Review by Frank Plowright
There’s a contrived reason for Gwenpool’s name evoking Deadpool (her name is Gwen Poole), but she’s one of the more original ideas from Marvel in the 21st century. She’s on the well trodden Earth 616, but hails from elsewhere where the exploits of all those superheroes appear in comics, in which she’s well read. As written by Christopher Hastings over much of this Omnibus, the result is a delightful insouciance as she knows everyone’s secret identity and whereabouts, and because of her vast knowledge of the Marvel universe she’s able to avoid tricky situations. It also helps that she can adjust panel borders, move through pages and exploit the fourth wall in other innovative ways.
Assorted guest star appearances feature for the sake of completeness, the longest being three chapters in the company of Rocket Raccoon and Groot, but the bulk of this Omnibus breaks down into three convenient sections. The first is the introductory series by Hastings as originally found in paperbacks Believe It!, Head of M.O.D.O.K., Totally in Continuity, Beyond the Fourth Wall and Lost in the Plot. It’s consistently inventive with Gwen, an eccentric cosplayer, refusing to take anything seriously, causing havoc, and being totally indiscreet with her insider knowledge. She considers anyone she meets to be a fictional construct, and Hastings ensures this is never a joke that wears thin as she meets the great and the villainous. Most art is by Studio Giruhiru (Chifuyu Sasaki and Naoko Kawanu – sample spread left) in a clean, clear style that needs time to adjust, but is rapidly great.
Gwen’s next stopover was as part of a new West Coast Avengers iteration, under the care of Kelly Thompson. In order to fit her in as part of a team, Thompson has to tone Gwen down a little, so breaking the fourth wall is minimised and there’s no crawling between panels. Instead there’s an unlikely romance with the arrogant Kid Omega. The comedy adventures are well written all the way through, but there’s considerable deterioration in the art after Stefano Caselli’s elegance for the opening story. The team also have an encounter with Superior Spider-Man. Find this in paperback as Best Coast and City of Evils.
Gwenpool Strikes Back is five self-contained chapters restoring Gwen’s self-awareness and ability to break the boundaries of comic form. Leah Williams captures the sparkle, and David Baldeón (sample art right) gets to draw some ridiculous situations as the primary plot involves Gwen attempting to organise a beach combat tournament featuring superheroes. The bigger concern is Gwen’s realisation that unless she can make the story a success she could be dropped from continuity, and that eventually supplies a surprisingly emotional moment.
It’s a rare Omnibus drawing from so many sources that maintains the quality throughout. Provided you buy into the madcap comedy that’s Gwen’s sole purpose, and the ridiculing of Marvel favourites that accompanies it, there’s little to disappoint here other than the occasionally poor art.
