Writer: Seanan McGuire
Art: Ig Guara & Ian Herring
Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 18th, 2020

Ghost-Spider #8 is a gem in the world of comic books. Seanan McGuire manages to write a narrative that accurately encapsulates the struggles that a teen would go through whilst being a hero in a world that takes them for granted and generally doesn’t give a shit about them. Plus, the art laid down by Ig Guara and inked by Ian Herring perfectly portrays that anger that simmers beneath the surface of that teenage skin, so close to exploding.

The narrative of the past few months progresses with more revelations about Sue and Johnny Storm after their extended trip to Latveria. With Gwen quizzing an almost unrecognizable Reed, (I’m waiting for Ben Grim to show up any time now) events in Earth-65 are reinventing some of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s greatest creations in ways that make them far more relevant to a modern audience and, as such, far more interesting.

The events of Outlawed #1 rear their ugly head through an unexpected messenger and Guara and Herring had me feeling the seething rage that McGuire infused into Gwen like I was the one staring her down. It was chilling and it raises so many questions about aspects of society that you could spend months writing about it for a thesis.

Final Thoughts

Whilst being light on the action, this month’s book is by no means light on the heroics. The actions punctuate the college student angst that is written masterfully. I genuinely hope that the quality of this book stays up there. It’s rare to see such strong writing in a character that isn’t male, and honestly, it’s refreshing. The artwork makes it feel both coming of age and high action with a touch of melodrama and it works perfectly. Again, the only complaint I have with it is I have to wait until April for the continuation. It’s just doing it for me still.