Spider-Gwen (Vol. 2) #34 Review

“But if the only way I can help is with my fists–then I’ve already lost. I have to try a different way. I have to know I tried.”

This is it! The final issue for the radioactive Spider-Gwen! Is her father okay? Is she out of jail? Will action be her reward? Find out!

WRITER: Jason Latour

ARTIST: Robbi Rodriguez

COLOR ARTISTS: Rico Renzi & Lauren Affe

LETTERER: VC’s Clayton Cowles

COVER ARTIST: 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 is in prison, but it winds up being a nightmare she wakes up from at the doctor’s office. She has been released and her dad is getting a check-up from his neurologist, one Dr. Asim Strange. Dr. Strange tells Gwen he is concerned for her father’s spirit. Gwen and her father go out and about, talking. They visit a store selling Spider-merch and eventually stop at the Dollar Dog for some food. Gwen flashes back to a conversation she had with The Mary Janes-they are going on a tour. A siren snaps her back to reality and she rushes out to help. She comes upon a fire and rescues a fallen firefighter, announcing herself as “Spider-Gwen”!

THOUGHTS: Well, here we are. The final issue of Spider-Gwen (for now). I love the choice of having the cover parallel her first appearance in Edge of Spider-Verse #2. The art reflects her transition into acceptance of her identity. On the first cover she was Spider-Woman and by the end of this story she is Spider-Gwen, embracing both halves of her life. The art also has an unfinished feel when compared to the EoSV cover, like it’s a new creation that’s still a work in progress.

Including a Dr. Strange as George’s doctor was a nice bit, especially as he was concerned about the spirit as much as the physical. It sets the stage for the rest of the issue, which is concerned about the characters’ emotional well-being. There’s no hint if Asim Strange is a Sorcerer Supreme, but it’s fun to imagine that he would be, especially as that puts two variants of the recently departed Steve Ditko into the same scene.

I thought Latour definitely brought a touch of meta to the scene where Gwen eventually buys a Spider-Gwen hoodie at the store. I really appreciated this scene being thrown in. I felt like it was the creators’ way of expressing their ongoing shock of how popular Spider-Gwen became every time they saw a new cosplayer with their own spin or new piece of merch. It was cool seeing the variant covers being turned into tee-shirts (some of which I think I’ve seen at stores) and one of the Funko Pops, too. This character definitely broke out into the comics pop culture landscape in a big, bad way, quickly making her way to video games and animation. I always enjoyed seeing the sense of wonder and pride that Latour and Rodrigiez took on social media every time Spider-Gwen showed up on some new thing and I hope that continues even though they have moved on from the title.

This issue really slows things down and simplifies it to the relationship between Gwen and her father. Much like this is not the 616 Gwen, this is not the 616 George. Not only has he survived longer than his counterpart, this is giving him a new set of problems to encounter. In addition to having a super-powered daughter, he wants to continue in his role of dad-protector and he’s getting to a point in life where it’s not as feasible as that once was for him to do it. In addition to no longer being a cop, his health isn’t at his peak. It’s not an Aunt May/Peter dynamic, where the shock will kill him, but he definitely feels that the roles are slowly reversing. He may have Gwen’s spiders in his shoes keeping tabs on him, but having this real world problem of a parent aging grounds the story and keeps it being something a reader can relate to, venomous costumes or not.

In the end, both Gwen and her father are evaluating who they are and how they got to this point. I loved that George loves the movie “Unforgiven” so much that Gwen can quote from it. It’s a great quote, too, as they debate the life that was foisted upon them and what they may or may not have done to deserve it. For her part, Gwen has not only seen the light, but recognizes how her perceptions shaped the venom at the early stages of their bonding. It’s almost a mother/child relationship now as she has to set a better example and guide it through a very complicated world. It’s her responsibility. It seems she’s truly learned her lesson while understanding the nature of the world and while there will always be opposition, Gwen now sees the hope she can offer the world at large.

Gwen concludes this run with a great sense of self and an embracing of both halves of her identity, as shown how she proudly proclaims the moniker of “Spider-Gwen”. Latour and Co. went and made this book’s title its character’s reality as she now stands revealed to her world. Quite a few variant covers and pieces of merchandise feature an unmasked Gwen in her costume and by the issue’s end that look becomes her own as she helps out the fire department. We even get an allusion to her future comic title as Glory says Gwen can secretly help people like some kind of friendly ghost. While I’m not crazy for the name Ghost Spider, it makes sense to me, both how it could come about because of her white mask and hood and why Marvel would want to differentiate her from the 50 million other Spider-Women. She’ll always be Spider-Gwen to me, though.

Art and coloring wise, this book is the usual home run. At times, Renzi seems to lay a dark shade of Ben-Day dots over the art, in addition to his usual purple and pink hues, making it stand apart from his past work, but still in line with his usual excellence. Rodriguez only has to deliver on action at the end, but his work is still a delight to my eyes, even in scenes where it’s just two characters talking. Gwen reflects a wide range of emotions this issue and Rodriguez gives you precise insight into her state of mind.

Most series for their final issue try and pull out all the stops, making things as big, bombastic, and EPIC as they possibly can, but not so here. There are no fisticuffs or arch-nemesis enacting their final scheme to end the hero and assert their control over all. Instead we get a quiet tale of reflection, giving our main character and her supporting cast a well-deserved breather and a happy moment or two. It’s an off-beat way to close it out, but I would expect nothing less from this crew.

Spider-Gwen has been a great spin on a classic character, one filled with fun, energy, and the typical Spidey melodrama that Stan Lee embedded in the character back in the 60’s. Latour, Rodriguez, and Renzi made the familiar fresh again, adding a rock and roll twist. This title was a welcome oasis for me when it first launched, providing me with a character who was down to earth and wrestling with responsibility, guilt, and the gifts she had been given, something I felt was missing in the Amazing title at the time. It was a joy to read every issue and see what wacky ideas and corn dog references the team came up with. I’ve been sharing it with my daughter, too, adding a level of sentiment to it, as well as giving me new insight to all the narrative threads they laid down.  Spider-Gwen will return, but the magic this team brought raised a very high bar for all that follow.

MY GRADE: A

JAVI’S HUH?: Bodega Bandit lets out a “Bye, Gwen!” as she races out to the rescue. Is he now reformed thanks to her?