We've been seeing teasers for the upcoming Civil War II event at Marvel. Once again, the heroes will have to choose sides and fight for what they believe is right. This time around, it has a much bigger feel. Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) is a hero that hasn't been shown as actually choosing a side. She's not one to normally sit on the sidelines but, with a baby to consider, things are much more complicated.
We spoke to Dennis Hopeless about Jessica's struggle and whether or not she'll be able to avoid getting in the fight.
Comic Vine: We've seen teasers from Marvel with various heroes having to choose a side. Jessica wasn't shown in the the two "team" images. Will her tie-in deal with her struggle to make a decision?
Dennis Hopelss: Jess’s initial reaction is to stay the hell out of it. Carol is her best friend and very involved in the conflict and that makes things complicated, but this is exactly the kind of super hero thing Jess hates. Conflicts like this are the reason she quit the Avengers. When we meet up with Jess is issue #9, she is going out of her way to avoid the whole thing.
We know she'll have to eventually pick a side. Is anyone knocking on her door waiting for her answer or could she take some time to think through all the angles?
Jess is Carol’s person. They lean on each other, they confide in one another. They figure things out together. There’s definitely some unspoken pressure for Jess to choose Captain Marvel’s side of the conflict. Carol would never pressure her into anything, but the assumed loyalty is there. That said, Jess is very stubborn and has complicated feelings. She’ll make up her own mind in her own time.
Can we assume having a baby could completely change the side she might've chosen before?
Ha. Well, it changed every other damned thing in her life, so yeah, I’d say that a fair assumption. She sees the world very differently than she used to. She looks at the long game. She worries (a lot) about worst-case scenarios and slippery slopes. She also cares a lot less about other people’s egos and agendas. There’s no clear right and wrong in this thing and that makes it scary for Jess. Especially right now.
Will your issues showcase her struggle with the decision or will she see some action within these pages?
We’ll play out her entire thought process. Issue #9 is Jess fighting tooth and nail to stay out of it. Because life isn’t fair and she has me as her writer, the subsequent issues will pull her deeper and deeper into the conflict. This won’t be your standard crossover tie in with hero on hero action. It’s very much a character study focused on how and why Jess gets involved and where her allegiances lie as the conflict progresses.
If she does pick a side and goes off to fight, will Roger watch over the baby? How much per hour does she pay him to babysit?
She and Roger sort of split both jobs 50/50. She keeps the baby during the day while Roger and Ben do daylight heroing. Roger keeps him at night while Jess is Spider-Woman. Drew/Urich is not particularly lucrative venture for anyone, but they split the profits 3 ways.
Without revealing anything (and assuming she does eventually pick a side), would you personally agree with her decision or would you choose the other side?
I would agree most with her initial desire to stay out of it. Super Hero Civil War sounds like a good way to get yourself horribly injured. It’s possible that’s because I have small children, would be a terrible soldier and lack the requisite super powers. But yeah, let’s call me a conscientious objector.
The Civil War II tie-in begins in issue #9, on sale in July!
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