Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 review

Ever since she exploded onto the scene in 2014, Spider-Gwen – the Gwen Stacy of Earth-65, or “Ghost-Spider” to her fans and foes – has been pretty busy. She’s gotten wrapped up in dimension-spanning battles alongside her fellow Spider-People, lost and regained her powers, and come face to face with multiple superpowered versions of herself. What’s next? Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 from Melissa Flores, Enid Balam, Elisabetta D’Amico and Fer-Sifuentes-Sujo answers that question: she goes on tour!

Yes, the big hook of this book is “Gwen Stacy goes on a music tour.” But in the mighty Marvel manner, there’s a few twists. First, Gwen promises the rest of the Mary Janes that she won’t suit up as Ghost-Spider during the tour. Second, the Mary Janes learn that they’ll be the opening act for one of the biggest musicians on the planet: Alison Blaire, aka the Dazzler! Third, Gwen ends up swinging into action when a Hulk starts smashing things. Yes you read that right.

Flores juggles all of these plot points with relative ease, in steep contrast to Gwen feeling overwhelmed. Throughout her work – particularly Radiant Pink and The Dead Lucky – Flores has always explored the mental health of her protagonists, and Gwen is no different. Having traveled to various different worlds, she feels lost. Is Earth-65 truly home for her? Can she put aside her superheroics for long? It’s this emotional hook, combined with the more superheroic elements, that has made Flores a writer to watch out for. Not to mention the fact that she gets to introduce the Earth-65 version of a few classic Marvel characters.

She’s joined by Balam, who cut his teeth on other Marvel books including Reptil and Hawkeye: Kate Bishop. Balam’s artwork is packed full of all the frenetic, heart-stopping action you’d expect from a Spider-Gwen book; in fact, the very first page opens with Gwen swinging around a nightclub (though a flashback offers a different context to her action.) Another page features Gwen leaping onto a moving subway train with the grace of a ballerina. I’d also be lying if I didn’t say that Gwen’s battle with the Hulk is worth the price of admission, especially where the Dazzler and her light powers are involved.

D’Amico’s inks and Sujo’s colors tie the entire story together; the contrast of bright hues and dark shadows is what made Earth-65 stand out from the other Spider-People’s work. A neat touch of the color work features characters wearing clothing that corresponds to their superheroic identities – Gwen is often in white/pink/blue, for example. It’s a nice visual touch that also hews back to Flores’ work on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 sends Gwen Stacy on a musical tour, while also exploring her mental state and expanding the world of Earth-65. If you loved Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, or you’re a huge fan of rock music, you’re going to want to pick this comic up.