A Spider-Man Podcast

Spider-Gwen #1 – REVIEW

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Coming up with a good introduction to this week’s Spider-Gwen #1 has been pretty difficult for me, for a number of reasons. It feels like there’s almost too much that could be said about the way this comic came to exist.  From the evolution of Gwen Stacy as a character through the ages despite an infamous death (or two), to the current environment of comics and the need and desire for more numerous and strong depictions of diverse characters in comics, including relatable women characters, that gave rise to the groundswell of support that resulted from her dynamic debut in Edge of Spider-Verse #2, there is no doubt that the existence of this comic is a remarkable thing, for many reasons.

Spider-Gwen-SenseThere are also obvious comparisons between her and Silk, another female Spider-character introduced during “Spider-Verse” and whose own self-titled comic launched last week. Whereas Silk is a character created and promoted by editorial mandate, Spider-Gwen is in some ways that beautiful, ever-so-rare polar opposite: a character created, demanded, and sustained because readers and fans had such an immensely positive reaction to her. With a reader-mandated title such as this one having finally come to fruition, the questions now become matters of sustainability–namely, does Spider-Gwen live up to the hype, and does it have staying power beyond a few issues?

I’m pleased to say that at this point, there are quite a few things to love about this title.  First and foremost, the creative team that gave us Spider-Gwen back in Edge #2 is back. Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez clearly continue to demonstrate their affection for this character by delivering a compelling, well-illustrated story that is in turns humorous, dramatic, and reminiscent of what readers might typically expect from a classic Spider-Man story.

Kiss DeezGwen’s return to her home dimension of Earth-65 after the events of “Spider-Verse” leads right back into the drama she was dealing with when she left, including a newly tense relationship with her police captain father, who now knows her secret. Latour deftly portrays this and several other touchpoints in Gwen’s life: she’s quit her band, the MaryJanes, just as they released a popular single; she still can’t catch a break as Spider-Woman, either from the police who still want to arrest her, or the people she tries to help, who believe J. Jonah Jameson’s depiction of her as a villain who was responsible for killing that reality’s Peter Parker. Add to this mixture the introduction of a savage-looking Vulture looking to make a name for himself, and it’s easy to see things getting complicated quickly for Gwen.

It’s a delicate balancing act for Latour, and while it’s not always perfectly carried off, he does a good job of keeping the developments coming at his heroine at a constant, almost frenetic pace, forcing Gwen to deal with one complication, setback, or defeat after another, in much the same way another wallcrawler had to back in his heyday. It’s a nice parallel that nevertheless has a life of its own, and doesn’t feel forced or contrived. While there certainly are more interesting parts of Gwen’s life than others–I can’t quite bring myself to feel the drama going on with Gwen’s band, for instance–it will be fun and intriguing to see how these pieces affect one another as the story progresses.

He also manages to add in several nice touches, from the use of graffiti to advance the plot to interesting new takes on familiar characters from the Spider-Man world. Since this isn’t the “prime” universe of Earth-616, he has the opportunity to play with characters we might recognize in ways that make them familiar, yet strikingly different. It’s a clever nod to Spider-Man/Marvel aficionados, who may recognize Officer Grimm or Captain Frank Castle (or Hobie Brown), without necessarily bogging down the narrative flow of the story for newcomers.

Death From a ButtI’d also be remiss in not talking about the use of graffiti in this issue, particularly as Gwen’s way of goading Toomes into a confrontation.  Robbi Rodriguez’s depictions of visual humor to accent Gwen’s pun-ishing cracks at Vulture were truly amusing.  That the lettering for many of the sound effects, such as the thuds of Castle’s punches as he interrogates Aleksei and the hissing of the spray-paint used by vandals, looks like it was spray-painted onto the page reinforces a sense of rebelliousness that makes sense in this comic.

The bulk of the narrative burden falls on the shoulders of the artist, and Rodriguez proves himself worthy of continuing Spider-Gwen’s story with his dynamic line work and kinetic pacing. The reactions and facial expressions of all of his subjects are unique and memorable, and he shows a knack for designing and composing an interesting scene from panel to panel. This goes doubly so for action scenes, and the designs of the characters who comprise them.

Of particular note is his rendition of this reality’s Vulture, whose prime counterpart has always struck me as too much of a crotchety senior to really be much of a threat. This Adrian Toomes looks feral, menacing, and perhaps a touch inhuman, with his beady red eyes, grizzled jutting chin, and the metallic talons housing his unkempt feet.  Details like this sustain the edginess that Spider-Gwen brought to her debut, and make familiar, ho-hum characters interesting and worth exploring anew.

Ugly VultureI did have some issues with the coloring of this issue, though they were fairly minute.  Overall, Rico Renzi’s color palette was fine, but his occasional tendency to let one color dominate a page or panel occasionally pulled me out of the story and, at some points, made me roll my eyes. I’m hopeful that this tendency will recede as things progress, but even if it doesn’t, it is at most a minor distraction.

It all comes together to create a dynamic, well-illustrated story that, while not packing an all-out wallop from the get-go, still tantalizes readers with the promise that this character, much like Peter Parker in his reality, will have many opportunities for drama, action, and complication with all of the moving parts of her life. It’s equal parts exposition, character studies, and crime drama. My only concern at this point is that this team potentially has only a few issues to pay these things off before “Secret Wars” comes along and threatens to upend everything.

Still, I’m not too worried at this point. If this team and this character have shown their fans anything, it’s that Spider-Gwen has the chops to face down many a challenge and still come out on top. The legions of supporters, cosplayers, and satisfied readers have already shown this, and if Nick Lowe’s appropriately penned afterward is to be believed, then Spider-Gwen’s supporters will rally around her, if and when they’re needed. I’m pleased to count myself among them, and think this title is worth a read for new and veteran readers alike.

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