Review: Ghost-Spider #3 (Marvel Comics)

Juggling the Drama of Two Dimensions in Ghost-Spider #3

Ghost-Spider #3 brings us a confident and happy Gwen Stacy, perhaps a little too confident, as she seems to keep tempting fate. And you know that never works well for anybody wearing the Spider Mantle.

Gwen has settled into her routine of jumping dimensions to go to school. And so far, it seems like she’s hit a perfect balance. But anybody who has read comics for any length knows that something’s gotta give sooner or later.

After all, Gwen is now stuck in a unique position; while it may seem like she’s getting the best of both worlds, the truth is that she’s being set up to deal with the drama and danger from two dimensions.

Writing

Seanan McGuire has been doing an excellent job of weaving together multiple plotlines into one dynamic story. And Ghost-Spider #3 went above and beyond to remind us of all the dangers lurking outside Gwen’s sight.

Both dimensions seem to have antagonists; one is focused on taking over the city, and the other is alarmingly obsessed with Gwen. While their motives may differ, we fans know that it will get messy for our Ghost-Spider.

This issue spent a lot of time setting up for something much larger. We were given a chance to see into the minds of two of Gwen’s enemies, which did a lot to increase the tension of the series. What hit harder, however, was the unexpected event that Gwen stumbled across. That is one of those moments that’s gonna hit you in the feels. So consider yourself warned.

Looking back on this issue, I’m finding myself more and more excited to see how this is going to pan out. It’s not every day you get to see something as complicated as this develop. And I’m curious to see how Gwen handles it when it all comes out into the open.

Art

Ghost-Spider #3 hosted some fantastic artwork, but that’s probably no surprise to its fans. The artists behind this issue had a chance to show off a bit between Gwen’s different universes and all of the antagonists roaming around.

One scene, in particular, had a lot of impact on it, and that had a lot to do with the artistic decisions made. It was an interesting plot, of course, but the portrayal of that moment added a little extra ‘oompf’ to what was happening.

Takeshi Miyazawa was the lead artist for this issue, but they also worked on the inking alongside Rosi Kampe. Ian Herring provided the colors, which I’ll confess I love. And VC’s Clayton Cowles did the lettering for this issue.

Conclusion

Ghost-Spider #3 did an excellent job of telling us three stories (perhaps four) simultaneously. And while we can assume that, at some point, those plots will merge, we don’t yet know how. And I, for one, am looking forward to seeing it happen.

This issue also balanced the heavy with the funny, a classic Spider-Man trait. It’s wonderful to see it making such a strong appearance in Gwen’s story.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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