Spider-Gwen, Spider-Gwen...does whatever a Gwen Stacy can do...and a whole lot more. Since her debut in EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2, readers were clamoring for more. There was something about seeing our beloved Gwen Stacy, in an alternate Earth setting, with spider-powers (and a really great new costume). Gwen Stacy was a big part of shaping who Spider-Man would become and her tragic death still holds a deep impact on readers. But this isn't the same Gwen Stacy. This is a chance to almost see a new character and a way to get a second chance with a character that was taken away too soon.
Last week at New York Comic Con, it was announced that Jason LaTour and Robbi Rodriguez would be continuing the adventures of Spider-Gwen in an ongoing comic slated for early next year. We took the opportunity to ask them about the character and the overall reaction since her debut.
COMIC VINE: Did you guys know, when working on the first EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE issue, that an ongoing would happen? Did you know everyone would immediately fall in love with her?
JASON LATOUR: No. The only thing that was clear to me was that there was a lot of potential for more stories. We tried to approach it as if we were building a world, and when you do that, more often than not you’ll find that there is one just waiting to be explored.
I definitely felt good about the concept, and the art was so striking that it wasn’t a surprise to me when people responded well. But I never could have guessed it would have taken the life that it has. No one could have predicted that. It's really amazing.
ROBBI RODRIGUEZ: Fall in love? Well my goal was that some would have a crush with the take we did. But hitting that full blown I want to have your baby love, at least for me, that took me by surprise. We never had the remote idea that this was going to be a series going in. I think we all wanted to put our stamp on a comic on a large stage in hopes we could do more stuff down the line. The fact that it's our own thing makes it even sweeter.
CV: Are you thinking of her as a new character or a historical one that a lot of people have put up on a pedestal?
JL: She’s a mix of both. It’s impossible to deny the pre-conceptions people bring about Gwen to the comic. She exists in a lot of different forms, comics, movies, video games, etc. She’s influenced by my knowledge of those things, but I’m trying to write the Gwen within these pages as a character unique unto her self for the most part.
RR: I know I wanted to make it as a new one since not really growing up a superheroes comics fan, I didn't have the connect with the 616 Gwen. I wanted to use this as an avenue to do what I do best in my indie work and that's to do comics about independent complex women in my main street work.
CV: Can you tell us if this takes place in her universe or the 616? Is it classified until the end of SPIDER-VERSE?
JL: This book is in it’s own universe. Gwen Stacy’s world is a universe where she is the one and only Spider-Woman.
CV: How did the idea of Spider-Gwen come about? Did Nick Lowe or Dan Slott bring up the concept? Did you come up with her backstory?
JL: I was approached with the idea of doing a SPIDER-VERSE one shot. And after some discussion about other ideas, Nick mentioned that Dan had written down a single sentence that said “Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman”. So that was the prompt. The more I thought about it the more I liked it.
Given how prevalent she is in other media, and the new context it put her death in... it just seemed like there would be a lot of catharsis in seeing her get to be Spider-Woman. Almost like she was owed it. And I knew it would be a lot of fun to see this world. Robbi and Rico [Renzi] were my first choice to help me do that. So when Nick approved them, it just seemed natural to pull from things we shared in common. Gwen as a drummer and an aspiring artist seemed like a neat parallel to the struggle of being Spider-Woman. In either role she’d be unsure of how much of herself belonged to the world and how much she should covet and hold onto. Her father being a cop was the perfect fly in that ointment. It was all just very organic.
CV: How did this amazing costume come about?
RR: When given the chance to redesign that suit, I really rolled up my sleeves to make something that was cool to look at as well as fun to draw since I was going to draw it over and over. That's why I tried to keep as minimalist as possible. I also wanted a look that even if someone draws her in an objective manner, it will just look wrong. I'm not against cheesecake, but doing a design that forces the hand to step away from it is just refreshing in my opinion.
CV: Have you seen the huge number of artists drawing Spider-Gwen after only one appearance was released?
RR: It's wild to see. When I first saw them come in, it made my shake my fist in the air and yell "f-yeah MF!" But that also got me cut off from the bartender.
I'm so appreciative all of the fans love.
CV: Did you also come up with the color choice for her costume?
RR: I didn't want to do the traditional Spidey colors and I wanted to give it that streetwear look. I figure that magenta, teal, and white worked best. The black was my Alex Toth influence so I can play around with in solids and let the reader's head fill in the gaps if I place her in a full on black background.
CV: Besides her really cool costume, how are you going to make her stand apart from the other Spider-Women?
JL: Well she’s got a, hopefully, very fully realized and unique world. The other Spider-Women all co-exist with Peter and share the same threats and allies. And there are lots of cool things about that, but Gwen has her own stream, one that’s free to flow wherever it takes us.
CV: For Spider-Gwen's universe, were you given any specifics when you drew the other supporting characters and villains?
RR: No. The Mary Janes were a blast to design since I just drew every girlfriend I wish I had growing up. And the Rhino was as well since J and joking though it would be rad to just have him cosplaying in the one shot.
CV: What would you say to any fans concerned with the idea of bringing back Gwen (even if it’s not the 616 Gwen)?
JL: I’d say that Gwen Stacy has been back many times over by now, in many different forms of media. The beauty of superhero comics is that characters can defy and even beat death. So why not Gwen Stacy? Why not in the comics?
CV: What are you most looking forward to in this series?
JL: Just the chance to explore her character and her world. Letting our imaginations kind of run free with these great themes and ideas and hopefully land in a place that both updates and emboldens what they mean. It’s a tremendous opportunity that I’m really excited about.
RR: I think it's safe to say that we are looking forward to exploring this world with Gwen. Even just as a one shot idea, we had a ton of ideas we cut for time and space and they were some fun ideas to play with.
Be sure to look for the ongoing SPIDER-GWEN series, starting in February 2015!