Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

Because I couldn't find a good Marvel flail GIF.

Oh my god, guys!   This!   First of all, her costume is awesome: it's very Spider-like, but not a copy of Spider-Man's, it's sleek, it's classy, and it covers her all.   And while this series is drawn in a stylistic manner, it's also not the sexual-rawr fest you'd expect.   Yes, she fights, she jumps around, but partly in thanks to her costume, I didn't notice blatant 'boom, butt and boobs in your face at the same time because I'm that good and my artist is that horny.'

That being said, the art, while absolutely mind-glowingly gorgeous, is just one reason to come to this comic.   The characters are awesome, and I just read a review saying that this subverted the normal universe - 616 for those paying attention - in a clever, cheeky way.   It does.

Frank Castle has a family, including a grown up daughter, and ends up taking Stacy's job.     He still works as a Puinisher-type character, at least occasionally.  While he threatens those being held, while he dons the skull 'uniform', he doesn't really act the vigilante as much as his 616 counterpart, and he isn't quite as violent, it is nice to see him match a little.  I wonder how he balances his professional life with being, it seems, slightly corrupt.  I believe he wants to do good, just as his 616 version does, but they're a little skewed: the ends justify the means, although not as much in this.   It seems like a lot of doublethink would go into that, and I really want a spinoff series about him.   And Murdock.

Wondering about that Stacy comment?   Stacy being Gwen's last name, and her father is a cop.   Matt Murdock works for the Kingpin and  he's deviously evil.   Devilish even.    (Daredevil joke for those who aren't aware that Matt Murdock is Daredevil, no matter how much he tells people he isn't.)   This is nice twist, as Matt Murdock's arch nemesis in 616.)

Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, has always been a super-blond, super-skinny white girl.   She was rich, and came from a good family, at least from what I remember.   Here?   She's black, her father was a thief and taught her what he considered the art of thievery, and he did consider it a fine art, and she's also a singer who is incredibly successful.   (This will be important later.)   This subversion, making her a PoC, is a nice change, especially since she's got the success that Mary Jane, a white girl who's a supermodel in 616, has.   She just feels like a very fulfilling character.  She's bitter over her father's death, yes, and she rubs her success in the Mary Jane's face, a band that Gwen is in.   (Gwen is described as a kickass drummer,  and Mary Jane is the lead vocalist.   They do, however, have a PoC in their all-girl band.)   Also, while Mary Jane isn't quite as likable in this universe as 616, I feel like she's got a character: she's a bit of a diva, she wants attention and fame, and she's a bit neurotic and petty.   That being said, I don't feel like she's evil.  She's just a little high maintenance, and I have a feeling she'd come off a lot better if more time were given to developing her storyline.  I'm 'eh' about her now, but she's got potential.   Sadly, in only five issues, there is little time to develop side characters.  I do hope more is done with MJ and the Mary Janes in the future, however, even if it's 'this is not real, it's just an AU one-shot/mini-series' type thing.

Glory Grant, their keyboardist, by the way. 

But the best thing?   Gwen feels guilty about Peter Parker dying.   While his main guilt was over his Uncle Ben, Gwen was fridged right off a bridge to act as more guilt for Peter Parker, or Spider-Man.   Now, Ben and May Parker are her neighbors, and their nephew, Peter, is what spurs her to fight on because she feels so guilty over her death. 

This feels like a clever little dig at the 616-verse and what happened to Gwen.   And this comic proves she could have been nothing less than remarkable given half a chance, so the dig is well deserved. 

Mary Jane and Gwen are their own women, and stand quite nicely on their own two feel without Peter.   The Mary Janes are on the cusp of success, but Gwen is a little bit of a hot mess when it comes to her whole life, but she's young, and she's been handed this extreme responsibility; she's shut out her life so that Spider-Woman can live her life for her.   She's quit the band, and she doesn't answer her father's phone calls.  

She ends up coming to grips with a lot.   It's not so much that she's ever quit, she's just trying to balance everything.   She's a strong character, even when she's struggling, and I love her all the more for that.  She's also clever, and her father, as a police officer, has taught her tricks, like how to spot when someone was tailing her.   (When she was eight.) She uses what she knows and tries to make the best of it.    And when her webbing is cut, she creates wings on the fly.  

Like I said, she's a clever girl. 

This has a lot for people to love.  It's a strong female lead, with a lot of strong women as backup, and yes, men that I liked a lot, too.   Other than Castle, I really dug Ben Parker as a minor character, and Gwen's father, who was struggling with who she was, and wanted her to quit - tried to convince her to, but only with words.   He didn't turn her in for her own safety, nor did he resort to attempting to blackmail or physically disable her to show her how she could get hurt.   His struggle with how she could stay safe mirrors the one the women in Peter's life face: you know your loved-one is strong and capable, but can't help worry about them. 

Overall, rich characters, lovely artwork and a strong story?   All here.   Highly suggested.