Writer: Seanan McGuire
Art: Ig Guara & Rosi Kämpe
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 08/01/2020
Reviewer: Archer of the Asylum
Ghost-Spider #6 isn’t at all the series I was expecting going into this when I drove headfirst into the pile of back issues. And Seanan McGuire has made the tone one that I’ve gotten completely lost in. The teenage obsession with the hottest bands, the parental worry about fledgling daughters being superheroes… no? Wait that’s not what your parents did? Damn…
Well if your name happens to be Gwen Stacy, drummer, and student, then this happens to be your daily grind. And she is everything I want from the Gwen alternate to everyone’s friendly neighborhood arachnid. She’s sarcastic, she’s sassy, she’s powered by an amorphous goo that responds to her every thought and appears to be fuelled by pizza…
The writing is believably teen, from the fun times with friends to the rebellion between parent and child. The snarky jokes between young friends are fantastic. And then, she completely flips to the concerned parental tone that drove all of us crazy as kids, “don’t you dare do that thing!” and of course I’m going to do the thing… no? That didn’t happen to you? Damn…
But anyway that shouldn’t be surprising if you’re lucky enough to have read her work before. Plus, the artwork and colors fit it perfectly. Ig Guara and Rosi Kämpe provide rich deep colors for the more intense and loud moments mixed with softer pastel shades for the more intimate moments between father and daughter. Furthermore, the pencil and ink work by Guara and Kämpe is soft, sketch-like in places, and almost as if you’re viewing events through a fine gossamer veil because this is not the normal marvel world. It all lends itself to a beautiful book, penned by (incidentally I only just realized) one of my favorite authors, and inked by two supremely talented artists with a feather-light touch for tone and mood.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book is great, it really is. This issue gets going straight out of the blocks and it flips from fin friendly shenanigans with friends as life moves on, to a shocking return on the final panel. I honestly don’t want to wait a month for the next issue… I want it now. I need to know how Latveria is going to play into it. Additionally, how are the Storm siblings going to be used? How will Gwen juggle school, her dad, band practice, and dimension-hopping shenanigans? Ms. McGuire… Seanan… GIMME! NOW PLZ
Weird Science Marvel Comics 