Spider-Gwen is most definitely beginning to carve out its own chunk or real estate in the Spider-verse (which hurts just a little more knowing Secret Wars is coming). This month reminded me of why I loved Spider-Man so much as a kid, it’s just a normal person going through life who just happens to have powers. Gwen is going through those same pains, but on a highly compressed timeframe. It’s a great hook to get people interested and reading, I just don’t know how sustainable it is long term. However, with Secret Wars coming it might not be a problem right now.
In this Universe, Gwen has the old ‘Parker Luck’ in dealing with the real world – she has a cop for a father (a cop that knows her identity), lost a close friend (in this world it was Peter, something I expect we will see more of soon), and is still trying to find her way as a super hero. Five years of Spider-Man tucked into 3 issues, and it’s well done. We finally get to see Gwen and her father facing off about the situation and the fact he has been replaced on the Spider-Woman case. He is trying his damnedest to get her to quit and just be a normal girl. She however, is having none of that and basically tells him off. She hasn’t uttered the famous responsibility line yet but you can fell it coursing through her words.
She also goes toe-to-toe with the new head of the Spider-Woman task force, Frank Castle. He isn’t wearing his trademark Punisher uniform (in this world he is still a cop), but does have on a t-shirt with a skull, and obvious nod to the alternate Castle. Gwen is able to handle her own and even gets in a few good licks and one liners. Being in a different Universe, the characters and events aren’t necessarily tied to the rest of Marvel, meaning it’s almost impossible to predict where the series is going.
The art is just stunning. Robbi Rodriguez manages to capture motion and emotion wonderfully, even the small things like the feeling of being in an over packed commuter train, and he makes Gwen look and move like a super hero. That and the coloring on the book makes me like Gwen’s costume more each time I see it.
Last Updated on November 28, 2018.
