) #1-3, Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter MDO Digital Comic (2019) #1-3.

Previously collected in Jessica Jones: Blind Spot and Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter.

Jessica Jones Reading Order Icon

Guest-starring Jessica Jones

Following the conclusion of her most recent ongoing solo series, Jessica Jones has primarily appeared in guest roles across various Marvel titles. These include brief appearances in series such as Daredevil, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man, among others. I will not list them here, because it’s mostly irrelevant. If something big happens, I’ll update this guide.

Jessica Jones was not one of the biggest players in the Devil’s Reign event, but she got enough. In fact, the miniseries gave us a conclusion for the Purple Man storyline. For more information about the event, go to our Devil’s Reign Reading Order.

The Variants

What would it really be like to meet an alternate version of yourself — another you who had made different choices and lived a completely different life as a result? That’s the question facing Jessica Jones, as what seemed like a routine investigation instead has her encountering other incarnations of herself from across the Multiverse!

During the Contest of Chaos crossover events, Agatha Harkness creates… chaos, to reach her goal and have a new Darkhold. Spider-Man is forced into it and recruits Jessica Jones to investigate with him what is going on. It’s not big on Jessica, just one or two pages per issue (and not all the issues).

  • Contest of Chaos
    Collects Scarlet Witch Annual #1, Spider-Man Annual (2023) #1, Iron Man Annual (2023) #1, Fantastic Four Annual (2023) #1, Moon Knight Annual (2023) #1, Spider-Gwen Annual (2023) #1, Venom Annual (2023) #1, X-Men Annual (2023) #1 And Avengers Annual (2023) #1. 

During the recent Gang War that took place in New York City, where superhero activities were rendered illegal, Jessica Jones teamed up with her husband, NY Mayor Luke Cage, and joined the fight to save the city.

She also has a team-up with Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024) #6-8, 10

Jessica Jones Reading Order Icon

Jessica Jones: Alias Red Band 

In 2026, Jessica Jones is back on TV in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again (still played by Kristen Ritter). To mark the occasion, the character is also back in her own comic book series. Marvel relaunches Alias with a Red Band (meaning it’s going to be bloody). The miniseries, presented as a celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the original Alias, is written by Sam Humphries and drawn by Geraldo Borges. Jessica has to investigate a series of sinister murders in Hell’s Kitchen.

Pin
Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *