Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Paolo Villanelli
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover Artists: David Marquez & Marte Gracia; Alex Ross; David Baldeón & Israel Silva; Meghan Hetrick
Logo Designer: Stacie Zucker
Production Designer: Kat Walkington
Editors: Emerald Bensadoun, Martin Biro, Jordan D White & CB Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 24, 2025
Earth-65’s Gwen Stacy has often defined herself by what others took away from her. Fighting to regain what she lost meant adapting to changes in her powers and her life. Eventually, the Cosmic Cube cost Gwen her world.
So, Gwen has dug her feet in. She used the Cosmic Cube to reclaim her father and Fabian LaMuerto. Gwen is remaking her life on Earth-616. She has shrugged off the symbiote she never wanted and reclaimed her original powers. But as hard as she tries, Gwen can’t make cake grow on trees. Her romance with Fabian is fizzling, and she has lost a promising guitarist before she could form another band. Can Gwen discover who killed the roguishly handsome Wes? And what else will others take away from her this time? Let’s thwip into All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #2 and see!
Story
Cindy Moon of Earth-65 stole Gwen's original powers. But Cindy Moon of Earth-616 is her friend. She helped Gwen adapt to her new surroundings when Ouroborus from the Time Variance Authority relocated her to the Earth. When Gwen wanted to start a new band to fill the void left by The Mary Janes’ departure, Cindy was there for her. But after someone killed Wes in the room where they had their jam session, they tracked Cindy to her apartment and attacked her in All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #2.
Thankfully, Cindy Moon boasts fighting skills from her superhero career as Silk. Still, the attack sends Cindy to the hospital. Gwen could have written off Wes’ murder as somehow related to the guitarist’s past. But the attack on Cindy forms a disturbing pattern. Her dad doesn’t want Gwen to investigate either crime. But Gwen is tired of losing the people and things she loves. No one and nothing will stop Gwen from finding Silk's attacker in All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #2.
Once again, donning the costume costs a spider-hero happiness. Gwen’s father wants to protect her. But Gwen burns with anger at injustice. As Gwen pursues Wes’ killer and Cindy’s attacker, Stephanie Phillips’ story addresses how anger both empowers and limits us. The man found in the practice room covered in blood was frustrated with his lot in life. And like Gwen, that made him vulnerable to something that fed upon the anger and rage he fought so hard to repress.
Art
When Silk climbs through the window of her apartment, she staggers past scattered books, cushions, and a pizza box before sinking into her sofa. Just as she is falling asleep, a sound rocks her awake. Silk approaches an open window. Like Carlos LaMuerto, her reflection seems to judge her. Then spears pierce the air. Given her love of reading and learning, Silk fights the invader before her wall of bookcases. Yet she does not emerge the victor.
As Paolo Villanelli infuses All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #2 with drama and energy, Matt Milla contrasts Gwen’s battle between the light and the darkness with vibrant colors. A red paramedic’s truck outside the hospital forms a link with Silk’s injury. The blue, purple, pink, and green that filled Silk’s apartment invade the shades of coral in her hospital room when Gwen burns with anger. As during Silk’s night-fight, silhouettes return amid confrontations. Yet a starburst forms around Gwen’s face. Rays of yellow and white eventually turn pink and threaten to overcome a page. The starburst reminds us of the power Gwen wielded with the Cosmic Cube.
Ariana Maher thwips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and red letters into turquoise-outlined boxes with conventional arrows. A thick line of turquoise underlines the words that locate us in time and space. The text grows bold and enlarges for intonation. Sound effects herald danger and accompany battles, while a door plate grounds its occupants in this story about treasuring the people in our lives. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, when we seek to control our lives, we forget that the greatest blessings can come about through serendipity. As Gwen Stacy tries to reclaim what she has lost, she ignores the fact that she never chose to be bitten by a radioactive spider. Yet while vowing to protect the “ghosts” often overlooked by others, Gwen abandons the alien who once helped her reclaim everything she lost in All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #2.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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