Just like we saw in last month’s Spider-Boy finale, this has been a big year for Spider-characters new to the 616. Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider Vol. 3: Uncharted is no exception. Big developments, big action sequences, and big surprises abound, all welcome changes from some of the more meandering Spider-books Marvel has put out recently. It not only continues an already exciting series but also brings this major story arc to a satisfying close.
This book immediately pulls Gwen out of her relatively grounded story-so-far (if cosmic powers and the TVA can be considered grounded) and throws her into all-out cosmic Marvel mayhem. This entire series has been great so far, but after reading this book it feels like the first two books were drawing back the bowstring to allow this one to shoot to dizzying heights.
Marvel
King Loki returns at the start of this arc, and if you haven’t kept up with Gwen’s somewhat confusing universe-hopping timeline, that’s okay: Stephanie Phillips does a great job of making the moments of recap into natural story beats, so you won’t need to do a Wikipedia deep dive. It’s also revealed that Gwen has, for some time now, been the host of some pretty intense cosmic powers. This development, plus the narrative propulsion from the last arc ending in the same one that this one starts in, launches this volume into a high gear early on.
The creative team maintains that level of excitement and energy throughout. I was surprised by how quickly “Spider-Gwen in space” made perfect sense. Her interactions with Marvel’s cosmic side are both believable and simply a ton of fun. The Phoenix cameo lands well, and it feels natural for Gwen to learn from Jean at this point in both their arcs.
The King Loki variant, who plays a big role in Gwen’s cosmos, is a really interesting Loki. Though not as menacing as the other antagonists in this series so far, King Loki is much more interesting and thought-out than some of the others. With the connections to the TVA series on top, there is plenty to chew on narrative-wise in this book.
Marvel
Spider-Gwen is at a unique place in the Marvel universe right now: she’s tied to the fates of two universes (like Miles Morales) but now there’s a cosmic angle. Aliens, reality warping, and multiversal resets are all on the table in Uncharted. Phillips and the rest of the creative team show a lot of skill and love for comics in showcasing the breadth of Gwen’s versatility.
The art in this book is incredible. The issues collected in this volume are split between two artists, Paolo Villanelli and Von Randal. The switch in styles adds a subtle depth to the book; different story beats needed different methods, and the hand-offs are seamless. Turn to any page in this book and you’ll see something exploding, some kind of cosmic power swirling around, or a well-placed cameo character bursting through the wall.
There aren’t really many still moments in this book—you’re pushed along at a quick pace due to the action and the plot developments. But the art is full of details, and it deserves an active reader who can appreciate them. Pulling Gwen from the city and into space also gives tons of room for some really interesting color work to become part of the book’s DNA.
Marvel
Those qualities in the art are crucial because you can easily imagine an alternate world where Marvel leaned into a more cartoony style—especially after the success of Spider-Gwen in Spidey and His Amazing Friends—as if Ghost Spider weren’t a character that deserves the space to carve out a totally unique iteration for the 616. Thankfully, that’s not the world we’re in. The art here makes a statement from page one with ambitious character designs and sophisticated layouts.
The shakiest part of this story arc is the handful of plot developments that come in the last few pages of the book. Up until that point it felt as if the story were on a simultaneous build up/wrap up spree, adding new things to look forward to while closing up shop on the running plot threads. The sudden alterations to Ghost Spider’s status quo not only felt rushed, they felt unnecessary, too. The changes seem to undermine some of the character development that happened in this very volume. This book was so fun and it was jarring to see the next era arrive so suddenly.
That’s just to say that this era of the Ghost Spider is fantastic, and this is a volume you don’t want to miss. Uncharted ultimately reinforces why Ghost-Spider is such a versatile and compelling Marvel hero. Even with a few rushed developments near the end, the volume’s ambition, visual strength, and narrative momentum make it a standout entry in her ongoing saga.
You must be logged in to post a comment.