Monday, October 9, 2017

The Unbelievable Gwenpool (#0-5) by Christopher Hastings

The Unbelievable Gwenpool (#0-5) by Christopher Hastings, Irene Strychalski (Illustrator), Gurihiru (Illustrator)
Synopsis (via Goodreads): "Who is Gwenpool, and where did she come from?" Ever since she made a splash in her first cover appearance, those have been the questions on everyone's lips as they lounge about, sipping from a tropical beverage! Now, get all three of the original Gwepool backup stories featuring Ms. Poole's first appearance and her battle alongside our favorite private duck Howard the Duck in one convenient package! Plus: See Gwen's first Xmas in the Marvel Universe, and the guy she killed to mark the occasion! (Collecting the Gwenpool backup stories from HOWARD THE DUCK (2015B) #1-3 and material from Gwenpool Special #1)

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J (my spouse) has always had a few comics around the house, but it wasn't until our son showed an interest in them that we decided to get a little more serious ourselves. I've loved reading my entire life, but it never occurred to me to read comics. It took a three-year old to push us in that direction, and I'm so happy it happened. I LOVE COMICS. It's a book, but it's not. There are so many different stories, a lot of them overlapping, and the illustrations are always beautiful. I'll admit, it can be incredibly confusing at times, but that's what I have J for. He knows everything (or is capable of looking up an answer).

We each decided to choose a comic we would get monthly. J chose Spider-Men II, my son went with the All New Guardians of the Galaxy, and I wanted something feminine so I picked Gwenpool. We quickly realized that just one wasn't going to work for us. We now get 10-15 comics every month. A few of them are just going to be a limited series while others are ongoing. I have been reading Gwenpool and the new Hulk (which will soon be transitioning into She-Hulk), and the boys get things like Venom, Venomverse, Daredevil, Astonishing X-Men, TMNT--it's a long list now. 

Marvel has been introducing a lot of new characters to their universe, and I find most of them to be really interesting. Female versions of Hawkeye, Thor and Iron Man? Yes, please! I've read a few of the Generations comics (which have the traditional character confronted with a newer version), and I've enjoyed seeing how they interact with each other. 

I was trying to adequately describe all of this, and now I'm three paragraph's into this post without discussing the first few issues of Gwenpool. ๐Ÿ˜…

If you like Deadpool, his knack for the inappropriate, and love of violence, then Gwenpool is probably a comic you'd enjoy. Gwen Poole is from the "real" world, has read comic books her entire life, and then somehow manages to insert herself into the Marvel universe. She is fully aware of who she is and what she's doing, and she's determined to make herself a hero with her very own story. It helps that she knows everyone, their histories, secret identities, etc. She uses that information to survive in the beginning, but after a few comics she tries to learn basic fighting skills. Her only source of information has been the internet, so I'll let you come to your own conclusions. 

I love her snarky personality and the unexpected things that pop out of her mouth. If you're her friend, she will try to keep you safe, but Gwenpool has a borderline scary obsession with violence and killing. She sees people as extras in her story, which means to her they are expendable. Unfortunately, the supporting characters don't see things that way, and they want to fight for the lives they believe themselves to be living. Have I lost you yet? If this sounds even the least bit interesting, I highly recommend that you read it! It will make more sense when you do, but know that with Gwenpool there will always be a little bit of confusion.

Some information can be found on Goodreads, but Comic Vine is slightly more thorough. 

12 comments:

  1. I've never read Gwenpool but it looks fun. I haven't read Marvel in ages seems like, but I have ComiXology- I should catch up with the new stuff.

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    1. I had no idea what ComiXology was until I Googled it after reading your comment! Is it like NetGalley? Do you read comics before their monthly release? I saw a lot of #1 issues, so that makes me think it gives you a chance to read something before committing to it. How does it work exactly?

      Also, I love Gwenpool! It's a really fun comic to read.

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    2. CopmiXology is owned by Amazon and you basically join the site and then you can read comics on their website with your browser or with an app. You don't actually download the comics, but you do own them and can read them as much as you want. They have some free ones too I guess although I have only scratched the surface, to be honest. I've only been a member for a couple of months. It's not like Netgalley though, I don't think you get comics early? I think it's just stuff that has been released, including new releases.

      They have a lot of selection, I've bought quite a few comics and collected editions but now I have to find time to read them all. :)

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    3. Neat! I'm hesitant to buy new comics (other than what I already get every month), because I'm not sure if it will be something that I like. I feel like ComiXology would allow me to read the first issue of something to determine whether or not I like it. If I don't, I'm not stuck with a physical copy I don't want.

      When do any of us have the time to read everything we want?! Haha.

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  2. I love that you started out thinking you'd read one each and are not at 10-15 lol. But I can relate in that I never even thought to read comics until fairly recently. For me it was when I started book blogging and started seeing recs for graphic novels. I have to admit I'm not so much interested the superhero ones, but I'm glad to see you're liking the ones you've found! Gwenpool sounds like it has a fun premise! And Gwenpool herself sounds kind of terrifying but interesting.

    P.S. I'm so jealous that you're reading Bitter Spirits because literally just yesterday I was going through my TBR/wishlist and thinking about how much I want to read that one because I love SFF set in the Prohibition Era. Are you liking it?

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    1. What comics have you started reading? I feel like the majority have to do with superheroes, or people with superpowers. My son also reads Talespin (I loved that show growing up!)TMNT isn't really about superheroes, just turtles with ninja skills, lol.

      I am really enjoying Bitter Spirits! I also love books set in the Prohibition Era, and the addition of ghosts and magic just make things even more interesting. :) It doesn't hurt that Winter is naked within the first few pages...

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    2. Idk which post I should reply to now, haha. But anyway, there are actually lots of comics that aren't about superheroes! I hadn't know that either, which was why I never read them (like I said, I'm not into the superhero thing). Saga and Sex Criminals are some really popular ones that I'm reading. I've also read (or at least tried the first volume of) quite a few lesser-known ones thanks to Hoopla and NetGalley, and I've really gotten into webcomics lately. I only read sci-fi/fantasy, but there are contemporary, non-magical comics out there too. If I knew your taste better I would rec some, but since I just started following you, I have no idea what you like lol. Here, if you wanna see ones I've reviewed so far: http://blog.kristenburns.com/tag/graphic-novel/

      But I guess it also does depend on your definition of things since in many of the GNs I read, the characters do have a power of some sort, or they're a supernatural creature or something.

      Re: Bitter Spirits; naked men in books, always a plus ;-)

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    3. Okay, so I took down my Quick Question post. I wasn't thinking clearly when I asked, "Are there comics without superheroes?" It is now painfully obvious my initial question could have been avoided with the help of Google. ;)

      Thank you for the few you listed! I'll definitely read through some of the ones you've already reviewed.

      Re: Bitter Spirits; I completely agree!

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  3. I'm dabbling lol

    I've tried a few. One Japanese YA-ish romance Waiting for Spring https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1632365162 Cute but confusing - reading it *backwards* lol

    Years ago I read The Walking Dead and mostly enjoyed it.

    I just read Ms. Marvel and I'm reviewing it next week but I liked it a lot and Pashmina which was a mid-grade graphic novel with magical elements https://www.amazon.com/Pashmina-Nidhi-Chanani-ebook/dp/B075JN62B4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507732169&sr=1-1&keywords=pashmina

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    1. I can't wait to read your review for Ms. Marvel! Do you watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? J and I really enjoy it!

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  4. I'm dying to check out this series!!

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    1. You should! It's surprisingly good! She's so random, even if you expect the unexpected, lol. ๐Ÿ˜

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless