TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC!
The Mary Janes are off on a four-city tour as the opening act to one of Earth-65's biggest rock bands! Gwen has promised the band that this big break will be all about the music. No web-slinging, just drums. But when a mysterious assassin targets the headliner, Gwen begins to wonder how she got this gig in the first place. Featuring new versions of some of your favorite characters!
Rated T+
Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 sends Gwen Stacy on a musical tour, while also exploring her mental state and expanding the world of Earth-65. If you loved Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, or you're a huge fan of rock music, you're going to want to pick this comic up. Read Full Review
No matter the earth, the life and times of Spider-Gwen are never ordinary. Flores creative takes and writing lead the visual ensemble of Balam, DAmico, Sifuentes and Cowles to compose a new tale fans wont want to skip on New Comic Book Day! Read Full Review
Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 is a refreshing return to form for Earth-65 Gwen Stacy. Gwen's chemistry with her dad and friends shines throughout this issue. The classic mystery story around a band on tour is a good direction for Spider-Gwen to take. It helps to continue to bring in other versions of classic Marvel characters, like Dazzler, into the Earth-65 Universe. If you are a Spider-Gwen fan make sure to pick this comic book up. Read Full Review
After so much multiverse hopping, it's interesting to see Gwen struggle to settle back down while questioning if home is still really home any more. Read Full Review
Spider-Gwen: Smash #1 is well drawn, has a strong sense of narrative direction, and will do well in the hands of the right person. Read Full Review
The art by Enid Balm is also worth pointing out, as it sort of harkens back to Robbi Rodriguezs original run on the title that defined so much of its early aesthetic. Its not overtly similar at all to his art style, and more takes after the scratchy sensibility befitting that of a punk rocker like Gwen. Exaggerated proportions and dynamic posing come into play her like they did under Rodriguez, so it helps Smash feel familiar and not derivative. Read Full Review
Writer Melissa Flores has crafted a fun plot wherein Gwen is facing battles on all sides of her life, personally, professionally, and as a superhero, which would make for a fun read if the visuals could handle it. Read Full Review
I love this premise. The script is awfully slow, though; this story didn't need 30 pages. The dialogue never falls into clumsiness or cliché, but neither does it rise to memorability.
This issue is yet another demonstration that putting song lyrics into a comic is not nearly as easy as Neil Gaiman made it look. And the big, upcoming twist is painfully obvious.
For me, the art is a huge positive. I've already developed a taste for Enid Balam's art, and I think he's just getting stronger. It's still idiosyncratic, but I'd argue that it's objectively good stuff: clear, dynamic, and distinctive.
A pretty solid debut issue. I wasn't a huge fan of Balám's art, but the story from Flores was interesting. It's far from revolutionary or anything, but it's a fairly simple premise that I think was written well enough to maintain my attention. Either way, the Nakayama cover is awesome.
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