Reviewed By Torin Chambers. I just want to note that this is my first experience with Spider-Gwen, I’m a fresh faced baby boy here with limited prior knowledge. “Spider-Gwen” #1 is a super rad comic stuffed to the brim with style and class. It’s a near perfect jumping on point, that brings you up to speed fast. This book could’ve easily found itself suffocated by exhausting Spiderverse fallout but thankfully that’s not the case. It strikes out on its own much like its superb protagonist, there’s only one fleeting reference to the Spiderverse and that’s all it needs.
WRITTEN BY: Jason Latour
ART BY: Robbi Rodriguez
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 25, 2015
Even though I did not read her edge of spiderverse story, it was so big I ended up gleaming the important detail that Peter Parker is dead by osmosis. Lucky I did because for as excellent a job it does setting up Spider-Gwen it does not mention this detail. It’s almost baffling that there’s no mention of it on the ‘previously on’ page at the beginning. The only other gripe I have is that the first actual page of the issue features a blonde girl in a white hoodie who as it turns out is not Gwen but just some random girl. It’s an incredibly awkward choice that had me flipping between pages to make sure I didn’t miss something. Those gripes aside there is literally nowhere else Spider-Gwen missteps on it’s vibrant and fun journey.
Gwen’s humour is one of its biggest draws, I’d argue she’s funnier than Spider-Man himself, or at least recently. Cracking off great one-liners such as “Death from a butt.” She’s not necessarily carefree but more lighthearted and just plain fun. Becoming an instantly relatable character who’s got strong convictions and a lot of heart.
The visuals are off the chain in this book, reminding me heavily of Translucid from BOOM. With a vivid colour pallet that includes bright neon greens, blues, purples and pinks. Creating an engaging world that’s always a treat to look at and instantly differentiates itself from your mainstream Spider-Man books. It’s doing it’s own thing from top to bottom and it’s phenomenal.
People may have ragged on Latour for his run on Wolverine and The X-Men but if you gave any of them Spider-Gwen #1 they’d think twice about his writing abilities. He totally nails here creating a character who we can identify as being apart of the spider family but one who’s absolutely unique and endearing in her own ways. Spider-Gwen is something special and I hope to see it on the stands for years to come.
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Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers