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Protokitty In reply to GeoffJefferson [2015-06-19 22:37:19 +0000 UTC]

Hi Geoff,
The touch up was pretty minimal. Other than the usual color correcting, I moved her left eye bit, darkened the corners of the smile a bit, and brightened the highlight on her cheek and shoulder.
I doubt most people would notice much of a difference.

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Slime-Series In reply to multificionado [2015-06-01 06:22:03 +0000 UTC]

To understand who this character is the concepts of alternate realities and the multiverses must be first understood.

Now you know about the one that famously died.  She is Earth-616 Gwen Stacy.
This Gwen comes from Earth-65.
Alternate universes can be very similar or vastly different and that included the characters living on them.  Alternate universe means also potentially alternate fates and characterizations.
Thus every character is one of a kind in some way even if a almost infinite alternate versions exist in the multiverse.
Gwen from Earth-65 is a vastly different character from Gwen Stacy of Earth-616 (and the same can and does apply to other Gwens in the multiverse).
616 Gwen was a science major fan and a social popular person and had fashion of the 60's.  616 Gwen met Peter and MJ in high school.  For some Gwen of 616 was bland (greatly considering her other alternate versions).  Plus her legacy of her shocking death in the comics.

65 Gwen is alive.  Gwen comes from a modern times punk rock like world and like many people nowadays lives and has everything on the smartphone.  Her fashion is more puck rock and modern then 616 Gwen's.  Her hair is fuller but also shorter and silk like and easily messy. She has far more "colorful" language.  Gwen and her dad (also alive on Earth-65) are neighbors to Uncle Ben and Aunt May incinerated that she knew Peter and Aunt May and Uncle Ben since she was little and is considered part of their family (she has her own mug and sees Aunt Many and Uncle Ben as her Aunt May and Uncle Ben).  Gwen of Earth 65 is a drummer for a rock band called "the Mary Janes" lead by MJ, and her fellow band-mates is Gloria and Sophie "Chat" (all of them have been one of Peter's love interest in the multiverse previously).  It's indicated she was a wall flower type of person vs socially popular.  Possible she had strong feelings for 65 Peter or at least best friends with.  Plus of course this Gwen was bitten by the Spider gaining Spider Powers.  She like Peter of 616 tried to use her new powers for personal gain and thought that she was special and free from responsibility.  The selfish actions and lack of responsibility by Gwen had her father think poorly of the new Spider-Woman and worse sent a bad message to Peter.  Peter being constantly bullied and beaten became a "unstable" person (by Aunt may's own comment).  Gwen defended Peter but that made the bullies verbally attack Peter for needing Gwen for defense calling him a loser.  Seeing Spider-Woman's "freedom" he tried to follow her example and become "special" like her.  Between the bullies and wanting to be free and special like Spider-Woman Peter snaps and creates the lizard formula and becomes Gwen's possible first super villain the Lizard.  It's heavily assumed Spider-Woman and the Lizard battled in high school and either because of that battle or the formula Peter reverted back but died in Gwen's arms heart broken and stating that "he just wanted to be Special... like you."  The public sees Spider-Woman holding a dead Peter and is forced to runaway.  The public assumes Spider-Woman killed Peter (true or not Gwen feels the full weight of guilt and angst ridden about Peter's death and sees herself as his murderer).  Jameson calls for Spider-Woman to be hunted down and everybody in NYC believes she killed Peter and hates or fears her.  Captain Stacy is put in charge to hunt down Spider-Woman (he doesn't know his daughter Gwen that he loves is Spider-Woman at the time).  Gwen has been indicated to be so mentally distraught by Peter's death that she considers Gwen Stacy to be a problem and considers being just Spider-Woman all the time cutting ties with others.  It's also shown and indicated she has become a alcoholic because of Peters death and the guilt she can't let go.
Other big differences so far relieved: Uncle Ben is alive, Matt Mardock (best know in 616 to be Daredevil) is a villain working or possibly is the Kingpin, and Frank Castle (in 616 he is best known as The Punisher) is one of the top brass detectives of the NYPD who later gets put in charge of the Spider-Woman case.

The art style and coloring for many is considered fantastic and adds to the tone of that Earth and Gwen's dark or troubling situations.  Spider-Gwen isn't a lightheart comic.  Spider-Gwen is a dark hero and the Earth she is on has many dark tones to it.  She call "Spider-Gwen" because that was the nickname fans on forums gave her when she was discovered.  Thus to separate her from the many Spider-Woman already made in past comics Marvel decided to take the fan-nickname as the title for her comic series.

Marvel wasn't planning to make her a ongoing series.  She was one of many different "Spiders" introduced in the Spider-Verse event.  Making her first appearance in the comic Edge of Spider-Verse issue #2 Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman she was one of 5 spiders to have a one shot comic to introduce them before the event started.  The event and the one shot was meant to be her only appearances.  However when images of her design and the art was shown before the comic came out the viewers love her costume and style.  Many people cosplayed her before her issue came out.  Then when the issue did  come out it became a massive hit.  Coming out in September I think the comic had to be reprinted 7 times thus far.  It was the break hit and Gwen was a break out star for marvel.  Marvel decided to give Gwen her own ongoing series.

Here is a video about Spider-Gwen and her first comic www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2tNpl…

I love Spider-Gwen and it was this character and the comic Edge of Spider-Verse #2 that got me into comics.

If you are going to take a chance on her I recommend Edge of Spider-Verse #2 as that was her first appearance and breakout comic and feels like a true issue #1 for her and the world. Since they made that comic believing it was going to be a one shot tale that comic moves at a good pace and isn't slow. Since they earned a unplanned ongoing and had very little time in making it the team did a very good job art and story wise however it moves slower then other comics but for a understandable reason. Most comics takes place on worlds with established characters and events of that world such as 616. Earth-65 is brand new thus everything must be shown and established in time from the tone of the world itself, it's characters as everyone of them is new (in some form as being alternates means they can possibly be nothing like any other version thus each one is basically a new character for readers and has to be established), and brand new history being made. The writer must make something brand new and establish it for the readers. Some characters are very similar to their other counterparts (but we don't know that till we see them) while others are very little like any alternate that we seen thus far. The cast and the interactions are being shown to us for the first time thus each needs proper care and time. We are being fed good pieces of information to us as it happens or interacts with Gwen (plus in those times we see more of who Gwen of Earth-65 is and her thoughts). Due to world building care it goes slower then other comics but each comic has been very enjoyable thus far. As we get to know the world and it's cast better I feel the writer will then pick up the speed after the necessary core cast, histories, and moments has been effectively shown. Discovering this world and it's cast has been a pleasure and seeing formerly establish from other worlds characters shown in a new light, age, morality, profession, or situation is a joy.

For the art I LOVE it. To me it's a visual treat but I understand that while some love it for others it's not their "cup of tea" as they say. Everybody has personal preferences thus I'm sure every comic artwork styles has it's fans and non-fans (most seem to like the art but some don't and that will be up to you personally).

I love Gwen.  I love this version of Aunt May (a sage, warm hearted, and she is no fool thus I can see why Gwen thinks of May and Ben as her "Aunt" May and "Uncle" Ben based on the love that flows out of them and feeling of family and kindness plus Gwen grew up with them as part of her life thus they are family to her and she is family to them), I like that Uncle Ben is alive in this Earth. Plus I like what they did with many of the other characters shown thus far: Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, Gwen's great loving and worried dad), look forward to what they will do with other characters ("Chat" has my attention), and wonder what they might do with the characters in Marvel's long history that has not yet been shown to us on that Earth (Black Cat is coming up soon and possibly will be in issue #5). Like Samurai Jack posted above the relationship between Gwen and her dad is wonderful. I wonder if we will see in details how he hunted and acted to "Spider-Woman" before he found out as well as other details and interactions of the past that can be evaluated and mixed with Gwen's and her cast present situations. The reader doesn't really start with her origin tales (that is shown with the only for the time needed details on only two pages in Edge of Spider-Verse #2) yet brought in still early enough in her superhero career to make rookie mistakes and losses. 

Due to the first arc's good but slower then most comics stories I defiantly recommend Edge of Spider-Verse Gwen Stacy to be the first read then followed with the Spider-Gwen series (either buying issues 1-5 or since a trade book most likely will be coming wait till that comes as having the full arc tale will feel like a full rich story without the slow feeling but wanting more pace and eventual tale and characterization payoff that waiting monthly had for the first arc of the series).

If I had to rank the issues also that came out thus far then Spider-Gwen issue #1 was very good but also the weakest issue for me however that isn't a bad thing as each issue for me has gotten stronger and better then the last.

With her popularity and hopeful the all the writers who will make Spider-Gwen stories do a fantastic job than it could be possible that this Gwen will earn her own long tenure and comic legacy just like Spider-man did in the 60's.  If she does then the legacy of "Gwen Stacy" will no longer just be one of tragic death that happened to one version in the comics but replaced or joined as being a great dark spider superhero.

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multificionado In reply to Slime-Series [2015-06-01 12:11:43 +0000 UTC]

Whoa. What a mouthful.

Maybe that's why I follow DC more than Marvel when it comes to comics. At least DC doesn't do alternate realities as much as Marvel.

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SirPixis In reply to multificionado [2015-06-01 23:08:16 +0000 UTC]

For real? DC has a ton of Multiverse worlds and reboots and alternate timelines and realities. I would say they use them more than Marvel. But the complex tapestry of comic book continuity is part of what I love about this stuff.

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multificionado In reply to SirPixis [2015-06-01 23:16:08 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, well, all the same, too many superheroes mushed into too many stories is enough to turn anybody's head. I stick with DC when it comes to comics because it has more of a sci-fi and fantastical feel to it than Marvel. Seriously, heroes tend to be made in Marvel. DC? It's more about aliens, technology, magic...the exceptions are the Flash and Cyborg.

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