• Spider-Gwen Shadow Clones #1
    Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1
    Writer:
    Emily Kim
    Artist:
    Kei Zama
    Letterer:
    VC's Ariana Maher
    Cover Artist:
    David Nakayama
    Publisher:
    Marvel
    Price:
    $4.99
    Release Date:
    2023-03-02
    Colorist:
    Triona Farrell

Marvel returns to Earth-65 with Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1, an all-new adventure in the alternate universe where the resident web-slinger is none other than Gwen Stacy. Drawing power from her synthetic symbiote suit, Spider-Gwen possesses similar powers to Spider-Man, including super strength and speed, wall-climbing, and her very own Spidey-sense. Now writer Emily Kim, artist Kei Zama, colorist Tríona Farrell, and letterer Ariana Maher are picking up the creative mantle after 2022's ambitious Spider-Gwen: Gwen-Verse.

Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1 opens with Ghost-Spider, AKA Spider-Gwen, duking it out with most of the Sinister Six, who are dimensionally displaced from Peter Parker's universe. Unknown to Gwen, a rogue Vulture bomb detonates in a nearby laboratory where a scientist has refused to evacuate, botching the experiment and killing the scientist's assistant. Months later, Gwen has moved on from the battle. Suddenly, she is accosted by a new Doctor Octopus who looks just like her. After defeating them, the pair enlist the help of Earth-65's Reed Richards to discover the truth, but there isn't much time to digest the revelations before another Gwen-clone appears.

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Kim takes the well-worn idea of Spider-Clones and puts a new spin on it in Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1, creating an unexpectedly affecting character study that subverts and explores themes of heroism. The opening contains bold narrative choices that culminate in some raw moments that feel daring and novel for a mainstream comic book. Kim also paints a great portrait of Gwen Stacey, making her feel like a profoundly well-fleshed-out personality, complete with flaws and self-inflicted disappointments. The resolution to the principal fight sequence of Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1 is clever and speaks to Gwen's character as well as the quality of the writing. Finally, the book ends on a strong, if somewhat predictable, cliffhanger, which perfectly tees up the next issue.

Zama demonstrates an incredible depth and breadth to their skillset as an artist in Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1, contributing stunningly intricate background work and striking tableaus. Zama has an impressive knack for capturing dramatic moments, aided by their spectacular eye for detail and bold style, composed of confident lines and an abundance of textures. Although sometimes the character expressions can feel a little stony and impassive, the well-executed understanding of body language compensates to create a smattering of comedic beats in the comic. This quality also shines in action sequences, particularly in depicting Ghost-Spider's fluid fighting style, channeling a real sense of momentum and pace through the panels.

RELATED: How Spider-Gwen Became Ghost-Spider - and Why

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Farrell's colors do a huge amount to elevate Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1, demonstrating an incredible understanding of tone and atmosphere. Farrell cycles through a wide variety of pallets to construct a unique feeling for each setting, cleverly infusing them with wildly different flavors that speak to their functions within the narrative. Farrell also makes great use of accent colors, keeping the visuals exciting. As bright as this issue is, some really interesting panels are composed solely with silhouettes, adding darkness and mystery.

Maher's letters are excellent throughout Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1. Her work adds superb rhythm and cadence to the dialogue with emboldening and italics to create realistic speech patterns. The letters are very aesthetically pleasing, as are the sound effects. Although neither is particularly innovative, they do their job with a sense of solidness and clarity.

Overall Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1 is an intriguing first outing for the series. It can be difficult to tell what kind of tone the creative team is aiming for. But a meaningful exploration of Gwen in this new clone-based scenario is on the horizon, which gives confidence that the series will find its footing in future issues.