Comics

[5 Skull Review] “Spider-Gwen” #1 – Gives New Life To Spider-Man

Published

9 years ago

February 25, 2015

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

Zac Thompson

1 Comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

7 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.