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The Gwen Stacy of the mainstream Marvel Universe died decades ago. But the Gwen of an alt-reality lived on to become Ghost Spider (AKA Spider-Gwen). Now, Spider-Gwen has moved from her home reality into the core Marvel Universe, and she's sticking around.
With writer Stephanie Phillips now moving into her second volume of Spider-Gwen's title, All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider, the many-named hero is joining a new band and going up against an all new foe - a brand new symbiote named Tantrum who has ties to Gwen's previous bond with the so-called Gwenom symbiote.
Here's the newly revealed solicit text for October 29's All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #3, which brings Tantrum into the fold:
"THIS TANTRUM IS GOING TO THROW YOU! The mysterious entity who’s been hounding Gwen is revealed – meet TANTRUM, Gwen’s former symbiote! It’s out for revenge for being abandoned when Ghost-Spider got her powers back, jealous that it’s not a part of Gwen’s perfect new life!"
With All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider launching in August, we caught up with Phillips ahead of the launch of the new title, digging into Gwen's new life in the Marvel Universe, her new band, and of course, her new enemy Tantrum. We've also got the cover for All-New Spider-Gwen #3 (seen above), and some interior pages from #1 (seen below).
Newsarama: Stephanie, this version of Gwen Stacy is now in the mainstream Marvel Universe to stay. How is she fitting in so far?
Stephanie Phillips: It's been an adjustment for Gwen, for sure, but she's really finding ways to make it her own. In the previous series, we really showed how much tension Gwen felt trying to fit into a world she wasn't meant to be in. Now, she's had a chance to make some changes and really own the space, carving out her own place in the city. She's taking a lot more control than we've seen from her in the past, and I think it's fun to watch her grow into her new space.
On that note, what's her relationship with Peter Parker like at this point?
They're both obviously very different from the people each of them once knew. Gwen and Peter haven't really been super close since he sent Jessica Jones to spy on her. While it turned out great for Jessica and Gwen, Gwen's relationship to the other spiders in 616 might be a bit tense. In their defense... She was keeping very important information from them. We'll see if Gwen can start to repair some of those relationships...
I saw in the solicit text that Gwen will be starting a new band, which instantly got me excited. What can you tell us about the direction Gwen's musical career is going?
Playing music is a really core part of who Gwen is. Giving her drums back feels really important. Gwen is on a mission to start a new band and bring in some bandmates. It might... not go according to plan at first. But Gwen is pretty resilient and she'll have some help in getting this project together.
On the other side of that coin, Gwen's going to be going up against some new foes. Who is she going up against? Can we expect all new creations for Ghost-Spider to face off with?
One of the big new threats Gwen's facing is a symbiote named Tantrum. But Tantrum isn't actually new to her... it used to be a part of her. Left behind when Gwen regained her original spider-powers, Tantrum is the embodiment of everything Gwen was trying to leave behind - chaos, anger, guilt, her worst impulses. And now she will be facing off against a threat who knows her very personally.
You're working with Paolo Villanelli and Matt Milla on art. What makes them the perfect collaborators for All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider?
I love keeping the band together. Working with Paolo and Matt is amazing and it's been such a good team to work with on this story. I think Paolo brings something really interesting to the universe and a take on Gwen that feels mature, matching where she's at in her life currently.
What can readers expect as Gwen continues to settle into her new reality down the road?
Big fights, new villains, and, of course, the band! I love what we're building towards with this series and I look forward to watching Gwen grow throughout the book and adjust to her new home.
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