"Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider: Into the Gwenverse"

 

            The following is a review of the graphic novel “Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider: Into the Gwenverse” as presented in Marvel Modern Era Epic Collection format.

            Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider of Earth-65 decided it was time to further her education and go to college. But with her dual identity as a superpowered individual public, she couldn’t go anywhere without attracting attention and decided going to college in her universe just wasn’t going to work. Peter Parker/Spider-Man of Earth-616 invited Gwen to his universe and with the help of Doctor Curt Connors/Lizard arranged a meeting for Gwen with the dean of admissions at Empire State University. Gwen was accepted under the Tony Stark Scholarship which accommodated for students outside the range of what would be considered “normal,” being a dimensional traveler falling under the qualifications. On Earth-65, Gwen’s father, New York Police Department Captain George Stacy returned to the force following a heart attack. On Captain Stacy’s first day back, New York City Mayor J. Jonah Jameson ordered the release of Jameson’s son, crime lord John Jameson/Man-Wolf, from police custody under the grounds that since John was a werewolf, he was not in his right mind when he committed his crimes and therefore could not be held accountable. On Earth-616, Gwen ran into Professor Miles Warren/Jackal, working at E.S.U. under the guide of Professor Guarinus. Warren had been obsessed with the Gwen Stacy of Earth-616 before Gwen died. Peter told Gwen the reason her symbiote was causing Gwen troubles was that the symbiote was underfed and that the symbiote needed cellulose. Earth-65’s Miles Warren, who was working for Man-Wolf, was researching a way to defeat Ghost-Spider. On Gwen’s first day as a student at E.S.U., Gwen made friends with fellow students such as Kosei Sato and Benji Jones. Unbeknownst to Gwen, Benji was working for Warren, having uncovered Guarinus was a cover identity. Warren instructed Benji to befriend Gwen so Warren could gather more information about Gwen, and in return, Warren would give Benji powers. Warren gave Benji a serum that temporarily gave Benji powers. Before the powers wore off, Benji was able to discover Gwen was Ghost-Spider and was a dimensional traveler. On Earth-65, Ghost-Spider stopped a grocery store robbery, but Ghost-Spider’s “nemesis” the Bodega Bandit was at the grocery store shopping and was shot and brought to the hospital. When Benji presented Warren with the information about Gwen, Warren eliminated Benji, calling her mission a failure. On Earth-65, Ghost-Spider ended a hostage situation at the hospital, where Man-Wolf’s underlings held the hospital hostage trying to get one of their gang members, who had been shot, out of the hospital before the police could file a report. Warren discovered a way to kill Ghost-Spider’s symbiote. On Earth-616, Gwen’s spider-sense went off, and she returned to Earth-65, but Earth-616’s Jackal followed Ghost-Spider through the portal. Jackal found himself face-to-face with Earth-65’s Miles Warren. Man-Wolf’s thugs trapped and apprehended Ghost-Spider and brought Ghost-Spider to the two Jackals. Gwen’s band, the Mary Janes (Mary Jane Watson, Betty Brant, and Glory Grant), concerned when Gwen missed band practice, tracked Gwen’s phone, and found Ghost-Spider. Jackal of Earth-616, feeling that Warren of Earth-65 was an unworthy ally, eliminated Warren of Earth-65. Jackal also tried to attack the Mary Janes, but Ghost-Spider was able to break free and save Gwen’s friends. Ghost-Spider was unable to prevent Jackal from escaping.

            On Earth-616, following a day of classes at E.S.U., Ghost-Spider landed on a rooftop, where she was dropped into Arcade’s Murderworld, which had been designed with Spider-Man in mind, offering Spider-Man a chance to redeem one of Spider-Man’s biggest mistakes. Ghost-Spider was faced with robotic versions of several of Spider-Man’s foes, including Lizard, Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, Green Goblin, and Rhino, before facing robotic versions of Daredevil and Punisher. Ghost-Spider defeated them all, before the final challenge of a robotic Spider-Man, who was threatening the life of a robotic Gwen Stacy. Ghost-Spider then had to defeat Spider-Man, save Gwen, and escape Murderworld.

            Sue and Johnny Storm, social media influencers and children of serial killer Doctor Franklin Storm and disgraced socialite Mary Storm, who had gone missing in Latveria four years before, suddenly appeared in Times Square, with no memory of the previous four years and unaware that they had been missing for any time at all. While rescuing a woman from a mugger, Ghost-Spider was mysteriously aided by a ball of fire. Aware that in other realities, Sue and Johnny Storm had superpowers and were members of the Fantastic Four, Ghost-Spider visited Reed Richards, a young genius of Earth-65, but a superpowered member of the Fantastic Four in other realities, asking Reed if Reed knew about any realities where Sue and Johnny had powers and Reed didn’t, and if it could possibly be happening in this reality, but Reed had not answers for Ghost-Spider. On Earth-616, Peter pulled Gwen aside to tell her about the C.R.A.D.L.E. Laws, which made operating as an independent superhero under the age of twenty-one illegal. Gwen was furious about the law. On Earth-65, Sue and Johnny invited Ghost-Spider to a superhero team up. Ghost-Spider set the time and place, and Ghost-Spider, Sue and Johnny stopped a drug shipment being orchestrated by Man-Wolf’s thugs. Gwen was happy to have other superpowered people to fight with, since superheroes were rare on Earth-65. Sue and Johnny ordered another meeting with Ghost-Spider, where Sue told Ghost-Spider New York was Sue and Johnny’s city now and Ghost-Spider had to find somewhere else to protect. When Ghost-Spider refused, Sue and Johnny attacked Ghost-Spider. Sue threatened Ghost-Spider that Sue could doctor a video to get Ghost-Spider sent back to prison if Ghost-Spider didn’t leave New York. Faced with no choice, Ghost-Spider left Earth-65.

            On Earth-616, Knull, God of the Symbiotes, launched an assault. Ghost-Spider fought Knull’s symbiote dragons but realized this was a fight she could not win. On Earth-65, Jackal had abducted Mary Jane Watson and tried to bond a piece of Gwen’s symbiote to Mary Jane. On Earth-616, Ghost-Spider attempted an interdimensional transportation, but the teleport failed and instead brought Mary Jane to Earth-616. Mary Jane formed a bond with the symbiote and due to years of resentment towards Gwen, fell under Knull’s control and became Carnage. Knull, however, was unable to control Gwen’s symbiote. The symbiote’s connection to Mary Jane was also unstable and killing Mary Jane. Gwen had to fight to defeat Carnage, free Mary Jane from Knull’s control, and save the life of her friend.

            In the future, at the End of Time, Finale, the Ultimate Artist, united her allies the Terminal Six (Dr. Cecil Cephalopod, Vincent Stegron/Fossil, Calypso Hardy/Black 13, David Doughty/Roach-Man, Barton Hamilton/Glam Goblin, and Gwen Stacy/Nightbird) to steal time travel devices so Finale could separate Finale into five parts and exist in five time periods and be immortal like the heroes of legend. Finale used the life energy of Finale’s followers to power Finale’s machine. In the present, Ghost-Spider was using Ghost-Spider’s dimensional transporter. Ghost-Spider was having an internal struggle and hating Gwen’s life when Ghost-Spider initiated the teleport and was caught by Finale’s machine and was separated into five other pieces throughout time. In transit, Ghost-Spider met Spider-Zero, a spider hero with a connection to the Web of Life and Destiny. When Spider-Zero returned Ghost-Spider to Earth-65, the split changed the timeline. Spider-Zero told Ghost-Spider that Ghost-Spider had to travel through time and collect the templates that changed the timeline and stop them from committing the acts that would ultimately alter the timeline. First, Ghost-Spider traveled to Norway circa 800 CE, where Ghost-Spider met Gwendolyn Janus/Thorgwen. In the future, Finale became aware that Finale’s machine did not do what it was supposed to have done and ordered the Terminal Six to hunt down the Gwens through time and eliminate them. Dr. Cephalopod and Nightbird traveled to 800 CE, but Ghost-Spider and Thorgwen had already traveled to upstate New York in 1951 to recruit Gwen Rogers/Captain America. Ghost-Spider told Captain America the story, and Captain America believed Ghost-Spider until information about Captain America was released that caused Captain America to think Ghost-Spider and Thorgwen were Skrulls sent to embarrass the country. Captain America went to the Viz on Halloween night, where Captain America encountered Gwen Howlett/Wolverine, the source of the leak. Captain America and Wolverine fought, and Ghost-Spider and Thorgwen tried to break the fight up, but Roach-Man and Fossil joined the fight. The Gwens were able to win the fight and put their differences behind them. Witnesses to the fight were young Howard Stark and Norman Osborn. Norman was injured in the fight, and Howard promised Norman that Howard would make Norman armor so Norman would never be hurt again. The Gwens traveled to 1983, where OSS-Tech (founded by Norman Osborn, Howard Stark, and Toni Stacy) were doing a presentation at the Transmode Expo. OSS-Tech revealed Toni Stacy/Iron G.W.E.N. in the guardian ware exo network. Black 13 and Glam Goblin crashed the expo and fought the Gwens. Osborn mutated into the Green Goblin and attacked the Gwens, jealous that Toni got the armor that Howard had promised Norman. Iron G.W.E.N. took down the Green Goblin, and having ruined OSS-Tech, went along with the other Gwens. The Gwens fought Dr. Cephalopod and Nightbird but failed to defeat the members of the Terminal Six. The Gwens next met Gwen Jones/Captain Marvel, who had unknowingly been sent by the Kree Supreme Intelligence to prepare Earth for a Kree invasion. Captain Marvel fought Yon-Rogg, who used the Psyche-Magnitron to transform humans into Mandroids. The Gwens teamed up with Captain Marvel to destroy the Psyche-Magnitron. Dr. Cephalopod and Nightbird also joined the fight, and Captain Marvel did not survive the fight. Ghost-Spider fought Nightbird, and Ghost-Spider’s symbiote tried to bond with Nightbird, curing Nightbird and freeing Nightbird from Finale’s control. United, the six Gwens traveled to the end of time to fight Finale and try to restore Earth-65 back to the way it was before Finale used the machine and then teach Ghost-Spider to learn to like Gwen.

            Okay, now that we have the plot synopsis out of the way, it’s time to move on to the Tim Cubbin bits of this review. I’ll start off, as I always do, with my own personal opinions about the book. I will say that I found the stories in this book to be highly enjoyable. I loved the concept of having Gwen come to college on Earth-616 since Gwen’s identity was public on Earth-65. I feel like the Jackal is a very underrated supervillain and I love seeing him. Yes, Jackal’s fascination with Gwen is creepy, but Jackal makes for a good villain, and seeing Jackal become a villain for Gwen herself was an interesting twist in my opinion. I also love me a good Arcade Murderworld story, and Gwen fighting a Spider-Man Murderworld to save herself made for what I would consider to be a good Murderworld story. I loved Johnny and Sue being narcissistic influencers and turning into borderline villains. I thought that was a great twist, and it established all of the members of in Fantastic Four on Earth-65 (Reed Richards being a boy genius and Ben Grimm being a police officer), so it was interesting to finally have all of that information. I liked Mary Jane becoming Carnage, and it reflecting on her resentment towards Gwen and Mary Jane’s narcissism. I loved all the alternate Gwens, I thought it was fascinating to see all the what ifs of Gwen being all the different characters. I do have a few complaints about continuity. At the start of this book, George Stacy returns to the police force as Captain following a heart attack. In the previous volume, there was no mention of a heart attack, and George had quit the police force and had faced prosecution for aiding and abetting Gwen as Spider-Woman, so I don’t see how/why George would be returning as captain, especially since George never previously vocalized this intention. After Jackal from Earth-616 kidnaps Ghost-Spider, Jackal took Ghost-Spider’s dimensional transporter necklace, and there is no on panel explanation of how Ghost-Spider got the necklace back. Also, in “Spider-Gwen: Gwenverse,” Tim Seeley seems to have completely forgotten/ignored Seanan McGuire writing Gwen out of Earth-65 so Sue and Johnny could be New York’s heroes, and also refers to George as a former cop, where there is no mention of George leaving the force again, so the two writers seem to be completely contradicting each other’s work. As far as the stories themselves go, though, for what they were, I really enjoyed them. Now, lest we forget, this is a graphic novel, which means we must also discuss the artwork. For the most part, I found the art enjoyable. That said, I didn’t enjoy Flaviano’s design of Mary Jane as Carnage. The rest of the artwork I really can’t complain about, by the Mary Jane/Carnage just didn’t look right to me. Another thing I have to discuss is the title. I know that may seem odd, but it’s actually really important to me that these Epic Collections have a title that truly fits the contents inside the book. Three of the storylines in this book tie for the longest length issue wise, “Gwenverse” being one of them. Allowing that, and as there is so much interdimensional travel in this volume, I will say that “Into the Gwenverse” is a pretty fair title for this book. Another thing I’m evaluating is the cover. I know that really seems like such a minor thing to analyze, but I do feel like a book’s cover should deliver on the promise of what it teases to the reader on the front of the book, and that it also captures the essence of the book in general. On the front cover of this book, we can see an assortment of Gwens, in the forefront being Ghost-Spider, Captain America, Wolverine, Nightbird, Captain Marvel, Iron G.W.E.N., and a bunch of unclear Gwens further back. Were it just the six clear Gwens on the cover, I would say this would be a decent cover for this book. However, there are only seven Gwens inside the book, and the cover shows more than there actually are, and the Captain Marvel outfit on the cover doesn’t match the Captain Marvel outfit inside the book, so I unfortunately cannot say that this book delivers on what it promises, and is, in fact, a bad representation for the contents inside this book. I know that this seems very nitpicky, but that’s just how I feel. As far as consuming this book goes, I do feel it was a positive experience.

            Next up, we’re going to discuss accessibility. I’ve reviewed over seven dozen Epic Collections at this point, and every time I do, I explain what I mean when I use the word accessibility in reference to a graphic novel, so if you’ve been here before and know what I’m about to say, please bear with me while I explain it to the newbies, because I know every time I do a review, I have new readers who don’t know what I mean by accessibility. In short, accessibility is how easy it is for a person who knows absolutely nothing about Gwen Stacy or Marvel Comics in general to obtain a copy of this book, read the issues in this book, and with no outside knowledge, understand everything they have just read. This book is marketed as Vol. 4. The first issue in this book is a #1 issue that picks up directly where a previous series left off but starts a fresh storyline that would make this book accessible, up until we hit “King in Black.” “King in Black” was an event that the majority of the Marvel Universe tied into, and this volume does not do a sufficient job explaining the event itself. It gives a brief blurb about the backstory at the start of “King in Black: Gwenom vs. Carnage” #1, but there is no follow-up explaining the conclusion of the event and how things were properly resolved, leaving what feels like a significant missing piece in the story. This highly lowers the accessibility factor. As such, I would say that this book is not very easily accessible. If you’re new to Marvel Comics and are looking for a first book to start with, I would tell you that this book is not the jump on point for you.

            Moving on, we are now up to my numeric score. This is something my reviews would not be complete without. While explaining the story is important, and my other segments all hold value, having a numeric score is one of the most essential components to my reviews. I have to start off by explaining my scoring system to the newbs, so to those of you who have been here any of the other seven dozen times I’ve done a review, please hang tight while I once again explain myself. So, my scoring system is extremely simple. I score on a scale of exact whole numbers ranging from one through ten. One is the lowest score I can possibly give, and that means that this book is so bad that every copy should be pulled off the shelves and destroyed, then Marvel should delete any possible method of reprinting this book so this abhorrence can never be replicated and no other poor unsuspecting soul with buy this book and live with the regret of the decision of buying this piece or garbage. Ten, on the other hand, is my highest score, and that means that this book was absolute perfection and reading this book was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my entire life. Now, I’m not in the business of giving a book a ten unless it absolutely deserves it. A book that’s a ten has to have an engaging, compelling, gripping story, visually pleasing artwork throughout the entire book that I can find nothing to complain about, a title that perfectly captures the content of the book, and a cover that illustrates the essence of the book and delivers on the promise it portrays on the front of the book on the pages inside the book. Getting a ten from me is not easy. Let’s review what we’re putting into the blender first. The story was good, but there were continuity lapses and contradictions. The artwork was, in general, good, but one of the character designs was unfavorable. The title was adequate for the book, but the cover had a deception. So, when we turn on the blender, and mix all these contents up until they are thoroughly mixed and we have a score, what we are looking at is… a seven! While I found this book to have an enjoyable story, the contradictions were a huge detriment, and I couldn’t get past the Mary Jane/Carnage design, and also the cover didn’t deliver on what was promised, so all these factors led to deductions. That said, though, reading this book was a positive experience.

            Continuing on, we’re up to the recommendation segment. This segment answers two key independent questions. The first question is, do I, Tim Cubbin, personally recommend this book to you, my readers? The second question is, regardless of if I give this book my personal seal of approval or not, who should be reading this book, going beyond the obvious of fans of Gwen Stacy, Marvel Comics, or the creative team, and looking at characteristics of the book and traits of the content that readers would find compelling. So, let’s start answering the first question. Yes, this book gets my personal stamp of approval. To anyone reading this review who is considering reading this graphic novel based solely on the words I’ve typed, I would say they should hop on to their preferred online retailer, or head to their local bookstore, comic shop, or library, or try to find that friend or family member who has this book, find some way to get this book and then read it as soon as they can. As for a target audience, I think this book would resonate with female readers, teenage readers, a combination of both, or people who like reading about teenage or female characters. I also think it’s good for readers in college or who enjoy reading about characters in college. Readers into alien invasions or monster attacks could find this book interesting. And this book could appeal to readers who enjoy characters who question themselves or are trying to find acceptance with themselves.

            Well, I think we’ve now come to my conclusion paragraph. This does not mean we are done yet. There is more I have to say. If you have more time, please continue exploring timcubbin.blogspot.com for more content from yours truly. I’ve been working on this blog for six years now. In that time, I’ve published over two hundred posts, so there’s plenty more to see on this blog. I’ve written a variety of content, including short stories, poems, essays, articles, editorials, and of course, plenty of reviews. I’ve reviewed prose novels, manga, comic events, and over seven dozen Epic Collections just like this one. If you enjoyed this post and want to read more similar reviews, feel free to search for “Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider: Edge of Spider-Verse” “Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider: Weapon of Choice” and “Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider: Gwenom” for more Gwen Stacy content. I would like to state that everything I post on this blog is my own personal opinion, I accept that, and if you’ve read this book and feel different, I welcome that. If any of my readers has anything to say, whether it’s something you like or dislike about this blog, something you feel about the post, something you’d like to see on this blog, something about this blog you want me to change, if you’ve read this book and want to agree or disagree with what I say, please feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you, my readers, I welcome all your opinions. I will say the primary focus of this blog is currently to review Marvel Modern Era Epic Collections and Ultimate Epic Collections. I purchase each one as soon as I can after it is released and post a review as soon as I can after reading it. I usually post at least once every two months, but the publication rate is usually a lot more often than that. My next review is going to be “Captain America: Reborn” in case you wanted to know, so keep an eye out for it. It should be up sometime within the next two months, but it will probably be posted a lot sooner than that. That’s it for now. Until next time, Tim Cubbin… out!