Greetings comic lovers and welcome back to casually comics the channel where we chat
all things comics from reviews of comics new and old to history to anecdotes to really
wherever our whims take us.
We’re in the realm of new but still off the beaten path.
I was sucked in by the pretty cover art I admit it look at this cover.
I needed to know and I’ve always liked Terry Dodson’s art and he did the cover of this
and all of them so far only one is released this is going to be a five issue mini series
or limited series as they call it, so that you feel more pressured to buy it I mean limited
makes it sound like there are only 5 and you’re going to have to curb stomp the person next
to you to get it.
Look at Issue 2’s cover so much to say is Sue mad cause Gwenpool is kissing Reed or
cause she’s not kissing her also Reed really Gwen is supposed to be a comic book super
fan she knows where that mouth has been.
If you’ve been drawn in by a cover hit that like button.
Also we have an instagram now it’s in the description movin’ on up to the social side.
And thank you to all the new people who have subscribed for this random comics journey
of fancy let’s get to it.
So this is Gwenpool an interesting and polarizing character who is oft times either much loved
or much hated with a healthy side of who?
This is because of how she was created, who she was first popular with, and the comic
book climate at the time it was a perfect storm.
If you’re interested we can do a deep dive into her history Cliffnotes she was first
drawn as a variant cover for Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars #2 in 2015.
So she’s pretty new at the time of this recording which is 2019 bear that in mind.
Her design would prove popular among the cosplay community and she would begin to spring up
on instagram and at cons impressed that a character without any backstory or basis was
generating a kind of buzz she was introduced as a comic character.
Her basis is very deadpooly she’s supposed to be a comic book fan from our universe who
has found her way into the comicverse.
And wants to remain there and be an important character.
She is extremely meta and lives or dies based on the self awareness and ability to convey
irony and humour of the person writing her.
What we’re looking at today is a limited series entitled Gwenpool strikes back.
Star Wars reference there is a lot of reference humour in these books so if that’s not your
thing well...turn back now.
This is gwenpool strikes back #1 by leah williams with art by David Baldeon
The opening line sets the tone Have you ever looked at a really pregnant lady and had the
urge to squeeze her like a tube of tooth paste?
Gasp wait am I internal monologuing right now Does that mean...
Then she pops up to tell the reader it’s a gwnpool solo story.
So you know how Deadpool breaks the fourth wall through references and occasionally talking
directly to the reader like he’ll talk about the readers but looking at them and talking
to them that way used more sparingly.
It’s an accent to his character take that and mangnify it by 100% and you’ll half
of where gwen pool is in this issue.
She’s breaking the fourth wall so hard she might as well be sitting next to you.
She then proceeds to tell the reader her entire backstory in the form of a youtube page cause
Youtube is hip and so is she.
Also there’s some self deprecating humour Hey the writer really wants you to know how
“cool” and “with it” she is I don’t know if you can tell.
This is where the book gets aggressively hip as i like to call it all the 2019 cool things
get ready to be hit with them in the face Fornite dances including flossing...I’m
not seeing enough movement.
Snapping instead of clapping which is also a 2019 thing not just for beatniks at a poetry
slam in the 60s, and she dabs out.
If you can wade through how much this comic is relating to you she talks about her function
and this I got stuck here for a bit.
But unlike deadpool I was pretty much intended to be the subversive, self aware commentary
on cape comics as a fan of then myself sort of like I’m mediating a conversation between
fans and creators from the page.
So lots to unpack here is gwenpool subversive your mileage will vary does she challenge
the existing institution some would day yes others would say she’s a product of it.
Commentary on cape comics so is she the commentary or is it the comments she makes on others
cause those are two different things and most importantly mediating a discussion between
fans and creators as a fan herself we have to get meta.
She started it.
Spo Gwen is a fictional character not a real comic book fan in a comic book hence she is
at the whims of her creator so any discussion will come from their experience and relationship
with fandom but will also be filtered through editors and have to be greenlit before it
goes out so a sanctioned version.
So can a character like this ever really speak for fans, potentially?
But can any character speak for all fans also this conversation will change from creator
to creator particularly as in the modern era some are less strict about maintaining character
integrity when they take over a character.
Also is a discussion like this better served directly or indirectly through story beats.
I don’t know I’m asking?
I actually stopped reading the comic for a bit at this point this made me fall down a
thought pit the dab snapped me out of it though.
It could just be pontificating and not actually be a mission statement at all this was page
four we need to move on so gwenpool is robbing a bank and got a laugh at me for modifying
m.i.a paper planes to being about squeezing a pregnant lady.
She’s just getting the money when spider-man shows up she is thrilled to see him who knows
her so relaxes from crime mode to annoyed mode.
Long suffering mode him and deadpool had a team up book he’s had lots of practice.
She’s actually on the hunt for radiation.
She wants super powers she also gets dangerously close to fonldling spider-man so we get a
spidey crotch shot for all those who wanted it.
Hey I’m not here to judge last video I said Jason Todd’s white hair streak was sexy
you rock on with your spidey crotch shot .
She also lowkey unmasks him it’s not like on the cover but it’s enough to make him
angry though the hostages yes she has hostages the pregnant lady was one of them say they
didn’t see anything.
Gwenpool waxes about past continuity for a bit like spidey’s civil war unmasking that;s
civil war one.
She then does more reference humour to her awkward year book photo which she has with
her to show to spidey cause she is and I quote “I’m like the s rank of cringe culture
It’s a gift honestly.”
For those who need that decoded s rank is gamer thing for the best of the best it’s
in cause ranking things is hot right now and gamer slang is in even if gamers are not.
This is what I mean by aggressively hip if you’re not up on
the memes hip with the kids.
Then how must this read.
Are you cringing if so fun cringe or bad cringe.
So the reason she was looking for spider-man was so that he could bite her and turn her
radioactive despite the fact that she’s a mega comics fan and so should know that’s
not how his powers work but her reasoning will often be sacrificed for the joke.
Spidey refuses to bite her and webs her up and leaves her for the cops.
As the cops show up she realizes she’s in a bid as she rambles frantically.
A sick like literally sick version of gwenpool crawls and tells her how that banana’s could
make her radioactive gwen’s used to weird things like this so she swaps places with
her double and runs for the white space Gwenpool can exist in the space outside panels.
It’s how she keeps herself from being retconned it shows her history, only it’s all messed
up falling apart.
And she realizes they’re really trying to retcon her out of exitence and asks when was
the last time anyone cared this much about retconning a character to which again I saw
gwen you’re a super fan and you reference dc as well as marvel so wally west anyone
this happens.
Sitting in her space gwen ponders how to save herself maybe by joining a team book as a
wildcard and working her way up to solo again.
When suddenly she discovers she has an ability she can alter the reality of whatever happens
off panel and make it happen meaning she can flashback to things that never happened and
make them happen.
Whether you are going to enjoy this series will ride or die on whether you like this
concept or not.
They’re going to use if comedically and it has the potential to be really funny but
will it be.
We have four more issues to find out.
She uses the power to try to irradiate herself becoming the sick gwen who saved herself mid
issue.
So she can insert herself wherever she wants for those who feel that Gwen pool is fanficcy
in the derivative way people tend to use it which always belies a lack of exploration
into transformative fandom proper as fanfiction is nuanced
Also yes the issue just ends so you need to have a high tolerance for meta and a willingness
to accept gwenpools very premise to dive into these.
This issue for me was at it’s best when gwenpool was interacting with the world and
her weird subspace rather than talking at the reader which for me was a very forced
relatability and i flashed to what it would be like to read this comic over in ten years,
or to be an older fan reading it.
Still there are some for whom this is going to be perfect and for a limited series romp
full of unconnected zany that’s not going to massively alter anything in the marvel
universe except potentially having gwenpool stick around it could be fun.
I got some chuckles it earned a smile here and there though also some shudders.
Dab.
Gwen is one of those characters where people often talk about her more than the work heck
I did it here.
But not a lot happened in this comic it was all telling you who gwenpool is for the newcomers
which is necessary and setting up the premise.
The meat will come later.
She better make out with mister fantastic if that cover is a lie i will accept bait
but an outright lie don't do that to me.
Gwenpool always puts me in a ponderous space so I can’t quite sit back and just let what
is happening happen but she has potential and you can see it sometimes even here.
She could be a great accent character when you need meta or someone to make fun of a
character or a canon happening but as a constant and a main I’m not sure.
What do you think of Gwenpool and what about gwenpool strikes back did it get any chuckles?
Her design is great and I love this cover I want this cover as a poster.
Do you need to know more about Gwenpools origin I’ll go there you know I love a mess.
I’m Sasha thanks so much for watching casually comics please do all of the youtube things
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I’ll see you all again soon buh bye.