Spider-Gwen, Vol. 5: Gwenom

Spider-Gwen (2015) (Collected Editions)

by Jason Latour (Writer), Robbi Rodriguez (Artist)

The aftermath of the "Predators" storyline leaves Gwen in a very different place. Matt Murdock's plans all come home to roost, and when you know how our good friend Murderdock plans, you know that ain't pretty. What is the next evolutionary step for Spider-Gwen?! And Gwen's life irrevocably changes as she bonds with her universe's version of the Venom Symbiote. What does it mean for her relationship with crime kingpin Matt Murdock? With her father? With the Osborns?!

COLLECTING: SPIDER-GWEN 24-29

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

David Jason Latour (b. 1977) is an American comic book artist and writer known for his work for Image, Dark Horse, Marvel and DC comics on titles such as Wolverine, Winter Soldier, Southern Bastards and Spider-Gwen.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemingly replicating exactly what has happened in the Amazing Spider-Man book... Gwen is owned by Venom! The art makes it a bit hard to work out what is exactly going on in each panel, which doesn't help. The storytelling is a bit better though. 6 out of 12.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's not a story here so much as an excuse for Robbi Rodriguez to draw Gwenom in "cool" poses. This is the emo-est volume of the emo-est book Marvel produces. Nothing really happens. I can't make heads or tails of Gwen in that Gwenom travesty of a "costume". This title needs to be put out to pasture.

[Lindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm still reading this because 1. I really want to like Spider-Gwen (I loved Gwen in the Into the Spider-Verse movie just like everyone else, but I can't even kind of like Jason's version of sad girl "nobody understands me" Gwen), and 2. There are only 5 more comics into this story and I've come too far to stop even though this is less of an enjoyable reading experience and more of a chore. Level and effort of art is almost as inconsistent as the storyline and characters. 1.5 stars, I guess.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angst can take you a long way.

World: The art is fantastic. Rodriguez really brings something new to Gwenom the sense of motion, the movement of the powers, the colours that make Gwenom unique is quite wonderful. The world building here is also fantastic, I know that this creative team is almost done with this series and you can feel that much like other modern comic book writers, all the pieces that they have created in going to come to a head and all the treads will come crashing together for a finale and this is the case here. All the little character notes and threads and pieces such as Murdock, Stacey, The Mary Janes, the Parkers all have their little piece of story and world nudge forward towards something big.

Story: The pacing is good, it’s not fast but at the same time does not wallow in emo and angsty dialog. I’m not saying that this book is not emo like the rest of the series but it doesn’t just let Gwen wallow, it moves the story forward. We have a sense of her dealing with the Venom and we have a sense of the different voices in her head. We see all the different pieces moving to a collision course and we see some characters in the past come by and make wonderful cameos. I like that at the core of this story is Gwen and her ideals and desire to be Spider-Woman, it’s not about fighting some huge villain (well it is that too) but at the heart it’s about Gwen and her soul which is the best type of Venom story. Every thing is going to come to a head and it’s great.

Characters: I like Gwen, she’s emo just enough to make you understand her misery, the dialog is quippy and the personal voice she and others have is great. The characters that Latour has decided to bring back make sense and it’s acts wonderfully as an angel demon both sides banter that a Venom story needs but made manifest in actual characters that Latour has created, it’s good. Matt Murdock has been good since he was reimagined for Earth 65 and we finally get some glimpses of his past and it’s quite good, different enough to be kinda interesting. I will say the Watcher stuff makes me giggle.

Great character work and a new fresh take on Venom makes this pretty great for a nearly creative team wrap up.

Onward to the next book!

[Lucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is getting better and better with each instalment. I love the Gwenom storyline so much.

[India]

evil matt murdock is hot i think we should let him be evil more often

[Roxana Chirilă · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm back to this series for a bit of light reading. Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Woman, is now Venom's symbiote. Alas, Venom doesn't have much to say, and the only difference in Gwen is that now she's ruthless.

But aside from that, the volume was more exciting than the previous ones. Gwen finally has a purpose! Her arc shows signs of existing! There's a show-off between her and Matt Murdock, the Kingpin of crime! There's a team-up with the Punisher that goes haywire!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Volume is set up by the last one with two important pieces of info:
1) "Venom" has been created from a merging of Gwen chemical power ups and Lizard's DNA.
2) Her father, Captain Stacy, is in the hospital in a coma, after being beaten by the Rhino.

This is where we start, and I don't feel like it goes much further in this chapter. We have Gwen adjusting to her new powers as "Gwenom" (do not like the art of how she looks), still battling against/working for Matt Murdock, the Kingpin, and trying to take revenge for her father being injured. Punisher kills Rhino, which puts him on Gwen's bad side (at least for a little while). Captain America (Earth-65) even makes an appearance here, and stops Gwen from killing Kingpin.
The Volume ends on a cliffhanger, with Gwenom landing in a different universe, and coming face to face with Gwen Stacy, who appears to be the one from our universe.

I'm not sure I care much more about this story. Vol. 6 is the last Volume, so I will finish it, but I hope Spider-Gwen can be brought into the main 616-Universe. She needs the other Spider-people to help keep her in check. Just feels like the story doesn't have much to flesh out and progress towards. Still not horrible, so recommend if you like the character.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Spider-Gwen might be my favorite running title after Ms. Marvel, and it's a very close race. I love Murderdock's backstory. It was amazing. I think this might be my favorite non-616 universe by far.

[Windmillchaser · Rating 4 out of 5]

That fucking ending

[Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so confused.

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

guess who saw across the spiderverse the other day and has been searching for anything that makes her feel that many emotions since
2.5

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need a "heh." count

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
I'm at a total loss over Marvel's collecting of this series. I can only assume, for this to make any sense at all, that it'll actually collect issue 24, which is technically the conclusion of the last volume, and then issues 25-29, which is the entirety of the Gwenom storyline. But knowing Marvel, it'll probably be issues 24-26, a random one-shot, and six pages from another series, just for shits and giggles.

I'm not bitter, I'm just tired.

So. Gwenom, huh?

It's inevitable in any Spider-Man alternate universe tale that eventually a writer will want to tackle a symbiote story. It's like a right of passage, like a Green Goblin story (which Spider-Gwen has also done, I might add). Jason Latour, to his credit, manages to get this symbiote story into his ongoing narrative flawlessly, building on story beats from early on in the series in order to bring it to where we are now. There are some very Spider-Gwen moments, like using her headphones to stop the creature from taking over her mind, but there's no denying that this is the darkest arc of the book so far as Gwen's troubles with her father, Matt Murdock, and her friends begins to come a head just as she wants to literally murder everyone around her.

It's a story that only this character could go through, and I think that's a perfect reason to tell it. What's even better is that it doesn't have a clear cut conclusion - this feeds directly into the next volume with a mindbending cliffhanger ending that involves some Watchers and an interdimensional visitor that I'm not going to spoil here.

Aside from one issue by Veronica Fish, Robbi Rodriguez is in full force on this arc. His costume design for Gwenom is almost as iconic as Spider-Gwen's original, and the pop art colours of Rico Renzi take a turn for the grimdark as Gwenom's influence grows - in short, it's a very pretty book that isn't afraid to take some artistic risks along with the story ones.

Gwenom's pretty great. Just, please Marvel, start collecting your stories properly. Is that too much to ask?

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I just kind of trailed off an okay story when the Watcher comedy began!

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it again, thinking I was maybe too harsh last time. Nope, I wasn’t. This book was just a lot of meh. Gwen becomes Venom which I think was supposed to be cool, but it really wasn’t. Some unnecessary violence that doesn’t advance the story, a back story on Murdoch that also contributes almost nothing, and a cliffhanger ending that feels boring already. Ugh.

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

I read Spider-Woman Vol. 3 as individual issues through the Marvel Unlimited app.

Spider-Gwen Vol. 5: Gwenom is almost exactly like what you’re probably picturing, thanks to that title. What is surprising is just how much I actually love this pairing. Gwen Stacy and Venom, who’d have thought? Granted, nothing is quite what it seems – or what we’re used to from Earth 616.
Spider-Gwen’s story has been amazing and so much more emotionally compelling than I expected. I’m so glad I ended up giving it a chance. And frankly, I adore the risks they’ve been taking with her character.
I’ll confess that it took me longer than I’d like to get to and through the original series. I may have jumped ahead a bit – I’m reading the current Spider-Gwen series as it releases. I just couldn’t resist! Especially not after everything that happened in Spider-Geddon.


Spider-Gwen Vol. 5: Gwenom was a really fun and dynamic read. I’ve loved Gwen’s story up through now, and I am glad to say that this volume was no exception. Actually, I love the introduction of the Venom suit (and I’ve seen where it’s leading too, love it!).
This suit isn’t quite like the Symbiotes I’m used to seeing, but I’m okay with that. Actually, I love the spin on it. Gwen does live in a different universe after all, so why not have Venom look and act differently?
There were a lot of great moments in this volume. And, like the last volume, there was a lot of emotion as well. I love that Gwen isn’t perfect. That she has to fight for what is right, while also trying to figure out what is the right path along the way. I love that she has to struggle, both with herself and with the people around her. It makes her whole story that much more genuine and human.
This volume shows us a different side of Gwen, courtesy of Venom. And it was fascinating. It’ll be interesting to see where the next volume takes us – it looks like a bit of a diversion, while still fitting in with the story as a whole.
To counterpoint what is going on with Gwen’s arc, we have this universe’s Frank Castle. I’ve got to say, I really love the take on his character here. In fact, he may actually be my favorite altered character from Gwen’s universe (not counting Gwen, that is, because duh). They really pushed his character to the extreme in this volume…and it was excellent.
Speaking of alternate characters…Uncle Ben? That was an interesting decision, to change something so foundational in a way that at first appeared so miner. But it was very well done, and I feel like what he said had just as much impact as what everyone else was doing combined. It spoke volumes (no pun intended) about the situation. While also being a tiny bit foreshadowing for what was to come. Or rather, what may come, since I don’t yet know.
I loved Gwenom, and can’t wait to get started on the Life of Gwen Stacy. Luckily, I don’t have to wait before digging in. I’m almost caught up with this series!


For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Christina Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Gwennie. Venom has her entangled in its snare pretty hardcore and her hunger for justice, or should I say revenge, has been amplified exponentially with her symbiotic relationship with this demon of a parasite. Her very nature has changed. Her mask used to be her badge as she adhered to a code of honor as her father would, but now, she is fueled by an insatiable bloodlust that even taking out Murdock wouldn't quench. And with the amount of power she has coursing through her veins, she is truly the only worthy opponent the Kingpin has. Yet somehow, he still holds all the cards. One can only hope that teaming up with the Punisher might mean the end of Murdock. Has Gwen become like the monsters she's feared all this time? Is it possible that Cindy Moon's words are true? That the deepest, darkest thoughts swirling around in Gwen's mind right now are not that of some weird venomous invasion but are instead a reflection of her own desires? Gwen needs help! Who do you call on when it's the hero who is in trouble? Let's just hope they won't be too late.

Volume 5 reveals a side of Gwen that I think even she was surprised by. At her core, Gwen's not all lost. I've got to believe she'll make the right decisions. I'll have to wait until next time to find out though because it appears that Gwen is about to get sucked into another dimension. I just ordered volume 6 from my library and I can't wait until it is available to read.

[Alex E · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Venom symbiote is a huge part of the Spider-Man mythos, and here in this alternate reality, it's Gwen's turn to deal with the alien goo.

So Jason Latour basically takes the original story and merges it with Gwen. And it's pretty much the same deal. The symbiote brings out the worst in Gwen, and she slowly loses herself to it. I thought this was... fine. Like I said, its kind of the same storyline as before, but just Gwen's life and cast of characters instead of Peter's. I think the most interesting to happen because of this is the fact that she reveals her secret identity to her friends and family. I think Latour did a great job with handling this moment, as it's been a long time coming and honestly was making Gwen's life much harder because of her secret double life.

The art is handled by Robbi Rodriguez, and he has a very cartoony style that... to me, personally, doesn't really fit the tone. His sharp lines make for some interesting angles and things like that, but the heavy use of shadows and again, cartoony style really didn't resonate with me.

Even though this storyline has been building for some time, this feels like it hasn't quite paid off yet. Let's see where Latour takes it from here.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider-Gwen had gotten a bit angsty for me. While I appreciated the story the creators were telling I was beginning to realize I, myself, like comics with a bit more humor. So our deepening divide was a matter of my own tastes and not quality. But wow did Gwenom change my opinion. The story line I just wasn't feeling with the loss of Gwen's powers in the Spider-Women crossover and Evil-Silk's hand in Gwen's rise and fall suddenly has me riveted. Gwen suddenly has a confidence in self and a control of the symbiote I can appreciate. Her banter with it while not so much humorous is fun and her new found powers a welcome relief to what was going on before.

Matt Murdock as the Kingpin is suddenly much more interesting with a bit of fleshed out back-story. Uncle Ben and Aunt Martha seem to finally be coming into their own as well as the Mary-Janes who I know can but great especially with some of the issues that focused primarily on them but often are boring side characters.

I am excited to see where this series ends up.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review or all of my reviews on my site!

And do we have Gwenom. Great name. Interesting new power set. Less interaction with the symbiote than you get sometimes.

… if that Venom Wolverine? That’s a terrifying idea.

Anyways, Gwenom. Great name, going to be a terrible idea for her. But she’s sort of stuck without many good ones…

Yeah. It’s dark.

And weird.

But what else is new?

We’re definitely heading to a conclusion here. Onward!

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great take on a Venom story where Gwen is struggling to control Venom but at the same time needs it to help her take down Murdock. We can see her struggling and seeking advice as she is trying to figure out what happened to her father and how best to take down the Hand and everyone else. It is also here where we finally get to learn about Murdock's past and it is pretty similar to the main daredevil but unlike daredevil he was corrupted by power but at the same time he knows he should not be proud of what he has accomplished and it is a very interesting motivation he wants power but he understand he should be ashamed and guilty about what he has done so he wants to find someone else like him, someone who sought power to protect others but become corrupted by that power which is why he actually tied to Gwen as he is a foil for the standard Spider-Man motivation.

[Osyad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set up yg bagus buat ngakalin asal usul Venom dan plan Matt.

Aku suka bagaimana dalam earth ini, yg mengucapkan "great power great responsibility" ttaplah Ben Parker.

Sekali lagi, interaksi The Mary Janes dg Gwen aneh

Aku suka bagaimana Matt Murdock di universe ini, dan kalau tidak salah tangkap, motifnya utk ngebuat Gwen ngerasain apa yg dia rasain? Nah motifnya yg bikin kecewa, seolah2 manusia super cuma Gwen di earth itu, begitu jg bagaimana reaksi org lain thd Gwen spt Peter misalnya. Farnk Castle is ok.

But i hate the ending. Malesinnya komik Spider Gwen itu bagaimana dia selalu bolak balik earth lain, filler mulu, capek.

[Robert 'Rev. Bob' · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish the art on this volume had been less impressionistic, because I’d love to have a clear idea of what Gwenom’s costume is supposed to look like. One cover, even one panel... is that asking so much?

The story itself is familiar in how it rhymes with the 616 universe, and I’m going to assume the Watcher segment is a harbinger of the upcoming Spider-Pocalypse event. As it is, though, that felt needlessly comedic, a jarring note in what’s supposed to be the middle of a dark psychological story.

[Trevor Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things that I really like about Latour's GW is that it really feels like he has a beginning, middle, and end in mind. Some superhero comics feel lucky to get a total trade's worth of story, then they try to write six more books, and so on. There's been a little derailment, Sitting in a Tree for example, but it didn't feel like it halted the momentum. It feels like we are reaching the endgame, or with Matt Murdock, at least. Also, can we just appreciate the brilliant portmanteau of "Gwenom" !?

Read via Marvel Unlimited.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wasn't thrilled with the previous issue's working of a version of the Venom symbiote into Gwen's story, I actually liked seeing it finally executed. It really goes such a different route from what happened to Peter. My major complaint is that the black on dark magenta text for the symbiote taking over Gwen is close to illegible. This was my subway reading, and it was a real struggle in the lighting of the older trains vs. the newer trains. The editor should know that you really need contrast between text and background, or it's going to be hard to read.

[Amélie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, Gwen... I've really enjoyed this run so far, even though the art may not always be my cup of tea.

My issue with this volume is that it doesn't bring the story forward that much. In spite of the big twists and turns it recently took, the plot seems to be mainly stagnating. Now, there are a few important events here and there, and it's always nice to see some familiar faces, but this wouldn't be my favourite book. (It doesn't help that I've never been too keen on Venom stories)

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider-Gwen is my favorite comic in years and this doesn't let me down at all - it only gets better. I had been loving the art and the S-G costume before, but after Gwenom, holy crap! The art kicks into overdrive, it's surreal and complex, the Gwenom costume is INSANELY good, the way the symbiote actually fuses with her, what she does with it... wow. This series continues to blow my mind, I can't get enough!

[Jamie Revell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I have to say that I'm no fan of the artwork here; it's not inherently bad, just not to my taste - and that might colour my perception of the story. But what we have here, obviously enough, is the Gwen-verse's version of Venom, and, while it tries to be angsty, it's no more than a middling story. The last instalment is a particular mix, with good uses of Matt Murdock (we get to see the backstory of this universe's version) and Uncle Ben... offset by a bit of pointless comedy with the Watchers.

[Lycett T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I like the introduction of Gwenom and the art style is brilliant. However, I which they kinda moved along with the story instead of just acknowledging how painful it is to get through it through the watchers perspective. So far I find the watchers to be an annoyance but who knows maybe they will bring something into the comic later on… I like how they ended the volume but then again I did stop reading the dialogue for a few pages and just looked at the art work to get through to it.