Description

The Pulse: Thin Air – Volume 1              Trade Paperback 
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorists: Frank G. D’Armata & Brian Reber
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Andy Schmidt
Cover by: Mike Mayhew

Picking up almost exactly where the Marvel title Alias (Marvel) left off, The Pulse tells the story of reluctant heroine Jessica Jones in her role as a super-powered consultant on super powers for The Daily Bugle. Jones, a former super-hero and girlfriend of the hero-for-hire Luke Cage, is hired by J. Jonah Jameson as a “vigilante analyst.” Her job is to provide a point-of-view rarely seen on typical news stories—that of someone who has put on a costume and used super powers to fight bad guys. Though her place of business is a newsroom, there is no shortage of action or intrigue as Jessica helps break stories and solve crimes from her own unique perspective.

Borrowing supporting characters from Spider-Man and Daredevil, The Pulse adds new depth to not only Jessica Jones, but also to Marvel mainstays such as Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson, and Ben Urich.

Story/Spoilers
In part #1, At a newsstand, Ben Urich reads a front-page Daily Bugle article, written by Kat Farrell, about a deadly Spider-Man/Dr. Octopus battle in Midtown. Deeper inside the paper, on page 17-c, he finds his own article about a Yakuza outburst in Hell’s Kitchen.

In Central Park, no one seems to notice what looks like a body floating in the reservoir.

At Luke Cage’s apartment, Jessica Jones wakes and leaves for a job interview.

In Central Park, a pretzel vendor notices the object floating in the reservoir.

At the Goodman Building, Jessica reconsiders her interview before meeting with Editor-in-Chief Robbie Robertson, who escorts her across the bustling news floor where she encounters Urich. Robertson leads Jessica to the office of J. Jonah Jameson, who laments the decline of the newspaper industry before admitting that his relationship with Jessica has caused him to reconsider some of his beliefs regarding “costumed vigilantes.” Jameson acknowledges that his personal disdain for superheroes is hurting his newspaper, and offers Jessica a job as “a vigilante analyst” for “a special weekly section of the paper. Tentatively called The Pulse, the stories for which will be written by Urich. Jessica insists on health insurance and a stable contract before admitting that she’s pregnant with Luke’s child, and Jameson requests that part of their deal will give the Bugle exclusive coverage of the announcement and birth. Jameson admits that Ben’s best reporting days may be behind him, but The Pulse is about Jessica.

In Central Park, the pretzel vendor reports the floating object to a police officer, who radioes in “a body, possible homicide.”

At a bar, Jameson offers Urich an assignment writing for The Pulse. Urich asks if Jameson has forgiven him for refusing to reveal Daredevil’s secret identity, and Jameson admits that he’ll resent Urich for withholding that information until the day that Urich dies. Jameson admits that Jessica is a “B-level” “washout,” but The Pulse is about Ben, and insists that the first story that Urich writes has to “be a doozy.”

In Central Park, police fish the body of a woman out of the water and determine that “she was dropped in a fly-by” as a technician locates the woman’s identification.

Next in part #2, “Yesterday” (the day before J. Jonah Jameson hired Jessica Jones as “a vigilante analyst” for The Pulse), Terri Kidder was convinced that she was going to be fired from the Daily Bugle. She recalled her move from a “big, old-fashioned,” “respected newspaper” to the “tabloid newspaper” of the Bugle, and considered Jameson’s feverish micromanagement as well as Robbie Robertson’s impressive credentials until Kat Farrell interrupted her thoughts to point out that Ben Urich had incurred Jameson’s wrath by sacrificing “the story of the year” when Urich refused to reveal Daredevil’s secret identity.

Later in the day, Jameson threw Kidder out of a production meeting when she turned in an article on the Avengers. At her cubicle, Terri received a phone-call informing her of a fight between Spider-Man and a “flying, old, bald dude in some green wing thing” near the Port Authority, and rushed to the scene to find Spider-Man battling the Vulture with a reporter from Fox News covering the incident.

That evening, Terri had dinner with a friend, Sheryl Doser, who worked “in accounts payable at Oscorp” and who admitted that several company employees have gone missing recently. Sheryl left, and Terri called Norman Osborn’s office, claiming that she was assigned to interview Osborn as one of “the 100 most powerful people in Manhattan” and getting an immediate ten-minute interview slot.

Terri hurried to the OsCorp building, Terri meets with Osborn, who is surprised that Jameson would have included him on a list of powerful people. When Terri mentions rumors of missing employees, Osborn realizes that Kidder has tricked her way into the interview, and strangles her with one hand. In costume, Osborn flies out over Central Park and drops Terri’s body into the reservoir.

Next in part #3, At a morning production meeting, Robbie Robertson informs the staff of the Daily Bugle that Terri Kidder was murdered, and assigns Kat Farrell and Ben Urich to the story.

Jessica and Luke argue about Jameson’s job offer over breakfast at a streetside restaurant. Jessica breaks down crying before receiving a phone call from the Bugle, and she leaves the restaurant after she and Luke two resolve that Jameson’s offer “is a good gig.”

At the Daily Bugle office, NYPD Detective Regina Gans examins Kidder’s cubicle. Urich approaches, but Gans refuses to tell him anything because of the newspaper’s habit of criticizing the Police Department “every other weekday.” Jessica arrives soon after.

Farrell visits the city morgue and gets information on the nature of Kidder’s death from Tommy, who describes Kidder’s fall into the reservoir “from up high” as well as the “indentations and bruising on her neck” that indicate that she was “strangled to death.” While they talk, Iron Man flies overhead, and Tommy notes that he must live somewhere nearby because he does so every day.

Farrell meets Jessica and Urich in Central Park to bring them up to speed on the details of Kidder’s death, and the three of them consider how many “flying people” life in New York City. Kat laments that S.H.I.E.L.D. will have to be called if “a flying guy” is involved.

Later that night at the Bugle office, Urich sneaks into Kidder’s cubicle and searches her desk, finding that Gans took the computer’s hard drive before discovering a message on Kidder’s answering machine from Sheryl Doser imploring Terri not to act on the rumors of missing OsCorp employees. Urich considers the possibility that Norman Osborn murdered Terri and dropped her into the reservoir, and calls Peter Parker for help.

Next in part #4, At the office of the Daily Bugle, Ben Urich considers a copy of the book Legacy of Evil, a biography of the Green Goblin that he wrote. From the women’s bathroom, Jessica Jones calls Luke Cage, admitting that she is unsure why she was called in before describing a dream that she had of their child, daughter. Luke reminds her not to do anything she doesn’t want to and hangs up, breaking up a drug deal.

Urich heads for the stairs, climbing to the roof where he meets Spider-Man. The two discuss how Urich managed to deduce that Spider-Man’s true identity was Peter Parker, and Parker admits that Norman Osborn is the Green Goblin. Urich questions how Parker can let Osborn walk free, and Peter counters that he can’t simply kill Osborn, and he’d be more likely to end up in jail than Norman Osborn. Urich explains that Oscorp employees have begun disappearing, and Parker agrees that if Osborn is simply murdering people, he will have to be stopped by any means.

That night, Urich finds Sheryl Doser and questions her about her conversation with Kidder. He later meets with Jessica, Kat, Jameson and Robertson and explains that OsCorp employees have been disappearing and he can prove that Osborn is the Green Goblin. Despite his fears that running such a story “will look like a cheap vendetta” against Osborn, Jameson agrees to print Urich’s article. Jameson instructs Jessica to go with Urich to notife the police, assuring her that she will be safe.

A battalion of NYPD officers arrive at the OsCorp building with Urich, Jessica, and Detective Gans, who demands to speak with Osborn. As they wait, Jessica smells smoke and Urich pulls her to the ground moments before Osborn’s office door explodes, revealing Osborn in costume on a Goblin Glider.

Finally in #5, At the OsCorp building, the Green Goblin launches an assault on the NYPD. A blast knocks Jessica out of the upper floor of the skyscraper, but she is rescued by Spider-Man, who lands on another rooftop as Jessica screams that she has lost her baby. Inside the OsCorp building, the Green Goblin tries to strangle Urich, but is attacked by Spider-Man. Osborn breaks free and flees, but is attacked by Jessica, and the two brawl in mid-air until Osborn’s glider collides with Jessica . Osborn escapes as Spider-Man catches Jessica.

Luke Cage meets Jessica at the NYU Medical Center as a doctor examines her, and the two are relieved to discover that the baby is alive and healthy. Cage then leaves the hospital, claiming that he “can’t let this go.”

Soon after, Norman Osborn surrenders himself to the police while the Bugle runs a headline outing Osborn as the Green Goblin. Osborn’s lawyer calls Osborn “a victim” of “constant attacks and harassment by the Daily Bugle,” claiming that Spider-Man attacked OsCorp. In Osborn’s car after the press conference, Osborn’s lawyer tells Osborn that he can only keep him out of jail if he knows the truth, but the conversation is interrupted when Cage attacks the car. Spider-Man arrives as Osborn tears through the car’s back seat into the trunk to find a Green Goblin costume and glider.

Osborn hurls two grenades out of the vehicle. Spider-Man uses his webshooters to cast one of the grenades safely away, and Cage smothers the blast of the other with his body. Osborn erupts from the car on his glider, but he is dragged to the ground by Spider-Man and Cage and savagely beaten by Cage. Afterwards, Kat Farrell attempts to interview Cage, admitting that she now has the Bugle’s front-page story.

At the office of the Bugle, Jameson, Robertson, Farrell and Urich watch a television news broadcast reporting that Norman Osborn is the Green Goblin. Jameson mobilizes his journalists before asking if Urich is willing to reveal Daredevil’s real name. Urich refuses again, and begins typing his article on Osborn.

Outside the Bugle office, Jessica looks at the front page of the newspaper, which declares OSBORN JAILED, and tells her unborn child that it is all she cares about.

Trade Paperback reprints/collects: The Pulse (2004) Issues #1-5.  Marvel Comics

Trade Paperback is bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Printing
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publication Date: 2004
Format: FC, 120 pages, TPB, 10″ x 6.5″
ISBN-10: 0785113320
ISBN-13: 9780785113324

Collectible Entertainment note: Trade Paperback is in Very Fine + condition.  Beautiful!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Marvel Universe, Jessica Jones and/or The Daily Bugle collector / enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Highly Recommended.

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