Spider-Gwen #5

Background

Gwen's guilt over Peter's death ate at her and she went to talk to Aunt May. May told her about Peter's life just prior to his death and his fascination with Spider-Woman. After being bullied for so long he loved the idea of power. May said that he was in his head too much and believed that Spider-Woman was the same way. Why else would she suddenly turn to crime fighting after Peter's death? Afterward, Gwen ran into Glory Grant, who forced her to come perform with her band. At the police station, Detective Frank Castle returned to work after being arrested as The Punisher.

Story Details

Matt Murdock, the Kingpin, was informed by his subordinate that a thief escaped without a trace. He asked who would dare mock The Kingpin so openly and Murdock laughed, saying it was "Le Chat Noir."

At a concert hall, Gwen, MJ, Glory and Betty talked about Felicia Hardy's new band, "Felicia and the Black Cats." They had performed against her previous band and she treated them like lepers, so it was annoying that she had invited them to be the opening act for her. Felicia was successful despite her lack of talent, a very sore point for The Mary Janes. MJ saw it as an opportunity to show Felicia up and was happy for the chance.

Felicia was a French immigrant whose father had been a burglar, who taught her about theft. He saw theft as personal and intimate, a kind of art. He made an enemy of the Kingpin by stealing the first dollar he ever made and was killed by Matt Murdock. His last words to her was to always steal what can't be taken back.

As the Mary Janes performed, they were interrupted by Felicia and the Black Cats. She welcomed the crowd and said that any moment could be their last. As she said that, she burned a dollar bill as Murdock watched from the crowd. A group of ninjas attacked the band as Gwen shoved Betty away. Mary Jane and Glory were still on stage and in danger from the ninjas as they tussled with Felicia and her black cat themed bandmates. Spider-Woman arrived and dealt with the ninjas as Felicia went after Murdock. Gwen intervened, telling Felicia that she was dealing with "Matt MURDERdock," who was all about pushing buttons. Felicia was tired of knowing that Murdock was still alive, doing what he wanted.

She knocked out Felicia with one punch, which impressed Murdock. He had been in fights and knew talent when he saw it, but saw that she didn't have training. She accused him of working for the Kingpin and sending men to get revenge on Captain Stacy. He was bored with the "blood feud" motivation and hoped that Spider-Woman didn't see the world as "black and white" as Felicia did. She couldn't let go of the past and look where it took her. Yes, he had sent Rhino and Vulture after George Stacy but had also sent them after her. He was interested in her and saw who she was and advised her to not grip too tightly to what other people thought of her. She'd have nothing left to hold on to. She asked if he was threatening her and he said that she could end the problem with a handshake. The police arrived and Spider-Woman left as Murdock called her "Spidey."

At the Stacy house, George was looking over family photos glad to see that his wife couldn't see the mess he had made. Captain DeWolff showed up and George knew why she was there. The Vulture's attack on his home wasn't just a piece of a puzzle. He wanted her to let the case go and she agreed that she was there because of Spider-Woman. DeWolff noticed that George had been saved by the vigilante twice and he asked what she was accusing him of. She said that no matter what happened or what Frank Castle thought, George was a good cop. She told him to watch his back.

General Comments

I don't feel like there is much to say about this issue. It's all very straightforward superficial. The Mary Jane's dont like Felicia Hardy and Felicia has a beef with Matt Murdock. Felicia and Murdock fight and Spider-Woman beats Felicia as Murdock taunts her. Then George is threatened by a colleague.

The plot moves forward but there isn't much threat. The fight is brief and boring and Felicia and Murdock talk more than anything. More attention is paid to how much MJ hates Felicia than anything.

Spider-Gwen was first published in 2015 and I'm writing this review in 2024. This title has been launched and cancelled...I don't know how many times. Just recently a new book focusing on Spider-Woman was published, "Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider." In a way, this feels a lot like Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #1. From the 1990s through the 2000s the series had a cult following and was repeatedly threatened with cancellation only to be saved by fan demand at the last moment.

It says a lot that the character is still popular enough to be a major part of the Into the Spider-Verse movies.

Overall Rating

The title never seemed to improve beyond mediocre.