MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024) #6 REVIEW

This issue really got me thinking that Marvel was going to take Gwen down a dark and lonely road. I was admittedly happy when they switched back on things and kept Gwen consistent and more aligned with who she has proven herself to be all these years. That’s not to say that Gwen isn’t able to get in touch with that more serious, grittier, and dirtier side of hers. But like Jessica Jones said, Gwen has options in terms of who she wants to be and how she wants to go about things. So as this series continues, we’ll see all the different layers and nuances that Gwen develops as a character, a superhero, and as a normal human being or teenage girl.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published

October 02, 2024

Writer

Stephanie Phillips

Penciller

Paolo Villanelli

Cover Artist

Mark Brooks

Gwen’s arrival on Earth-616 hasn’t gone as planned. Having to keep secrets has driven a wedge between her and the other Spiders. She could use a new friend and finds one in the form of Jessica Jones!

PROS:

• As hinted earlier, I do like that Gwen is pondering about her place in the world. She constantly kept going back to how she always strived to be a beacon of light or hope for the world but realized that maybe that kind of attention is for the other members of the Spidey family. Gwen was really serious about going down a more isolated, lonely and more dangerous path in life, doing her work in the shadows or down in the underworld. But it’s a good thing that an older sister figure like Jessica Jones is here to help keep her on track, and walking back towards the light.
• I was really pleased to see Jessica Jones show up and reveal that at the request of Spider-Man, she had been watching Gwen from the shadows and helping her along the way, saving her life, dropping her some clues, and eventually blasting on the scene to help her fight some baddies and thugs. This is the kind of girl power that can really bring the action jumping right off the pages of a comic book. And I am all here for it.
• The Black Tarantula is surprisingly evolving into a very interesting, mysterious and devious character who fans and readers are forced to also try to figure out for themselves. Obviously, he is taking the villain role in this series, but we still have to get the whole picture and context of why he is hunting down Gwen like such a mad lad. When Gwen and Black Tarantula finally do confront one another and clash head-on, it will be a battle for the ages. I sure do hope Jessica Jones will be around to fill in the role of Gwen’s tag-team partner.
• The art of this series perfectly captures the vibe and tone of the story, as well as the aura that Gwen is currently exuding.

CONS:

• I would have actually preferred to see the darker side of Gwen a little longer. The build-up in the beginning of the issue was so good, and although I still really find myself amused with the girly Gwen who worries about dating and cute boys, it could have been pretty neat and intriguing as well to see just a more rugged and disillusioned Gwen for a while longer.

FINAL GRADE: A

Black Tarantula is a menacing, looming threat that Gwen really must watch out for nowadays. The fact that the big guns like Spider-Man and Jessica Jones are already coming out of hiding to help Spider-Gwen means that while she can totally take care of herself, it just might be a matter of time where the overwhelming problems of her new Earth pile up to become just too much for one person to handle, no matter how strong or independent they are. This current, ongoing volume of Spider-Gwen is already showing a lot of promise and potential for a long, successful run. And whether Gwen or Jessica Jones like it or not, my Spider-Sense is telling me that things will get worse before they become better, and that the world will get a little darker before the sun rises.