Spider-Gwen #2

Spider-Gwen #2Set on an alternate Earth where Gwen Stacy was bitten by a radioactive spider, I felt a bit lost reading the first issue of the series that, other than the look of Gwen as this world’s Spider-Woman, did little to sell me on the concept. The second issue, which picks up following our heroine getting her ass kicked by the Vulture, is a little more entertaining thanks in large part to the appearance of Spider-Ham as a delusional sidekick only the heavily-concussed Spider-Gwen can see and hear.

The rest of the comic continues the storyline from the first issue as Gwen puts off dealing with both her father and the Mary Janes, each interested in finding Gwen for different reasons. We also learn George Stacy has been replaced on the Spider-Woman case by this world’s Frank Castle who appears only moderately more reasonable than the regular Marvel Universe version.

Other than Gwen (and the hallucinatory pig) the only variation of a well-known character that has caught my eye is that of crime lawyer Matt Murdock who is going to have to be given a much larger role to keep my interest (especially if the end of Gwen’s concussion means farewell to Spider-Ham). For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]