Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 // Review
If one Gwenpool can't fight the Hulk, try multiple "Gwens" from multiple Gwenpool runs. If that doesn't work? Well, then it might just be the end of Gwenpool. This is an overambitious story by Leah Williams (with a special one-page contribution by Christopher Hastings), art by David Baldéon, colors by Jesus Aburtov, and letters by VC's Joe Caramagna. Despite the talented team, this issue just wasn't great; there were a lot of things going, but they just didn't add up to a cohesive and meaningful plot.
In the last issue, Gwen shot Bruce Banner in the face to make him turn into the Hulk. Why? Because she wants to create as much drama and chaos as possible to prove to Marvel that she should get her own lasting series. And she's willing to play the villain if that's what it takes.
In one panel, a Gwen from another comic asks the Gwen from this comic (yes, it's a little confusing) what she's been doing in this book, and that's a fair question. What has Gwen been doing in this book except causing chaos? There's nothing wrong with a little chaos but too much, and the story feels disjointed, and the humor begins to feel forced— as if Gwenpool has to reach a given number of "lol so random" moments before the issue ends. But when there are so many of these moments, they stop being funny and start feeling like they're just filling up pages. Such as when Gwen talks to Christopher Hastings, the original Gwenpool writer. It feels like there was no point for the scene except to make a joke about Batman v Superman. It's been two years, the joke isn't funny anymore. Though with the resurgence in #ReleaseTheSnyderCut on twitter, maybe the joke isn't as irrelevant as it should be.
In the first panels, Gwen is attempting to communicate to the reader using morse code. The code is written out as dots and dashes, but then what Gwen is trying to say is spelled out letter by letter. Narratively it makes sense; she doesn't want Hulk to hear her, but it's tough to read, and it takes up a lot of panel space. It's not a great start to the issue, but thankfully it's only for a few panels, and the art picks up from there. As much as bringing in multiple iterations of Gwen felt forced, it was great to see the Baldéon and Aburtov's versions of each Gwen.
Chaos and random humor make Gwenpool a fun character, but these traits need to be used in moderation, or she ends up feeling like a Deadpool knock off that's trying way too hard. At the start of this series, this balance was reached pretty well, but things were skewed along the way. Hopefully, everything is pulled back together for the last issue, or Gwenpool may not get the ongoing series she so desires.
