Gwen Stacy and her father are now on Earth 616 after Gwen recently combined with the Space Cube. She arrived just in time. Unlike the others, she left a corpse strip all over town, and only the Ghost Spider could stop it, so she was in time too.
All New Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider #1 is a very “day of life” type story, showing Gwen continues to adapt to Earth 616 life as Gwen continues his fierce relationship with Fabian Ramelt (son of longtime Spider-Man enemy Black Tarantula) and seeks to acquire the band together (Is Dazzler available?). In the pain of her new life, we stop by the murder scene, and the contrast between Gwen’s light adventures and the daily grind alternated with bloody crime scenes makes for some jarring (and engaging) reading.
I like this direction taking pictures in this direction. Writer Stephanie Phillips has moved from her previous universe storytelling in Spider-Gwen series to a more gritty street-level storyline here. Gwen is a great character, and her Spider Gwen alter ego, like Peter Parker, fits well into all scenarios and genres. Here we have moved from the “Infinity War” level universe to “Law and Order,” and that’s all good.
It was a great decision to take Gwen’s father to Earth. I love that Gwen is there to give him advice and comfort. Peter always has Aunt May and Gwen has an equally loving and caring person who watches over her. And her father gets on the police (like the original Gwen and Captain Stacy), which opens up many rich story possibilities.
Amazing
As for other supporting characters, I always found Fabian to be a bit lattice, but I hope he grows up to me. Another spider character appears here. She and Gwen have a huge dynamic so we hope she stays around.
Artist Paolo Villanelli’s art perfectly fits the vibe of the story. His style resembles a more kinetic version of Frank Miller’s Daredevil run in the ’80s. The sixth page in question is particularly dazzling. On the web around town, she appears to crash the panel into a splash page where ghost spiders shaking readers, she crashes the panel second, releasing it from the book’s scope.
It’s fine if you’re new to Gwen and her history. At the beginning of the book is a blurb that sums up how she reached this point, what her power is, and more. The series opens with this lovely “day of life” story for Gwen as a nightmare serial killer.
“All-New Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider” #1 Review
All-New Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider #1
The series opens with this lovely “day of life” story of Gwen as a nightmare serial killer.
Author Stephanie Phillips continues to make Gwen one of the more interesting characters in the Spider Family.
Artist Paolo Villanelli’s artwork is dynamic and returns to Frank Miller’s art in the 1980s with Daredevil.
The story is a rough street-level story that promises to be very different from the universe adventures of the previous series.
