“Ghost-Spider” #1 is the kind of slice of life, low-key, seemingly non-threatening Spider-Man story that would be right at home on a spinner rack in a 1970’s drug store. It’s a throwback to the kind of stories that made Spider-Man the most popular character Marvel ever published, only this time it’s with Spider Gwen.
Written by Seanan McGuire
Art by Takeshi Miyazawa
Colored by Ian Herring
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover by Jorge MolinaGWEN STACY MAKES HER WAY TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE! With a cloud of infamy hanging overhead on Earth-65, GWEN STACY now travels to Earth-616 for superhero action…and school?! The newest student at ESU is about to get a crash course in multiversity as she splits her time between the world she loves and the world she’s just getting to know! But what devious villain has eyes on Gwen’s travels? Is Gwen ready for what comes next?
In a genre that is often dependent on high stakes, high octane action with the fate of the world in the balance, “Ghost-Spider” #1 makes a bold choice and decides to tell a much smaller story with much smaller stakes.
Fortunately, it’s a solid, well-told story, that excels at using the familiar tropes and ideas behind the classic Spider-Man stories and applies them to his alternate dimension female version of Spider-Man who goes by the name of “Ghost-Spider”.
Now, there are three aspects of a Spider-Man story that make the web crawler unique and special. First, there is a heavy emphasis on just how normal his/her everyday life actually is. Second, there is a constant conflict between the “spider” and the “man” aspects of the hero’s identity where the responsibility of being a superhero always gets in the way of having an ordinary life. After all, we all know the one thing that comes with great power. Finally, there’s the quips…lots and lots of quips.
Writer Seanan McGuire has a firm understanding of each of these story aspects and applies them very well to “Ghost-Spider” #1. The issue opens with Gwen Stacy being an ordinary teenage girl who is getting ready to go to college. It would be the most standard and relatable story for almost any American teenage girl if it wasn’t for the fact that Gwen had revealed her identity as Ghost-Spider to the world, and was forced to attend college in an alternate dimension in order to protect her identity and the people she cares about. It’s an interesting and imaginative twist on the conflict between the hero and the alter ego that leaves plenty of room for new ideas and interesting twists on the traditional Spider-Man story formula, and the ending sets up future conflicts which promise to challenge Gwen even further. Also, the quips abound as Spider-Man shows Ghost-Spider around his home dimension, with all the familiar wit and sarcasm that makes Spider-Man comics fun to read.
While there is a list of tropes and beats that the writer has to hit to tell a good Spider story, the artist has their own list of tropes to follow. Any artist working on a Spider book lives and dies by how well they can showcase Spider Man’s famous web-slinging and artist Takeshi Miyazawa delivers in spades. There’s a definite blend of Eastern and Western art styles here, with Miyazawa leaning on a more Western art style for the superhero scenes with a lack of action lines and incredibly dynamic poses, but when the masks come off it feels closer to manga with exaggerated facial expressions and motion.
This blend of art styles in “Ghost-Spider” #1 is complemented by great coloring work. While hopping between dimensions is a familiar comic book trope, it can be difficult for the reader to differentiate between the two. Colorist Ian Herring does a great job of giving each dimension its own instantly recognizable look and color palette, which allows the artist to focus on delivering the best art possible while letting the reader enjoy the story without getting confused.
However, while “Ghost-Spider” #1 is a very good story that is very much worth your time and attention, it does have one glaring issue. I mentioned above that this story is a throwback to the classic Spider-Man stories of the 1970s that made the character incredibly popular and I absolutely meant it. Unfortunately, this means that if you’ve read any Spider-Man story over the past thirty years you can probably figure out where “Ghost-Spider” #1 is going. It’s still a fantastic story, it just might be a little too reliant on the Spider-Man formula and clichés for some readers.
If you’re new to the Spider-Man franchise, then this is a great jumping-off point. If you’re a diehard fan of anything Spider-Man related this book does a great job of using the framing of a traditional Spider-Man story and giving it a new look and skin. But if you’re looking for something new and different, you’re probably better off finding another superhero.
Final Verdict: 7.8 – While it doesn’t necessarily breathe new life into the Spider-Man franchise, it’s still a solid and very well-told story that is a showcase of everything that has made the hero great.
