Spider-Woman #4 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Karla Pacheco, art by Pere Pérez, colors by Frank D’armata and letters by Travis Lanham. Having reached Wundagore Mountain to find her mother still alive, Jessica Drew has a lot to grapple with. And there’s more to come. But with the mountain about to fall under siege, time is a luxury our hero can ill afford.
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Family. From the time we are born one of the most repeated refrains we hear is that nothing is more important than family. That your family is the one constant you can depend on. That’ll be there with you. But is it? As with so many other concepts, society tends to oversimplify the often confused and hurtful nature family can take on. It is all too often devalued by those who abuse what that ideal is supposed to be. Using it as an excuse for forgiveness, instead of the higher standard, it should hold them to.
Spider-Woman #4 is a tough story to talk about without giving away all its secrets. But I’ll do my best not to spoil it for anyone.
The first half of our story delves into how Jessica’s long believed dead mother could be standing before her. This, along with several other revelations along the way, leaves Jessica in a confused, hurt, and downright angry state. And honestly, her anger is completely warranted. Given all the manipulation she has endured already, not just in this story, but her life in general, the last thing she needed was another reveal that what she thought she knew was false. This coupled with the fact that her mom never bothered to reach out to her over her entire life, and her anger is more than reasonable. And there’s more, but I won’t say what.
My only real struggle with Spider-Woman #4 is just how well Jessica actually takes this revelation. While Pacheco certainly puts Jessica into a horrible position, I found the overall response a bit underwhelming. If I had learned half of what Jessica does here someone would find themselves with at least a broken nose. Long lost parent or not. I’ve seen how Jessica’s real family treats her, she doesn’t need her mom’s manipulative bully.
Even as all this is unfolding the Drew family reunion is cut short as they come under fire. This closes the story on an action-packed note, that leaves the story on a strong cliffhanger.
The art of Spider-Woman #4 delivers a stellar performance. Pérez captures all the emotion and action skillfully. Not shying away from dropping the viewer right in the middle of things, Pérez keeps the reader engaged with every page and panel. Coupled with D’armata’s sublime color choices and the art presented here is wonderfully executed.
Closing out the issue’s visuals is Lanham’s lettering. Some excellent emphasis is utilized to give moments some extra punch. Along with quality word bubble placement, Lanham delivers a top-notch lettering job.
When all is said and done Spider-Woman #4 delivers a quality story, even if some responses to revelations are lacking in a little punch. It has a well-balanced pace to it, and the back end’s action ends on a great cliffhanger. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with my favorite Spider-Woman.
Spider-Woman #4 is available September 23rd wherever comics are sold
Spider-Woman #4
TL;DR
When all is said and done Spider-Woman #4 delivers a quality story, even if some responses to revelations are lacking in a little punch. It has a well-balanced pace to it, and the back end’s action ends on a great cliffhanger. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with my favorite Spider-Woman.
