Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider, Vol. 1: Haunted

Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024)

by Stephanie Phillips, Federica Mancin (Artist), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)

Collects The Ghost-Spider #1-5 and material from Web Of Spider-Man (2024) #1. Spider-Gwen makes a new home for herself in the mainstream Marvel Universe! Gwen Stacy is trapped in the New York of Earth-616 - where she truly becomes a Ghost-Spider! But why did she leave Earth-65 behind to move to the universe where Gwen Stacy died years ago? Why aren't the other spiders meant to know she's here? Why isn't she supposed to suit up? And who will get hurt when she does? You aren't the only one wanting Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Cindy Moon do too! Gwen has had a hard time figuring out who she can trust in her new life - or convincing anyone to trust her. All of which is about to get a whole lot worse as a classic Spider-Foe sets about making everyone see her as a villain!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Spider Man, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

First published January 22, 2025

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good first book. I wanted to give this 3.5 stars, but for me, the downside is when the book was getting really good, this book ended.

Gwen Stacy from Earth-65 has now moved into Earth-616, the main Marvel Universe. Why has she left in such a hurry? What is she running from? Why is she hiding from her friends? What is she hiding, and why is someone already trying to kill her?

This was the problem for me there were a lot of questions and almost no answers so far, however I can understand that this is the start of an ongoing series and they do not want to give too much away too early, but something would have been nice.

I was great to see the other Spiders as the supporting cast. Peter is already more mature and a better leader than in Amazing. Also, there is a huge upgrade to a classic Spider-man villan. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery, contains both full page and thumbnail covers.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting..but there's way too many Spider Variation books to know exactly what's going on here..
Needed a bit more background..less mystery

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwen's moving to Earth-616 to stay, whether she likes it or not. A mystery involving the TVA puts the Ghost-Spider firmly in the sights of the Black Tarantula and the Chameleon, but with Gwen unable to tell any of her fellow spider-heroes (or the audience) what's going on, she's all alone in this fight.

I quite enjoyed this. Poor Gwen's experiencing a bit of Parker Luck, with literally everything working against her, from classic foes to new problems, and while there's little in the way of answers right now, I'm intrigued enough to stick around to find out what's happening. Phillips nails Gwen's voice as she struggles with the history of 616's Gwen Stacy, as well as Peter, Miles, and Silk being all up in her case, and her ultimate confrontation with the Chameleon is actually kind of heartwarming.

The art's pretty good. The first three issues are by Federica Mancin, who I've not seen before, but has a nice style, while reliable favourite Paolo Villanelli, hot off fof Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, pencils the final two issues in a very Robbi Rodriguez style that evokes the distinct visual style of the original Spider-Gwen books.

Marvel have tried to reinvent Gwen a few times recently, but it seems the key is to leave her alone and reinvent everything around - so far, it's working.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars.

[Shiritaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmmh, der Druck war auf manchen Seiten sehr schwammig, so als ob zwei Ebenen verrutscht wären 🤔 abseits davon sind die Zeichnungen aber sehr kräftig, lebendig und detailliert. Storytechnisch hatte ich ein paar Probleme - wahrscheinlich hätte ich davor noch andere Teile von Spider-Gwen lesen sollen, upsi 😂 aber auch ohne tieferes Wissen ging's eigentlich. Gwen hat dank eines kosmischen Würfel ihre Spinnen-Kräfte zurück. Dazu gab's auch ein neues Ghost-Spider-Kostüm. Die Charakterdesigns der einzelnen Individuen sehen sehr cool aus, es kommen einige Superhelden vor, aber natürlich auch ein paar Bösewichte. Allen voran ein Symbiont (Die sind einem durch Venom zB ja sehr bekannt). Gwen will an sich eigentlich nur eine Band gründen und Menschen helfen. Das mit der Band läuft anfangs ganz gut an, doch durch Ereignisse wird der Plan vereitelt. Aber zum Schluss gab's noch ne schöne Pointe diesbezüglich 😄 sonst gibt's einiges an Action. Find ich alles sehr cool gemacht und interessant, jedoch fehlen mir persönlich einfach gerade noch wichtige Infos. Da sollte ich wohl eher noch ein paar frühere Bände lesen, bevor ich mir Band 2 besorge 😅

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great start to this new run of Ghost Spider! I preferred the artist for the first three issues (artist changed in issue 4 from Mancin to Villanelli). I'm excited to see where this series will go, ratings below:
#1= 4.5 stars
#2= 3.5 stars
#3= 4 stars
#4= 3 stars
#5= 4 stars
Overall rating of 4 stars

[Myah · Rating 5 out of 5]

the worst part of this series is how short each issue is! i finish each one eager for the next. once again i’m loving the character arc we’re getting for gwen here

[Emmett Spain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fast read. My daughter and I enjoyed it! I actually liked that it feels like the first chapter in a larger story, though YMMV. Cool art.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:

Spider-Gwen, aka Ghost-Spider, has famously never lived in Earth-616. Her story has always taken place in another universe. Until now. Now she has to come to Earth-616, where she is trapped and forced to hide.

Here’s the thing: superheroes and hiding don’t mix well, especially not in a city riddled with crime. It doesn’t take long before Gwen comes out into the forefront to save the day, bringing attention to herself.

Review:

I am so happy that they picked up Spider-Gwen’s story again! I love this character and the wild things they tend to put her through. Here’s hoping this series will be no exception! Enter Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider Vol. 1.

I love the idea that there’s a secret reason why Gwen is being forced to hide in Earth-616. I don’t know why they chose to hide her in New York City, of all places. Not only is there plenty of crime going on, but so many heroes know and recognize her. That was probably a mistake. Oh well!

Naturally, Gwen throws herself headfirst into chaos, even (especially) when she really shouldn’t. That brings her up against a new villain, the black Tarantula. They’re clearly toying with the idea of an enemies-to-lovers plot (because that has gone so well for Peter Parker), but I’m not hating it.

The various Spider-themed heroes making cameos were much appreciated. Here’s hoping that we’ll continue to see more cameos in the rest of the series. After all, Gwen is officially living in Earth-616.

Highlights:
Ghost-Spider
Entering Earth-616
Various Spider Cameos
New Villain

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[Michael Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, new series, new author, new art director. Let's see if we can recapture the magic that was Spider-Gwen.

And kinda?

I mean...ok, first the things that I liked: I like that we're now apparently fully on earth 616...And the art is once again outstanding. Though, I do miss the unique feel of past Spider-Gwen / Ghost-Spider comic series. Now it just feels generic Marvel. Which is fine if you like the pretty pictures, but isn't so great is you like a unique feel...and that was one of the things that really set Spider-Gwen apart from a lot of her other spider contemporaries.

Other things that kind of annoyed me about this first leg is all the glaring questions that this book opens with that it doesn't really seem all too interested in solving...which will make things awkward when we only have *checks notes* ten issues to answer them all in a satisfying way: Why are we here? Donno. How did Gwen get here? *big shrug* Why is the TVA involved? Who Knows. Why is Gwen giving off huge power surges? Haven't got the foggiest.

And wtf is Black Tarantula's deal and his very obvious love interest son's deal? I will forever stand Gwen and the Bodega Bandit, and I will die on this hill, I don't care that this book is setting up this Black Tarantula kid to be that, it's BB or NOTHING!

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spring is busy so my ability to burn through 1-2 TPBs has gone out the window. Mostly trying to get through this since I picked up Vol 1-3 at the local library and need to get the 3rd one back. I had acquired this first volume previously and at a glance, decided it was a Spider-property I didn’t need to get more into since this was an alternate Gwen in the main timeline now. However, I think I saw somewhere that these are getting better over time so I jumped back in. It’s good! Love the weird pseudo connection between Peter, Mile, and Silk with Gwen. The Chameleon arc ended up being fairly satisfying and Black Tarantula is one of those weird characters from the Rogues Gallery that I just don’t know a ton about and this will probably be my first major read of the character. Should be jumping into Vol 2 shortly…

[Book Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider, Vol. 1: Haunted by Stephanie Phillips delivers an exciting and emotional start to a new chapter for Gwen Stacy. Balancing her life between worlds, Gwen faces both personal struggles and new threats that keep the story engaging.

The artwork is vibrant and dynamic, perfectly matching the action and tone of the story. Gwen remains a relatable and strong character, dealing with responsibility, identity, and the consequences of her choices.

While the plot can feel a bit fast-paced at times, it still offers a fun and compelling read for both longtime fans and newcomers.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)**

[ComicBookCult Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider-Gwen Ghost Spider Vol1, the story is enjoyable, well written (although I feel lost at times how we got here) and the art is mostly consistent but at times passable.

I enjoyed the heartfelt moments, the cast of characters and the ending,

I’m excited to read further and see where this goes, Stephanie Phillips is a great writer and I’m always happy to give her work a try.

[Bella Teter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a great read! I love seeing Gwen grow past her stubborness and get out there and do her thing. Seeing her interact with the TVA was really neat, and the story was pretty wild.
Art was EXPLOSIVE. All the artists totally kill it with every Gwen comic, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in her battle with the Black Tarantula :)

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright. Seemed like a lot of wheel spinning and not enough story progression in these 5 issues though. Gwen's in the 616 now and has some kind of deal with the TVA but can't tell anyone. Meanwhile the Chameleon and Black Tarantula cause her problems. Man, I am tired of Spider stories using the Parker luck though. The art wasn't very good.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was Interesting but it was pretty confusing to follow at the same time. I felt like there needed to be a little more Backstory and development and less Mystery. A little Mystery to keep you hanging on is fine but this kind of went everywhere with a lot going on for me to follow.

[Justin Biondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly I’m a little confused on what happened before this run just like I am with the current book but I’m bridging the gaps a lot more here. Stephanie Phillips proves with each issue that she’s becoming one of the best writers Spider-Gwen will ever have.

[N.A. Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story the art is gorgeous. I hadn’t started reading the comics because I’m missing book 1but now that I have this bind up of the first 5 I can move on to the rest in my collection

[Olivia Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up because I have always been a fan of this version of Gwen!

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, even if I think I've had too much Loki Season 2 in my comics.

[Arcane Noctis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im not the type to generally read lots of comics, but I really enjoyed it! :)

[em · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the art style.

[Skylar · Rating 5 out of 5]

any spider gwen story is 5 stars in my book🤭

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

When we last saw Spider-Gwen, she was offered a way out of Earth-65 by a TVA engineer...

How do you stabilize a character that's been through the wringer for years? With most of the Spider-verse heroes from '616', it was always a...'thing' to get Gwen over to help out. Unlike lower tier characters like Spider-Punk and Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Gwen has been mega popular (thanks 'Across the Spider-Verse') and she's had multiple miniseries and one-shots to tell her stories.

Now we have her...hiding out in the main Marvel universe and, in theory, supposed to hide out and avoid all things Spider-Verse. Of course, that's not going to last more than a few panels.
---
This has potential. Maybe they can pick one freaking alias for her?
=====
Bonus: Black Tarantula gets an heir and a use in a comic besides Amazing Spider-Man...
Bonus Bonus: Wearing a symbiote suit and being told don't dress as a spider...should have a easy fix

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun volume and I love how this had focus on Gwen coming to this world and the mystery of it and how she wanted it to be kept hidden but oh well it doesn’t and then seeing others reactions to it and then the villains. I love this take on Chameleon and why is he after her and new powers for him using tech and all that, plus the set up for whoever this new Black Tarantula is gonna be which is interesting given that their might be romance set up too.. so enemies to lovers? That will be wild but seeing how she helps the villains despite him wanting to kill her highlights her heroics too. Loved this volume, its one of the better Gwen titles in recent times and also awesome TVA set up too.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gwen moves to 616 full time. Why? Well, that's a mystery, and the reader doesn't get to know why she has to leave her home universe or is supposed to avoid all things superheroic. I don't mind a little obfuscation, but taking it past the first one or two issues starts to get annoying. Especially because we aren't even getting a trickle of new information. I don't even know enough to question whether or not she's being mislead. It helps a little that the spider folk who show up in this volume are all questioning her choices, but I still need one or two answers here.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a letdown after the exceptional Smash miniseries, but it still feels like a step right in the right direction. Sure, I'd prefer Gwen to develop in her own dimension (since those stories are always better than ones in which she is flung about different Earths). I will take what I can get, however.

[Belfry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

[mils · Rating 1 out of 5]

marvel’s multiverse is so confusing. they drew gwen kinda ugly whenever she wasn’t wearing the suit. had to skim through the last 10 pages or so (1.5⭐️)