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Spider-Woman no. 10 by Steve Foxe, Ig Guara, Arif Prianto & Joe Sabino from Marvel Comics
The story so far:
The 8th solo run of Spider-Woman reaches a finale with plenty of open questions. Steve Foxe’s wrapped things here as best as he could. The writing focused on what makes Jessica Drew such a relatable character: second chances.
Detached from the Web
This whole arc started when Spider-Woman was detached from the Web of life and destiny (Spider-Man 2022 by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Edgar Delgado & Joe Caramagna). Even though Jessica was returned, along with other Spider-Heroes, the day was saved. No harm no foul. Well, not exactly.
Where’s my baby?
Next time we see Jessica after coming back to life, she’s beating the breaks off Taskmaster for information. He gave it up rather easily.
They have a shared history that does not include fond memories for Taskmaster. (Read 2005’s Spider-Woman: Origin by Brian M. Bendis, Brian Reed, Joshua Luna, Johnathan Luna & Cory Petit).
This was not business as usual. There was a sense of urgency in Spider-Woman’s demeanor. Jessica was missing her baby boy Gerry. Spider-Woman’s gathered intel pointed to Hydra being the sinister actors behind Gerry’s kidnapping.
Gang War Rages
At this time, the 2023 Summer event Gang War started. Different villains were gunning for territory in New York City. Diamondback was one of the villains to make a move for more power. This entailed joining forces with Hydra.
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Jessica joined forces with Spider-Man and other heroes to fight the crime wave and keep the city of New York safe. She volunteered to go after Diamondback. The reason? It was to get more answers about the whereabouts of her son. Jessica got the worst answer possible.
Unfortunately, Hydra had taken her son, accelerated his age, brainwashed him and turned him into the Green Mamba, an agent for Hydra. Literally Jessica’s worst nightmare came to life. Her own flesh and blood was now with the people she hates the most.
After all the fires around the city were put out and the Gang War ceased, the Green Mamba disappeared. Jessica followed the trail once again. That led her to San Francisco.
Back to San Fran
The old stomping grounds for Jessica Drew. Jessica also ran into David Ishima, a former love interest (from her first solo run all the way back to the early 80s), and Angar the Screamer a Mutant with shared history with the Spider-Woman.
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At this point, Steve Foxe was just flexing how much he knows Spider-Woman lore. If all of that isn’t enough of a Rollercoaster ride for you, the moment Jessica stepped in San Fran, she finds out there’s a group of young heroes called The Assembly (Debuted in Spider-Woman no.7 2024). They work for a shell company own by Hydra. Huge red flag!
Crazy enough, Titan (the leader of The Assembly) is revealed to be Gremlin. He is a villain who met his end during the Amor Wars. In this issue, it’s explained how he came back from that disaster. The issue also explains how he got involved with Hydra, what his role was in the kidnapping and brainwashing of Gerry Drew. Trust me when I say, this guy Gremlin is bad news. He’s a perfect fit for Hydra.
The Finale
Spider-Woman is in the middle of this whole mess. She’s in Alcatraz island trying to find her son Gerry, breaking Hydra’s hold on The Assembly while fighting off Gremlin and his upgraded armor suit. Jessica just can’t fathom letting Hydra steal the youth away from others just like they did to her.
She fights, not just for her lost son but for every possible child out there who fell victim to the egregious schemes of Viper, Gremlin or Hydra. I can’t say Jessica gets all the answers she came looking for.
However, she managed to provide a second chance for the members of The Assembly to figure out life after Hydra, kinda like Jessica is still doing.
What about the art?
Arif Prianto on the colors and Joe Sabino on the lettering continue their excellent work since issue no.1, and Ig Guara builds on top of the soft and silky look Carola Borelli started at the beginning of this run. They all dared to make subtle changes and add their own style to the Spider-Woman lore like their unique take on Jessica’s Venom Blast.
In this issue in particular, the range of these artists is on full display. You have incredible tense action between Spider-Woman and Gremlin. It carries a terrifying Terminator vibe. There’s fire bending, ice attacks, venom blasts and explosions in full bright colors.
Add to that some intimate moments between Jessica and David. There’s also some wholesome and encouraging scenes between Jessica and The Assembly. This series has had a different and distinctive look that dares to be different and it just works!
Additionally, let me highlight the main covers for the entire run by the Legendary Francis Leinil Yu and Shunny Gho/ Rachel Rosenberg. Leinil Yu has one of the toughest depictions of Spider-Woman, hands down.
This is a 10 out of 10 for me!
Looking forward to Spider-Woman’s stint in the West Coast Avengers now!
