The Unbelievable Gwenpool #1-4

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #1-4

Originally released in 2016

Written by Christopher Hastings

Art by Gurihiru

Starting out as a mash-up of Gwen Stacy and Deadpool for a variant cover, Gwen Poole is a comic fan from a world much like ours, who wound up in the Marvel universe through ways that aren't explored in any real detail. Armed with nothing beyond her awareness of comic tropes, her knowledge of the Marvel universe, and whatever guns/explosives/swords she can afford (which, starting out, isn't that much), she sets out to be a hero, reasoning that ordinary people tend not to last long in the Marvel universe thanks to alien invasions, HYDRA trying to conquer the world, the forces of hell using New York City as an entrance point, etc.

However, she quickly runs into several problems - as someone from another universe, she has no identification, no history before her arrival, and no way to get paid.  This works well for being a mysterious mercenary/assassin, but it doesn't work well for actually being able to afford the sort of things that she needs to be a mercenary.  In addition, her comics knowledge can backfire on her, like working under the assumption that M.O.D.O.K. (a villain who looks like a giant head with tiny hands) is a joke when he's a huge threat to anyone in the Marvel universe who doesn't have super-powers, which is a category that Gwen falls into.

After Gwen unknowingly kills M.O.D.O.K.'s best agent, M.O.D.O.K. hires her, whether she wants to be hired or not.  She winds up as part of a group that includes Megatony, a scientist who dislikes killing, the Terrible Eye, a mad witch, and Batroc the Leaper, who becomes something of a mentor for Gwen after realizing that she can't defend herself.  Gwen's connection to Batroc helps to kick off the book's meta-commentary on heroes, villains, and the cyclical nature of the conflict that they find themselves in.

It also helps to flesh out Batroc, who can sometimes be reduced to a joke depending on the writer.  The series also uses its metafictional nature to address Gwen's apparent self-esteem issues.  After initially believing herself to be the hero of the story (meaning that she figures that she can get away with just about anything), she quickly realizes that in this story, she's little more than a minion.  An encounter with Doctor Strange gives her the opportunity to rewrite herself into the Marvel world, with the possibility that her parents' memories of her will fade as a result.  Gwen figures it's probably for the best if they forget her entirely, hinting at deeper problems that will be addressed later.

Despite the potentially gloomy subject matter, the series is still a lot of fun and self-aware, with the writing and the art both contributing to that.  I'm not sure what else Christopher Hastings has written beyond Gwenpool, but his writing seems well-suited for this kind of goofy series with a serious core.  The art by Gurihiru (a pseudonym for a pair of artists) seems like something that would be immediately recognizable, with the characters feeling anime-esque and fluffy, for the lack of a better word.

Unsurprisingly, Gwen's complete lack of experience comes back to bite her, with the end of issue 4 seeming like a good stopping point for now.  I had read a few later issues of Gwenpool's series, but I don't think I had read these earlier issues before, so it was interesting to look back on where the character started, more or less. (technically, she started as a variant cover for a Deadpool-themed Secret Wars tie-in, but there's not much to go on with that)  The series is fairly short, lasting twenty-six issues, and these issues flew by quickly; I'm not sure how well it would work as a starting point for new readers, but it's an entertaining series that seems to be often overlooked.