Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane are in a band together on Earth-65! Find out if they can make their big break in Spider-Gwen: Smash by Marvel Comics!

SPIDER-GWEN: SMASH #1  

Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Enid Balam and Elisabetta D’Amico
Colorist: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Ellie Pyle
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: December 13th, 2023 

Previously in Spider-Gwen: Gwen Stacy has the ability to stick to walls, swing from webs, and even has a “spider-sense” that warns her of danger. With these powers, she is known as the Ghost Spider! Spider-Gwen’s daily life involves family, band practice, and fighting crime, but after seeing the multiverse, she wonders where she truly belongs.

Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 starts with the Mary Janes doing a gig. During the show, a villain is about to attack Mary Jane, but Gwen Stacy puts on her Ghost-Spider suit and saves the day. Unfortunately, Mary Jane is caught in the web, and the audience views Ghost-Spider as the main threat. Gwen is then canceled online. However, the band does get their big break from the Uncut Gems, headlined by Dazzler. The Mary Janes are invited to open for her. They also meet Rick Jones, a guitarist, Lila Cheney, and their manager Natasha Romanoff. Gwen also promises her band that she will not turn into Ghost Spider and let them play a show without any heroics.

During Dazzler’s set, it is clear that this Dazzler is also a mutant, but a giant hulk-like figure attacks. Breaking her word to Mary Jane, Gwen puts on the costume and teams up with Dazzler to save the day. Mary Jane realizes the danger and isn’t mad at Gwen, but Gwen learns that the band was invited to keep Ghost Spider close and to help Dazzler, who believes that she has a stalker who is behind the Hulk attack.

I’m not sure where I sit on Spider-Gwen: Smash #1. I love the character design of Ghost-Spider, and the art is stunning. But the narrative arc doesn’t have the emotional feedback I want. Peter Parker’s struggles were always very relatable to me. But Gwen Stacy isn’t in the same amount of danger as Earth-616, so the stakes feel much lower. And in that sense, you would think her work-life balance is easier to manage. I also acknowledge that I grew up with Peter Parker as a teenager and young adult. But I’m an older person looking at a story about a teenage band. I think there is an audience for this, but I’m almost certainly not the target. Hopefully, future issues lean more into the turmoil I can relate to.

The story of Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 is very well written and beautifully drawn, and this is certainly a book I’ll see if my kids want to read. But for me, it didn’t grab my interest. Despite that, this comic is a solid 3.5 out of 5, and I don’t think anyone will be disappointed if they picked this up.

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Spider-Gwen: Smash #1

70%

70%

Has Potential

Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 is well drawn, has a strong sense of narrative direction, and will do well in the hands of the right person.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
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