There was a time when Spider-Man wasn’t synonymous with clones, but alas, they have permeated the line of Spidey characters, including Spider-Gwen. This week is the latest clone-adventure, Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones, collecting the five-issue series. This time, Spider-Gwen faces off against clones of herself that are all turned into classic Spider-Man villains. It’s a clone and Sinister Six mashup that’s super fun, but how does it hold up in collected format?
This is a fairly clever yet familiar take on the superhero fight villain’s story. It’s clever as Spider-Gwen naturally faces her clones but also has them team up. The trade paperback opens with Spider-Gwen tussling with the Sinister Six, only to have that battle affect onlooking scientists. Things go from bad to worse, and one of them dies. Revenge is now for one of the scientists who blames Gwen Stacy.
This leads to a Gwen Doc Ock showing up to kill Spider-Gwen. They tussle, and eventually, Gwen figures out what’s up. There are clones of her coming to kill her, and she needs to find out who created her and why. This leads to a natural progression of fighting new clones and bringing them in on the plan to stop the evil scientist. The story adequately ramps up to a high-stakes ending as all Gwen Stacys from all universes will die.
Who wouldn’t freak out?
Credit: Marvel
This story is filled with the usual tropes, though. That goes for the villain, who isn’t very interesting outside of their design. They’re angry and need therapy, basically, but instead want to kill an insurmountable amount of Gwen Stacy characters to get some relief. Chill out, dawg!
The crowning achievement of this story is the art by Kei Zama. It’s got a thin, detailed style that’s hand-drawn and easy to linger on. There’s a punk style, bringing this world into an edgy, almost Akira-inspired visual style. Zama gets to riff on each of Spider-Man’s main villains as well. The layout design keeps the action feeling fresh and interesting, with a nice zip to the various powers of these supervillains.
The villains look great. Designed by Peach Momoko, the details never skimp and are pretty clever. Seriously, how easy would it have been to throw Gwen’s face on a Sinister Six member’s body? Rhino Gwen has an organic look with an armored body, yet her hair suits the horn and ears. Kravne Gwen has a cool vibe, like she’s also in a band. Sandman Gwen is simple yet suits Gwen’s attitude. Doc Ock Gwen has a Bandit look and feel. Vulture Gwen is less Vulture and more songbird thanks to the use of pink and head band. They’re all quite cool, and it’d be a shame if we don’t see them pop up again.
Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones is a fun story that teens will love. The story is a little too heavy on familiar tropes, so longtime readers might not find quite enough here to warrant a purchase, but the villain designs are great and worth a look.
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