Essential Jessica Jones Stories in Marvel Comics

Jessica Jones never needed an alias to become one of New York City’s mightiest heroes. Although she tried to be a crime-fighting super hero in a bright costume, a traumatic encounter with Zebediah Killgrave, A.K.A. the Purple Man, sent Jessica down a different path. When Jessica escaped his control, she became a private investigator who shone a light onto some of the darkest corners of the Marvel Universe. Since then, Jessica Jones has made a name for herself as a detective, defended New York City alongside icons like Daredevil and Spider-Man, and found love with Luke Cage.

With Jessica Jones slated to return in the upcoming second season of Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, look back at some of the stories that made Jessica Jones an era-defining hero in Marvel Comics history. From her darkest days to her most heroic moments, step into Hell’s Kitchen with these essential Jessica Jones comics that capture her gritty and groundbreaking story.

ALIAS INVESTIGATIONS

As the cynical owner and operator of Alias Investigations, Jessica Jones uses her superhuman strength as a private investigator, tracking down missing relatives and exposing cheating spouses. But when a conspiracy involving a dead woman and a presidential candidate threatens to reveal Captain America’s secret identity, Jessica gets pulled back into the world of super heroes she had long left behind. From the darkest corners of Hell’s Kitchen, Jessica Jones ushered in a bold, new era of adult-oriented storytelling for Marvel Comics in ALIAS (2001) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.

THE SECRET ORIGIN OF JESSICA JONES

Ignored by her classmates at Midtown High, Jessica Jones did not have an easy childhood. However, when a car crash kills Jessica’s entire family and exposes her to experimental chemicals that would give her superhuman abilities, her life changes forever. As she wakes from a coma six months later, Jessica must learn to navigate super-powered life as a high school outcast as she crosses paths with Peter Parker and the Scorpion. Read the flashback to her youth in ALIAS (2001) #22-23 by Bendis and Gaydos.

PURPLE

With his pheromone-based mind-control powers, Zebediah Killgrave, A.K.A. the Purple Man, is one of most terrifying villains in the Marvel Universe. So when the relatives of Killgrave’s victims hire Jessica Jones, she has no choice but to confront her dark history with the Purple Man. As she relives the horrors of Killgrave’s actions and how they spelled the end of her career as the high-flying Jewel, Jessica must stop the Purple Man from unleashing his wrath across New York City. Jessica Jones faces her past in ALIAS (2001) #24 by Bendis and Gaydos.

THE PULSE

When Jessica Jones and Luke Cage had their daughter Danielle, she stepped away from Alias Investigations. Taking on a new job with Pulse, the Daily Bugle’s superhuman-focused magazine, Jessica recalls her past as she contemplates her future. Revisit her first encounter with Luke and Iron Fist on one of her only adventures as the costumed vigilante, Knightress! As Knightress teams up with the Heroes for Hire to stop the Owl, this little crime-fighting excursion becomes something more for Luke and Jessica. Read the previously untold first chapter of their love story in PULSE (2004) #14 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.

JESSICA JONES AND LUKE CAGE’S WEDDING

After protecting the city for years as a Hero for Hire, Luke Cage became a pillar of the super hero community and a leading member of the New Avengers. As Jessica Jones and baby Danielle join him for the ride, the city’s toughest private eye ties the knot with Luke atop Avengers Tower. Jessica may have spent much of her career as an outsider, but in that moment surrounded by Earth's Mightiest Heroes, she becomes part of something much bigger. Join the ceremony in NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL (2006) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel.

JESSICA JONES AND LUKE CAGE ON THE NEW AVENGERS

In the aftermath of Civil War (2006), Luke Cage and the New Avengers operate as unregistered heroes outside of the law. So when they discover that shape-shifting alien Skrulls have secretly invaded Earth and replaced numerous heroes, Jessica Jones makes some tough choices about their child and marriage. Follow Jessica and Luke as they learn to navigate parenthood while shouldering their super hero responsibilities in NEW AVENGERS (2004) #38 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, as well as in NEW AVENGERS (2004) #47.

JESSICA JONES: UNCAGED

For a little while, Jessica Jones had it all. Then without warning, she distanced herself from her husband and the Avengers, put her daughter into hiding, and went to superhuman jail. After a mysterious benefactor bails her out, Jessica tries to turn a new page and reopens Alias Investigations. When she meets Alison Green, a woman seeking help settling a serious grudge with an Avenger, Luke Cage and her former friends try to get answers. But will Jessica risk it all to crack this case? Find out in JESSICA JONES (2016) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.

RETURN OF THE PURPLE MAN

Even after rebuilding her life, Jessica Jones’ memories of Killgrave linger over her in a menacing purple haze. So when he escapes from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, Jessica will do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe, especially with a new family to protect. Even with the full might of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers behind her, Jessica must prepare to face her tormentor once more as the Purple Man won’t hesitate to make her life a living nightmare. The story unfolds in JESSICA JONES (2016) #13 by Bendis and Gaydos.

DEFENDERS ASSEMBLE

Jessica Jones doesn’t always work well with others. But when the criminal Diamondback returns and tries to build his empire once more with the Kingpin’s backing, Jessica joins Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil to shut his operation down. These heroes may have previously worked together, but New York’s most prominent street-level champions now officially team up as the Defenders to face a threat none of them can stop on their own. See them assemble in DEFENDERS (2017) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez.

JESSICA JONES: BLIND SPOT

Jessica Jones is one of the greatest detectives in the Marvel Universe. So when one of her old clients ends up dead in her office, Jessica finds herself hunting down a serial killer targeting prominent superhuman women. However, when this murderer’s victims refuse to stay dead, Jessica seeks supernatural help from Doctor Strange and Elsa Bloodstone. Dive into one of Jessica’s most uncanny cases yet in JESSICA JONES: MARVEL DIGITAL ORIGINAL (2018) #1 by Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis.

JESSICA JONES: PURPLE DAUGHTER

Jessica Jones and Luke Cage always tried to shield their daughter from the darkest parts of their crime-fighting lives. However, despite their best efforts, they could not stop Danielle from falling into the Purple Man's clutches. When Danielle’s skin turns purple, Jessica is forced to investigate the possibility that Killgrave has returned once more as secrets threaten to unravel the family she built for herself. Jessica will do whatever it takes to protect her daughter, teaming up with an unthinkable ally to keep her family safe. Find out just how far she’ll go in JESSICA JONES: PURPLE DAUGHTER DIGITAL COMIC (2019) #1 by Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis.

JESSICA JONES AND THE VARIANTS

With a past full of masked identities and life-changing decisions, Jessica Jones sometimes wonders: what if she’d chosen differently? Jessica gets a first-hand look at the people she could’ve been when her alternate reality counterparts come crashing into her world. In some realities, she’s still Jewel or Knightress, and in others she even steps into Captain America’s star-spangled boots. With her variants by her side, the private investigator must solve a mystery that threatens Jessica Jones in every reality. Worlds collide in THE VARIANTS (2022) #1 by Gail Simone and Phil Noto.

Pick these stories up at your local comic book shop and check out Marvel Unlimited for more Jessica Jones adventures!