Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1 explores Jessica Drew's past and present

The Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1 features two distinct stories, “Then” and “Now,” exploring the history and current challenges of Jessica Drew.

In the “Then” segment, written by Ann Nocenti and illustrated by Stefano Raffaele, Jessica Drew faces Flying Tiger in a chaotic encounter in Los Angeles involving a stolen sapphire and a graffiti-tagging contest.

The “Now” segment, written by Dan Watters and illustrated by Andrea Broccardo, delves into darker themes. It reveals that Jessica Drew has been hiding a secret regarding the Carnage symbiote, which she previously absorbed to use as a weapon. This decision leads to complications as she investigates missing construction workers linked to the Jackal’s experiments and faces a new villain, Francis Nero.