Today is issue 16 where Gwen learns that escapism is bad.Previous >>153438275
It wasn't until re-reading all of this that I realized Teddy's name is also a pun.
Pretty sure this was the page that changed everything for anons back when this was coming out.
That's it, we're done. Next time, there is no next time.
Psych! Next time, Gwen becomes a wagecuck.
Notice all the red herrings for how Gwen got to 616>The crashing of all realities pre-Secret Wars merged our world with theirs and she hopped over>The mysticism shop>The forum for where realities merge>The sleep study itself for uniting collective unconsciousI like they always kept that vague
>>153453630The only real disappointment in this book was that it didn't use this arc to tie back into Marvel 1985.
>>153453760Yeah, I think the point is more that there was never a "real" world and that Gwen was never transported to it because as a comic book character even coming from the real world would mean a fictional version of it. I really hate Leah having her self-retcon into being a reality warping mutant (and Kamala is shit for gaslighting a desperate and depressed chick into believing her own memories were fake) but I do think there's a broader point that any origin she has isn't going to be real.I think if it were up to me, I'd say something like her "true" origin is that she's a manifestation of the collective unconscious of the readers and their own desire for escapism, creativity and such manifested in the comics in the form of a girl who travelled from the "real" world to the world of the comics. She has an origin, she has a family and backstory because that's both important for her story and what we the readers want but ultimately she's less flesh and blood person and more abstract entity in human form. Which, from his comments at the end of the series, I think is more or less what Hastings intended.It allows someone to retcon (or ignore) things lke Leah's stupid origin retcon or Whitley's dumb asexual shit to restore what Hastings had done which is the way most fans are going to feel that she should be while acknowleding that her nature, and the nature of cape comics in general, mean details will always be amorphous and subject to change.
Why doesn't Gurihiru make more comic and/or art? I really like his artstyle.A perfect mix between western style and eastern style to make something appealing from both parts.
>>153454185They've basically spent the last 5 years doing It's Jeff comics unfortunately.
The original thread for this issue was great. Especially the reaction to this page >>153453630https://desuarchive.org/co/thread/92855503/
>>153454185>Why doesn't Gurihiru make more comic and/or art?They are always working. They have been making Unico graphic novels for Scholatic, It's Jeff webstrips, and they do work on video games. They just don't do ongoings anymore unfortunately, but they only ever did two ongoings anyway.
>>153455458I think the only problem I have with the fakeout in hindsight is that you would have realized something was up when the page count was short. They should have gotten an extra page or two for this issue so the letter column would have been in the right place to make the fake out more surprising.
>>153453531Still astounds me what they got away with Gwen. Especially around her time, there were a lot of super genius teen heroes like Riri, Moon Girl, Nadia, Amadeus, even Kamala/Miles were pretty smart. And then here's Gwen who dropped out of HIGH SCHOOL, how many teen heroes can't even finish high school? They do a great job of making you sympathize for her situation of feeling like a failure here - can't graduate, can't even get a job, no friends because they all moved on to bigger/better things, just living a NEET life style with a family who feels like they're judging her when all they want is for her to try harder. Suddenly her desperation to make it in the world of heroes makes a lot more sense.>>153453576I think what makes Gwen most relatable though is her dissatisfaction with the world. Maybe Gwen could succeed if she did as her parents suggested and committed to things, but what does 'success' look like? Working a 9-5 in a miserable cubicle with a 5 figure paycheck, counted lucky if you even own a garage? A lot of Gwen's issues stem from ennui with her reality and being fed up with this gay earth I think is the most identifiable thing about her, that she uses comic books for escapism is understandable and when she sees the chance to leave this world for one where she knows (thinks) she can succeed by playing by exploitable narrative rules I can see why she'd immediately take it.
>>153453630Thanks for the story time OP. This is the kickstart to the best arc in Unbelievable and I love the reveal of what things were like for Gwen before she came to Marvel. It explains a lot about her mindset in retrospect; her desire and enthusiasm to live out an escapist fantasy to get away from her inability/unwillingness to cope with how the real world works. How she won't care or put effort into anything that isn't immediately relevant to her interests which shows in her being self-centered and lack of concern for others when she first arrives in Marvel.It's also great to meet her family. I can see both her parents care about her but are reasonably worried about her, her mom is a bit more enabling whereas her dad is more strict/direct. Teddy is a fun little bro, we've yet to get to his best stuff but I really like how you feel the stakes of the story skyrocket the second he's confirmed to be her actual brother and dragging her forcibly back to reality. Besides that though I also how much Gwen/Teddy get along and care for each other here. The twist with the fake-out ending and Gwen starting to tap into interacting with her medium is a great ending too, I love this arc and am ready for more.
>>153456502The thing is that you can pretty easily extrapolate that are problems are largely of her own creation. Like you can assume she couldn't graduate because she was lazy and didn't put any effort into subjects she didn't care about or doing any work so her grades were shit so her dropping out was her own fault. She's too lazy to get a job and is fine mooching off of her parents to the point where even her own friends are starting to get fed up and are avoiding her (without explicitly saying they are) because they know if they do anything they're going to have to pay for her.She reminds me a lot of my brother actually. No motivation to do anything and is leeching because our parents enable him. He's not actually happy but shows no desire to do anything to fix his situation or change things because why should he when nobody gives him a reason to?
>>153456771It's a very sad but true to life situation to read with Gwen. Just not wanting/able to put any effort into important things, distracting themselves with entertainment to ignore their issues, and yeah when it comes down to it it's all gonna be on her. She's the only one who can deal with her issues, but has little desire or reason to.I genuinely wonder and worry what would have become of Gwen if she'd stayed on our Earth. I do not think her parents would have the heart to kick her out but I can't see many other ways of getting her to change.
Best Siblings
>>153457888She wouldn't do that but she would participate in husbando threads.
>>153456502That's what disappoints me most about her current state. Hastings had the character speak to a very real situation that millions of young people can relate to, and they just... didn't do anything with it after Unbelievable.
>>153460242I remember reading in a thread once that Antos claimed the quippy selfie comedy character and that she and Hastings basically had to constantly fight to do the more deconstructionist take. Basically we're lucky to have the Unbelievable version because what Marvel wants is her to be Cute Girl Memepool.
>>153453531I remember people joking Gwen not finishing high school was especially dumb
>>153453390Does this still get posted in Wins'day threads?
>>153464677I can't remember the last time I went into a Win-O'-Thread.
It's issue 17, where Gwen learns he world is not what she thinks it is.
That's it. Next time we get some backstory for Teddy.
>>153468183Gwen being a wagecuck feels so wrongShe shouldnt be cleaning bathrooms bros shes meant for better things...
>>153469556you knw...if she was a midwestern i would buy.But she in New York could do better.
>>153468425>>153468448>>153468459Realistically, how long would it have taken Gwen to use this new power to go down on herself?
>>153469782God knows if it were me I'd try it immediately, and then regret it. So probably not long.
>>153469556Seeing as she's a high school dropout loser I don't really think so.>>153470353Unless you're a cute girl like Gwen I don't think the prospect is too appealing.
>>153468153>localization for imported video gamesThe job that was made for her.
What would it be like to have a gf like Gwenpool?
Can somebody please storytime the comics from FCBD?
>>153472647Exhausting and annoying probably. Would her looks really be worth having to put up with he being a lazy, self-centered parasite?
>>153468214She's beginning to believe...
>>153453531it 100% was for me
kill her with fire
>>153472711I can fix her
>>153468248I actually could go for more scenes like this with 'normal' life for Gwen. Seeing her having to deal with being a wage slave (and her commentary) as she attempts to leave her NEET life in the comic, and especially the bonding moment with her dad here. He was pretty strict in the last issue but it's sweet he knows his daughter's interests and is trying to reward her for making good choices.>>153468331This part in the comic always gets me with how dark it gets with the suicidal implications. We know Gwen was just fucking around with her powers from the family's perspective? Just imagining their daughter, right as she's pulling herself together, deciding to throw herself from the second story window is kind of harrowing and it's rough watching her folks so distraught.>>153468474Thanks for the story time OP. I love the continuing family drama from last issue into this comic, I know it's not to last but Gwen attempting to hold down an awful job to make her family happy is entertaining. But of course the real draw is Gwen finally tapping into her abilities to mess with panels - I really like her experimenting with finding where they are, messing with different aspects like the panel borders and thought/speech boxes, there's a lot of fun applications and imagination with how she's able to interact with them and leans into a psychological vibe. It gets very trippy after her trip to the hospital, I like how it shows briefly what it looks like from her perspective to establish how weird it looks form her side. The art here especially is great with demonstrating all of this and really feels like she's stepping into the unknown.
>>153474477>This part in the comic always gets me with how dark it gets with the suicidal implications.There's a part of me that thinks it might have been good to keep the ambiguity going a bit longer so you wonder if what she's seeing and doing are real or a product of a deluded, depressed and suicidal mind. In fact this story puts something of a dark spin on Gwen's moving universes because in a sense she basically did commit suicide to escape a life where she was unfulfilled and depressed over being a loser and a failure and then figured it was best that her parents forget about her. Jusr instead of heaven or hell she ended up in the MU.I also assume she declined Santa's offer in the Holiday Special to see her parents. It wouldn't really fit with how she's been if she accepted it.
>>153476160I also might have gone for something like that, I think it'd be neat if there were some question as to whether Gwen really was touching/seeing all these panels or if she was just going crazy
