A True Second Life: Spider-Gwen #1

The following is my review of Spider-Gwen #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

For better or for worse, some characters are defined by a singular moment. Batman is defined by the murder of his parents. Peter Parker is defined by the irresponsibility that led to the death of his uncle. And Jason Biggs is defined by his intimate dealings with baked goods in American Pie. These defining moments are both memorable and compelling for their iconic impact. But sometimes these moments can weight down a character and limit their development. This is what happened to Gwen Stacy.

For decades now, Gwen Stacy has been defined by her death. Even after her history was obscenely twisted by an affair with Norman Osborn, her death remains the most notable aspect of her character. Her personality, motivations, and potential were all shackled by this moment. That’s why a new world with a new path feels so jarring. That’s what the events of Spider-Verse offered when it introduced Spider-Gwen.

In this world, Gwen Stacy was no longer the girl who died or got knocked up by Norman Osborn. She was the one who got bit by the spider and became a new incarnation of Spider-Man. For a character that’s been around since the disco era, it’s a novelty that shouldn’t feel like one on paper. She’s a cute, pretty blonde who gets Spider-Powers. If she didn’t have any history and tried to come out in an era of female Thors and Kamala Khans, she probably wouldn’t make the cut. But she does have that history and Spider-Gwen #1 shows that this history helps make this new path special.

The context of Spider-Man’s history is what gives Gwen’s status as Spider-Woman weight in the story. There are familiar names all around her from Ben Grimm to Foggy Nelson. Some of these characters are very different. Some aren’t different at all. Kingpin is still a criminal mastermind, Vulture is still a C-list villain, and J. Jonah Jameson is still a cantankerous blow-hard. It’s a world that feels like Spider-Man. But through the eyes of Gwen Stacy, it takes on a bold new meaning.

In many respects, Gwen Stacy’s struggles are very similar to a young Peter Parker. She’s trying to do the right thing and be a hero. However, everyone else in the world thinks she’s a villain. At one point, her own father was Spider-Woman’s harshest critic. And in a world where people J. Jonah Jameson seriously, that’s saying something. Her defining moment to this point was her revealing her identity to her father and saving him. While that moment made her a hero in the same way catching his uncle’s killer made him a hero, it also complicated her life in ways befitting of any Spider-Man story.

Gwen Stacy is really at rock bottom in terms of her reputation as a superhero. In some ways, she has it even worse than Peter Parker. At least Peter Parker didn’t get blamed for the death of his uncle. Since J. Jonah Jameson loves to outdo himself in any universe, he’s made it so Spider-Woman is the reason for Peter Parker’s death in this world. And since her father is still a captain with the NYPD, she doesn’t even have a home to go to. Even on his worst days, Peter could count on a nice home-cooked meal from his Aunt May. Gwen doesn’t have that luxury.

Most of the story revolves around Gwen coming to grips with all the forces that are working against her. But in the tradition of all the Spider-Men and Spider-Women that came before her, she doesn’t let that stop her from being responsible. In fact, she conveys more responsibility than Peter Parker did as a teenager in some ways. She doesn’t blame anyone else for her situation. She doesn’t get overly bitter. She doesn’t even whine about it. She just takes it all in until she sees an opportunity to make Spider-Woman a hero again. And she hasn’t even thrown her costume in a garbage can yet. Compared to Peter Parker and Miles Morales, she’s way ahead of schedule.

The strength of this story is built around Gwen Stacy trying to re-establish herself in a world that is trying desperately to reject her. It’s a world that’s conveyed through her eyes and from her perspective. It feels very personal while capturing all the right elements that make Spider-Man stories great. But beyond this strength, there isn’t much in terms of bonuses.

There are other parts of the story that tie into Gwen’s, but they’re only marginally developed. There’s nothing about this version of Vulture that anyone is going to find novel or intriguing. The same can be said for Kingpin and J. Jonah Jameson. That’s not to say there aren’t other stories worth following. The band Gwen belongs to, the Mary Janes, are one of the more novel aspects of her world. Their story does continue, but not by much. They’re basically the equivalent of Youtube celebrities now. And that can only last as long as the next cat video.

There was a lot to love about Gwen Stacy before she ever got spider-powers. Spider-Gwen #1 reveals a world has a very different Gwen Stacy, but she still has all the same characteristics that make her so lovable. She’s still that sweet girl next door that boys are afraid to talk to since her father is a cop. She just happens to have spider-powers in this world and she’s had the same rotten luck as Peter Parker in terms of using them responsibility. But considering how she ended up dead in Peter’s world, it still counts as an upgrade.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Weaving A New Web: Silk #1

The following is my review of Silk #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Not too long ago, strong female characters were like unicorns. Everybody had a concept of them, but nobody could honestly say they had seen one. It feels like comics, movies, and TV shows have only recently figured out the successful formula for making good female characters. They don’t have to be overtly sexual like Catwoman. They don’t have to be overly tough like Michelle Rodriguez in every movie she’s ever been in. They just have to be interesting in their own unique way. That really shouldn’t be such an alien concept. And yet, successful female characters still feel like an anomaly.

Characters like Kamala Khan, Princess Elsa, and whatever character Scarlett Johannsen plays in a movie have finally set the bar for what a successful female character should be. In that context, the jury is still out on Cindy Moon. She was one of the best concepts to come out of Original Sin. So far, she hasn’t been revealed to be a clone so she still has the potential to be in the same league as Kamala Khan.

Since her story began, she’s been a supporting character for Spider-Man and Spider-Woman. At times, she’s been a lost soul trying to find her place in a world she missed out on. Then there are times when she exists to make Peter Parker’s life more awkward, as only a cute young woman can. She’s not exactly a feminist icon, nor is she a character ripped from one of Hugh Hefner’s fantasies. Now she has her own solo series to show that she can be more than cuter version of Joe Pesci. And the results in Silk #1 show that Cindy Moon is still a work-in-progress.

In terms of being a hero, Silk is still a toddler who can’t stop spilling her juice cup. She has a hard time holding her own in a battle against a C-list villain like Dragonclaw. She still needs an assist from Spider-Man to keep herself from falling too hard on her face. She’s not a damsel, but she’s no She-Hulk either. She essentially a late-round draft pick in a class that has already produced some incredible talent. She’s not Tom Brady, but she has earned herself a starter role.

What makes Silk’s story so compelling is that it’s very different from Peter Parker’s. She didn’t fail to save or uncle or witness the murder of her parents. She was a victim of deception and fear. She was sequestered for a good chunk of her life because someone convinced her that she was a target and she did what might have sounded like a good idea to a scared teenager. Now, years later, she’s trying to rebuild her life without fear. She’s like one of those paranoid families in the 1950s that built bomb shelters because they thought nuclear war was imminent. Now they have to adjust to a life where the biggest threat comes from shoe bombers and kids who aren’t vaccinated against the measles.

The adjustment for Silk is what gives this story its unique flavor. Cindy Moon doesn’t just discover her powers and struggle over how to use them. That’s actually the easiest part of being sequestered for the better part of a decade. The real challenge is trying to adapting her life to a world where N’sync is no longer together and Carson Daily is no longer a relevant celebrity.

It’s a challenge that Cindy struggles with both in and out of costume. At times, she falters in a painfully human way. It doesn’t involve clones or mutant spiders. It involves a young woman trying to find her place in an unfamiliar world. She still struggles in ways that a young Peter Parker often struggled. She has a hard time with her new job. She has to learn to resist the urge to roll her eyes every time J. Jonah Jameson twists the facts to denigrate Spider-Man. It’s familiar, but there are some key differences.

There are still parts of Cindy Moon’s developing history that haven’t been resolved. The most pressing issue involves her family. They disappeared shortly after she went into the bunker and she’s made it her mission to find them. It’s a mission where she makes only limited progress, but it’s made compelling through recollections of Silk’s family life. This helps give some emotional weight to Silk’s motivations and it’s the kind of weight that further sets her apart from Peter Parker. So long as she doesn’t get cloned, this counts for a lot.

It also helps that her home life was different from Peter Parker’s. Her family wouldn’t exactly be guest stars on Jerry Springer, but they do establish that Cindy Moon had a home life that’s worth protecting. The problem is that fighting C-list villains like Dragonclaw and getting limited advice from Peter Parker don’t help her make much progress. In terms of the overall development of her story, she doesn’t get beyond the exposition. However, it does mean that there won’t be much excitement for those not entertained by Silk fighting Dragonclaw.

The scope of Silk’s story might not be at an epic scale, but Silk #1 does successfully establish why Cindy Moon is worth caring about. She’s dealing with issues that are decidedly different than the ones Peter Parker has been dealing with since the Nixon Administration. She’s adjusting to a world that’s overwhelming even for those who haven’t been locked in a bunker for a decade. She’s also trying to save her family in a way Peter Parker never got a chance to. And she has to do this while establishing herself as an inexperienced superhero.

Cindy Moon is definitely one of those characters who could have her own legion of cos-players at some point. She hasn’t achieved that status just yet, but she’s on her way to earning it. If she can tolerate working for J. Jonah Jameson, then she’s capable of standing with the rest of Marvel’s growing pantheon of powerful female heroes.

Final Score: 7 out of 10