When this series was first announced, a lot of people (myself included) were quick to assume the worst. After all, the initial teaser Marvel put out primarily promoted it as the return of Peter Parker’s long-lost love in the form of an edgier version of Gwenpool. Sure, the solicits mentioned that the original Gwenpool would also be present, but her fans were understandably concerned that she might be replaced by an iteration of the character requiring less explanation about her lack of connections to Gwen Stacy or Deadpool. You know, the sort of reskin of an existing character who is destined to sell a bunch of #1 issues and then inevitably vanish because they don’t fit into the status quo?
About an hour after the backlash began, something clicked for me: this premise is so crazy that it’s kind of genius. The thing about the original Gwenpool is that she’s a comic book fan who traveled to the Marvel Universe, and every title that she stars in is a sort of Morrisonian exploration of the medium: comics about comics. Also, her design is an amalgamation of two different characters that she has no affiliation with, so really you can’t take anything about her at face value. I came to the conclusion that there was no way that the creative team behind this new mini didn’t know how this looked. This was a hilarious bit, and they were clearly in on it.
I’m pleased to announce that Gwenpool #1 is, indeed, another classic Gwenpool romp that’s meta as hell. Though both Gwenpools only really interact in the last few pages, there’s so much dramatic potential in the original Gwenpool facing off against a the kind of character she could’ve been: the cover gimmick who first appeared on Chris Bachalo’s variant of Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #2 who hadn’t yet received a backstory from Christopher Hastings. In a lot of ways, this feels like the original Gwenpool finally confronting her past, as in her early appearances she also had no remorse for the assorted goons, henchmen, and flunkies that she killed. Her empathy is something that came later, after she worked with and eventually befriended some of the “unimportant” inhabitants of Earth-616.
I like Cavan Scott’s voice for “Prime Gwenpool”. While no two writers have written her exactly the same, I think the closest comparison I can make is Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt’s Gwen in MODOK: Head Games. She’s the unhinged fangirl who references everything from Frank Miller to Marvel’s age rating system– much to the confusion and distress of her companions Spider-Man (the Peter Parker one), Hawkeye (the Kate Bishop one), and Jeff (the land shark one)– but she’s still a person. You can tell that Gwen communicates her fears and insecurities through jokes and fourth wall breaking, and you know that things are really serious in the moment where she doesn’t do either. After watching the new Gwenpool blow some Deathloks’ brains out, all our Gwenpool can say is “That… That was brutal.” in a quivering speech bubble, which perfectly tells us just how shaken she is.
Stefano Nesi’s art (colored by Matt Milla) is a perfect fit for a Gwenpool story, as he’s able to walk the line between “badass” and “adorable”. Look no further than his ability to make Fin Fang Foom a monstrosity of apocalyptic proportions while also doing one of the cutest Jeffs to not be drawn by Gurihiru. He’s got the range to capture the contrast between the silly, cartoonish violence of the original Gwenpool and the dark brutality of the new one. I particularly enjoy the way he does shadowy alleyway fights.
Overall, this is a really fun return to comics for Gwenpool. There’s no doubt that some people might be reluctant to check it out because the premise sounds like a shallow cash grab or because this isn’t the creative team behind The Unbelievable Gwenpool, but I think you’ll find that this has a lot of the humor and self-awareness of the the title that made this character so beloved in the first place.
