Marvel sent me this press release to make it official.
MARVEL PROUDLY ANNOUNCES SPIDER-GWEN!
New Series Focuses on Gwen Stacy who was Bitten by the Radioactive Spider Instead of Peter Parker
New York, NY—October 17th, 2014 — Revealed at Marvel’s New York Comic Con “Spider-Man” Panel, Marvel Comics is excited to announce the latest addition to the Spider-Man mythos – Spider-Gwen! The new on-going series will focus on Gwen Stacy, who, in an alternate universe, was the one bitten by the radioactive spider giving her spider-powers!
After a sell-out introductory issue that’s part of the events of the current Spider-Man storyline, “Spider-Verse“, the new series, written by Jason Latour (Edge of Spider-Verse, Wolverine and the X-Men), artist Robbi Rodriguez (Edge of Spider-Verse, All-New X-Men), and colorist Rico Renzi spotlights Marvel’s latest cult-favorite hero as she introduces readers to a whole new world where she is the one true spider-hero!
Speaking with Marvel.com, Latour confesses that the drum-playing, rebellious Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Gwen, has a long road ahead of her to prove she’s not the costumed menace the NYPD has painted her as– especially since her father is the NYPD Captain tasked with bringing her down. “[Spider-Gwen’s] journey is going to pull her father along into its wake. He knows her secret, and it’s a truth that threatens to make his world into a very dangerous lie.”
Latour also teased villains for Spider-Gwen and her father through the series, “We’ll absolutely see an ‘evil’ Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil), and the Kingpin. I’m a huge old school Daredevil fan, so I get this real sick thrill out of twisting him around and making him the villain. There’s also a new twist a character you’d immediately identify as a villain, who we’re re-casting as a more complex threat to Gwen and Captain Stacy—a character coming at her from within the system…”
“It’s a rare character that gets the public outcry that Spider-Gwen got,” says Senior Editor Nick Lowe. “From the sell-out of Gwen’s first appearance to the groundswell on Twitter we’re excited to bring more Spider-Gwen into the world with the creators who started it all!”
Marvel Comics’ Spider-Gwen swings into comic book retailers in February 2015.
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@29 Why don’t you wait for the book to come out before you write it off as completely unnecessary.
@#29-Yes, but again, why does it have to be the same? If it’s a new character and a new situation why criticise it for being different. This isn’t like an alternate version of Peter as Spider-Man. this is Gwen as Spider Woman. And once more it’s more the fact that it was a reversal of Gwen’s death not Peter’s. Peter’s death has the same ramifications for Gwen’s character in generating angst and guilt and driving her to be a hero, only it’s done refreshingly differently because it’s her primary motivation and also happens under very different circumstances from Gwen’s own death. It’s a reflection and a reversal but not one which is as cut and paste as her boyfriend Peter dying on a bridge at the hands of a Goblin. That subtly in making something similar yet different is to be commended.
@29 I’m not sure the fact it might die in under 24 issues is a reason for the book not to matter. Surely if people get any degree of joy from the story, characters and execution, that’s reason enough? Two of my favourite recent Marvel books were Si Spurrer’s X-Men: Legacy and Fraction’s Hawkeye – neither of those made it to #25, but it would have been horrible if someone at Marvel had said “They probably won’t make it to #25, lets not bother.”
Hell, a tiny amount of new launches (that don’t star original 60s Marvel characters) make it past #25, but I’m glad they keep trying. They’ve got empirical evidence that a reasonable number of people enjoyed the Spider-Gwen one-shot, so might as well give her another whirl.
Wow, you guys are literal.
It’s a tongue in cheek criticism of the costume. Like I said, she could wear silver reflective polka dots for all it will ultimately matter because she’s toast in less than 24 issues.
Also? Leaders of mercenary packs – like generals – yeah, they get to wear the more flashy uniform. But her various mercenary groups – ie the street level soldiers – wore much more practical colors.
#28: Peter is directly tired to Uncle Ben’s murder. He had a chance to stop the burglar, he refused out of hubris, Uncle Ben dies at the hand of the burglar.
Lizard-Peter – as it is set up so far – made the choice to be the Lizard of his own free will. He may have been influenced by a desire to be more like Spider-Gwen, but she is not responsible for his thoughts and actions. It’s like blaming a school shooting on a video game instead of on the shooter where it properly belongs.
@#21-I hadn’t thought about that but yeah okay, second printings for something like this might not mean much.
Well SMLV probably didn’t sell well precisely because of what it was. But even if this is a superhero book with 616 analogues, why is that something which inherently sucks when you place it through the filter of having a different character interact with them in a different context. That unto itself is a different situation which creates new creative options. Gwen’s rivalry/relationship with the Green Goblin will not be the same as with Peter and there will be the added element for those fans in the know that this is the guy who KILLS Gwen. Gwen having her dad there who’s placed in an ethically conflicted position since legally he should be bringing his daughter to justice is also something entirely unique to this version of Gwen, or this take on Spider-Man.
I know it isn’t the same thing as Peter and Uncle Ben and the burglar but why on Earth does it have to be in the first place. If it’s a new character you can give them a different set up which isn’t the same. She doesn’t have to be ‘as good’ as Peter Parker whatsoever or have the same motivation. You can take the same ideas or themes and come at them from a different angle. And Gwen’s motivation is really more a meshing of both what happened to Uncle Ben, George Stacy and her own 616 counterpart. She feels guilt over what happened to Peter because he was trying to be ‘special’ like she was and she wants to make his life count for something whilst also having the world accuse her of being his murderer and hounding her, and leading the charge is her own father, who at the end of EoSV #2 now has to cope with knowing he’s expected to hunt his own child.
@#24-Really the thing to criticise about the costume is the impractical hood but it doesn’t matter because it’s a great visual design and we’re working in a visual medium here. If Superman can unnecessarily have a cape Gwen can have a hood.
@#25-I think she was designed to look hip but I don’t have a problem with that. Like I said this was a book intentionally designed to be a very teen rebellion book aimed at teenagers or people around that age. The hood, the shoes, even the white speaks to that and whilst I don’t see anything precisely feminine about the costume, if other people see that in there I don’t see the problem. Why NOT have a more feminised costume for a female character. Not like there are all that many abounding.
@25- Oh man, I forgot to mention a better example. Silver Sable. She’s a mercenary and she wears all white (or silver, whatever)!
@25- I bet they won’t drag her into 616. Oliver Queen wears hoods, btw. Nothing wrong with white. It might not be the smartest choice to wear. “Who wears white to a superhero fight?” Ultimate Peter Parker said that about Moon Knight. One of my favorite lines. Superheroes always dress up colerfully. I don’t mind white.
#24 & #22: if Moon Knight is the best you can come up with, then my point is well made. 😉 Also, he purposefully wears white even though he knows it’s ridiculous for a crime fighter; it’s been addressed in his books. And his wearing white is linked to his being crazy, per his books; in other words, NOT in his right mind. #24: Red and blue fade to dark in dim light. Also, based on Peter’s wresting outfit.
Hey, people elsewhere are complaining about her blue shoes. I’m pointing out the very real problem of wearing white. So sue me if I have a sense of logic and can’t suspend disbelief. Besides, there’s cocky and then there’s stupid. Why give yourself an unnecessary disadvantage? I think the artist wanted Gwen to look cool and hip and girly and NOT Batman, but white is…impractical. That’s all. *shrug* (Plus, hoods slip off, but I’m certainly not going there now…hey! Hoods! Something else she has in common with Moon Knight! :-D)
In the long run, she can wear silver reflective polka dots for all it will matter. I bet the book won’t make it past issue 24. I’m just leery they’ll try to bring her to 616.
@19- Like Ben said, Moon Knight. Seriously though, why are you complaining about the color? Spider-Man wears bright red and blue most of the time! Heck, a lot of Superheroes wear bright colors! Gwen isn’t exactly trying to be Batman here. She probabaly wants people to know she’s coming. She’s pretty cocky!
Get dem “Enigma_2099 was right” T-shirts ready.
@19 – “What vigilante in their right mind wears WHITE covering their head and hearts” – Moon Knight 😉
#20: Getting a second printing is not that big of deal. It just means the direct market under estimated demand and under ordered, which isn’t surprising considering it’s a tie-in book featuring an unproven character. Also, with print on demand capabilities, it’s not that big of a money or time suck to make a decision to print additional, smaller runs. Annoucing84 a second printing is more of a PR move than an actual meaningful statement these days. It’s not like the book got an initial printing of 20,000,000 and still had to go back to print – now that would be significant.
Also, you took me far too literally. I said I’D rather see Ultimate Gwen. I know it’s never going to happen. But I also don’t think Spider-Gwen will last beyond 12 issues. She’s a great What If? but from the sounds of it they’re turning it into yet another superhero book, featuring yet another set of 616-analogues. Been there, done that, got the Ultimate and the MC2 and the Exiles and the Spider-Verse and the upcoming Secret Wars t-shirts, among many, many others. Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane was a completely different beast. It was squarely aimed at female readers and had much more in common with anime and slice-of-life indie books than superhero comics. And still didn’t sell exceptionally well.
Also, Spider-Gwen feeling responsible for the death of the bullied classmate who purposefully turned himself into the Lizard to feel “special” – does not exactly have the same resonance as Uncle Ben dying because Peter didn’t stop the burglar. But that’s just me!
@#19-The original Gwen Stacy could never support a book and doing it this way makes a ton of sense. It role reverses Gwen dying to make Peter guilty, it gives her her own supporting cast and allows for her to have the full array of Spider-Man’s rogue’s gallery to fight. USM Gwen wouldn’t have that stuff. This Gwen as a character unto herself is interesting when divorced from 616 Gwen, but when you place her in her own universe and giver her her dad and the mythology attached to Gwen it enhances the concept to be something truly different. A little bit like the MJ book from the early 2000s
Financially I agree it won’t be sustainable outside of 616. Creativly being in her own universe is the best thing for her. I dunno man, that book is getting a second printing and given how it wasn’t anything mainstream I think the interest was definitly there. And having read the book myself I really do get the appeal. It was a teen rebellion book cut from the same cloth as Runways in some ways.
1) What vigilante in their right mind wears WHITE covering their head and hearts – y’know, perfect targets for the bad guys?! There’s a reason why ninjas wear black, people…
2) Spider-Gwen is indeed, Gwen Stacy in name and blonde hair held back by a headband only. So…what’s the point, other that playing on nostalgia/affection for Emma Stone’s film character (who was also Gwen Stacy in name only). I’d rather see Ultimate Gwen get a book, not that it would happen. And if this lead to more Gwen vs. MJ BS…UGH.
3) Yes, there praise for the book on Twitter and Tumblr but nowhere near the tsunami Marvel is making out to be. It’s a great “What if?” concept. But in her own universe – IDK how sustainable it will be, especially if there are no crossovers from 616. And the Daredevil and Wilson Fisk mentions killed a lot of my enthusiasm. So it’s alt 616 with twists on familiar charac–yawn–ters just like–yawn–sorry, I nodded off. At least Ultimate and MC2 had multiple books at first, so they could build a rich cast and world.
Marvel could have had me if they were giving Gwen female villains, or something that didn’t sound like a retread – but this just sounds like an excuse for Latour to do a Daredevil story. I really, really wish they would give the book to a female author so maybe we’d get a fresh perspective on Spider-people.
@#10-a) no she doesn’t have to stay dead because that’s part of the conceit of the book. It’s a role reversal. Gwen is the hero motivated by the death of Peter. B) a character is only overrated if the quality people say they have doesn’t match the quality they actually have. Given that Norman is you know, OBJECTIVLY the best Spider-Man villain ever since he’s literally the most VILLAINOUS and most tied in with Peter he is clearly a villain of much quality. But if half the fanbase bitch about him merely being alive then how can he therefore be overrated?
@#11-I am divided because on the one hand I agree, MJ is being whitewashed more than ever right now and Gwen is gaining prominence because of this and Emma Stone but at the same time I’d rather not see MJ if she’s going to be mishandled.
@#13-In fairness quite a few fans honestly were demanding it actually. Spider-Gwen was a genuine critical and financial hit. I was sceptical at first but then Piratebeck showed me the issue and I gotta admit I see the appeal and was like the concept a lot when it’s playing upon the ‘What If’ aspect of the series. Spider-Gwen being motivated by PETER’S death is a great twist and her association with a policeman dad gives her a Babs Gordon vibe to her.
As I’ve said before I hope Spider-Gwen doesn’t a) lead to more MJ vs. Gwen BS and b) doesn’t lead to Gwen’s resurrection. But as a concept unto itself it’s good.
@#3-Yeah but not being recognisable as Gwen Stacy is a GOOD thing, 616 Gwen sucked. Spider-Gwen is Gwen in name and visual only but the embellished parts of her character are fun. But yeah her success was partially due to Emma Stone.
I adore Mayday, but I suspect this book will be more successful due to it being a teen aimed book for the direct market as well as riding the high of the ASM films and Stone love. Mayday was…well a better character frankly. I know that’s not fair given it’s just one appearance, but comparing Edge of Spider-Verse #2 to What If #105 Mayday was a better character and also more unique, despite being a legacy character. A lot of Spider-Gwen’s appeal comes from people’s prior knowledge of Gwen Stacy and the Spider-Man universe. If you didn’t know Gwen died in the main universe would the fact that Peter died in her universe resonate as much? Doubtful. But I still like the character.
@#4-She’s actually nothing like any Gwen you’ve ever seen. She’s a teen rocker with guilt issues.
@13- They kind of did …. I mean it was critically-acclaimed.
Silk on the other hand…..
@13 ~ I’d actually argue that Marvel have actually given (some) Spider-Man fans what they want for once.
@11 – Marvel isn’t going to let Peter marry anyone, ever.
Benny Hill: “After that, what can I say? Rubbish!’
So sad that Mary Jane is being deleted in the background………that’s all I have to say……..so sad……..next thing we know this silly version of Gwen Stacy is probably going to marry Peter and it will really feel like the 1970s all over again.
This is lame. Dead stay dead. I don’t wanna see her in another universe. She’s supposed to be dead to US not just parker.
Spider-man’s been shit ever since norman came back. Clone saga was NOTHING compared to the mistake of bringing the most over rated super villian back from the dead.
If the title of the book is actually “Spider-Gwen,” that’s pretty dumb. There’s no way she’s going by that name in-universe though.
@#7, Yeah, that’s a much better way of describing this Gwen Stacy .
@4 – She’s basically the first incarnation of Ultimate Gwen Stacy with Spider-Powers. Her appearance is the only thing she has in common with 616 or Emma Stone Gwen.
@5 – Yeah Spider-Gwen is just a silly name/book title. Like Spider-Ben, it only works as a fan nickname. I didn’t understand what was wrong with Gwen Stacy: Spider-Woman as a title.
@#4, I’d say she wasn’t like either Gwen’s in terms of personality, since she seemed like much more a tomboy with Peter’s traditional penchant for quips and a punk-rocker edge to her.
But “Spider-Gwen” though? Really? I’d say more people are likely to buy this book than Jessica’s (Sorry Jess), so why not cancel that and make this the Spider-Woman book?
@#2, I can see this book doing better, or having more staying power, compared to some of those books. It’s got a female lead, won’t require much if any knowledge of Marvel continuity to read which will draw in new-readers, people who liked Emma Stone in ASM(which was a lot of people) will probably flock to it even if she is different from the movie, and has Robbi Rodriguez’ art going for it.
I think I’m echoing the sentiments of Scarlet Spider from an earlier post, but I’m confused by the name Spider-Gwen. I cannot see her actually going by that name in her universe, since doing so would necessarily compromise her identity. It would be like 616 Spidey going by the name Spider-Peter. If Spider-Gwen is just a name for the reader to see, I wonder what name she will go by in that universe.
I didn’t read Spider-Gwen’s (ugh) first issue so I am curious to hear from those that did: how does this Gwen compare to the 616 Lee/Romita Gwen? Or is she more like the Gwen from the ASM movies? I would assume she is nothing like the 616 weepy Daddy’s girl Gwen considering the positive feedback.
I…REALLY do not see the appeal of Spider-Gwen. Honestly. Her book was painfully average and she isn’t even recognizable as Gwen. I think people are just high on Emma Stone and once the flavor of ASM II settles a bit, we’ll see this book go south too. It could bowel me over yet, I’ll hold out hope it does for the sake of others who enjoy the book (and we need more to distract us from the overbearing suck of the Mephistoverse Peter’s title) It’s only been one issue and people seem convinced she has staying power. Well, money where your mouth is time, I don’t see what will make an alternate universe title any different from other alternate universe titles that preceeded it. Even the best of them like Mayday could’nt last forever.
Thus demonstrating the old show-biz producer’s adage, “We don’t know anything.”
Alpha, Arana, New Warriors, all conceived as break-out characters and series, given their own mags, and they all crash and burn. Kaine doesn’t perform wrell enough to survive cancellation. Neither does Spider-Foes. But forth comes Spider-Gwen, *also* conceived inside Marvel Publishing (to be fair), and whamo, she’s a big hit. A big -spontaneous- hit, is my underscore. So yes, go with that. They’re doing the right thing, as far as that goes.
So I wonder, will Silk turn out to be an Alpha or a Spider-Gwen, or somewhere in-between? It will be interesting to watch.
I’m there. ‘Nuff said.