Spider-Gwen #19 Review

Writer: Jason Latour / Artist: Robbi Rodriguez / Marvel Comics The Miles Morales crossover behind us, Spider-Gwen is back to solo adventures with “Predators” part 1 and picking up on the Daredevil blackmail plot that had fallen by the wayside. Between Gwen, her father, Matt Murdock, and Harry Osborn, there are a lot of pieces at play – pieces that weave together with a lot of backstory pointing all the way back to Spider-Women and the effects of Cindy Moon. It was worth sticking through the rough patches and Marvel’s need for exhaustive crossovers, as Spider-Gwen #19 brings the story back on track to the parts that interest readers most: Gwen’s loss of powers, her friends’ knowledge of her identity, and the major conflict of Spider-Gwen’s deal with the Daredevil that will define her status as hero, both in potentially regaining her powers but also in how she eventually must stand up to him.

That’s a lot of ground to cover in a single issue, and the pitfall here would be trying to do too much in too little time making for a convoluted, busy read, yet Spider-Gwen #19 webs them together well with Gwen Stacy – both masked and unmasked – interacting with various combinations of the wide range characters around her. There’s Harry Osborn, who is struggling in half-lizard form and seeking Gwen to find help; an imprisoned Captain Stacy who sits in a jail’s meeting room with Gwen and Matt Murdock, still seeking to clear Spider-Gwen’s name; a feared Matt Murdock who wants to leverage t…