Gwen Goblin Terrorizes The City In Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #2

Spider-Gwen finds herself in a new world where Peter Parker is still alive, Harry Osborn became Spider-Man, and Gwen Stacy is the Green Goblin. She needs their help if she’s going to fix her interdimensional teleporter to get back home and help the other Web Warriors fight the Inheritors.

I’ve criticized Spider-Geddon for going off the rails a bit. Technically, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider ties into the event, but only in that it’s the reason the character is stranded on this foreign Earth. As with other new worlds in the multiverse, we need to learn about the Spider-Man of this place before we can continue on. This one is pretty interesting at first, showing how Harry was bit by a radioactive spider and Gwen, Peter, and Mary Jane worked to design his gadgets to help him in the field. Gwen wanted in on the action and designed a glider only to lose her mind when tragedy struck during a battle.
With their best friend terrorizes the city as a villain, you can imagine the shock when someone who looks just like her shows up. It shakes Peter and MJ to their core. More importantly, it puts into perspective just how far they’ve drifted apart. In some worlds, they’re married or at least romantically involved, but it’s pretty clear that will never happen here because of the schism created from the tragedy they’ve seen.

I really like the design of the Gwen Goblin. The high top sneakers and fishnets are a nice touch, coupled with a ghoulish mask and the signature glider. The green really pops in the cloak that swirls around her as she flies through the air. It goes well with the long red wig she’s wearing. Colorist Ian Herring makes this pop during the flashback scene where everything is a little more muted.
While artist Rosi Kampe does a great job with this design, many of the non-action scenes look unfinished or sketch-like. The basic forms of the characters are there, but they lack definition and look a little sloppy at times. This gets distracting, particularly during some of the more heated arguments.

Spider-Gwen is still a little unsure of herself. She puts on a good front when she’s speaking to Peter and MJ, but she reveals the truth in her internal narration. I like that it’s color-coded to match her costume. Nice touch from letterer Clayton Cowles there. She had trouble fitting in on her own world and yet here’s one that has fallen apart when she was essentially lost. It should help give her some perspective into how much her friends and family love her. Writer Seanan McGuire adds a lot of depth to this internal dialogue.
Now that the origins and backgrounds are out of the way, I’m hoping this storyline can really hits its stride. It will be cool to see Spider-Gwen fight Gwen Goblin. I don’t see her getting back in time to really help out with Spider-Geddon, so I’m content with her having her own adventures here or maybe teaming up with the Spider-Girls.
Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #2 from Marvel Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.