Welcome back, Spider-Fans! Today we are diving deep into the debut issue of All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider. Gwen Stacy has permanently relocated to Earth-616, and while she hoped for a fresh start with a new band and a new romance, the Marvel Universe rarely lets its heroes stay happy for long. Here is a full breakdown of the story, page by page.
The Cold Open: A Nightmare Begins
The issue opens with a chilling, fragmented scene. We see Someone in a state of absolute panic and denial. He is stammering, “No! It’s not… I didn’t… do this…”. Terrified that no one will believe his innocence, He apologizes to an unseen figure. It’s a classic in media res opening that sets a dark tone immediately—something has gone terribly wrong.
The New Status Quo
We cut to a recap page establishing Gwen’s current situation. After accidentally fusing with a Cosmic Cube, Gwen has used its power to permanently move herself and her father, George Stacy, to Earth-616 (the main Marvel Universe). She has a new suit, new powers, and a mission to protect the “ghosts”—the defenseless people often overlooked by other heroes.
Five Hours Earlier: The “Situationship”
The story jumps back five hours. Gwen is sparring with Fabian, her current romantic interest (or “situationship,” as they haven’t defined it yet). Fabian is the son of the original Black Tarantula and possesses a symbiote.
The sparring session is tense. Fabian is distracted and aggressive, eventually snapping at Gwen. He reveals the source of his anger: he tried to visit his father in prison that morning, but was denied entry. Gwen tries to be rational, mentioning the legal complexities regarding his super-villain father, but this only upsets Fabian more. He storms off to meet with an attorney, leaving Gwen to lament how having a super-villain parent really “sucks the romance out of a situation”.
The Interlude: A Dangerous Stranger
We briefly cut to a scene “Uptown.” In a subway station or coffee shop setting, a volatile stranger is trying to buy a drink from a vending machine that is out of order. When a bystander tries to help by pointing out the machine is broken, the stranger snaps, yelling, “How about you mind your own damned business?!”. The situation escalates quickly; the stranger attacks the bystander violently after being told to leave. This scene serves as ominous foreshadowing for the tragedy to come.
The Band: Finding Normalcy
Gwen shifts gears to her personal project: starting a punk band. She has posted flyers all over the city looking for “Rebels, Guitar Players & Ghosts”. She admits that physical flyers might not be the best way to reach a digital generation, but she wants “real punks”.
To her surprise, Cindy Moon (Silk) shows up to audition. Cindy admits she isn’t actually a bass player but learned how to play yesterday by watching videos online (just like she taught herself to crochet dog hats the day before).
As they discuss the lack of a full lineup, a man named Wes enters. He rents a practice space nearby and overheard them. Wes is a freelance guitarist tired of playing Jimmy Buffett covers at tourist bars and is looking to play real music. The three of them jam, and it’s magic.
The Perfect Moment
Post-jam session, Gwen is elated. She returns home to her father, George Stacy, and gushes about how well the audition went. Cindy was surprisingly good on bass, and Wes was a fantastic guitarist. Gwen reflects that for the first time in forever, she feels like she is in the driver’s seat of her own life. She has her dad, her powers, a potential romance, and now a band. She thinks, “My life feels perfect”.
The Epilogue: Tragedy Strikes
The story catches up to the opening scene. Gwen rushes to a crime scene where her father is working as police support. George tries to stop her, saying, “I can’t let you be a part of this… It’s brutal”.
Gwen pushes past him and discovers the victim is Wes, the guitarist she was jamming with just hours ago.
Her father reveals that a janitor witnessed the killer “cleaning up his mess”. He warns Gwen that because she was one of the last people to see Wes alive, the police will want to question her.
The Cliffhanger
Gwen initially tells her dad she didn’t notice anything suspicious when she left the practice space. However, a memory flashes back to her leaving the building. She remembers seeing someone near the subway—likely the volatile stranger from the earlier interlude.
She realizes she did see something. She shouts, “No! Wait! That was the last… train!”. The issue ends with Gwen realizing the killer might have escaped on the train she just missed, setting the stage for a hunt in the next issue.
