Gwen Stacy: Ghost-Spider Appreciation 2020

[Huntsman Spider]

Sucks that there isn't a Spider-Gwen omnibus, I don't know much about her and that'd make it easier to jump in.

There are about three big hardcover volumes that contain a good portion of her original series by Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez, and Rico Renzi that should help you get started on learning more about Spider-Gwen.

[Oheao]

Which run would you consider to be the best? Do the different runs stand on their own or is it better to read from the start?

[Huntsman Spider]

Which run would you consider to be the best? Do the different runs stand on their own or is it better to read from the start?

Better to start with Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (later reprinted as Spider-Gwen #0), then Spider-Gwen Vol. 1 #1-5 and Vol. 2 #1-6. That's all in the first hardcover collection for Spider-Gwen and should give you a good idea of who (this) Gwen is and what her world is like.

[Digifiend]

Spoiler alert - read Outlawed before Ghost-Spider #8, it's a stealth tie-in, Peter tells Gwen what happened.

[Huntsman Spider]

Spoiler alert - read Outlawed before Ghost-Spider #8, it's a stealth tie-in, Peter tells Gwen what happened.

Thanks for the warning. I read Ghost-Spider #8 before Outlawed. Without spoiling too much, it looks like there's going to be some serious friction between Gwen and Peter for the time being.

[Frontier]

Thanks for the warning. I read Ghost-Spider #8 before Outlawed. Without spoiling too much, it looks like there's going to be some serious friction between Gwen and Peter for the time being.

And they were just getting along too...

[Digifiend]

Typical Parker luck. It's not Peter's fault that Kamala's Law exists. She's angry at that, not him.

[Frontier]

Typical Parker luck. It's not Peter's fault that Kamala's Law exists. She's angry at that, not him.

Yeah, it kind of felt like she was taking out her own frustration on him when he was just trying to help.

[Huntsman Spider]

And they were just getting along too...

Typical Parker luck. It's not Peter's fault that Kamala's Law exists. She's angry at that, not him.

Yeah, it kind of felt like she was taking out her own frustration on him when he was just trying to help.

Pretty much, but at the same time, I think he's pretty conflicted about "Kamala's Law," too. On the one hand, he wouldn't have liked anybody trying to come in and tell him how and when to use his powers at that age. On the other, if he had had someone to help guide him through his burgeoning abilities, maybe he would have made better choices and not gotten his Uncle Ben killed. That's probably what's weighing on him.

[Digifiend]

No June solicit. Has Gwen been cancelled?

[Huntsman Spider]

No June solicit. Has Gwen been cancelled?

I hope not.

[eratas123]

Read Ghost Spider 8:

spoilers:

Yet even more setup. Seriously, I think Maguire has issues with this. As much as I had my issues with the Latour run, most notably the constant dimension hopping and the stupid Watchers plotline, he looks like a racecar driver compared to Maguire. Maguire spends way too long setting up multiple plot threads but the payoff rarely ever seems worth it. Remember Gwen's suit making her go berserk? Turns out it was just hungry. Remember Man-Wolf and his whole thing with Gwen including bombing her concert? Jameson lets him out and Gwen never even tries to find him or do anything. Remember Jackal being set up for the better part of a YEAR? He gets away and Gwen again doesn't seem all that worried. Hell right now we're dealing with yet ANOTHER plot with the Storm siblings revealing they have powers and Sue asking Gwen for a teamup at the end of the issue with an oh so innocent smile. So now we're setting up the Storms as baddies, which Gwen will have to fight given the Outlawed tie-in, and I bet you five bucks THAT plotline won't be resolved satisfactorily and the Storms will either get away to menace her another day or Gwen somehow gets flack for it because they're popular instagram influencers. This comic is starting to feel like the ASM 2 movie, which was more interested in setting up Sinister Six than anything else. Gwen's behavior is again written off. First she keeps insulting Peter, first by repeating calling him an ancient dinosaur and then when he asks to talk with her after class she says that people will assume they're dating now and that's ew gross - again like Maguire is so afraid that if Gwen doesn't insist she doesn't wanna jump on his webshooter every couple of issues that people will think they're meant to be a pairing. Speaking of that, Peter tells her about the new Outlawed arc and Gwen, for some reason, rages at him even though he says point blank he's not the one making that law. They also confirm that she's emphatically NOT 21 since she acts like the law applies to her, which again is super weird considering the year she spent in prison. Remember that? Gwen lost a year of her life due to an unfair judgement but apparently she's still 19-20 despite that not making any sense. Oh and of course this pisses her off enough that her Venom suit starts flaring up and what does Peter do? NOTHING. Seriously, he sees her going nearly berserk as a civilian and he doesn't say **** about it. You'd think he'd be more worried about her acting out but no, he just lets her go. And of course when Gwen goes back she has to do a random rescue to prove she's a good person. Again, Maguire seems to have this issue where things follow a formula - Gwen comments on what happened last issue, talks with a friend (Earth-65 Reed here) and/or goes to 616 for her school stuff then goes back to her dimension where she solves a random crime (in this case being a fire that I'm halfway sure Johnny started despite there being no hints to that) and then a plot hint cliffhanger at the end. Maguire, we know Gwen is a hero, you don't have to have her keep rescuing people and wasting page time that could be spent on actual plot progression. At least make the crimes in question related to the baddie she's fighting rather than just another random mugging/hostage situation/bank robbery/fire. Speaking of when Gwen goes into the burning building she changes into her Gwenom suit...for some reason. Why? She makes a mention that the suit doesn't like the fire but why would that force transform her back into the black and red suit? Her white suit is already Venom but being exposed to fire 'reverts' it to the black suit? Gwen doesn't even seem to notice or comment on the change and neither does anyone else. You can't even say it's cause she was pissed off about Outlaw since she was clearly in the white suit prior to entering the building. Seriously, it feels like the artist forgot she was supposed to be wearing the original suit since she runs in with white and the next page suddenly she's Gwenom. Apparently there's no June solicit for Ghost Spider so this comic may or may not be cancelled. Honestly even if it was I wouldn't care all that much. Again despite my issues with Latour I always dreaded the idea of it being cancelled. Here? I really don't care. Maguire writes people out of character - especially Mary Jane and even Gwen at times - and her plot moves along at a snails pace that I expect Spider-Verse 2 to come out before we ever go back to Jackal. Maguire had some strong ideas and good plot hooks but she just doesn't have the follow through and I'm buying comics purely from inertia and the blank hope that SOMETHING will happen than any honest belief that it will. I wouldn't mind a change of writer right now cause this series is not a worthy successor to what Latour made.

end of spoilers

[Ursalink]

Honestly, Gwen is out of character around here. She shouldn't insult Peter, because whille I understand his frustration, she doesn't know the Hell he had to pass through the first Civil War, as he acted like her now. (And in many ways, it costed her deeply).

[Celgress]

I hope not.

Meh, I'm going, to be honest, I don't care if her latest series is over. Gwen hasn't been interesting, IMO, since she left the 65 Universe. Send the poor girl home where she belongs. Let Spider-Gwen be Spider-Gwen rather than stripping her of everything that made her unique so she can hang out in 616.

[eratas123]

Meh, I'm going, to be honest, I don't care if her latest series is over. Gwen hasn't been interesting, IMO, since she left the 65 Universe. Send the poor girl home where she belongs. Let Spider-Gwen be Spider-Gwen rather than stripping her of everything that made her unique so she can hang out in 616.

That’s not even the main issue. Look at how Maguire writes Mary Jane or how she sets up plots that go nowhere and continously have **** payoff. Her being in Earth-65 exclusively doesn’t fix these issues.