Robbi Rodriguez

This volume of comics collects Edge of Spider-Verse Issue 2, and Spider-Gwen issues 1 to 5. It shows the origin of Gwen Stacy becoming Spider-Woman and sets up her relationship dynamics: conflict with the band she is in with Mary Jane Watson, her father’s job as a cop unwittingly pitting the two of them against each other, and of course the bad guys she fights.

I came to this after watching the hugely enjoyable Into the Spider-Verse, and I quite liked the storyline. I also delighted in a show more cameo appearance by The Incredible Spider-Ham, who is my favourite character from the movie (probably because he is voiced by John Mulaney). The comics felt light and fun, which is what I like in a superhero comic. I like superheroes who take their work seriously but don’t necessarily take *themselves* seriously, and to me Spider-Gwen fits that bill. I’ll definitely read more comics in this universe! It is so nice to have found comics I like. show less

Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse was a true delight so I had to get my hands on this Spider-Gwen issue to learn more about the girl in ballet shoes.

This was a serviceable, fun introduction to Gwen Stacy, who in this alternative universe, is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a superhero. She’s just as plucky as Peter Parker with a little more grit and different hang-ups. In this universe, lots of well-known characters serve entirely new and different purposes: Daredevil is a show more villain, the Punisher is a cop and Captain America is still a badass but also a woman.

I think new, young fans will be tickled by this version of Spidey, especially given the success of the animated movie. show less

After the death of Peter Parker, a citywide search continues for his killer, who many believe to be Spider-Woman. But Gwen Stacey knows she didn't kill Peter so she's determined to find out what exactly happened to lead up to his death and why other giant lizard people have been spotted since then.

I liked the Spider-Gwen character from the recent-ish Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and this book caught my eye because the cover art looked similar to the animation style for her world in show more that movie. Unfortunately, even though this book says it's volume 1, we are clearly picking up in the middle of a story started elsewhere. There's a brief recap at the beginning of the book so it's not insurmountable to jump into it, but I dislike when the first volume isn't really the start of a series.

My bigger gripe with this particular story was that it felt the need to cram so many Marvel characters into it. We aren't just dealing with the multi-verse and Spider-Man characters from a variety of previous stories, but we also have Captain America, Peggy Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, and probably others I'm forgetting already. Crossovers can be fun from time to time but after a while it gets to be ridiculous. This may be a Spider-Gwen title but we're lucky if we see her half the time given how many other characters are jammed in to remind us about every Marvel property.

This title provided some brief escapism and is mostly just full of fight scenes so it would appeal to folks who like those sort of comics more than ones that have character building. (To be clear, there's a small amount of that here, but not enough for my liking to offset the things I didn't like about it.) Really, at the end of the day, the story didn't say much that wasn't already familiar to me from the aforementioned movie and I have no interest in continuing on with this series. show less

Gwen grapples with her baggage around Peter Parker's death when a Lizard 2.0 arrives on the scene. Meanwhile, her father must make his own choices between knowing what his career asks of him and what his daughter needs from him.

I'm really enjoying this series. Gwen is a fascinating character, it's delightful to see an alternate universe spin on major Marvel characters (Captain America is an African-American woman! Matt Murdock is evil!), and the larger superhero universe remains intriguing.