Marvel Comics has announced Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider, a new ongoing series that comes with a major status quo shift for the Spider-Woman of Earth-65.
Per Marvel, Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider launches in April 2024 from writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Chris Campana. In the new series, “mysterious otherworldly forces” permanently trap Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider in Marvel‘s main Earth-616 reality. The publisher says this will “open the door to exciting new storytelling opportunities as she struggles to adjust in a world that’s not her own, and is forced to confront the tragic legacy of 616’s own Gwen.”
Check out Mark Brooks’ cover art for Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 below:
What to expect from Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider
An official synopsis for Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 reads as follows: “Welcome to New York! Gwen truly becomes a Ghost-Spider when she moves full time to the universe where Gwen Stacy died years ago. But why did she leave Earth-65? Why aren’t the other spiders supposed to know she’s here? Why isn’t she supposed to suit up? And who will get hurt when she does?”
Marvel further teases that as “New York’s next great super hero,” Gwen will “gain both new enemies and new friends, but the secret behind her current circumstance looms large, threatening to shatter her trust with her fellow Spider-Heroes…”
“Right after I started working on this new SPIDER-GWEN ongoing, I saw a little girl on Halloween dressed as Gwen and hitting some cool Spidey poses,” Phillips said. “It was kind of a surreal moment to realize that I get to be a part of Gwen’s next big chapter, bringing her into the 616 and giving readers stories that make us rethink who Gwen is and what her role is within this new universe. I’m also working on this story with the incredible Chris Campana, a great collaborator and friend, and I truly believe this is one of the most special books I’ve been a part of.”
“Stephanie’s writing allows for a ton of artistic freedom, while providing a great framework to work inside of … I was onboard the moment I heard she was attached,” Campana added. “Drawing Gwen is surreal … She is such a pivotal part of Spider history. This suit and her character allow for a fun and powerful artistic approach. Gwen feels strong and in control on the page. I’m having a lot of fun.”
Spider-Gwen’s multiversal history
Created by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez, Spider-Gwen first appeared in 2014’s Edge of Spider-Verse #2 as a multiversal variant of the original Gwen Stacy created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Known to the denizens of Earth-65 as Spider-Woman, this new incarnation of Gwen protected her own version of New York City — when she wasn’t playing drums for The Mary Janes.
Spider-Gwen quickly became a major player in the larger Spider-Verse, joining forces with the likes of Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Spider-Punk, and many more. She also eventually changed her official codename from Spider-Woman to Ghost-Spider. It’s around this time that she started splitting her time between her native Earth-65 and the main Marvel Universe. She would live her life back home while also attending college at Empire State University on Earth-616.
Before Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider launches in April, Earth-65’s Gwen Stacy and The Mary Janes are going on tour in the four-issue limited series Spider-Gwen: Smash by Melissa Flores and Enid Balám. That book launched this month and will release new issues monthly through March. Little does Gwen know, however, this might actually be a farewell tour.
That said, her permanent move to Earth-616 is by no means unprecedented. It wasn’t too long ago that Earth-1610 original Miles Morales/Spider-Man similarly made the jump to the main Marvel U.
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 goes on sale April 10, 2024 from Marvel Comics.
