REVIEW: ‘Ghost-Spider’ #10

Ghost-Spider #10, “When the chips are down” is published by Marvel Comics, written by Seanan McGuire, art by Ig Guara, colors by Ian Herring, and letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles. Off the back of a behemoth of a drug bust, aided by Sue and Johnny Storm, Gwen Stacey is riding high. Earth-65 has very few heroes, which makes the sudden emergence of the Storm siblings questionable. Gwen’s future comes crashing into focus in this finale issue!

Gwen has been through an absolute barrage of obstacles in the few months she’s been the Ghost-Spider. She’s served time in prison, gone on a multi-verse tour with the Mary Janes, and most recently, been endowed with a symbiotic suit that responds to her every thought. No matter how much justice she delivers to the streets of New York, she’s still viewed as a vigilante  a criminal hiding under a mask.

Now, with the re-emergence of the Storm siblings after their 5 year disappearance, Gwen finally feels like she has some allies in the city. Finally, in issue #10 we get the details of where these scheming siblings have been all these years, as McGuire delivers a fiendish take on one half of the Fantastic Four.

Meanwhile, Gwen is still oblivious in suspecting foul play, as she puts it “despite all the warning signs in the world…we manage to miss the coming storm.” In this finale issue, Gwen will come face to face with the Storms, and she’ll have to make a decision on her future.

McGuire delivers an absolutely raw issue that will leave you questioning the very fabric of justice. The examples I want to discuss most are the ones I can’t for fear of spoiling, but take my word, it’s a heart wrenching conclusion to the current arc. I do love the opening dialogue from McGuire as it has an air of reflective finality.

Guara’s art is vibrant, exciting, and in some cases it captures the comical attributes of a 17-year-old high schooler. Where Guara especially shines is in his artistic rendering of Gwen in the Ghost-Spider costume. The visuals during the Sue and Johnny Storm backstory are incredibly dark, and shocking, pairing uncomfortably well with the narrative penned by McGuire.

The colors from Herring are everything that I’ve come to expect stylistically from a Gwen / Ghost-Spider series, which is to say a modernistic, punk-pop, mix of shades of purples and blues. During the backstory of Sue and Johnny, the heavy shading ominously drives to the point with dark overtones and grueling effect.

The lettering from Cowles has a very specific splash of classic Spider-Man vibe which adds to the issue and gives the Ghost-Spider arc gravity. This is specifically in reference to the use of the onomatopoeia, which is really energetic.  The dialogue boxes are balanced nicely throughout the issue and they don’t distract from the art.

Overall, this is a gut wrenching issue that will leave you infuriated at the injustice of the dynamics modern society, but opens Gwen up to a whole new potential arc to carry her forward. Oh, it’s so cruel!

Ghost-Spider #10 is available in stores now.