Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 Review
Writers: Leah Williams, Christopher Hastings (for 1 page)
Artist: David Baldeón
Colourist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
WE CANNOT TALK ABOUT THE GOOD STUFF WITHOUT SOME SPOILERS. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. IF YOU'RE ALREADY RIDE-OR-DIE FOR GSB, JUST GO READ THE COMIC; IT IS AN ABSOLUTE ANTI-DISAPPOINTMENT AND IT'LL BE BETTER UNSPOILED.
When we left Gwen, she had a tiny problem on the horizon in the form of a pissed-off Immortal Hulk.
As you can gather from the cover, the ultimate solution to that problem involves unlikely Mjolnir usage. But first comes something far less expected and far more delightful.
Gwenpool clearly needs help with the Hulk, so she turns to the only person she can trust: Gwenpool! She goes prospecting in her own back issues and extracts five other Gwens from Unbelievable Gwenpool, Champions, West Coast Avengers, Superior Spider-Man, and Rocket Raccoon & Groot.
(Chris Hastings' one-page writing cameo is a big bag of no help, but it is a hilarious conversation between Gwen and the man who would really prefer not to be called "Daddy" by Gwenpool RPers.)
Collecting six Gwens is cause for celebration along multiple axes, and I'd like to start with the visual. David Baldeón is working overtime throughout this entire issue, holding up his established sky-high standards for exciting action and medium-aware shenanigans.
But he is also doing a rare and incredible job emphasizing the difference between the Gwens by co-opting their original artists' styles. The headliner here is a bang-on recreation of GuriHiru's Unbelievable Gwenpool, but it's not Mr. Baldeón's only coup -- or even, I'd argue the most impressive one. Champions Gwen is clearly drawn in Humberto Ramos's style, and RR & G Gwen melds Michael Walsh's flat indie style into the action in a way which should be impossible but somehow isn't.
Colourist Jesus Aburtov is in on the trickery, too. Part of what makes Champions Gwen distinct is the over-saturated pink he uses for her alone.
When it comes to the script, Leah Williams is going insane in all the right ways here. The Multi-Gwen premise opens up incredible opportunities to critique previous portrayals of the character. Ms. Williams takes full advantage while also moving a complex Hulk-fight forward at a thrilling pace.
This issue neatly avoids the pitfall of letting Gwen gaze too long into her navel, though. While her back-issue selves are holding off the Hulk, GSB Gwen is working a scheme to heist Mjolnir that employs outstanding, demented comics-fan logic together with an in-depth reading of Jason Aaron's Thor.
The specifics of that heist, at least, I can steer clear of spoiling. It's satisfying and audacious and just a little bit tacky -- and doesn't that sound exactly suited to Gwenpool?
I'm certain the final issue will have more meta tricks in store. Like previous issues, this one leaves a few threads dangling, crying out for a wrap-up that pushes Gwen's medium-aware powers further into new territory. (To get an idea of what I mean, count the number of hands Gwen has on the first page.)
With this issue, Gwenpool Strikes Back approaches the platonic ideal of meta-fiction. It shines an honest light on the storytelling tropes and tools it employs while also making sure their product is a deeply engaging story in itself. It looks gorgeous, it's thoughtful and compassionate, and most importantly, it's absurdly funny.
Artist: David Baldeón
Colourist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
WE CANNOT TALK ABOUT THE GOOD STUFF WITHOUT SOME SPOILERS. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. IF YOU'RE ALREADY RIDE-OR-DIE FOR GSB, JUST GO READ THE COMIC; IT IS AN ABSOLUTE ANTI-DISAPPOINTMENT AND IT'LL BE BETTER UNSPOILED.
When we left Gwen, she had a tiny problem on the horizon in the form of a pissed-off Immortal Hulk.
As you can gather from the cover, the ultimate solution to that problem involves unlikely Mjolnir usage. But first comes something far less expected and far more delightful.
Gwenpool clearly needs help with the Hulk, so she turns to the only person she can trust: Gwenpool! She goes prospecting in her own back issues and extracts five other Gwens from Unbelievable Gwenpool, Champions, West Coast Avengers, Superior Spider-Man, and Rocket Raccoon & Groot.
(Chris Hastings' one-page writing cameo is a big bag of no help, but it is a hilarious conversation between Gwen and the man who would really prefer not to be called "Daddy" by Gwenpool RPers.)
Collecting six Gwens is cause for celebration along multiple axes, and I'd like to start with the visual. David Baldeón is working overtime throughout this entire issue, holding up his established sky-high standards for exciting action and medium-aware shenanigans.
But he is also doing a rare and incredible job emphasizing the difference between the Gwens by co-opting their original artists' styles. The headliner here is a bang-on recreation of GuriHiru's Unbelievable Gwenpool, but it's not Mr. Baldeón's only coup -- or even, I'd argue the most impressive one. Champions Gwen is clearly drawn in Humberto Ramos's style, and RR & G Gwen melds Michael Walsh's flat indie style into the action in a way which should be impossible but somehow isn't.
Colourist Jesus Aburtov is in on the trickery, too. Part of what makes Champions Gwen distinct is the over-saturated pink he uses for her alone.
When it comes to the script, Leah Williams is going insane in all the right ways here. The Multi-Gwen premise opens up incredible opportunities to critique previous portrayals of the character. Ms. Williams takes full advantage while also moving a complex Hulk-fight forward at a thrilling pace.
This issue neatly avoids the pitfall of letting Gwen gaze too long into her navel, though. While her back-issue selves are holding off the Hulk, GSB Gwen is working a scheme to heist Mjolnir that employs outstanding, demented comics-fan logic together with an in-depth reading of Jason Aaron's Thor.
The specifics of that heist, at least, I can steer clear of spoiling. It's satisfying and audacious and just a little bit tacky -- and doesn't that sound exactly suited to Gwenpool?
I'm certain the final issue will have more meta tricks in store. Like previous issues, this one leaves a few threads dangling, crying out for a wrap-up that pushes Gwen's medium-aware powers further into new territory. (To get an idea of what I mean, count the number of hands Gwen has on the first page.)
With this issue, Gwenpool Strikes Back approaches the platonic ideal of meta-fiction. It shines an honest light on the storytelling tropes and tools it employs while also making sure their product is a deeply engaging story in itself. It looks gorgeous, it's thoughtful and compassionate, and most importantly, it's absurdly funny.
A Look Inside
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