The Unbelievable Gwenpool #6: Not A Civil War II Tie-In, But Emotions Still Run High

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #6 piles on the metatextual plotlines by actually opening in her own universe, set shortly before her mysterious arrival in the main one. It’s a cute scene, at first tricking you into thinking that you’re actually reading an issue of Spider-Man, then revealing it to be a pre-Secret Wars comic. After that, Gwen complains that the then-upcoming event will probably interfere with the comic. She then hears an ominous rumbling noise and the flashback ends. Who knows: maybe the universe is offended at Gwen’s accusations, and seeks revenge.

This ties into the main plot as Gwen recounts her experiences with that comic in an attempt to convince Miles that she really can be helpful. Also, this image appears as the previous issue is briefly recapped:

I'm using this as my new profile picture.

In doing so, she confesses that she lied about the dead Watcher and gives a somewhat abridged version of what we know about her origin, painting the comic book writers and artists as "universe architects." Subtle reference to the recent Howard the Duck storyline, or just a coincidence? You make the call!

From Howard The Duck #10, one of the cosmic architects giving his thoughts on how to write a comic. It's a great story!

Spider-Man reluctantly agrees to continue teaming up and they go off together to catch a bomber, who is actually a student at Miles’s high school.

Spider-Man! He has the proportional strength of a spider and the proportional research skills of an average high school student.

Unfortunately, this is where the adventure goes south. Gwen tries to kill Damien, reasoning that he’s just a plot device. Naturally, this makes a twisted kind of sense to her, being a relative newcomer to the Marvel universe, but this makes Miles think that she’s a psychopath. It definitely doesn’t help matters when she accidentally reveals that the entire universe is a comic book. They fight and Gwen is sent to jail.

Batroc and the gang eventually break her out, presumably killing innocent police officers in the process, but Gwen finally seems to be realizing that trying to be a Marvel character isn’t a game anymore.

Gwenpool: The lighthearted story about a fun-loving fangirl in her favorite comic—Who am I kidding, I can't joke about this!—goes to get a box of tissues—

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #6 is an intense read, lightened partially by Christopher Hasting’s wacky dialogue and Irene Strychalski’s beautiful artwork. Seriously, you can practically feel Gwen’s heartbreak dripping off the page. It’s a great issue and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Who is Gwen’s employer? Will Miles ever encounter her again? When will the inevitable Deadpool team-up happen?!

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #6 is available at the local comic book store. It is written by Christopher Hastings and drawn by Irene Strychalski.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.