Edge of Spider-verse vol 002

Edge of Spider Verse 002

Creators: Jason Latour, Rico Renzi and Robbi Rodriguez

The premise for this mini series is that every Spider-Man in the entire multiverse must stand together in order to fight the only villain Spider-Man could not conquer on his own. 

This edition features Gwen Stacey as Spider Woman.  It is a mini series, which intends to introduce more characters into the world of The Amazing Spider Man.  In this universe it wasn’t Peter Parker who was bit by the radioactive spider, but Gwen Stacy. After being bit by the radioactive spider and experiencing the personal tragedy of Peter Parker dying, she vows to fight crime. Gwen is featured as a drummer, attempting to conceal her super powers from her father. Gwen’s biggest relationship is with her father, similar to Peter’s relationship with his, only with some differences. The creators stated that they wished they could have named her Spider-Gwen, but that would have tipped off her police chief father. 

            Spider-Woman is wanted for a crime she didn’t commit and there is a manhunt by the police to find her.  In this world Peter Parker wanted to take revenge on those who bullied him becoming this Earth’s version of the Lizard.  Her own father is at the helm of that manhunt. She now has to decide what wearing the costume and being Spider- Woman means to her. This comic focuses a lot on the father-daughter relationship of the chief and Gwen.   The creators carefully take familiar characters from the original Marvel universe, in order to create some familiarity, but then branch out with the character of Gwen.  They give her some of the main recognizable attributes and personality, but then expand on her in the hopes that this character will be one that people come back to or use again.  They intended for her to be something new.  It is easy to become immersed in this new universe. 

  (Stark Industries)

        Stylistically speaking, Gwen is drawn with a much more punk attitude here, being featured in a band called “The Mary-Jane’s”.  The fact that she is a punk drummer can be said to be what influences the design of the comic.  The sound effects are even written in a punk influenced style.  Spider- Woman is drawn in a looser way when swinging away form danger or the cops.  The pages themselves are decorated with graffiti that hints at New York Easter Eggs, referencing our world and other characters in the Marvel universe.

 

Furthermore, the universe as drawn here is much more colorful than it appears in The Amazing Spiderman.  It is given a fresher look, and drawn with more of a range of colors.  Not only that but they are brighter, and emphasize that the main character is female.  The lyrics sung by the band, along with the sound effects are incorporated into the pages within the background as well as part of the action in some scenes. the words are situated as images of their own in many places, they fill the page along with the images.  This helps to keep with the fluidity of the words and images.  It is integral in her life, showing just how important music is in her life, as well as the decision to take on the costume and become Spider-Woman.  It could also be representative of the crossroads she is at in her life. The words swing from side to side, just as Spider-Woman does. In my opinion, this piece does a good job of disproving Scott McClouds point that Comics are words and images, since the words appear as part of the image and are integral to the design in this piece.  McCloud stresses that the forms of vocabulary are different, but I think that they play off of each other to make more meaning.  The words become images in their own right as they are a part of the page, and part of the way which you create meaning in this piece.  

I really enjoyed the story line in this Mini- series and can't wait to see what else happens within the series.  I was familiar with the Spider-man universe, but found myself having to research more in order to identify the differences in this universe.  I like the take on the character of Gwen being in a band and focusing on her music.  I am, however, unsure of how to feel about the fate of Peter Parker, as I will always have a bit of a soft spot for the original myths of Spider-Man.  I think that the creators did an amazing job with the colouring and the page layouts, I found it pleasing to read and thought that it fit well with the character that they have created.  I am excited to see what the next instalment brings, as well as how far they will take the character of Gwen in later comics. 

Sources:
Rico Renzi, Robbi Rodriguez and Jason Latour, Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman: Edge of Spider-Verse. Marvel, 2014
Marvel.com
McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics.  New York, NY: First HarperPerennial, 1994