Edge of Spider-Verse #2 Review
The GOOD
The book opens with a very informational splash which catches the reader up on all that has happened until this point. It does this, however, without too much exposition instead relying on the reader's understanding of the basic fundamentals of Spider-Man's origin to help recognize the parallels between the 616 and this universe's Spider-Woman. The rest of the story is nothing you haven't seen before, but in the context of this slightly unfamiliar universe, it is still a compelling read up until the finish.
The art on this book is very eye catching (with one caveat). The pencils are very kinetic giving all the action panels a sense of movement as well as creating a good flow between panels. The use of purple throughout the book creates a nice cohesiveness and complements the design of Spider-Woman's costume. It also contrasts the orange that's used to create a sense of impact and change. Finally the speech bubbles are a wonderfully novel shape that I would love to see in more books.
The BAD
Despite his wonderful work on all other parts of the body, I don't quite like the way Robbi Rodriguez's faces would sometimes look. For a Spider-Man (or Woman) book this isn't a major issue since the mask covers all of Gwen's face. But in a few panels where you can see her face, it looks like Gwen has too much chin, and her lips are too large. I also personally would've liked to see more direct tie-in to the rest of the events in Spider-Verse, but I'm sure that will come in due time.
The VERDICT
Issue 2 of Spider-Verse continues the trend of Spider-Verse being an overall well crafted event. It's great to be able to read a first appearance that gives the impression that there's a lot more to see both going on, and looking back. I'm really excited to see more of Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman, and hope to see more of her in her own universe as well.
