Well, now we know why they didn’t release the cover for Spider-Woman #5 in the solicitations!

Spider-Woman has a new set of threads! To celebrate her new book and officially striking out on her own (and away from “Spider-Verse”), Jessica is getting a brand new super-suit/sweet jacket in March!

That’s right true believers, USA TODAY broke the News that Marvel is changing up Miss Drew’s old wardrobe – a tight crevice-hugger that has been with the character for nearly 40 years – to a new and more modern look.

“As much as I’m a fan of spandex and it has its time and place, I felt Jess as a character could move away from that for a good long while,” says Spider-Woman editor Nick Lowe.

“Spider-Man isn’t really a detective — he swings around looking for trouble, whereas Jess needs to go and figure stuff out and dig things up, and you can’t really do that head to toe in spandex very well,” Lowe says, “To operate on the level she wants to, she needs something that can pass for semi-normal and she can turn it on to crazy if she needs to.”

Featuring a red jacket with black sleeves, the bright yellow classic symbol, a high collar with yellow snap, and functional matching gloves – the costume is honestly awesome. Artist Kris Anka has crafted a great mix of modern and kick-ass, a refreshing design and exactly what the fandom has been asking for. Regardless of hipster allegations and comparisons to recent redesigns of bat-girl –  the promo art shows off a unique and highly functional outfit. It’s stylish, looks good without looking like skin-paint, and just happens to double as a costume. This suit is the sort of Jacket a fan would buy because it looks kind of like the classic costume – but wouldn’t be embarrassing to wear to Thanksgiving, the office christmas party, or saving the city from Skrulls.

But despite Spider-Woman’s recent history with Skrulls, don’t expect Writer Dennis Hopeless to tread on that kind of story-telling, opting instead for stories that see Jessica “focusing on helping folks in New York City in a more street-level way rather than dealing with the planet-threatening likes of, say, the Red Skull. Hopeless feels it goes back to her roots in the ’70s when Spider-Woman started out simply wanting to solve one problem at a time and had a stint as a private detective”.

In a shockingly fast use of the costume, Gameloft has brought the new suit to Spider-Man Unlimited – the quickest use of new comics content I’ve ever seen in any video-game. IMMEDIATELY after the announcement, and MONTHS BEFORE you will even get a glimpse at the new Spider-Women – you can play as her in the mobile endless runner.

“As a woman myself who loves games and comics, I love to see that functional, cool stylish look. It’s like a jacket I would want to wear daily,” says Tatiana Nahai, product manager for Gameloft.

“She’s sexy but not in a spandex way — in a modern, unique way.”

Spider-Man Unlimited for iOS, Android and Windows platforms – is capitalizing on Spider-Woman’s current entanglement: “Spider-Verse”. But come March, Jessica will be forging her own story, one that will involve one of the oldest characters of Spider-Man’s cast, “You’ve seen her as a superspy and Avenger and soldier. Now let’s see this person as an old-school hero.” Hopeless continued to say she was adding reporter Ben Urich to the cast, “I definitely have a mind-set of building something big.”

Ben Urich has made resurfaces in daredevil and more recently, as Phil Urich’s (AKA the new Hobgoblin) Uncle. His is a welcome face not seen often enough since Peter left the world of newspaper and the Daily Bugle.

Lowe feels fans will fall in love with her again just as he has because she is both relatable and grounded, and her tweaked costume is perfect for a heroine who needs to dig into the criminal underworld in a subtle way.

The new costume comes only 4 issues after the first issue stirred up controversy with it’s variant image. Jokes and memes about the heart-shaped physique were passed around, sexual style was defended and double standards accused, and graphs were enlisted to show how preposterous of a pose it was – and how such a spine-snapping illustration could be fixed.  Many fans thought it was incredibly distasteful and took to the internet – very loud in wanting a less sexulized, and more modern look. Marvel seems to be trying to deliver here with a push to have Jessica’s outfit be more reasonable, natural, and ultimately decent. What do you think of the new changes? Do you think Marvel has responded appropriately? Do you like two-toned gloves?