"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Spider-Gwen, Vol. 0: Most Wanted? (2015)


Into the Spider-Verse was the push I needed to loop back around and check out Spider-Gwen proper.  Having now checked out the introductory volume of the comic, I realize I’ll need to backtrack again at some point (the Edge of Spider-Verse comic that debuted Spider-Gwen is the jumping-off point for their parallel-worlds spider-team-up but doesn’t actually show their adventure together,) but I’ve at least got a better look at the character herself and the particular New York she inhabits.

Gwen Stacy, the against-her-best-efforts-infamous Spider-Woman, is still reeling from the death of her close friend Peter Parker, which she was mistakenly blamed for.  As the police hunt for her, her father – a police captain who knows her secret – does his best to protect her without condoning her vigilante work.  But of course, it’s not enough for Gwen to have enemies on just one side of thee law; she’s attracted the attention of Kingpin, who sics the Vulture on her.

This comic feels like it’s still figuring itself out, but it makes a good start here.  I like that it has some edge and angst to it.  Gwen’s personal life is a total mess – her relationship with her dad is strained, she’s been alienating her friends, and she’s plagued with guilt over the constant reminders she sees of Peter’s death, even though it wasn’t her fault.  (Side note:  I also didn’t expect Gwen Stacy to swear so much – comic-book symbol bleeps, but still.)  We only got Gwen’s origin story in quick flashes, and so we’ve pretty much gone straight to “being a superhero puts the weight of the world on your shoulders and can really mess you up.”

But, like Into the Spider-Verse proves, no matter how different they are, all spider-people have the same heart.  And so, Gwen keeps fighting the good fight.  Even when she’s not sure if she can, that doesn’t stop her from trying.  The police are out to get her, the media is painting her as a dangerous menace (J. Jonah Jameson, it seems, is a muckraking dick on every Earth,) and she has villains banging down her door.  But Gwen is a hero, and so she leans into the storm, regardless of the danger to herself.

Luckily, she’s not going it entirely alone.  The ongoing storyline with her dad is a pretty good one, a classic “I don’t love what you’re doing, but I love you and I’ll be damned if anyone hurts you on my watch” dynamic.  It’s an easy bet that their relationship is going to be central to the comic, and it’ll be interesting to see how they both continue to navigate this change in their understanding of each other.  Plus, Gwen gets a little extra moral support from the memory of a fellow spider-friend (further reason to check out the spider-verse team-up comic!)

As I was reading, I had to remind myself that it’s set in a parallel Earth beyond the whole “Gwen Stacy is the one who got bitten by the radioactive spider” thing.  In other words, that’s not the only aspect that’s different.  This volume starts playing with that, with appearances from some familiar comic-book characters in unexpected ways.  That’s definitely something I look forward to seeing more of in future installments.

Oh yeah, and her suit is amazing.  Peter Parker’s spider suit is iconic, but Gwen’s is gorgeous.  I love it so hard.

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