MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY- HEROES REBORN: NIGHT-GWEN #1

I had loads of fun doing the review for the recent Young Squadron issue, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that there was going to be a special dedicated to Gwen Stacy this time around. It always grabs my interest when a creative team will execute a whole different take on a character that fans and followers have grown to love so fondly over the years. When I saw online that the main villain was going to be the killer named Jackal, I just knew I had to jump onboard, given the historical significance. And quite honestly, Gwen Stacy is such a diverse, deep and complex character that there are just so many different ways the Marvel Universe can utilize, adapt and recreate such a strong woman like her. Whatever universe she may be in, whatever fresh, new story is being told, you just know that Gwen Stacy is going to steal the spotlight AND your hearts.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

HEROES REBORN: NIGHT-GWEN #1

STORY BY: Vita Ayala

ART BY: Farid Karami

MAIN COVER BY: David Nakayama

VARIANTS BY: In-Hyuk Lee, Javi Garron, Takeshi Miyaza

INTRODUCING: NIGHTBIRD!

By day, Dr. Gwendolyn Stacy is Ravencroft Asylum’s leading psychiatrist. But by night, she dons the guise of the vigilante known as Nightbird! But how did this happen? Why did this happen? And what does Kyle Richmond, the Nighthawk, have to do with it? There may not be any time to find out, because Nightbird must hunt down a new killer called the Jackal!

REBORN!

PROS:

• The best part of this entire issue was the crazy twist in the end where we find out who the Jackal really is… And it is not who we expect at all! The whole time we cling to the classic storyline of a professor being obsessed with Gwen, to a dangerous level, and we automatically assume that he is the same Jackal that we are facing in the here and now. But without spoiling anything for those who have not yet picked up the book, the Jackal turns out to be the last person we, or Gwen for that matter, expect him to be. That was a shocking conclusion for the ages, in my opinion, and I truly appreciate how the creative team was building up to that point in a very subtle manner and approach.
• Seeing two new sides to Gwen was a delight. I can totally get onboard with this new, psychiatrist version of Gwen… especially when you take into consideration that at night, she becomes a genius detective superhero Nightbird. You really feel how she cares for her patients, shown by her associates commenting that she spends so much time in the asylum. And you also get a glimpse of the lessons that she learned from her past, like meeting patients at their level, and treating them like how they want to be treated and not how YOU want to be treated. I am no psychiatrist, but those are important lessons I can apply in my everyday social life… perhaps.
• I would also like to give a shout-out to the art-team for executing her suit and costume so well… in this issue we get a darker, edgier Gwen Stacy and I am loving every single minute of it.
• I also want to commend the creative team for giving spotlight as well to characters like Misty and Luke Cage. Their new roles in this universe are very fitting, and I want to read some issues focusing on just them, this time around.

CONS:

• Being a Spider-Gwen fan, I know that they were honoring the more classic and old-school Gwen in this installment, but it would have been neat to see even more references to the Spider-Gwen of this current generation.

FINAL GRADE: A

This is another issue that is worth every cent, as we get a full story, from origin to epic elimination of the biggest archrival. Again, I must stress that this book is accessible to all, whether you are a long-time Spider-Man or Gwen Stacy fan, or even if you are a first-timer to the Marvel Universe. And that is the true beauty of this mega-event. The creative teams’ limits and boundaries are pushed to the brink, and the product is a series of wonderful, amazing and extremely enjoyable tales that will just leave you wanting more.