Gwen Stacy knows a little something about a police investigation. She also knows more than a little about how to clear her father’s name. She may not have the full pool or resources she needs to really dive into an investigation of the frame-up. But thanks to her good friend Harry Osborn, she has access to advanced crime scene modeling software that’s being tested by Oscorp, headed by his father, who only happens to also be the Green Goblin. Matters for Gwen are only going to get more and more complicated in the second issue of her promising new series.
Gage and Nauck give a powerless Gwen Stacy plenty of room to move. It’s a hell of a challenge to deliberately force a supporting character into the center like this. Still, Gwen has proven over the years that she’s every bit as appealing a character without powers as she is in an alternate dimension as the Ghost-Spider. That being said, the real challenge for Gage in the months to come is going to lie in continuing to tell a story about an everyday high school girl growing up in the Marvel Universe. It’s easy enough to wrap Gwen up in drama with her father for the first few issues, but sooner or later she’s going to need to define herself a bit more. THAT could be a challenge.
Artist Todd Nauck is working hard throughout the issue, using his considerable talent for expressive exaggeration to enliven a story that's almost entirely conversation. Mr. Nauck lavishes details on all of the characters, emphasizing their realism without ever losing his distinctive personal style. Even though his layouts push the characters to the front in almost every panel, they are rendered with enough care and precision to carry the story almost without fault.
Rachelle Rosenberg builds a vibrant, full-spectrum palette to complement the tone of both the art and the script. Gwen's world pops with primary and secondary colours. But Ms. Rosenberg also has a deft hand for modulation; she uses nuanced shading (especially of flesh tones) to enhance the artwork and lend it depth.
This issue treats its characters very well, both visually and narratively. It's just as engaging as #1 -- taken together, they're a strong argument in favour of following the series. But on its own, #2 doesn't get much in the way of plot development. (And this despite a heavier-than-average load of verbiage.) This is the time-honoured second act in a detective story, the part where red herring clues are investigated and discarded. It's plenty of fun on first read, but I suspect #2 is destined to slide below the other issues in hindsight.
Gwen Stacy #2 continues to paint an endearing and well-rounded portrait of the pre-Peter-Parker part of its protagonist's life. Gwen is hard at work sleuthing on her dad's situation. While this issue doesn't reward her efforts with a lot of decisive plot development, there's still plenty to enjoy, particularly some meaningful encounters with the Osborns.
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