Jessica Jones’ life has been a messy one, but a new novelized adventure is sending her somewhere few street-level superheroes in the Marvel Universe ever dare venture: England. Making the jump to crime novels with a book written by a celebrated British author, Jessica will face down mysterious threats and her own inner demons as she struggles with new responsibilities and an uncertain future. It’s Marvel’s street-level PI like she’s never been seen before.
As recently announced by Marvel, Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel is written by crime novelist Lisa Jewell. The book stars Jessica Jones as she travels to the UK to investigate a mystery with a setup that’s reminiscent of both crime and horror stories.
A mother, Amber, is convinced that her twins have been changed or replaced during a visit to England. They’re creepy and too perfect. This, of course, leads Jessica to make a trip across the pond to uncover the dark secrets that lie in the little hamlet of Barton Wallop, where the children’s father lives.
Jessica Jones’ New Story Kicks Off a Series of Marvel Novels
Breaking the Dark is only the first of a larger series of street-level novels about Marvel characters such as Jessica, Daredevil and Luke Cage to be published through Disney’s Hyperion Avenue imprint. Other upcoming titles include a Luke Cage book by novelist S.A. Cosby and a Daredevil book by novelist and comics writer Alex Segura. It’s a natural fit for these characters, all of whom have been heavily influenced by classic pulp novels, with Jessica in particular being the platonic ideal of a damaged noir PI, just one who happens to live in the Marvel Universe.
As Jewell details in her interview with Marvel, this story takes place at a crossroads in Jessica Jones’ life. Jessica knows she’s pregnant, placing the novel shortly before the conclusion of the original Jessica Jones series Alias. That series ended with Jessica committing to forging a lasting relationship with Luke Cage after telling him about the baby.
As Jewell says about Jessica’s realization, “I… knew this meant she’d be struggling with not drinking and smoking and with her feelings about Luke Cage and the up-till-now casual nature of their relationship—all of which would be great fun to write about.” Like all life events, Jessica’s pregnancy is a catalyst for change. While fans know that there’s a relatively happy ending in her future, the fun is seeing the struggles and inner turmoil that leads Jessica there.
Jessica Jones Isn’t the Only Marvel Hero in England
It’ll also be interesting to see how the setting of England impacts both this story and Jessica. England isn’t unfamiliar territory for Marvel superheroes, with the X-Men-adjacent team Excalibur based out of the country. While Marvel’s description of the novel promises a more grounded crime story, Jessica Jones’ adventures have still always had one foot in the Marvel Universe. No matter how grounded, there are still opportunities for Jessica to butt heads with corners of the MU she’d never see otherwise, whether it be Captain Britain, Excalibur, British spies MI-13 or any number of British Marvel heroes.
The setting of a small town in England with weird children also brings to mind famous British horror, sci-fi and crime stories. The novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham is a classic example of creepy children literature, as is the original Wicker Man film directed by Robin Hardy. Jewell, British herself, is also a self-confessed Agatha Christie superfan, with Christie an obvious reference for any pastoral crime story. How this lineage, especially in novels, influences the story will be fascinating to see. It’s an entirely new setting and medium for Jessica Jones, but one that comes with a long history.
Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel releases July 2 from Hyperion Avenue.
