Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #1: The New Doc Ock is…Gwen?

SPIDER-GWEN: SHADOW CLONES #1 is first and foremost a young adult comic book. If those kinds of things make you grumpy then I’d say turn away and direct your interest towards something rewarding for you. However, for those that enjoy their superhero comics with some eastern slice of life influence, you’ll find a lot to love with this new series.

For starters, the art is this mix of both traditional western and eastern art styles. While sometimes this can lead to some consistently odd facial expressions, its made up for with detailed backgrounds, dynamic character panels, and a great use of subversive paneling that would have otherwise been a textbox. I do like how expressive the character’s body language is. It makes scenes of dialogue that would normally involve rigid characters espousing ten times more expressive, conveying the narrative’s personality with care. Kei Zama hits more than they miss, the little oddities completely outweighed by some truly spectacular action scenes.

The story is relatively middling, but serves as a vessel for all the character moments that the book is truly interested in. Regardless of how pointless they may seem to the grander plot, a scene like Gwen’s conversation with MJ in this issue does some great things for the greater series in terms of characterization and themes. The best moments in this issue are those where characters just kinda vibe together, which happens often enough with narrative purpose that it is never filler.

Much like the art, the writing feels congruent to the blending of tones seen with the art. I really appreciate how well Emily Kim catches the reader up on who this Spider-Woman is and how she feels as Spider-Woman by wrapping it into one of the book’s most prevalent themes of ‘getting in ones own way.’ Gwen remains ever relatable in a fun and surface level way, allowing for a very fast connection to the character that doesn’t require a heavily detailed emotional arc. This book is first and foremost raw escapism.

However, I think a detriment to the story is the way in which it starts. The book’s opening battle between Gwen and the Sinister Six of Earth-616 focuses on two characters caught up in the violence. Tragedy strikes, and the survivor is so heavily telegraphed to be the person behind the creation of our new Doc Ock, (which is immediately shown to look identical to Gwen), that it leads to dragging in the narrative’s pace. I understand the point of Gwen having to figure out that ‘Doc Ock Gwen’ might be a clone while we the audience regardless of us knowing the situations who, what, and why, but if the opening had shown off the two in the background with more subtlety, I think the plot would have been more engaging. This issue is 33 pages long, but the plot towards the end could have been boiled down to fewer pages.