Spider-Gwen (Vol. 2) #28 Review

“If what’s left of Gwen Stacy has to die…I needed you to know what I did it all for. I needed you to know WHY.”

Confessions! As Gwen talks to those closest to her, Murdock tells a captive his origin as The Punisher begins his attack!

WRITER: Jason Latour

ARTIST: Robbi Rodriguez

COLOR ARTIST: Rico Renzi

LETTERER: VC’s Clayton Cowles

COVER: Robbi Rodriguez

TITLE PAGE ART: Rico Renzi, Robbi Rodriguez, & Anthony Gambino

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Carlos Lao

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Kathleen Wisneski

EDITOR: Devin Lewis

GWEN STACY created by STAN LEE & STEVE DITKO

STORY: Gwen reveals herself to The Mary Janes and the Parkers. Murdock is keeping Officer Rogers alive and tells him his origin. Murdock kills the officer as The Punisher begins his assault.

THOUGHTS: Taking front and center on the cover, Murdock’s presence lets you know this issue is all about him with minimal Gwenom. It almost feels like Gwenom is the devil on the shoulder, trying to tempt Murdock here. If only Spider-Gwen was on the opposite side to complete the idea!

This is an issue all about confessions, starting from the opening with Gwen going to the Parkers and her band and letting them in on all the secrets she has been keeping. Using very straightforward panels, Rodriguez focuses his camera on everyone’s shocked and concerned reactions and the conflict that is quite literally bubbling out of Gwen. I really love what Renzi did with his colors, too. Rodriguez and Renzi combined give the costume a great sense of life and heat, with Renzi coloring some of the word balloons differently to add the sense that just more than Gwen is speaking now.

As for Murdock, he’s delivering his confessional to the still kabobbed Officer Rogers instead of a priest. I really liked Murdock venting his soul, recalling the Catholic background the 616 version has. Latour lays some groundwork for the mystery “watch” Murdock swiped from Gwen. It keeps pinging nonstop. Is it going to allow heroes from the Spider-Verse to come in and save the day in the finale? Time will tell.

Getting into the flashback, Rodriguez and Renzi are just on fire depicting Murdock’s young world. The radioactive isotope covers glow off the page and I love how it was tied into Oscorp. The shadows Matt “sees” are equally well done in a shade of teal.

Murdock’s mentor, Stick, doesn’t last for very long on this earth, but he sure comes off very Milleresque, even sounding a little like The Dark Knight Returns version of Batman. We also get some quick flashes of Silvermane and Kirigi, who both stay close to the versions we’re accustomed to. The colors as Murdock retells his story are very muted for this title, suggesting the darkness in his world, not just because of his blindness, but the turning of his soul as he joins The Hand and later betrays Wilson Fisk to become the new Kingpin.

Obtaining so much power and reaching the top of the criminal heap has given Murdock a desperation, one that makes him question his continued existence. We finally see that he was about to commit suicide by sword until Spider-Woman coincidentally swung by his window. In her, Murdock finally found a worthy challenge and a reason to keep existing. He no longer feels alone, even though he really is. Latour cuts us over to Gwen, surrounded by her loved ones and serving as a contrast to Murdock. She is the one who has solidarity, not just with her band, but the Parkers as well. Spider-Fans know this is where the real power comes from and you can bet their emotional strength and support will aid Gwen when it comes down to the final battle.

This title has focused a lot on the theme of power and responsibility and those topics have weighed heavily on Gwen over the course of two volumes. We finally get Ben Parker to hit the nail on the head in this issue as he gives Gwen a variation of the power and responsibility speech. It’s not a pleasant motto that sounds like it could be found in a fortune cookie though. It comes out during a spirited debate and splits the group on what Gwen should do next. If anything, it further adds burden to Gwen’s soul.

Murdock really puts the “devil” in his 616 counterpart’s Daredevil moniker. For him, he’s fallen from grace and Rodriguez makes every narrow widescreen panel feel like it was torn right off a movie screen, utilizing cinematic framing and tight close-ups. A favorite of mine was seeing Murdock’s red lenses reflected in his sword’s blade, right before delivering the coup de grace. To heighten his descent, he finally runs a tied up Officer Ritchie through. I think he’s dead now. Maybe.

For an issue where it’s a lot of people basically talking, things end in a crescendo as Gwen’s friends argue and The Punisher takes the war to Murdock. Gwen’s outfit reminded me of Eddie Brock’s jacket, circa ASM #375 where it was all black with a huge white spider wrapping around it. Rodriguez closes things with a splash page of Castle lumbering up the stairs, meting out vengeance. He’s just a giant THING, filling up the majority of the page, leaving death in his wake. If you’re a fan of The Punisher, it’s glorious. He just cuts into you with his glare and you know this confrontation is going to be EPIC.

We have a tale here that pretty much stops the rising action and forward momentum of this arc to tell a flashback of what twisted Murdock and I was surprised how much I flat out loved it. Everyone is at the top of their game here and firing on all the proverbial cylinders. It’s so well done and finally crafted that I can’t think of a con or negative to say. Even the shock of seeing Officer Rogers alive after he got skewered last issue didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this comic and eagerly anticipating the next issue. I loved how they tweaked and presented Murdock’s origin and how we got to see Gwen bringing everyone in to both sides of her life. She may not have had the spotlight, but the team made her dilemma interesting and revealed what it is that draws Murdock to her.

MY GRADE: A+

JAVI’S HUH?: Seriously, how was Officer Rogers not immediately killed in that phone booth?!?! The Hand made a human pin cushion out of him it looked like!