REVIEW: You’ll Be Sad When Night-Gwen #1 Is Over!
In Night-Gwen #1 by Vita Ayala, Farid Karami, Erick Arciniega, and Cory Petit, with a main cover by David Nakayama, readers get another Heroes Reborn tale that falls into the “New-ish 52-ish” category.
Night-Gwen #1. Photo: Marvel Comics
When the pages of this Night-Gwen #1 one-shot are exhausted, you’ll be disappointed that there isn’t another issue on the way. I’m not kidding, Marvel Blog True Believers: by the time you’ve reached the final panel, you’ll be wondering if it isn’t worth saving this version of the universe just to preserve Night-Gwen!
Nightwing (with a little Quinn)
As those who have been following our ongoing coverage of the Marvel Comics’ Heroes Reborn event are aware, this storyline has presented us with a version of the Marvel Multiverse that has a lot of striking similarities to the world of DC Comics. In fact, you can often tell which DC Comics character a given Marvel character is channeling – like the way Nighthawk is channeling some serious Batman vibes.
Night-Gwen #1. Photo: Marvel Comics
But as we saw in Heroes Reborn #5, just like Batman has his sidekick Robin, Nighthawk has a sidekick: Nightbird! And if you aren’t aware, one of the characters to hold the title of “Robin,” Dick Grayson, went on to be known by a different name as his career advanced: Nightwing!
Nightbird. Photo: Marvel Comics
It isn’t hard to see the parallels between Nightbird and Nightwing, as well as the parallels in their relationships with their respective mentors.
Night-Gwen #1. Photo: Marvel Comics
The other character that bears a striking resemblance to Night-Gwen: Harley Quinn… or perhaps more accurately, Doctor Harleen Quinnzel, the name the character used when she was working at Arkham Asylum as a psychiatrist (we also saw this part of the character in last week’s main Heroes Reborn issue, when Nighthawk was menaced by a chemically altered Gwen during an attack on Ravencroft Asylum).
Heroes Reborn #5. Photo: Marvel Comics
Gwen Kicks butt!
There are some other awesome connections to other books in the Heroes Reborn line, as well; for example, you see this universe’s version of Misty Knight in one of the book’s best scenes.
Photo: Marvel Comics
And lest you think this issue is bereft of action, suffice to say that there is a splash page at the center of that made me audibly gasp! I mean the panel layout is just so Night-Gwen that even Gwenpool would be proud.
Finally, without ruining anything, you should know that this story has an ending that will stick with you long after you have finished reading it the second or third time (trust me, Marvel Blog True Believers, this might be the best single issue of a Marvel Comic since All-New Wolverine (2018) #31 (You can read this one on the Marvel Unlimited app right now – Rebecca, #1 Jonathan Stan).
#1 Jonathan Stan. Photo: Marvel Comics
Spider-Gwen Again
You might not realize this, Marvel Blog True Believers, but the story of Spider-Gwen (also known as Spider-Woman and Ghost-Spider, depending on the universe) originally began in a parallel universe, before she made her way to the 616. In fact, before that happened, she had a Marvel Comics series that was simply set in a different timeline than the 616…
This means that there’s a chance we could get an ongoing Night-Gwen series, Marvel Blog True Believers! This is my Heroes Reborn wish. What’s yours? Let us know in the comment section!
